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02 / Groceries · Hack #12
Buy the house brand for products that are chemically identical.
Sugar, salt, flour, rice, bleach, paracetamol. The house brand is often the same product at a lower price.
“sugar is sugar.”THE PROBLEM
Brand premiums on commodity products pay for marketing, not quality.
WHAT MOST PEOPLE DO
Grab the familiar packaging.
(no judgement. we did too.)THE CHEAPHACK
For staples with a fixed standard (sugar, salt, flour, basic medicines by active ingredient), compare the unit price on the shelf label and pick the cheapest. Keep brand loyalty for things you can actually taste the difference in.
HOW TO DO IT
- STEP 1Look at the per-kg or per-unit price on the shelf tag, not the pack price.
- STEP 2Switch staples first.
- STEP 3Try one house-brand item per trip. Keep what works.
You’ll need: A supermarket that labels unit prices
THE MATH
WHEN THIS MAKES SENSE
- Most weekly grocery runs.
WHEN IT DOESN’T
- Products where you have a genuine, tested preference.
THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR
- Not every house-brand product is equivalent. Check ingredients where it matters.
- For medicines, compare active ingredient and dosage, and ask the pharmacist.
DO THE MATH WITH YOUR NUMBERS
RM1,560 for 1 min ≈ RM93,600 per hour of effort.
DID IT WORK FOR YOU?
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