In a society where most people are paying for their goods with plastic, it is very easy to spend more at the “cash” register than we realize. Many of us throw our credit or debit card on the counter without paying attention to the strain on our pocket books unless it’s some ridiculous amount; however, each penny makes a difference. Imagine how much we could save if we paid closer attention to the total! One way to save is to buy store brands as often as possible. 90% of the time, they are the same quality as the name brand and are up to 50% cheaper.

Here’s an example: I was in the middle of a transaction at CVS today when the clerk said “8.75.” I stood there shocked since I was only buying one box of CVS brand trash bags and a Mead single subject spiral bound notebook. Cheap, right? “How did this get to be so expensive”? I asked him. “I thought that the notebook was 25% off.” Apparently, I was wrong. That bargain applied to a different notebook. I decided to not get that notebook and walked back over to the aisle to see if there was a cheaper option. It turned out that I could buy TWO CVS brand notebooks for just $1.00, assuming I had my Extra Care Card handy which I did. The clerk was just as surprised as I was. Instead of spending over $4.00 on one Mead notebook, I got 2 CVS brand notebooks for less than the price of a single brand name one. I only spent $5 something instead of $8.75 and I could either spend the difference on a coffee or put it in a savings account.

The lesson? Carry a small calculator when you go shopping and tally up the goods in your cart before you stand in the checkout line. This will help you “count the bills” and you will have hopefully selected store brands when available. When the cashier tells you your total, you shouldn’t be surprised.