gerri: hello, welcome to a special edition of "the willis report." i'm gerri willis. all this hour we'll be bringing you our users guide to saving money. everything from cutting down your commuting costs to spotting deals on the latest technology and clothing trend. but first, tonight, costs are skyrocketing at the grocery store but our first guest has hidden ways of ringing up savings at your nearest supermarket. with us now, todd marks, senior projects editor at consumer reports. thanks for coming back to the show. this story was just amazing. hey, great ideas. your first one using loyalty cards at your favorite grocery store. how important is this. >> gerri, one of "the ten

commandments" of grocery shopping, sign up for the store's loyalty program. more and more chains want you to come back. how do they do that? by making deals available to you, their loyal customer, that aren't available to the general public. if you look at the weekly flyers that most of us are very familiar with, you see what they call the hot special or cherry-picked specials, those are loss leaders, items sold at or below cost to lure you into the store and hopefully once inside you buy more profitable items but more and more, we're seeing major grocery chains, reserve these best deals for customers, who use their bonus card, loyalty card or shopping cards. gerri: todd, what am i looking at here, paper towels, toilet paper what am i buying at such great saveings? >> staples of everyday life. bacon, cereal, eggs, orange juice. aluminum foil, you try pricing that lately?

all of the things most of us buy all the time repeatedly i personally buy at warehouse club. if people want to go to the supermarket they need to get to the loyalty card. gerri: talk about store brands versus nape brands. some store brands are not so great but some are terrific. >> gerri, more and more consumers are finding the dirty little secret. not only are a lost national brand companies -- a lot of national brand companies manufacturing store brands, selling them upwards 25% less than the named brand. gerri: wow. >> depending --ings some items can be 60% less. stuff sold at a drugstore, health and beauty aids, over-the-counter remedies, it could be 60%. you're talking big bucks. but again store brands, "consumer reports" has tested store brand for years and years and years and we find that the store brand is almost always at least, as good as the national brands. may not taste alike but it is a

bargain and most people love it. stores back them with a money back guaranty. gerri: i have limited time here, todd. i will get you through all of this because it is great advice. you say grow big, go home. buy the big size, is that always true? >> absolutely not. there have been a lot of investigations, we've done our own here, you have to check the unit price. you remember, buy orange juice, available in four to seven different sizes. there are supermarkets run on promotion, deals. one week the bigger size is on sale. the next week the smaller one. the only way to know what the true bargain is, is to check the unit price per ounce, per quart, per pound, per 100 sheets. that is the holy grail. gerri: who is cheapest? overall everything considered, where do i go? >> well you know, depends on what you're buying. i, walmart has a great reputation for price. and you can get almost anything for less there. however, we, at "consumer reports," just did the big grocery ratings report and

walmart was nation's lowest rated grocer f you're buying canned goods it doesn't matter. maybe if you're buying perishables you want to be more selective. costco, bulk stores, warehouse club is still king. everyday low price, day in, day out. no waiting for a sale. you may have to buy in larger quantities but you can stock up and save on staples. gerri: talk about dirtily little secret, you reveal, dollar stores, chains expanded like topsy, they are offering best deals on that thing you forgot on your list, that extra gallon of milk, maybe some bread. why? >> well, again, these are items called high velocity items they get you into the store. they are loss leaders. drugstores do it. we did a whole study. they put the items you're going to buy day in, day out on deep discount. you may get a quart, gallon of milk for 3.99. that's great, if you go to regular supermarket it may cost

