Post your FAVORITE immitation/knock-brands here!

[FINFAN]

What are your best immitation brands...clothes, perfumes, jewelry, make-up cleaning supplies, laundry detergents, gas stations...you get the idea...ones that are still great quality, get the job done but are less than the name brands. I can use ANY helpful suggestions, plus thought it might be fun to see if there is a common one many of us use!


Pam

 

[grinningghost]

I always buy store brand window cleaners and they work just fine. I can't tell the difference at all.

 

[Saffron]

Costco or Kirkland brand Eggbeaters (forget what they're called). They taste better and cost about 1/3 of what the brand name Eggbeaters cost.

Costco or Kirkland brand liquid fabric softener. It smells and feels like Downy, but again, about a third of the cost.

Costco or Kirkland brand fabric softener sheets. Do a great job, smell great and about the 1/3 the cost of other brands.

Costco or Kirkland brand dish washer soap, a knock off of Cascade. Two huge boxes for the price of a medium size Cascade box at the supermarket.

Store brand Cherrios. One you put skim milk and a banana on the cereal, it all tastes the same.

Store brand coffee creamer, light. It tastes better than Cremora or other coffee creamer things.

The Dollar Tree dollar store for tea light candles ... 20 for a buck compared to Yankee Candle at 12 for $4.95. They last almost as long, maybe an hour less. But that's one of my favorite buys!

That's all I can think of right now. I always buy my sterling silver jewelry from QVC, and I don't do the label thing for clothes, shoes (except Tevas), handbags, makeup etc. so I can't help there! Just buy where ever, whatever I like, but I do like Smash Box cosmetics a lot.

 

[MinnieYC]

Bourgeois cosmetics are made by Chanel, and they are the same quality, just different packaging, at a much lower (not cheap, but a lot better) cost.

 

[Beth76]

I love our grocery store brand Easy Mac. So much better than Kraft. I haven't tried their regular mac&cheese though. I buy a lot of store brands for my son--he doesn't know the difference.

 

[FINFAN]

I was wondering if the Costco brands were gonna pop up...I tend to like those myself, and the Meijer kleenex. I wear contacts and many of the store brands send fuzzies and tiny dustlike particles into my eyes when I need to blow my nose, then my contacts go nuts. I also prefer our Jewel brand paper towels...very much like Bounty, about 50 cents less per roll. We have several tv's, Sony, RCA, and the cheapie 13" Symphonic I have in the kitchen has the best picture and sound, and was only $59!
Keep the posts coming....this is fun!

 

[Alice28]

Another vote for the Costco brand Kirkland. I buy the paper towels, TP, laundry soap and dryer sheets, some of the snacks, the bread, etc., etc. They by far deliver the best value for the $ and are very high quality.

 

[Shugardrawers]

I second anything Costco/Kirkland brand. I love Target's Isaac Mizrahi brand clothing. Designer quality at a much better price. Also, STOP buying expensive dog shampoos. Our vet recommended Dawn dish soap. It kills every flea the first time, is gentle on their skin and way way cheaper. Smells clean not foo foo perfumy too. If you go through a lot of printer ink, get the generic compatible kinds, not the name brand. I make custom candy wrappers and go through a ton. My Epson brand ink runs $12 to $23 a cartridge. The generics I get for $5. Works just the same and the same quality of print.

 

[Disfan1]

I'll jump on the CostCo bandwagon - I love their shampoo & conditioner! Can't beat the price either! I also like the Wal-Mart Sam's choice food items. A box of Macaroni & cheese is about 1/2 the price of Kraft and tastes much better, too.

 

[Tiggeroo]

walmart brand of many personal products. For ex. their version of Neutregena sesame body oil is exactly the same. Same for their brand of dove soap and liquid soap. Their brand of the high end shampoos and conditioners also. I have sensitive skin and can't use most cheaper soaps and shampoos but when I use the walmart brand no problem at all.
Almost always buy grocery store/shoprite brand cereals, frozen pizzas..
Oh, heck I buy store brand of almost anything. Things I won't are usually personal products/shampoo, etc.. laundry soap, kitty litter, toothpaste..and never store brand colas.

 

[Saffron]

Oh yeah! I buy Walmart brand eye drops all the time! I used to spend $5 - $8 on Opcon A eye drops, but one time just for the heck of it, I switched to Walmart brand ... biggest bottle for $1.98 ... and I've never gone back to Opcon A! There are a couple of other Walmart products I buy too! I just can't think of them off the top of my head.

Dollar Tree also has Yardley soaps ... Old English Lavender and Baby Soft ... for $1.00 a bar. I love those soaps! I also buy pony tail elastics and scrunchies there.

And I'm with Tigeroo, I'm never giving up my Diet Pepsi for a knock off cola , but I will drink cheapo diet root beer and diet orange.

 

[poohtown]

we have hard water and it leaves horrible ugly stains on the toilet - I've tried all the name brand cleaners and have to scrub my head off to get it to look decent. Walmart has a 94 cent bottle of cleaner called the Works that I just pour on and presto (it is an acid product, but I've tried others that don't work well).

Boy, I'm on the commercial band-wagon today!

 

[Otto's Doll]

I buy Wal-Mart Contact cleaner (for disposable lenses) and the military exchange brand drugstore stuff like acetaminophen, cold meds (for DH & I, not the kids), and Dramamine.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

My Aunt works for Lance Crackers and she said the Wal Mart crackers are Lance Crackers. They just put the Great Value wrapper on them when they come down the line.

Wal Mart brand Great Value dishwashing detergent was rated one of the best by Consumer Reports.

Lori

 

[tar heel]

I already posted on the thread like this on the Budget Board that the Dollar Tree concenrated cleanser called Awesome really is AWESOME and you get several bottles for a dollar.

Someone said Dollar Tree tealights. I actually think Dollar Tree ones are expensive. Last time I got some I bought 100 for $2.99 at Garden Ridge.

The Works (also sold at Dollar Tree) is a great cleanser line, but make sure to read the bottle. One of them can't be used on chrome or brass (maybe both), so you have to be careful when you're cleaning the bathroom.

 

[Cindy B]

I bought 100 tealights at Ikea for $5. They lasted about three years!

Lets see.. B & J brand for BJ's brand is fine as well. Eggs are eggs!

The dog biscuits are fine as well.

 

[goofygirl]

I agree AWESOME is great! Gets out blood great! (don't ask!)


I like the CVS brand of crackers- the "Wheat Thins" like ones and the "Cheez-It" like ones, they keep raising the price on them though! Also like CVS cookies.

 

[huey duey & luey]

I have bought my kids archer farm (target brand) cereal. My dh refused to eat it. He ate one type(like cinnamon toast crunch) out of desperation and he said it tasted exactly the same.
tara

 

[Microcell]

There are so many I couldn't list them all! Anything at Aldi tastes the same as name brand except one of the cheeses, not Crystal Farms, that is good... I can't remember the other.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I was going to say Garden Ridge has a great deal on tea lights, but tarheel beat me to it! I think when I got mine on a sale it was 100 for 2 bucks. It's been so long ago. I do remember it was a great deal.

I like the dollar store fabric softener sheets -50 for 1.00. They smell just like Downy for a fraction of the cost. I also get the Yardley soaps there as someone stated. 1 buck as opposed to $2.50 at the grocery stores.

Nice thread!