If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you may recall my recent run-in with a bandage. For those of you that don’t, let me just say that it’s entirely possible to rip off a sizable chunk of skin when one attempts to quickly remove a bandage.
Ouch.
I’ve since learned that perhaps the extra dollar spent on the name brand product is a worthy investment. Ahem.
And that, of course, got me to thinking about other products that I gladly shell out extra waddage for rather than suffer through an inferior generic counterpart.
I thought I’d share.
Because I’m nothing if not considerate.
That, and this post sorta kinda falls in line with your favorite carnival and mine, Jo-Lynne’s What I Learned This Week.
So here ya go:
- Boxed scalloped potatoes. Au Gratin too.
- Cream of chicken soup. Because the Campbell’s version doesn’t have those dull grey floaters that I can only assume are liver remnants. Or worse: gizzards. Ick.
- Ice cream.
- Orange juice.
- Toilet paper.
- Dishwasher detergent. It may be just my imagination but it seems like the cheap stuff leaves an even worse film on my glasses than the national brands do.
- Lotion.
Then there are those generic/store brand products that I feel perform just as well as the national brands.
- Napkins.
- Pantry basics like flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.
- Over the counter medications.
- Boxed pastas (I’m talking strictly pasta here, not the mac’n'cheese or fettuccine Alfredo).
- Condiments: mustard, olives, pickles.
And, believe it or not, I actually know of one generic product that I prefer over the national brand.
- Turkey bacon. The store brand is WAY less greasy than the Oscar Mayer stuff.
So there you have it, my completely unscientific observations.
By all means, chime in with anything I’ve overlooked. :) And then head over to Musings of A Housewife to absorb the shared knowledge!
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
I am in complete agreement with you except for pickles. I only like Claussan dill, preferably the mini dills.
Oh, and FYI about turkey bacon. They add in a TON of salt/sodium to replace the natural moisture of fat, so beware of your sodium intake on days you consume bacon!! :)
Nice list! My husband doesn’t care for the Oscar Meyer bacon either!
Yay you – you’re #1! :) My husband and I got into one of our first fights as husband and wife when I brought home an industrial-sized pack of generic Costco toilet paper. Apparently he had very strong feelings about Charmin, which explains why my little brother got a crap load (pardon the completely inappropriate pun!) of cheap tp along with his birthday present that year.
Great list! :)
Definitely good to know! You really have to pick and choose. Most of the time it’s trial and error. I don’t like the error part much. thank you for sharing your wisdom with us today! LOL.
blessings,
Kim
Although lots of the items you mentioned are different here, I still totally agree.
Pasta, sparkling mineral water, and their basic chocolate chip cookies are great in Tesco’s.
I do splurge on breakfast cereals though – the own-brand products have so much more sugar, even in the non-sugary choices, than Kelloggs and the like.
We do generic almost everything, except for Paper towerls, toilet paper and some hygeine products. I LOVE the Target brand chicken nuggets. They don’t seems to leave as much grease, and our store brand chicken is cut in much larger pieces.
How true! Love the list! On the brand name only list, I would like to add ketchup and mayo! I am not too picky, but these as store brands are bleck! Thanks for the great list!
Interesting list! I agree with most of it. I do buy name brand condiments. I’m not sure why. I just do. Especially and always MAYONNAISE.
These are good to know. I have certain things I only buy the brand I like but there are times when I actually like the generic or store brand just as well or better and you save, yeah. One thing I’ve learned through my hubbys health problem experiences is that you have to be careful about generic medicines over the counter, like Equate brand. The ingredients are usually the same but it’s what they add in that can be harmful.
I’m not as name brand loyal as I used to be but there are certain things I stick to like you. I do buy store brand medication for my husband and I but for the kids, I stick to the name brands (tylenol, motrin). I also heard that regular bacon is better for you than turkey bacon – lots of sodium. LOL about lotion…does it have anything to do with your “spa” experience?
I agree that there are some things that you just have to buy name brand in…for me, cereal, chips and mayo are the ones that come to mind. Most everything else with the exception of toilet paper and kleenex…I buy generic.
Great list! One thing I CANNOT bring myself to buy is the generic tampons. Must be name brand.
However, I have no problem buying generic milk to drink…I am cheapidity-cheap when it comes to that!
I’d like to follow you on twitter and facebook…how do I find you?
Sanitary pads. I accidentally bought the generic (clever similar packaging…), and not only was it thicker, but the adhesive pull-off strips for the wings were placed in such a way that the first two got hopelessly stuck to themselves, prompting me to look more closely at the package and realize my mistake.
Maybe TMI, but it’s important. Because you’re definitely not in the mood for more hassle that time of the month.
I almost always like the generic yogurt better than name-brand. To me, Yoplait tastes sugary enough to almost be a dessert!
Tampons. Generic will NOT do. Same with diapers. My husband actually made me return a package of Target brand diapers after we used just one and it was a mess.
I also cannot bring myself to enjoy generic cereal as much as the name brands.
Generics that work just fine for me include pretty much all your staples: milk, eggs, butter, bread, and canned veggies and fruits.
You already mentioned the biggest money saver of them all: over the counter medications. I just don’t understand how anyone can shell out that kind of money for the SAME EXACT product. Look at the ingredients people!
Toilet paper. Yes, yes, and yes. Shell out the extra cash – your tushy will thank you.
Great post! I buy generic whenever I can, but not ketchup or sanitary pads or ice cream. I’ve finally convinced my husband that generic medicine is fine for us.
I think name brand bread freezes better than store brand. My husband always buys the cheap thin sandwich slices, but I’m all about the Sara Lee Soft n’ Smooth. I think Ritz are better than store brand crackers too. But, store brand graham crackers are generally better than Honey Maid, in my experience. I could go on, but I’ll stop there.
Fighting! Back! The! Urge! To! List! Inappropriate! Generic! Items! AAAAA!!!!
I think I buy generic everything! I can’t think of anything I am brand loyal to anymore.
Well, not generic toilet paper, but I’ve moved from the Charmin I thought I *had* to have on to the cheaper (but just fine) Angel Soft.
Oh and makeup. I rarely wear any, but when I do I want the good stuff and not wet n wild.
Another question Darcie….how do I get the little bird icon for my blog.
I always go for the pretty package…..bad I know!
great list. won’t do store brand tp again. learned that the hard way! we are picky about our coffee. Van Houtte beans are the cheapest we’ll go. :) not maxwell house or anything else in the store.
I totally agree…another one I won’t skimp on is laundry detergent…those generics always leave weird blue color swirls on our clothing!
PS Cate’s room is finished…come on by to take a look!
http://scoopofreality.blogspot.com/2009/03/royal-bedchamber.html
Totally agree on the toilet paper thing.
I would add that generic syrup tastes like someone washed off the side of the bottle but forgot to tighten the lid first. ‘nough said?
But I think generic graham crackers are yummy.
I absolutely agree except that the target brand (market pantry) creamed soups are just as good…
also not the same:
HE laundry detergent, shampoos,
Along the same lines as those scalloped potatoes…instant potatoes in a box…*shudder*…must be a potato thing.
As for the OJ, my kids prefer the store brand, but I won’t touch the stuff.
I know that I have already commented on this post, but just wanted you to know that I left you an award on my blog. You may be one of those that doesn’t post about blog awards, but I just wanted you to know how much your bloggy mentoring has meant to me! Have a wonderful weekend.
Great list. I would have to add Kellogg’s Poptarts to the list. Those generic ones just don’t cut it. Oh, and I’ve never met a generic cereal that I like.
That’s all. = )