4.99. dollar stores operate same way. check the expiration dates at dollar stores. gerri: thanks, todd. next we're teaming up with triple a to cut the cost of your commute. no, you don't have to give up your car to do it. joining me, john nielsen, aaa director of automotive engineering and repair. i was blown away the amount of time people spend in cars on commute. really adds up. 10.8 million travel an hour each way. almost 11 million of us traveling an hour each way every day. tell us more about the trend in simply commuting. >> well you know, average commute is about 25 minutes each way. but, we're commuting, all commuting more and more as traffic becomes more congested. so the average person is spending 200 hours a year in a car just commuting to work. gerri: amazing to mee there are things you can do, short of throwing keys to your car away. tell me how you can cut down on your bill by driving like a human being and not an insane

person. >> you know, gerri, i think that is one of the biggest things we can all do, slow down a little bit. jack-rabbit starts and sudden braking, what some call aggressive driving, that can increase fuel cost 33%. that is like paying 4.75 a gallon driving that way and you can change that. gerri: 33%. swerving, tailgating. that what that costs you, amazing to me. then of course if you're a speed demon, for every five miles an hour you drive over 60, you pay an extra 26 cents a gallon. just do the speed limit you're doing yourself all kinds of favors out there much. where i work, our employer, actually helps you pay for some of these commuting costs. tell us about these pretax plans that really help people who commute. >> well, these are just like a health savings account where you can set aside money and pay for your commute pretax. there are limits on that. it is about $130 a month for

carpooling or mass transportation. about 250 a month for parking. so, that can be a big help and, if it is available from your employer, take advantage of it. but make sure that you're going to spend all the money because you can't get it back at the end of the year. gerri: i was blown away by the fact about the megacommuters, people traveling 90 minutes and 50 miles to work, back and forth each day. 600,000 of us are doing that. is that a bigger number than it used to be or smaller number? what is behind that trend? >> i think it's a bigger number than it used to be. the trend, people are driving longer, commuting, taking jobs where they find them and making a commute. i think everybody is driving just a little bit longer. you will notice that the time is greater than the mileage. that means they're probably traveling in congestion as well. so it is not a fun drive. gerri: thanks, john. we have a lot more to come as our yourer's guide to saving money continues.

americans shelling out tons of money for lunch. good house keep something here to show us how to -- "good housekeeping quote is here to tell us how to make lunch without i willing up your wallet. [ bell rings ]

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gerri: we have got some serious food for thought the next time you swipe your card at lunchtime. listen to this. americans shell out nearly $1,000 each and every year on lunch. this doesn't countries to starbucks or dunkin' donuts. just average two meals a week that americans spend eating out. boys, you tend to outspend the female counterparts by as much as 44%. joining me good housekeeping's food director, and susan westmoreland and her assistant food director. did i say that right? you nailed it. gerri: welcome, ladies, great to have you here. lots of great ideas. susan storm with the warm french lent till salad. >> lentils are protein power pack. gerri: i'm happy to help. >> we sauteed up a couple

colorful peppers and celery. if you don't like peppers you can use tomatoes or use cucs. gerri: there are onions in there? >> onions are in there. steal your paper and do a little chopped. gerri: that smells so good. >> this is another thing. what do you have in the fridge? we found out americans get rid of, this is really sad, $165 billion a year in food waste. gerri: i totally believe that. >> oh, my god, these greens in the box are not good. i get rid of them. instead of getting rid of them, think about it to prepare the lunch. this is the salad with a little bit of fetta. gerri: i will taste it. >> a little left over with virginia. gerri: that's do that. >> throw vinegar in. use whatever vinegar you have. does that brighten it a lot. gerri: i think i'm making a lot of chewing noises. >> in lentils we fix mixed with left over kucinich couscous.

gerri: this is couscous, right? >> this is couscous. gerri: spinach. >> spinach is nice and hearty and won't wiltly lunchtime. gerri: do you dress it before you leave home. >> the salad is dressed. spinach dresses itself as the day goes on. you can bring a contain irof dressing if you want. gerri: i love that. >> this is peanut butter noodle salad. i will put you to work. here peanut butter. we have soy sauce. gerri: nice combo. >> a little bit of salt. here is sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. you can use this. we have a sweet, salty, tankgy, a lot of big flavors going on. and then once that is all mixed together, we're putting in, and these noodles are great because they're great for dinner. >> this is just pasta. >> this is spaghetti.

