How I "Clean Up" In Aisle Five And You Can Too

So I love to save me some money and stay on budget like anyone else but did you know that some people never even touch the store brands when grocery shopping? You did?? I had no idea there were still people like this out there especially in this economy. Now I will admit, some things are not as good as name brand so I have compiled a handy dandy list of what I think is just as good generic and what I think you should stick to the name brand with.


Store brand items that rock

1- bread and buns.

Store brand bread and buns taste exactly the same as brand name and in some cases, they taste better and they hold up just as well too. If you are looking for sub rolls or brat buns, go to the bakery department of your store but for other bread items, definitely save your moola and go generic.

2- soups.

Especially soups you will be using in recipes or casseroles. You can not tell the difference and in some cases, you save almost a dollar by buying generic.

3- cheese.

Store brand cheeses taste so much like their brand name counterpart that I wonder if they are made in the same factory. Now if you are a cheese aficionado or you are looking for upscale cheeses by all means, buy the good stuff but I have a feeling if you are a cheese aficionado you most likely don't need to save extra money in the first place. :) I have not used name brand cheese in years and even the slices are great.

4- bottled water.

If you do buy this ( I know it is not earth friendly) by all means do not buy the brand name. It comes from the same tap spring that all the rest of 'em do, so save your bucks and buy generic.

5- milk.

No taste difference unless you are used to milk that comes from a local dairy.

6- applesauce.

Tastes just the same. Again, unless you are used to applesauce straight from the farm but if not go with generic.

7- pasta.

You cover this stuff up with sauce anyway and it tastes just as good as Creamette or the other brands. Stick with generic.

8- select cleaning supplies.

I only buy the following cleaning supplies in the store brand form: magic eraser, Windex or Clorox wipes. Otherwise stick with the name brands.

Other items to buy in generic:

- canned veggies

- frozen meatballs

- ice cream (for basic flavors like chocolate, vanilla or strawberry; for the rest, buy name brand)

- paper napkins

-cottage cheese

Items NOT to buy generic

1- peanut butter.

For some reason, the generic does not taste as good as the brand names. I have no particular favorites as we use whatever we have a coupon for and there are ALWAYS peanut butter coupons out there.

2- salsa.

Yeah, just get the brand name.

3- chips.

Stick with brand name for your chips but generic pretzels taste just the same.

4- yogurt.

There is not much price difference between store brand and name brand in most cases so stick with name brand.

5- sour cream.

If you are using it in a recipe, buy generic but for a topping? Get the brand name.

6- bacon.

The generic is thin and stringy so this is a definite case of you get what you pay for.

7- condiments.

Get brand name all the way. And there are always, always coupons out there for these things all the time so you end up paying the same if not less than generic.

Other items to stick with the brand name:

- toilet paper

- paper towel

- cereal

- chicken nuggets

- french fries/tater tots/onion rings

- feminine products

How do you save money at the grocery store???