Caitriona Redmond: This is why telling me to buy own-brand makes me roll my eyes

'Helpful' advice about what to buy is well-intentioned, but chances are we are already doing it

Caitriona Redmond shares some recipes suitable for those on a budget. Photograph by Moya Nolan

There’s been a lot of “helpful” advice about living on a budget doing the rounds lately, from people who are clearly well-intentioned but who don’t know what it’s like having to live with a small amount of money to spend on food and everything else besides.

Buy only own-brand, they say. This is, I guess, helpful to people who previously weren’t feeling the pinch and had no issue buying premium items before now. For those of us who do know what it’s like, we’ve been silently rolling our eyes and tut-tutting at the radio and every other spot, this advice has appeared. People with opinions are always generous with them I find.