gerri: you guys don't get complicated. >> we're saving money and making it accessible. >> we have rotisserie chicken here. gerri: beautiful. >> a little bit of garlic. >> this time of year, if you're grilling, use extra chicken breasts and you can use that. gerri: peppers. >> a little brightness. cucumbers for freshness. the great thing about the salad, you eat it for dinner, then take it for lunch. it is even better next day. it is good cold, it is good warm. gerri: always put more peanut butter. >> sesame oil has intense nuttiness. you don't want it to be, don't want to make too sweet and taste like dessert every night. when you're done -- gerri: look at that. that is gorg. >> if you don't like the idea of having leftovers the next day, we can add shredded carrots and chopped almonds. gerri: i don't think i can get

this in my mouth. this is gorgeous. i bet kids like that. >> they love it. so good. gerri: what is going on over here? >> this is, we did this chicken euro salad you make for dinner. real chicken and toasted peanuts and tomatoes, for this time of year. grill the extra chicken. we did. gerri: look at that. what is going on? >> chicken is in there. the dressing on the bottom with -- >> peppers. >> chicken is marinated and at lunch everything gets dressed and you're done. gerri: it is adorable. that is great idea. >> you're grilling extra chicken and peppers and great hero you can wrap and take for the sandwich lovers. think of other things that languish in the fridge. take out rice, left over rice. deli ham. play around. we looked in our fridge. we found celery. we found radishes. we used canned beans and some ham. gerri: think about this for a second. when you're looking what is in your refrigerator, you want a

crunchy -- >> you want a crunchy. gerri: what else? >> a wet. one last thing for you. i made lunch for my son for many years. gerri: that's pretty. >> this is an award winning gh lunch kit. feel it. you put this, store it in the freezer. if you don't have a fridge at work, called pack it. it is great thing. comes in cool grown-up patterns as well for kids. the only one that kept food at safe temperatures -- >> more than two hours. >> more than what it claims. >> people who don't like sandwiches, we like little flat breads. you wasn't moisture and crunch. want something creamy and something soft and smush think. >> big flavors are good. help you satisfied. and bring up in the middle of the work day. gerri: all good ideas. now how long can i expect to have this in the refrigerator before it gets wilted and boring? >> this is one you eat or carry dressing separately. gerri: seems to me this will hold up well. >> that will hold up.

those are all holding up absolutely. gerri: that ace big thing. what can i make that will taste good and walking down the hallway and have option of walking out to find things that compete with that i that i still want to eat. >> exactly. >> this kind of thing the crunch and layered containers. if you have a fridge at work, you're golden. if not, invest in something like this. this is about $15. gerri: i have to ask you guys, you have a great kitchen and it is awesome and i know you guys eat lunch there. what do you pick, sherry. >> from here? i go for the peanut noodles. typecast. >> i will go for the lentils. i love lept tills, and there is -- lentils and there is crutch and flavor. gerri: you guys rock. we are doing a lot of great stuff with "good housekeeping." this is a ton of fun. >> you cook for us next time. gerri: i like that. don't ask me twice. later in the show we're hoping you saved money on -- helping

you save money on technology and cars and cost saving tips when it comes to shop tore clothes. everything from the best websites and the best days to buy. ok, if you're up there, i could use some help. smart sarah. just like with your investments. that sets you apart. it does? it does. you're type e*. and seeking another perspective is what type e*s do. oh, and your next handhold... is there. you don't have to go it alone. e*trade gives you the support and guidance to make informed decisions. are you type e*? when your favorite food starts a fight fight back fast with tums. relief that neutralizes acid on contact... ...and goes to work in seconds. ♪ tum, tum tum tum tums! try great tasting tums chewy delights. yummy.

