Thrifty Tip – Generic vs. Brand Name

CBS News recently ran an article on Generic vs. Brand Name products, mainly highlighting which generic products are just as good as name brand.

I always try to utilize coupons to make brand name items just as budget friendly as generic, but when I can’t I don’t hesitate to buy generic or store brand products. The article got me thinking about which generic products I regularly purchase and which name brand products I am loyal to.

Not an exhaustive list, but here’s how my shopping cart usually looks:

Things I will buy generic:

• pasta
• (most) canned vegetables
• canned tuna
• ketchup
• milk
• paper products
• cereal
• butter
• pain relievers
• allergy medicine
• bread
• crackers
• ice cream

Things I absolutley positively will NOT buy generic:

• Qtips
• Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
• Campbell’s Soup
• Hidden Valley Ranch
• Hunts canned tomatoes
• Sargento shredded cheese
• Eggo Waffles
• Baked Lays potato chips
• Philadelphia cream cheese
• Miracle Whip
• Coca-Cola
• Hershey syrup
• Daisy sour cream

So, where are your brand loyalties? Do you buy any generics that you think are better than brand name?