What generic product do you buy that works as good or better than the name brand?

[tommygirl79]

We live in a small rural town and the ONLY major store is Walmart so that is where I go. We buy their brand in SOOO much stuff.

A short list includes things I used to be quite "brand-snobby" about but have changed my ways. We are on a tight food budget and usually their brand is right around 1/2 the price - can't beat it!

We use Walmart's:

ketchup (can't tell the difference from Heinz now)
bread
chips
butter
toilet paper
sour cream (lowfat)
orange juice
milk
crackers and snacks (most are just $1.00 per box)
salsa (LOVE their lime and garlic!)
taco seasoning
pasta
frozen veggies
frozen french fries
frozen fish sticks
ice cream (certain kinds)
peanut butter
jelly

Okay, so maybe my list ISN'T so short. I just ran through their grocery section in my mind. I'm sure my cart has mostly their brand with a few things that I'm still particular about brand name - Mac n cheese, soda, trash bags, shampoo, paper towels. I truly used to be a brand snob but slowly and surely I would try one thing and then another and now we can't tell the difference anywhere with these things - except our wallets!

 

[stczt]

I do like krogers in the fact that if you try there brand and dont like it they will give you the national brand free, and give you a 100% refund. I have done that a few times.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

I buy store brands in most everything that I buy. If a store has their own brand, I buy it.

 

[tink2dw]

I'm often amazed that so many poeple are "brand snobs"!

I worked for Ore Ida French Fries/Tater Tots and we did Genaric Name runs of the exact same product, just a different Wrapper, all the time!! Western Family was one of them.

 

[mommiepoppins]

I have recently tried Aldi's brand of foods, and they are fairly good too. I LOVE the double stuff "Oreo" brand they have. Those are the closest to the 'real' stuff I've ever tried. Much cheaper too! Their pancake syrups & ice creams are good too.

I am an oreo junkie and I agree Aldi brand was really good. we buy them all the time for 99 cents heck yah

 

[Ellester]

I usually use the store brand when it's cheaper (not always considering sales and coupons) and we actually prefer our store brands (Harris Teeter or Aldi) waffles over Eggos. My dh will not let me buy store brand tomato sauce if he is making chili. It must be Hunt's! I agree with the Q-Tips, they have to be brand name. I like most all of B.J.'s stuff and Wal-Mart's stuff, other than Equate body lotion. That stuff had a nasty off smell, nothing at all like Vaseline Intensive Care. I had to take it back. I also didn't think the President's Choice baby wipes from Wal-Mart worked very well. I used them but wouldn't buy them again.

 

[ntink]

I always buy generic tylenol, advil any kind of cold medications. The ingredients are exactly the same for sometimes less than 1/2 the price, especially if you buy at Costco or BJs

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

I'm often amazed that so many poeple are "brand snobs"!

I worked for Ore Ida French Fries/Tater Tots and we did Genaric Name runs of the exact same product, just a different Wrapper, all the time!! Western Family was one of them.

I can't wait to tell DH this. He doesn't believe me that big name products do this!! I bet it happens more often than people know.............

 

[TENIA66]

benedryl,dramamine, tylenol.............toilet paper

 

[disneysteve]

So far, we've found Wegman's brand items to be quite good. I always buy store brand cereal. I recently tried their version of Pop-Tarts and actually like them better than Kellogg's. They aren't quite as sugary. I've also found that some of their products, like their Chex Mix knock-off and their mac and cheese have less sodium than the brand name version. We like Shop Rite's sugar cookies. We only buy store brand crackers (Triscuits and Wheat Thins). I could go on and on. I know that most of these things just come from the name brand factory anyway.

 

[BethR]

So far, we've found Wegman's brand items to be quite good. I always buy store brand cereal. I recently tried their version of Pop-Tarts and actually like them better than Kellogg's. They aren't quite as sugary. I've also found that some of their products, like their Chex Mix knock-off and their mac and cheese have less sodium than the brand name version. We like Shop Rite's sugar cookies. We only buy store brand crackers (Triscuits and Wheat Thins). I could go on and on. I know that most of these things just come from the name brand factory anyway.

Steve, I am so sorry, but I just could never picture you eating any of the stuff that you mentioned!

 

[kfeuer]

I like the Member's Mark private label brand from Sam's Club for some things. I especially like their toilet paper and paper towels, and I am using their liquid laundry detergent, too. But no one likes their shampoo and conditioner in the HUGE pump bottles. I also buy Member's Mark OTC medications and vitamins...MUCH cheaper than name brands.

I agree about the toilet paper/paper towels/OTC meds. I've been very happy with all of these. I've never tried anything of Costco's brand that I didn't like. We use their trash bags all the time.

As for diapers, I really liked the CVS brand and was happy with Walgreen's brand, too. I made a big mistake by not trying generic diapers sooner then I did--I got a free package of Publix brand diapers and I hated them and just didn't try generics for the longest. They don't work for everybody, but it's worth trying a few different brands because the savings are huge!

 

[nbodyhome]

I can't wait to tell DH this. He doesn't believe me that big name products do this!! I bet it happens more often than people know.............

I think it's fairly common knowledge? I know that it's been going on for years - though not everything I've tried is as good as the brand name (and sometimes it's better). Publix has great fries, frozen veggies, ice cream, etc. Better often than the brand names, IMHO (or very similar).