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gerri: we've got cost cutting tips you can hang your hat on but before we get to advice for refreshing your wardrobe and your wallet, we took cameras around the beautiful women from fox to share item in their closet they got a great deal on. listen to this what did you get on sale? >> well, so i have to tell you something. fox viewers will love this i shot in the chair and on "the five" and outnumbered. how about these panty hose?

you can get these at duane reade and walgreen's. when you can't make it to get the spray tan, you can spray it on with the hose, essentially. and, believe me, it follows everyone. so i'm giving away my secrets. >> there is time to spend money and time to save money. we all like nice things. i got my shoes on zappos.com. these are kate spade. you can pay a lot of money for kate spade shoes, but zappos.com on sale. free shipping. big secret of mind. >> pink cbg dress i got on, half off. they have stores all over the country. pop in with coupons. my girls got me cute phone cover. i've known to spend a lot of money at phone covers. i got this at charming charlie. >> my strategy look at jackie o before the crisis. not oleg cassini look. simple white shirt with 20 bucks. russell is kind of classy.

i'm going on the tick cac diet to fit into it. a plain cigarette skirt, streamlined, straight down. it is simple. i, gerri, i don't think people know when people are wearing brand. i don't think people can recognize brands, the average person. by the way i don't really care about brand. i doesn't buy brands. >> i'm not much of a bargain shopper. amazon does dresses for under 100 bucks. the go this for 35, not bad, right? two colors. i couldn't help myself. gerri: is that not awesome? ladies from fox business and fox news for sharing their secrets. show you my savings, 35 bucks for the shoes i'm wearing right now, jcpenney. don't this do it right, my friend? for similar savings, let's bring in a personal finance expert. andrea, great to have you as always. >> thanks for inviting me. gerri: you have great tips. i'm excited to get into them. the first thing is, you're tell

me to shop on thursdays. why is that? >> well, retailers begin to marking down merchandise that they want to push for the weekend. so you get a larger selection of those discounted goods and you don't have to deal with the crowds. i recommend definitely heading to the mall or store on thursday evening. gerri: seasonally, when should i buy? >> common sense, shop at the end of the season but a lot of consumers get wrap up in current trends for the upcoming season. right now, for instance, retailers are clearing out their summer merchandise. you've looking saving anywhere from 50 to 57%. plus additional coupons. at coupon sherpa.com i found extra 20% off clearance items at macy's's. tank tops, short and t-shirts, you can wear them well into the fall season or maybe winter if you're layering living in a colder climate. gerri: very smart. wait until after the holidays, after christmas, january 1st, right? >> especially for coats, boots

and sweaters. all those items you like to wear in the cold months. >> say there are times to splurge and time to look for steals and deals. tell me what you mean by that. >> well, i recommend if you're going, when you're looking at quality goods and timeless pieces, so, a basic black suit, maybe a nice pair of quality leather boots that you can wear for several years, that transition through seasons and don't go out of style, i say it is okay to splurge on these items, you will get a lot of value and use out of them. when it comes to trendy clothes, that will go out of season, don't spend a lot of money. plenty of stores to buy those cheaply. stick with generics at stores like target or even costco, has the kirkland brand where you can find ts and pajamas for very cheap. gerri: mitt romney apparently buys his dress shirts there. >> yes. my husband, kirkland brand. gerri: smart people all shop there. talk a little bit about buying used. this did not occur to me and a lot of people don't like to do

it is a real opportunity these days. why? >> when you consider the markup of clothes that ranges from 100, to 400% on shoes, and realize you're wasting on clothes and spend a fraction on used clothes. a lot of thrift stores these days are very particular what they accept. i even gone to the local consignment store found clothes brand new with the tag still on them. looking paying 1/10 of what i buy at department store. go to sites like thread up.com and recycle fashion and sell your clothes to get credit towards those purchases and keep it real cheap. gerri: markups, up 400 to 600%. ouchie. you say you can negotiate. how do you do that? how do you negotiate with a department store or sales clerk? >> right. when it comes to negotiating really talking about price matching. a lot of department stores will

