We all like to save money. Especially in December, when gifts and other holiday expenses added to your normal monthly bills. One way to do this is to buy generic/ store brand versions of the products you buy. But we all know those can be hit and miss. Sometimes they are so inferior to the name brand it’s no savings at al. How do you know which ones are good and which ones aren’t?
I’m here to help! I’ve been though some really hard times financially speaking and I’m just cheap overall- ha. I’ve tried generic just about everything and here are some of the highs and lows I’ve found.
Generics you should always buy:
OTC drugs. They are required by federal law to be identical to the name brand product, so there is no reason NOT to buy these generic. I don’t know why in the year 2023 anyone is still buying name brand Advil, Tylenol, etc. You might as well just light your money on fire.
Pantry basics. Think flour, sugar, pasta, cake mixes, etc. Generics of these are generally functionally identical to the name brands. Unless you need to go gluten free you can easily save money here.
Most dairy products. Eggs, milk, butter- unless you are cooking for professional chefs no one will be able to tell the difference, so why pay more? Most store brand cheeses and ice creams are pretty good too. You might find the occasional clunker, but the good ones far outnumber the bad.
Paper products IF you get them from Target. Most generic toilet paper, tissues, paper plates, etc. are really really really bad. But Target has cracked the code and theirs are actually very good quality. Don’t buying these generic anywhere else unless you hate your family and/ or yourself.
Greeting cards. Your thoughts are just as well delivered through a $1 card as they are with a $7 card. You can get great looking photo cards from Walmart or most drug stores- no need to spend extra for Shutterfly.
Generics to stay far, far away from:
Dish soap. It’s so useless I’m not sure why it’s even legal to sell it as a cleaning product. Just buy Dawn.
Aluminum foil. Buy Reynolds or be disappointed. Breathe on the cheap stuff it hard and it will rip. There’s also usually less per roll, so it’s doubly a rip-off.
Anything containing tomatoes. Pasta sauce, ketchup, salsa- the list goes on. No one seems to have figured out how to make any of these generic products well. If you like exceptionally bland food you might be OK with them, but the rest of us will just wish we’d spend the extra dollar and gotten something that contains actual flavor.
Tampons. Generic feminine pads are usually ok- just a little light on the adhesive backing. But store brand tampons failed me one too many times to suggest anyone else experiment with them.
Pet food. This is not an area where you want to cheap out. Your pet’s health depends on you. Along with regular trips to the vet, feeding quality food is one of the best ways to ensure the health of your pet.
What are your thoughts/ experiences with generic/ store brand products? Do you think I got something really wrong? Let me know.