PITTSBURGH,None — Buying generic can bring you big savings, but you've got to know what to get.
Judy Dodd is a registered dietitian with Giant Eagle. She says over time, the quality of generics has improved while the value hasn't changed.
"It's good food. Nutrition wise it's exactly the same. Is a green bean that's cut like this any different than one that's cut like this? And the answer of course is no," said Dodd.
So here's my list of 10 things where it pays to buy generic.
We begin with paper products. I found Giant Eagle paper towels almost half the price per sheet than the big name brands.
Second on my list, canned vegetables—I found value time green beans for $.55, one-dollar cheaper than Delmonte.
The same goes for frozen vegetables, number three on my list. I found you'll pay double for Green Giant.
Number four on my list of things to buy generic is rice. I found you can save by skipping the box. It's cheaper if you buy the generic in a big bag.
The fifth thing I discovered you can save by buying generic is sugar. The value brand is going to be cheaper; and usually produced in the same plant as the name brand.
The next thing to buy generic are dairy products. I found the only difference between American Cheese is the price. If you look at the nutrition, they're almost identical.
Coming in at number eight is aluminum foil. It costs less when you're not paying for the name.
Number 9 on my list, over-the-counter-drugs. Aspirin is $3.50 cheaper than Bayer.
The final thing you should buy generic, prescription drugs.
70% of all prescriptions are for generic drugs, but surveys show nearly half of us fear they're not as safe or as effective.
Pharmacists like Dr. Scott Drab at Pitt want to dispel that myth since the FDA requires the active ingredients to be identical.
The savings can be dramatic, take for example the Diabetes drug Glucophage. The generic version Metforin is only $25 cheaper.
"The more money you can save the better off you are. I personally do take generic drugs myself and I've never had problems with them," added Dr. Drab.
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