match prices of other retailers who are selling same items. even high-end department stores like nordstrom and bloomingdale's are willing to price match. do it shopping online chatting with a live sales rep. i will call retailers. i called anthropologie and lost and negotiated free shipping on the orders. there is lots of opportunities to find out if there are coupons speaking with customer service. gerri: good stuff, andrea. always great to have you on the show. >> all right. thanks for having me. gerri: up next you don't have to compromise to get a good deal on technology. we're saving you money on everything from smartphones to flat-screen tvs. how to save big bucks at auto shop. our user guide to save money continues after the break. don't go away. [ male announcer ] if you're taking multiple medications,

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♪ gerri: tonight we'rehe helping u save money on your favorite gadgets with todd hazelton.

set executive director at tech know buffalo. a site devoted to help you get most out of your technology. that is exactly what we need tonight, todd. mom and dad, school is coming up. they will buy a bunch of technology. other folks buy technology all the time too. do i have to get. iphone 6? do you have to have the latest and greatest? >> no. one of the biggest points i make, buy out of date especially with apple products. they will release ios 8 in september. they are great at putting operating systems to older device. you can get a iphone s for discount when the 6 comes out. gerri: i like refurbished apple. you go to the website, you can buy older versions refurbished, they handle themselves. >> a great way to do it. get used gadgets. go to apple's site. click on refurbished left-hand side. been there plenty of times.

see them couple hundred bucks. >> absolutely right. cheaper versions to the laptops and ipad, what do i do? >> i look at chrome books. they're great, 229. don't need apps for windows. basically a web surfing machine. it is perfect. i like c chrome books. go to amazon, best-sellers. windowsmachine are there for 200, 300 bucks. microsoft bringing prices down. gerri: windows devices are, awesome i think. a >> yeah. they're awesome. >> nobody talks about it. it is great big secret sort of undiscussed. talk about extended warranties and do i need apple care? >> no. skip that. gerri:on really? >> get protective case. gerri: skip warranty, for the phone. >> tablets computers, you don't need them. gerri: they make a great case selling them. >> they try. i wouldn't fall for that. gerri: no? >> i think because you will spend a couple hundred bucks on top of the product that will cost you 200 bucks or $2,000 if it's a laptop. you don't need it right now.

gerri: what about rewards program. >> target has a great one called red card. 5% discount when you're buying it. best buy has reward program where you get free shipping on products over $35. those are great. you go into the store around get savings right offhe the bat. gerri: you were talking to me in the bake, amazon fire phone. maybe mom and dad considering that for the phone. >> skip on the fire phone. software is not where it needs to be and not enough apps to get going. gerri: last word for people buying technology, what would you say? >> buy used. that is the best thing you u can do. gerri: not like, the thing i always worry with apple, after a couple of generation it is doesn't work anymore. >> right, right. i would, no, apple's great. you can buy used to keep it going. and you know, 200 bucks right off the bat. downad the road you resell it. i bought an ipod touch for $200 and sold it six months later and lost 20 bucks. that was great. resale value on apple products.

gerri: love it. thanks so much for your time. how much are you really paying to drive your car? well according to aaa the average american car owner will spend close to $9,000 in driving costs each year. take a look at that. this includes everything, insurance, fuel, maintenance. here with tips how to save money on next visit to the auto shop is the car coach, lauren fix. lauren, good to see you. i think you're, look, what you got here is so good. let's work through it. first off you say stick to the owners manuel recommendations. why? >> right. that is that book in the glove box underneath all the napkins and ketchup packs. one with plastic on it? inside there is maintenance schedule. you want to stick to that. every quick oil change place said we can do your transmission fluid or every repair shop will up sell you. that is what business is all about. i get that. you. you know what, if the car doesn't need it or car can't have the procedure done, don't do it. follow that owners manuel. if you don't have one, car care council has one online.

