Name Brands

[Dee]

Do all or most of your grocery products have to be name brand?  My mother taught me to only buy Starkist of Chicken of the Sea tuna.  I'm 75 and still only buy those 2 brands.  I know there are other name brands around the country but those are the only two here.

 

I also only buy Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup.  Not sure why but as a little girl and sick it's the brand my mother bought and it's all I still buy and still eat it when I'm sick.  

 

There are probably other things that I can't think of right now but those two came to mind.

 

A friend told me Aldi's Spam (a different name, of course) was good.  I tried it and it really was.

 

So, when I get coupons, I find most of the time, the product is usually still higher than the off brand.  Hence, I seldom get the name brand that way either.

 

I do watch the store ads for in store sales.  It's where I save most of my money.

 

How do you do it?  Any hints or suggestions?

 

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by Dee

[euphrasyne]

I rarely buy named brands.  There are a handful of things where i prefer a brand taste, but not many.  A1, Margaret holms green beans.  Somethings i actively prefer the store brand.  I use a lot of store coupons from Kroger, Food Lion, and BJs.  I get several things from aldis.  I try and stock up when things go on sale.  Some things we get from the Indian or Chinese grocery.

[out_of_the_ordinary]

Most of our grocery products are name brand due to needing to make sure things are gluten-free. 

 

In the past, we've also had some experiences with some of the store brand items that made us go right back to the name brand.   An example is WM's brand of shredded cheese.   I don't know what they were doing to it or who was making it for them, but that...substance...would not melt on pizzas in the oven.      This was probably 20 years ago. 

Edited April 7, 2022 by out_of_the_ordinary

[Midnightmom]

Walmart's brand of SPAM(regular) is much better than the Hormel brand's. The meat is more "solid" so the texture is much better. You can also recognize "chunks" of meat in the can, not a solid mass of soft processed whatever. HOWEVER, I do stand by Hormel's Bacon Flavored Spam (see my icon?) and the Hickory Flavored one. The bacon one can actually be used in place of bacon (for flavor) and the hickory one is good for dinner type meals - ie: with spinach, green beans, mac&cheese, etc.

 

As for tuna, the only type I buy is albacore (chunk white or solid white) because the regular (cheap) tuna reminds me an awful lot of canned cat food!

 

Finally - Campbells. If I were still using them I would opt for this brand at least for the "cream of" varieties. I have tried the store brands and the off-brands in the past and the "cream" part of the Campbells is much much better than any of the others. I can't address the other varieties such as chix or veggie flavors, but you can find out for yourself by buying a can or two and trying them for yourself.

 

 

25 minutes ago, out_of_the_ordinary said:

In the past, we've also had some experiences with some of the store brand items that made us go right back to the name brand.   An example is WM's brand of shredded cheese.   I don't know what they were doing to it or who was making it for them, but that...substance...would not melt on pizzas in the oven.      This was probably 20 years ago. 

The thing to look out for in the off-brand/store brand varieties of cheese is to make sure the label does not say "cheese food" or mozzarella "style."

[Annarchy]

Tabasco…. Nothing compares to the name brand.

A-1… same thing.
Lee & Parrins Worcester sauce

Fritoes  

Verners ginger ale 

and… Twinkies….

 

 

Otherwise, I get the generic… WM’s Great Value mayo & coffee seem much better than name brand, just to name a few, plus, they are noticeably cheaper.  

[Ambergris]

Tabasco uses a certain kind of peppers that the other sauces don't use.  You can't substitute.  Cholula is a preferred brand here, on prominent display during breakfast hours at restaurants.  We grab for Louisiana Gold when we can get it, which isn't often--certainly, restaurants can't stock it in their sauce racks.

 

We usually go for brand names because of the ingredient issue.  I am sensitive to so many.  If it says _____ protein isolate or _______protein extract or the dreaded yeast extract, it will probably affect me and in concentration or with too many other factors will make me dog-sick.  Natural flavor keeps showing up in off brands with no explanation of what it is, and too often it turns out to be something that flattens me or has me monopolizing the little room.  Brand names are usually more transparent about what's in them, so at least I know what's in them and can balance my risks. 

 

Also, have you compared the length of the ingredient list on the store vs the name brand?  Frequently, the name brand has vastly fewer ingredients.  

[Mother]

I have that same problem with additives, Ambergris.  I opt for the single or fewest ‘safe’ ingredient products as much as possible wether brand name or store brand.  I Never never do MSG or it’s look-a-likes. Not only does it cause severe reactions it also can trigger a gout attack.  
 

‘Prewashed’’ Vegetables, like precut coleslaw or lettuce, (and even some frozen ones) which appear to have no added ingredients, often bother me if I don’t thoroughly wash them.  I’ve decided they use something in the wash water that is the culprit.  Meals, for me, can be like running through a mine field so I use as much fresh and organic foods as possible.  

[euphrasyne]

I actually hate Tabasco sauce because I dont like tobacco peppers.  They are all heat and I want some flavor.  I prefer cayenne pepper based sauce.  Same or more heat, lots of flavor.  The brand I can get here is Louisiana.  When I lived in MS, there were always several brands to choose from.