There are items also that I'd love to buy generic/store brand - but often, the store brands don't have as many different items in any given category. Like, Target here doesn't carry low-sodium chicken broth, so I buy the name brand. There are quite a few items like that. I won't usually buy shelf bread (as opposed to the bakery) either, because I'd prefer to buy Martins and other companies that add fiber. For anyone who hasn't tried the Martins buns, they are WONDERFUL and worth the extra money.

 

[scraptoons]

There is alot of the Walmart brand foods that our family like so much more than the national counterpart. I can't think of any food item that we abosolutely don't like.

The only thing I used to be consistently brand snobby about was which baby wipes I used on our babies' bottoms.
Seems like Pampers was the only ones to get the job done to my satisfaction. I would have to use three or four generic wipes to do the job of one Pampers wipe.
Now that ours kids are out of diapers, I buy the Parent's Choice (Walmart) wipes for everyday purposes.

Diapers however depended on the kids.

DD #1 was always in Huggies (we were first time brand snob parents)
DD #2 was always in Parent's Choice (Walmart) Worked great for her.
DS, our last, required LUVS because he produced more pee than anyone I ever saw! Luvs was the only thing that worked on him. Thank goodness they had a great price!
Now we are having trouble with him wearing pull ups at night now. Not everytime does he get up, and wets his pull ups. Problem is that the pull up overflows. We try to get him up and take him but sometimes he goes before we get to him. We may have to try the Good Nights even though he is still 3.

 

[bevtoy]

I have recently tried Aldi's brand of foods, and they are fairly good too. I LOVE the double stuff "Oreo" brand they have. Those are the closest to the 'real' stuff I've ever tried. Much cheaper too! Their pancake syrups & ice creams are good too.

Aldi ground beef fresh and frozen is very good, so is the following:
Saltines
oyster crackers
marshmallow cream
99 cent real chocolate chips(they now have white and butterscotch for 99 cents)
The spiral cut ham is seasonal but is delicious.
marachino cherries.
Soups
BBQ potato chips have exceptional seasoning on them.
sugar wafers
fresh fruits and veggies
I do not recommend their canned pasta.
Good parmesan cheese
Tomato sauce
Their salsa is great
Canned corn and green beans are very good.

 

[Alice28]

I love Kirkland anything (Costco's brand). Their snacks, nuts, paper towels, dishwasher soap, ice cream, TP, bread....the *only* Kirkland item I just think is 'OK' is their laundry detergent. It doesn't seem to get the clothes as super clean as some name brands, and I wish it had more of a scent.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I use the Equate version of Oil of Olay face lotion. Works just as great.

Oh, and Sam's Choice Cajun blend trail mix is yummmmmyyyy!

 

[IDoDis]

Several years ago I taught "Media Literacy" to my 4th grade class -- taught them how to look at commercials without always believing what they saw, taught them how the different types of magazine ads worked, how to write a radio and TV commercial, ect. The class conducted a school wide "Pepsi Challenge" during lunch recess one day. We used Pepsi, Coke and RC Cola (so that it wouldn't just be a 50/50 guess). If the kid said he/she liked Coke the best, then they had to taste all three and figure out which one was the Coke. Initially when filling out the questionaire, hardly anyone said that RC would be their favorite, but after drinking all three sodas (with crackers in between), RC Cola was chosen 42% of the time, Pepsi was 31% and Coke was 27%. We found that very interesting! It must be sweeter!

Also, they did blind taste tests with name brand vs store brand for Peanut Butter (Jiff vs Albertson's), Milk (local name brand called Creamland vs store brand), Potato Chips (Lays vs Albertson's brand) and Honey Nut Cereal (Cherrios vs bag brand). They like the store brands better for everything but the potato chips. They liked the store brand chips better (Albertsons).

What I was doing in class with the kids made national news and was featured on ABC's World NewsTonight w/ Peter Jennings. The camera crews and reporter spent the day in our class filming. It was so much fun!

For myself, I save money buying the Equate (Wal-Mart) brand for Benadryl, Claritin (Allergy meds) Tylenol and Ibprofen (pills only -- my kids did not like the liquid Equate meds). They have the exact same ingredients. A month's supply of the Equate 24 hour allergy medicine is around $3.00 vs almost $10 for the Claritin.

There's also this cleaner that I buy at the Dollar Store called "Awesome." I use it to clean around my appliances, and the floors in my laundry room (gets dirty because it opens to the garage). I even use it to get stains out of clothes if nothing else works. It only costs $1 for a large spray bottle. It truly is Awesome!

 

[OceanAnnie]

I've tried lots of toothpastes *with whiteners*. They were expensive and I never saw an appreciable difference. DH read in Consumer Reports that Ultrabrite is the best and cheapest. (.99! a tube). I've been using it for a couple of weeks and I do see a difference. I'm really happy!

Ultrabrite is a name brand, but it has a no name (brand) price!

 

[jennobrn01]

We almost never buy name brand. It's a ridiculous waste of money. They can't dupe me into paying for their slick ad campagins, or "give-aways". I rarely need to clip coupons because buying Wal-Mart or Target brand is an easy money-saver.

Their are a few brand name stuff I do cling to:

Hellman's Mayo in the squeeze container
Welch's Grape Jelly in the squeeze container
Potato Chips. you just can't beat the name brand.
and
Swiffer Wet Jet, and duster products