In my previous post, I extolled the virtues of comparison shopping, maintaining that certain grocery stores such as Aldi sell food items at a far less price than most super markets, and that generic brand trumps name brands, even with coupons.

I was a little surprised when nobody called me out on the somewhat limited choices one has when shopping parsimoniously (ok, cheap). True, you only have one brand of flour or ketchup. And that's not good if you're looking for,let's say, whole wheat flour.

For the health conscious person seeking margarine or spread that's not partially hydrogenated, you need to go to a larger supermarket and spend more money for the "better for you" products. I seldom see blueberries at Aldi's--one the super foods. (Fortunately, I go to a U-pick down the road from me.)
You want tofu or lentils or something "exotic"? You have to go to a major chain or specialty store. But for the essentials, I still maintain go for the cheap stuff. It's really not a case of "you get what you pay for" Then again, I'm not too particular!