 

I do have a strong preference for lee and perrins, but will use something else depending on budget.

campbells is 1.25 a can.  Aldi is .48 a can.  I but aldi.  im just going to doctor it anyway and i dont taste a difference. sometimes i even make up a batch 'cream soup mix' and use that.

DH has an issue about saltine crackers and they have to be Premium brand.

Lipton diet green tea citrus.  there is no substitute.  i like the flavor, it is low calorie, non carbonated, and stays down.

cough drops prefer ricola, but will use halls.  

DH is super picky about hygiene products and everything is very specific.

Cat likes purina cat chow in blue bag.  tried lots, he likes that.  he is a sweet baby and gets what he wants.

 

cat tax:

 

[Jeepers]

 

Decades ago my MIL worked in a canning factory in the summer. They would get tomatoes in and can them all up in the same batch then put all different labels on the cans. Same tomatoes all canned at the same time. Some had Libby's some Del Monte and some Kroger etc. on their labels. Same when the corn, peas and green beans came in. I buy name brands. Not that I think they are better but because it's just what I'm used to and I know I'll like it.

 

Don't judge but... i prefer Miracle Whip because I like my mayo tangy. Real mayo is too bland for me. Ketchups tastes different now days because salt/no salt, sugar/low sugar etc. It just depends on your personal taste and what you grew up with.

[Ambergris]

I spend a lot of money on BOGO sales.  My last grocery trip was just over $300 spent and savings of $135, because only half the items I got were on sale. 

If I have charted the trip carefully, with coupons in hand and sales in mind, I have sometimes brought home a receipt that said something like $100 spent, $135 saved.  Or better.  Back when there were three grocery chains in town that took each other's store coupons and honored each other's advertised sale prices if you brought in the flyer, I routinely brought home receipts with 40% to 70% savings marked, but those days are long gone.

 

We buy Pantene not just because it does a decent job at an only mildly eye-crossing price, but because (at CVS) it very frequently puts out good-sized paper coupons and electronic coupons AND often goes on buy two get one sales AND often goes on the kinds of sales where if you buy three, you get a cash coupon to use on anything in the store, AND if you spend X number of dollars on this set of goods you get another cash coupon to use on anything in the store AND ...  So sure, we'll use Pantene and we'll buy it at CVS.  Planned right, buying the three bottles of it can hand me $15 in cash more than the shampoo costs.  If the shampoo section of the pantry shelf clogs up, I can find a good home for it with a clear conscience because (unless I was particularly lazy the day I bought that bottle) it was better than free.

 

DS1 cannot stop drinking his name-brand sodas, but the flavor he gets is the flavor that's on sale.  Some kind always is.  Similarly, our favorite pasta sauce normally just happens to be whatever is on half price this week.  There is pretty much always something on sale.  One kind we are particularly fond of, but at $5.50 a jar, we can't justify getting it without a coupon or a sale--preferably both.  Sometimes what's on sale is a kind that makes me sick, so those weeks we eat what's on the shelf at home. 

 

If there's a BOGO, or B2G1, you have to know (look up or ask) if there's a limit, and not be shy about getting the limit if you can use it.  Sometimes it's one pair/trio, sometimes it's six.  I normally stop with six pair or four trios, because I don't want to get famous, unless it's a staggeringly good price that only an idiot wouldn't buy the maximum of.  (The store is full of idiots.)  Sometimes you bring in a coupon for a dollar off a three-dollar item and they apply it to both the one you pay for and the one you get free, meaning you've paid one dollar for two items.  This happens to me a lot more often when I bring in a paper coupon than when I use an electronic coupon.  Sometimes they apply it to only the one I pay for.  That's still not a bad deal.

 

Watch for coupons that say if you buy this milk (or any milk) you get a dollar off bread (usually any bread), or if you buy any cheese you get a dollar off any meat.  It's worth buying a little package of meat or bread even if you hadn't planned to, if the dollar off makes it a good deal and you will eat it (or can donate it in a good place).  

 

The two stores I shop at most often send me electronic coupons every week.  I have to click on the ones I want.  I clock on every one I have the most remote interest in.  It's marketing information for them, and potentially a dollar (or fifteen dollars) for me.

 

If I want to get things I don't want registered, or if I want to buy an amount I think would be memorable in an unwelcome way, I go back (or go to another location) and buy more with cash without registering the purchase under my phone number or other ID number.

 

[Cricket]

I will buy brand name foods on sale. I have no problem with most store brand items. I'm fine with store brand Krispy cereal or chex-type cereals, but it's gotta be the real Cheerios or Honey Nut Cheerios for me.

 

I'm particularly fond of Chicken & Stars soup. I'll settle for the store brand, but the Campbells does have a richer, tastier broth. I just can't justify paying $1.50 or more per can for Campbells. My inner five-year-old will just have to accept generic. 

 

Here lately, I have paid more for some name-brand canned goods because the "best by" dates were significantly further out than generic or store brands. Or the store brand was out of stock. All things considered, I bit the bullet and shelled out the money to get what was available.  

 

With rising inflation, I figure by the time the store brand is back in stock, the price will have jumped to what I pay now for name brand. 

[Littlesister]

I do buy some brand-named items but have started to buy more off brands. So far, the off brands I have bought haven't been bad.  Almost afraid to go into a store now as I haven't really been in one now for about 2 or 3 weeks other than for fresh veggies.