Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/393898
Whatdoyou associate with the word "generic?" Do the words "in- ferior" or "tastes like cardboard" come to mind? Or do you, like so many people, associate name brands with peo- ple who are well to do, while people in pov- erty opt for generics? All of that is hogwash. The truth is that generics are often a great buy because the quality of the product is exactly equal or bet- ter than the name-brand counterpart. Here are six winners. Cereal. There is no rea- son you should be pay- ing $4 a box for cereal when you can buy the generic brand 30 per- cent cheaper. In several blind test studies, kids who were given generic and brand-name cere- als could not tell a dif- ference. If your kids are picky about their favor- ite cereal, try combining the name brand and the generic brand in a plas- tic container so they can't see the difference. Grad- ually move the mix to more and more generic, until they've made the switch. Medication. If you are buying name brands such as Advil, Tylenol, Bayer Aspirin, Prilosec, Zyrtec, Claritin and Sudafed, you are wasting your money. You are paying up to three times as much as that medication's generic version. By law, all med- ications sold in the U.S — both over-the-coun- ter and prescription — must be exactly the same quality, strength, pu- rity and stability as their brand-name counter- part. Generic drugs are safe, effective and FDA- approved. According to Gary Buehler, M.D., di- rector of the FDA's Office of Generic Drugs, "People can use them with total confidence." Pantry staples. Gov- ernment regulations re- quire the same manufac- turing and storage pro- cedures for all staples such as flour, sugar, eggs, milk, salt and so forth, no matter the brand. Buying the generic brand is just as safe and tastes the same. Buying generic is almost always cheaper, except for those rare oc- casions when the brand name is on sale for less than its generic coun- terpart. Infant formula. The FDA strictly regulates and re- quires the same nutrients in all in- fant formula, so your baby will get the same benefits from the name brand and the much less expensive ge- neric option. Generic for- mulas have to follow the same manufacturing and safety guidelines as well, so there's no added risk. You can be confident in generic infant formula. Cleaning products. I cannot say that all ge- nerics are equal to their name-brand counter- parts. However, some ge- neric cleaning products are equal or even better. There is a wide consen- sus that name-brand pa- per towels and window cleaner are usually worth the money. Generic pa- per towels tend to be too thin, and generic win- dow cleaner often leaves streaks. However, off- brand scouring powders, disinfecting wipes and bathroom cleaners are nearly always equal to or even better than the name-brand options. Non-perishables. The generic option of prod- ucts such as pasta, canned fruits and vege- tables, crackers, cheese, soda, bottled water and so on, tend to be equal in quality. Here's a good rule of thumb as you make the decision: The fewer ingredients an item has, the more likely that the generic brand tastes just as good as the name brand. National brand man- ufacturers spend a lot of money on advertis- ing and attractive pack- aging to sell you a prod- uct that may not be bet- ter than the generic one. And in some cases, the generic and name brand companies are the same. Hint: If the labels say the products were made in the same town, chances are pretty good they were made by the same firm. MaryHuntisthefounder of www.DebtProofLiving. com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@eve- rydaycheapskate.com. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE 6winnersinthe generic vs. name- brand competition Mary Hunt Have you ever had some- thing living under your house and you did not know what it was? Or hear strange sounds in your walls or attic that scare you? You may want to come and listen to the infor- mation provided by Jim Bendinger, a trapper for almost 40 years in eastern Tehama County. Jim will share his vari- ety of animal traps, both old and newer styles, pho- tos and stories with attend- ees of the Sacramento River Discovery Center's Thurs- day Evening program at 7 p.m. Thursday. The presentation will take place at the Farm Bu- reau Building, 275 Sale Lane and will offer resi- dents an opportunity to hear some suggestions for keeping some of the wild creatures away from prop- erty. "I was certainly happy when a trapper was able to remove a total of 17 skunks from under the SRDC building two years ago" said Executive Director Bo- bie Hughes. The smell of that "wild creature made my eyes wa- ter and my head ache. We are lucky to have several trappers in Tehama County and Jim will share of his ex- periences and photographs with the attendees." Raccoons, ground squir- rels, opossum, snakes, mice and rats are only a few of the creatures that like to spend the winter some- place warm like under your house or in the wood pile. Jim will have suggestions on ways to encourage them to live elsewhere. After the presentation there will be a question and answer period and re- freshments will be avail- able. The programs are spon- sored by the Sacramento River Discovery Center, 1000 Sale Lane within the Mendocino National For- est's Red Bluff Recreation Area. The Discovery Gar- den will feature the Fall Fest Plant Sale of native, drought tolerant and deer resistant plants 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 in the SRDC parking lot. For more information, call 527-1196 or send an e-mail to bhughe1@tehamaed. org. For information about the Wild and Scenic Film Festival that will be held on Nov. 1 at the State Theatre, visit www.srdc.tehama.k12. ca.us or look for the Sacra- mento River Discovery Cen- ter on Facebook. LECTURE Trapping is the topic for program USFISHANDWILDLIFESERVICE PHOTO Striped skunk PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Thank you! Alternatives to Violence seeks volunteers and will be offering a domestic vio- lence crisis intervention vol- unteer training Nov. 7-8 and Nov. 14-16. If you would like to help women and children af- fected by domestic violence, just a few hours a week can make a big difference. You can choose how and when you volunteer. Let staff know your inter- ests and they can match you with services that are needed. Volunteering can help you gain new skills, con- nect with others in the com- munity and provide a great opportunity for you to give back or pay it forward. Alternatives to Violence is seeking volunteers to help in a variety of ways, includ- ing directly service to cli- ents, such as intakes, peer counseling, client support and accompaniment. Volunteers are needed for the Crisis Hotline to re- spond to calls from home over a secure, confidential connection. At the shelter, volunteers offer peer counseling, facil- itate groups or services and offer general assistance. Indirect services requir- ing volunteers include cler- ical assistance, soliciting and coordinating donations and help with fundraising events such as the upcom- ing Trivia Night. Those interested in learning more about how to help, are asked to call Linda at 528-0300 or send an email to ldickerson@at- vrb.org. Volunteers must pass a background check and com- plete a 40-hour crisis inter- vention training prior to working with clients. Training may qualify for school credits — check with your college or university. For more information about Alternatives to Vi- olence, visit www.atvrb. org. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Group seeks crisis intervention volunteers Today REDBLUFF American Legion Mt. Lassen Post 167: 7p.m., Veterans Memorial Hall, 735 Oak St. City Council: 7p.m. City Hall, 555Washington St. Cribbage Club: 6p.m., Cozy Diner, 259S. Main St., 527- 6402 Fiber Arts Group: 5-8p.m., library, 645Madison St., 528-8667, free Fun Senior Aerobics: 8-9 a.m., $1, Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St. 527- 8177 Healthier Living with Chronic Conditions: 5:30-8p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, Wright Room, 888-628-1948, redbluff.mercy.org/classes_ and_events PAL Kickboxing: 