you can download it. gerri: transmission flush or the engine flush is that real? they say -- >> don't do it. gerri: yeah? >> do not do that. especially with a car with high mail landing. you will have other high mileage appearing. no reason to have engine or transmission flush. quick oil changes places don't like me telling truth. gerri: but you do, that's why we like you. get several quotes in writing. are you telling me that i have to drive around town, and get a bunch of estimates from a bunch of dudes in auto shops? what do i do? >> well, it is easy to pick up the phone. you know you need to get front end alignment. go to websites like repair pal. go to the car care council see what they have got. check your local dealer. you can call around. you can actually find coupons online for four-wheel alignments. maybe you need something more done. you can easily start asking around for a quote, before you bring the car in. if you have a problem and car is not running, you're kind of a

captive audience and they know it. gerri: that's the downside. go on internet, but advocate taking hands-on approach. how do i do that? >> say you decide, that is pretty simple job, i think i can do that myself. they want to charge me $200. might be if you have a friend know to turn tools. lefty loose sy, righty tightty. person with tools has experience. find it online and auto parts stores will loan you tools. chay car. i don't have the tool. gerri: what? you changed your brakes? >> well, that is a kind of a bigger job. my background is designing braking systems, so for me it was easier. gerri: you had heads up on that. go independent. we showed the full screen before. by that you mean go to independent auto shop. are you saying better than the dealer? >> it can be. and you want to check because the car is on recall or technical service bulletin, have

the dealer do it for free. however there are some things, you will check with the local chain store or local store that is in your area. ask your friend, you will be surprised how many people, i go to the place on the street. they treat me right. look me in the eyes and explain things to me. if you don't understand something, please ask to, show me the parts, show me what is being done. if you have a broken arm, they will show it to you on x-ray and explain it to you. same thing should be true with the car. don't be afraid to ask questions. indy stores will do it. gerri: one more quick question here. you say go independent. obviously and, have relationships with those guys, right? so it is not one-off, i'm going to get my oil changed or whatever. i'm coming back. if i like you, its relationship. i will always be back to you. is that the way to handle it? >> is absolutely. business relationship, believe me they want your business. most place, even dealerships will go out of the way to make sure you're happy. make sure wherever you're going to get the work done, quote around and get someone treats

you like a person, looking you in the eyes willing to take time to explain it to. >> like you did with us right now. lauren, thank you. >> thank you. >> when we come back, are we shopping the smart way, especially when it comes to over-the-counter drugs? we'll explain. new report says the cost of raising just one kid for 18 years is close to a quarter of a million dollars. so, what can you cut? answers coming up after the break.

>> heard the saying it takes a village to raise a child, right? you now might want to change that it takes a bank to raise a child because that is according to the department of agriculture it will cost average middle class family a quarter of amillion dollars to raise a child. that is not even factoring college costs. there are ways to cut these costs. here how you do that, lynnette cox, ceo of the moneycoach.net.

lynnette, good to see you. it has been a long time. gerri: great to be back. gerri: here is a real number. this is a ton of dough. and my first thought, when i looked at this, people don't save this much for their retirement. how do they come up with this money. >> exactly. they really can't in a lot of cases. you have to look at sort of national norms. they gave us an average for a typical middle class family. gerri: right. >> in the northeast, frankly, believe it or not for middle income and upper middle income families, they say numbers are a lot higher, 400,000 plus from raising kid from birth. gerri: morals to the story. get the heck out of the northeast. >> obviously regional differences make a big impact. midwest, southwest, et cetera, as little as $155,000 or so. i think it boils down to three main areas, housing, child care and education, sort of grouped together and food costs. those are the big three that came out of this study. gerri: i was breaking that down,

