For most of us, the only way we're going to be able to combat the increased gas prices and other costs that are just going to continue to skyrocket, is to tighten our belts....some more.
I try to use some store brands to save money. I have several I use, but I'll bet I could use more! Here are things I use store brand (usually Great Value/Walmart, but also Safeway/Albertsons and Target):
Coffee and coffee creamer (I found I actually like Great Value liquid french vanilla creamer better than coffee mate)
Applesauce
Cream of chicken and mushroom soup
Tissues
Paper towels
Dishwasher tabs (I find no difference in cleaning and they are much cheaper)
Store brand milk
OTC meds and vitamins
Shredded cheese (but not sliced cheese, LOL)
Butter
Napkins
Sugar and flour
Foil and plastic wrap
Kitchen garbage bags
Rice Krispies cereal
Lunch meat (though I typically only buy it if they are out of the name brand)
The lastest store brand try was Great Value Texas toast. They substituted me for Pepperidge Farms frozen garlic/french bread. We had it last night with dinner. It was good and I liked that you could take out only the number of slices you need.
Tell me what store brand products you use that you find the taste or efficiency comparable to brand name?
I think my mom is more picky about it than I am and she does all of the shopping too. She prefers Costco avocados vs what you get at the chinese grocery for example. And prefers certain bread from them too - coffee they buy Nescafe on sale. But so much other stuff like the dishwasher tabs, launry detergent etc we do no name or the store brand. Cheese we buy in a huge block, and we buy the costco brand too. We also shop at a Chinese grocery for fruits and veg but everything just is on the rise!
ReplyDeleteI am picky about some brands, but probably don't need to be on a lot of them. I know I do not like store brand orange juice, though, LOL. We tried it. It was a no for us. But, it was our local town small grocery store's brand, maybe Walmart or Target's would be ok.
DeleteMy kids always liked the safeway OJ. Might try that. I dont buy many name brand things. I do most of my shopping once a month at costco and winco, then fill in with sale items at safeway. There are a few things cheaper at wm, but mostly winco and costco beat wm.
DeleteI don't think I've tried Safeway OJ, but have tried their store brand premade smoothie juice and it's good.
DeleteOh juice is juice to me! But definitely OJ is better than some of the other juice choices out there anyway!
DeleteI remember that Kroger frozen orange juice was the best orange juice. Plus, the Kroger pureed pumpkin was all I would use to make pumpkin pies.
ReplyDeleteI do refuse to buy anything Great Value as I do not trust WM.
Store brand green beans and applesauce are fine.
We don't have Kroger where I live now, but used to at my old home and I used a lot of their store brands. Why do you not trust Walmart? Dh loves green beans and I have tried the store brands, and other brands than Del Monte, but they didn't seem quite the same quality.
DeleteWhen I was a teenager, I had dear friend who worked part time in a supermarket, who told me that the store brand of say, canned pineapple, came on the same truck as Dole, and was, in fact, Dole pineapple in store cans. It's not like the supermarket has factories which make shampoo, or farms which grow and then can produce! I am only picky about laundry detergent and soap, but that's due to sensitive skin. I also *prefer* to use Kerrygold butter--it really is amazing stuff, but I save it for special baking.
ReplyDeleteI have read before that most is just same product, rebranded with the store name, from same production place. Probably why some things do taste or work the same. But some things just don't taste the same. Jif peanut butter is one of them that I won't buy store brand. I've been thinking of trying Kerrygold butter for baking.
DeleteFor the most part I really don't care about brands - except for sweet corn - that has to be Green Giant! More and more I'm shopping first at LIDL for basics and then I get my fresh fruit and veg from the farmers' markets. I hadn't been to LIDL in ages but by golly you can save money there!
ReplyDeleteThat's why I have always shopped Walmart for groceries, especially as the brand names item is the exact same brand name item at another grocery store and much cheaper, most times.
DeleteI can only shop Walmart for groceries unless I want to drive an hour further. WallyWorld is 40 mins. away.
ReplyDeleteI love my Walmart. Their produce is great.
I was reluctant to buy their name brand products but over time I have basically due to my lack of options. I've been pleasantly surprised for the most part.
I'm curious as to why someone would not trust Walmart products.
Over the years I have tried Walmart brand and for most things have been pleasantly surprised. And now with picking up orders and occasionally getting substituted a GV brand, I'm finding more that is fine, too.
DeleteWe have Aldi stores here - and I really like so much of what they carry. Their produce prices are great, a quart of half-n-half is less than $2, we like their cheeses, their breads, etc. And we really like their frozen pepperoni pizza - amazingly! If you have an Aldi in your area, give them a try. You will be pleasantly surprised!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have any Aldi stores but I have heard lots about them and their good prices.
DeleteI'll have to give the Great Value texas toast a shot on our next order. We also get the Pepperidge Farm one, but to save a bit I'm willing to try almost anything store brand. Except diet coke, coke, and ketchup lol. We do have an Aldi store here, but we didn't like it. Prices are good, but their produce section was gross, and the off brand items just didn't taste good to us. Seems like those stores are hit or miss. We only have Ingles, Publix and Walmart and the first two were already expensive to begin with! Publix is only good for the B1G1F deals. I agree about Dishwasher Tabs. Last year a Lowes clearanced a ton of their tabs, and I got 40 boxes for $8. I have an entire cabinet and they work great! I always check for clearance cleaning supplies when we need something, but do have to buy Tide Gentle for my youngest. Haven't found anything else that prevents his skin from breaking out!
ReplyDeleteThat's an amazing deal on the d/w tabs! When you mentioned cleaning supplies, I have also used store brand Pledge and it was fine.
DeleteI’m off topic here but just a little because prices!!! I’m sick with worry. I talked with my son last night he’s a farmer in NW Minnesota. Starting to get ready for spring. Farmers get their farm loans for the season set up before so had been all set. Now for his corn fertilizer it was first $400.00, then went to 600 and now $1000.00 a bag, it will cost him $100,000 more just for his corn fertilizer this year. Plus his fuel prices. The thousand of gallons he goes through and the cost increase is crazy. He also grows wheat, soy beans and sugar beets. Can you imagine the trickle through costs? Consumers will see this at the other end. He can’t figure out the why of the crazy fertilizer increase but every pre market cost increase comes around. ( and I don’t believe large companies are going to lose their profits).
ReplyDeleteDH and I were discussing same thing last night. He knows a guy who has a logging operation and uses like 1000 gallons of diesel a day. From what we have read/heard the fertilizer costs are related to China for banning export of fertilizer recently....(think they have a plan?). It's very scary times, indeed. I wonder what we will be paying for a loaf of bread next year this time.
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