6p.m., 1450Schwab St., 529-8716 or 200-3950 Penny Bingo: 9:30a.m., Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St. Pinochle for Seniors: 12:30p.m. to 3:30p.m., 1500S. Jackson St., free, 527-8177 Red Bluff Derby Girls open tryouts and practice: 6:30 p.m., Tyler Jelly building at Tehama District Fairgrounds Red Bluff Rotary: noon, Elks Lodge Take Off Pounds Sensi- bly - TOPS: 10a.m., First United Methodist Church, 525David Ave., 824-0556 or 529-1414 Tehama County and Red Bluff Landfill Manage- ment Agency: 8a.m., board meeting, 727Oak St. Tehama County Board of Supervisors: 10a.m., board chamber, 727Oak St. Tehama County Tea Party Patriots: 6p.m., Grange Hall, 20794Walnut St. WWE self defense train- ing for women: 5:30-7 p.m., 1005Vista Way, Ste. C CORNING Bible reading and noon day prayers for the com- munity: 12:15p.m., St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 820Marin St. Sr. Warden Charles Rouse, 824-2321 Corning Community meet- ing: 7p.m., Maywood Middle School, 1666Marguerite Ave. Corning Recreation Com- mission: 7:30p.m., City Hall, 794Third St. ESL/Citizenship classes: 9a.m. - 11a.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Dance with Juana: noon to 1p.m., Family Resource Center, 1488South St., 824-7670 Soccer training: 4-6p.m., Woodson School Soccer Field, 150N Toomes, 824- 7680 COTTONWOOD Bowman 4-H: 7p.m., Ev- ergreen Elementary School Gym, 527-3101Los Molinos Bingo: 4:30p.m. dinner, early birds 6:15p.m., regular session 6:30p.m., Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall, 7900 Sherwood Blvd., 384-2738 LOS MOLINOS Cemetery District: 8:30 a.m., 25096Ta St., 384- 1864 School Readiness Play Group: 10-11:30a.m., up to 5years, free, First Steps Family Resource Center, 7700Stanford Ave., 384- 7833 Wednesday RED BLUFF Al-Anon: noon to 1p.m., Presbyterian Church, Jef- ferson and Hickory Community Dance: 7-10 p.m., Westside Grange, 20794Walnut St. Nurturing Parenting Dads Program: 10a.m. to noon, 1860Walnut St. #D, Shasta Room, call Keith at 527- 8491, ext. 3012 Nurturing Skills for Teen Parents: 9-10a.m., 1900 Walnut St., 527-8491, ext. 3012 PAL Martial Arts Women's Self Defense: 5:30-6:30 p.m., 1005Vista Way, Ste. C, 840-0345 Parks and Recreation Commission: 7p.m., City Hall, 555Washington St., 527-8177 Penny Bingo: 9:30a.m., Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St. Red Bluff Airport Commis- sion: 5:30p.m., City Hall, 555Washington St. Red Bluff Cemetery Dis- trict Board of Trustees: 4p.m., Oak Hill Cemetery office Red Bluff Kiwanis: noon, Elks Lodge Red Bluff Derby Girls open tryouts and practice: 6:30 p.m., Tyler Jelly building at Tehama District Fairground Retired Public Employees Association, Chapter 18: noon, Cozy Diner Soroptimist International: 5:30p.m., Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St., siredbluffclub@yahoo.com Team Kid: 5:30p.m., First Southern Baptist Church, 585Kimball Road, 527- 5083 TeenScreen Mental Health Appointments: 10a.m. to 2 p.m., free by appointment, 1900Walnut St., 527-8491, Ext. 3012 Tehama Coffee Party Loy- alists: 6p.m., Cozy Diner 259Main St. Tehama County Library story time: 9:30a.m., 645 Madison St. 527-0604 Tehama County Mosquito Abatement District: noon, 11861State Route 99W Tehama Shooters Asso- ciation: 6:30p.m., Red Bluff Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St. 527-8727 Waterlabor Class: 6:30-8:30 p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hospital Columba Room, 888-628-1948, red- bluff.mercy.org/classes_ and_events Weight Watchers meet- ing: 9a.m., Hampton Inn, 1-800-651-6000 Widows Association of Red Bluff - Breakfast: 8 a.m., call 527-4659for location. LOCAL CALENDAR 604MainSt.,RedBluff•(530)529-5154 www.redblufflosmariachis.com All You Can Eat Taco Tuesday (Every Tuesday) Chicken or Beef, Rice, Beans and all the fixings! $ 7.99 per person Dine-In Only 11am to 3pm Not valid with any other offers or special items. Cannot be used with any catering services. TACOTUESDAY Starting October 7th!! LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, October 7, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5