we looked at really, there is the beautiful graphic on that. >> there you go. gerri: house something 30% of the costs. food is 16% of the costs. goes on and on, health care 8%, clothing 6%. i know young ladies that spent a lot more than that. mom and dad sit back, how do we cut these costs because we haven't figured in college yet and that is a some dough. >> food costs. cut out stuff getting to fast-food restaurants. some mops and dads are tired after work and sometimes nobody feels like cooking. that is lot more money running to the fast-food restaurants of the world. so you want to really watch your spending on that. another thing on the food side, be judicious going into supermarkets and stores. maybe you want to shop in bulk. don't overdo it. don't let stuff to go to waste. that is another big financial mistake. if you need help, there are food banks out there if you're really on the edge and kind of can't make ends meet.

gerri: one of the big costs people discount especially deciding to have kids is, child care. >> yeah. gerri: from what i read there are big estimates how much americans are spending, different all over the country depending where you live, common as to spend as much they pay for housing for child care. >> that is very true. i have three kids and had a nanny. it was like paying for private school. i was easily paying of course, on the books, between 25,000 and $30,000 a year. that is what it takes. you pay taxes and all that good stuff. couple things that can help you if you have child care costs. take advantage of the tax breaks. you have to be aboveboard and pay someone legitimately, a nanny, day care provider, nanny agency, that kind of thing. you can get a $3,000 tax credit for one kid if you're paying for child care while you have to go to work. you can get up to $6,000 back from what you actually paid for two or more children. so don't forego claiming a legitimate tax credit.

gerri: yeah, yeah. a lot of people are afraid the irs will come crawling after you but if you're taking legitimate deduction to it -- >> document it of course. get your receipts and everything and that's not a problem. gerri: we talk about child care but you know at the same time, you've got to be saving for college too. >> yeah. gerri: how do you do that on top of all this other stuff? >> you have to prioritize obviously. tough teach your kid and yourself as parent, as an adult, difference between needs and wants. face it, none of us has infinite amount of money. you have to cut out sometimes a couple of luxuries. fewer trips to the hair salon or manicurist. maybe summer travel, a couple weeks vacation and maybe a couple long weekends. teach your kids, mommy and daddy don't have endless amount of money. electronics and gadgets, extra parties and all the extra stuff might need to be put on backburner a little bit, at least temporarily and divert some towards college. exactly.

gerri: good points, lynnette. thanks for coming on. >> you're welcome, thank you. gerri: still to come, saving money at the drugstore. want to shop like smart shoppers do? turns out many already are. why generic brands on the new black. when folks think about what they get from alaska, they think salmon and energy.

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gerri: the age-old question, generic or name brand? that is choice we have to every time we hit the grocery or drugstore aisle. here with more retail analyst, founder of cross legend investments. great to have you here, lori. >> pleasure. gerri: apparently people who are informed are more likely to choose the generics. why is that?

>> because they have the knowledge that these products are in fact virtually identical. it is category specific. it is not across the board but the more informed more likely they are. gerri: if you're a far sift, you're much more likely to take the generic, right, than somebody who is coming in off the street at the pharmacy. >> the numbers are pretty staggering. those in the health care field, pharmacists, nurses, less than 10% of the time are they opting for the brand name item. and while those in the general population buy the brand name at triple that rate. so that's a real stand out category. gerri: pharmacists go for the brand-name drugs just 8.5% of the tie, rarely if ever. regular shoppers 26% of the time. this is not just drugs but other categories too. tell us about that. >> you have to look at categories where the fda gets involved. because they're very specific what has to be done. that's why pharmaceuticals are the biggest category because they're very specific in terms

of, the dosage requirements and active ingredient as well as safety measures. other areas that this fits into as well, if you look at infant formula, very specific there. so the generic is going to be pretty identical. even things that wouldn't have expected like, pantry staples like salt and suggest far and -- sugar and flour, professional chefs fda mandate those are put together. salt. gerri: salt is salt and pepper is pepper. >> exactly. same phenomenon there. gerri: that is very interesting. there is a big debate about store brand versus generics, branded goods, versus the store brand which is essentially the generic when you go to the grocery store. same ideas apply there? >> it is interesting. as you get outside of the fda's purview, it becomes a little more subjective. people see what ingredients are going into cereal. that is a place where you save a lot of money. or you can look at things like paper towels. that comes down to more personal preference. gerri: talk about, how the

