First, I tried the WalMart brand, White Cloud.  They were significantly cheaper than the name brand diapers and it showed.  They were thin and loose and a total waste twelve bucks.  I ended up selling the rest of the pack at a garage sale for $1.  Next, I tried the Sams Club brand, Strollers.  Much to my surprise, they were awesome.  They were just as durable as the name-brand version and never leaked.  Plus, by opting for the generic diapers instead of the Huggies I usually buy, I save almost $300 per year.  I just wish it hadn’t taken me four kids to figure it out!  It’s painful to think how much money I could have saved.

So for today’s Talk to Me Tuesday post, I’m asking for your best (and worst) generic brand finds.  What products have you found that are just as good as the name-brand alternative?  On the flip side, what generic brands have you tried that didn’t stack up to your expectations?  Or, what name-brand products do you use that are worth the extra cash?  We’re all trying to budget a little more carefully these days so do your fellow MeckMom readers (and me) a favor by taking a minute to share your best money-saving finds in the comments area below.  As always, to those of you who comment, thanks in advance for passing it on.

The bank is a simple three-ring binder kept in my kitchen cupboard. Inside the binder I have one zippered pencil pouch for each of my kids. On the front I keep a statement sheet. The sheet has an simple table for each kid to jot down their deposits and withdrawals.Behind the kid’s pouches, I have another pouch that holds a calculator and a tithing envelope for each of the kids.

Whenever they get their allowance, earn money from a money job, or get money gifted to them. We pull out the bank binder. I help them write out the deposit amounts on the statement sheet and then make a 10% withdrawal for tithing.I don’t force them to deposit their money, but we do have a rule that if someone finds money in the couch cushions…or anywhere else, it goes into the family jar we keep on top of the fridge.

When they decide they want to spend their money we simply pull out the pouch and take it with us to the store. On fast Sundays, we pull out the tithing envelopes and bring them to church with us.It’s a simple system, but it has made a huge difference for me. My kids are excited to save and the fights are a thing of the past. As a side bonus, the whole tithing concept is much clearer for them. Just thought I’d pass it on. You can find the free file downloads for the cover and binder spine insert below.