public thinks about these generics. are there misconceptions about them? >> well, if you look at the numbers, and how many more people are out there actually buying the branded when they're paying sometimes, double, three times as much, clearly they don't realize it is identical ingredients for things like over-the-counter medications and prescription medications as well. gerri: don't you think some consumers think, maybe not as strong, maybe not as good? maybe there are side-effects i won't like? >> there is no question they're thinking that. that is where studies like this really come in and should open people's eyes as what they're missing out on. when it comes to your family's health, you're probably not that likely to say i'm not entirely sure. when they see it is identical, they probably next time they go will think twice about it. gerri: here is the bottom line. let me tell you, $44 billion, that is what we spend on branded name goods over generics. that is what you're throwing away. thanks for coming on the show. >> my pleasure. gerri: if amazon is the go-to,

when it comes to online shopping, at least to some items. we'll tell you which products should shop elsewhere for.

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a real place, where we really manage your claim from start to finish. really. ♪ easy as easy can be bye! gerri: if you're in the market for something, you may go to amazon.com, thinking you are getting a low price, but they donald ways offer the best deals with more katie hill from market watch, my heart is broken, i was cob vicinityed that -- convinceed that amazon is the low price leader. >> no, about hatch of the -- half of the time it is the low price leader that is not bad. charles: morbad. >> more than 50% of the time, what is good to buy, and not good to buy. >> what is good, things under 10

bucks. that is a good cheap item are great. great. gerri: are you talking about toilet paper and paper towels and light bulbs. >> little household goods that are cheap, good to buy on amazon, buying in bulk is also good. they are big, you know. gerri: a big savings, and free delivery that is great. >> amazon prime $99 a year gives you two day free shiping on a bunch of items if you buy often on amazon that is a good deal, what should i not buy? >> electronics, often not a good deal on amazon about 58% of the time you can find a better deal elsewhere, a lot of electronic retailers will sell a tv almost at cost for you. gerri: low price leaders. they discount them to get you in the store. >> right. gerri: photography supply, like

cameras, and often this is where huge essavings are found off amazon. these photography retailers are thinking everyone is taking picture with their iphone they are trying to get a discount, don't buy those on amazon. gerri: subscribe and save feature? >> that is let's say you need diapers or tilee toilet papers,u buy monthly, you can do subscribe and save, you save about 15%, with automatic delivery it can be a good deal for you. gerri: i want apps to price compare. >> such a pain, i like price blink, a browser add in let's say you are searching for amazon, you say i want this tv, pris link will send you a message on top of your computer saying it is cheaper elsewhere.

gerri: do you like red laser. >> yes, if you go in the store, you can scan the bar code, it will tell you this is cheaper elsewhere. gerri: price grabber and savings.com, this is the revenge of the bricks and mortar, but one detail about this study, the prices were taken at one time, there is something out there in on-line world called dynamic pricing where they change all of the time, did yo does this dimie value of study in your view? >> a little bit. they change prices of day. but studies look at 1500 products on amazon, and compared prices there is a lots of validity. gerri: katie thank you. >> thank you. gerri: that is it for tonight's willis report, thank you for joining us, dvr the show if you can't catch us live, enjoy the

rest of your holiday, and have a great night. charles: tonight on making money, a look at our first show, we had a lot of valuable investment advice, and advice that is still good today. a chance to talk about wall street, and investing. then war on cold has cost massive job losses, epa is note done, but they cannot stop natural gas. this show i'll share 5 reasons why you should be investing in a stock market, and makeing it a life long en tkwe