Store Brand vs Name Brand

I use store brands all the time. I am a dieting coupon girl and can save a lot of money and still lose that way. I also shop at Kroger a lot and have found their store brands to be fine!

Good Luck!

Simply Truth brand of Krogers is amazing!

For the most part, I purchase store brand. There are a few things that I refuse to buy store brand (like candies or chips) but for the most part, I go with generics. Rice, milk, and frozen vegetables taste no different and can save me a LOT of money.

Store brand - another vote for Kroger

It just depends on the item. Try picking up some store brand and see if you like them. Frozen veggies, as someone else mentioned, are a good thing to buy store brand. I bought the walmart store brand Pop Tarts once though and they were HORRID. So that's really my only tip. Stay away from fake Pop Tarts.

I compare labels, not price. If the store brand is the healthier version, that is what I purchase. I have purchased a lot of "no name" or store brand varieties that are the exact same thing as the name brand version.

Most of the store brands you see are actually made in the same plant/place as the name brand products but they're sold cheaper as the 'no name' brand.

A lot of grocery stores offer point cards and you can gain more points by purchasing the store brands, plus you can usually get more in-store coupons and deals for store brands than the name brands.

We use a lot of store brand from both Kroger and Walmart; We typically only default to name brand if the store brand proves inferior, and that does happen from time to time, but its worth trying.

I have pretty much always bought store brands and then added in flavouring (pepper, lea & perrins, etc.) to taste.
But I've always been pretty poor and even when I could afford store brands, it's not ingrained into me to be able to pay more money for something I can get cheaper.

I do nearly all of my shopping at trader joe's, and there are very few brands there besides the store brand. I love it, and don't taste a difference.

I'd rather save money, and if the taste isn't quite as good, you can always add some fresh herbs.

But I'll only ever buy q-tips. SNOB.

Read the labels in the store and see if there are "extras" in any of the goods.

I have learned through friends who work in the purchasing area for grocers, that often store brands are made by the name brand companies, but it will sometimes be slightly tweaked for cost etc.

I will often by store brand if the savings are significant and i'm not being pumped full of chemicals....I'm talking things like frozen veggies, canned fruits and veggies, soups, dressings etc.

I shop mainly at publix and I test their store brand stuff all the time. Through trial and error I'd say I buy about 60%+ store brand items now overall. Frozen veggies, dry pasta, jar sauces, dry beans, canned items like beans and tuna, low-sodium bacon, egg beaters, sour cream/cream cheese, etc. I go back and forth, depending on price, quality and nutrition info and get whichever version fits my needs the best. Some items don't have a store-brand-alternative of course. If you're willing to test things, you'll find the level you want to be at.

If you are in UK, we have recently found out, Beef is not always Beef.. And store brands are mainly the culprit.. In some cases up to 75% horse meat found in a "beef" product!

If ingredients are similar, or better (it happens), give it a try. If you like it stick with it, if not go back to name brand. For me, items I tend to use as base ingredients (veggies, tomato sauce, etc) and plan to add my own seasoning, store brands work fine. For things that I don't plan to mess with much (cheese, yogurt, etc) my family has its favorite brands. It all depends on your taste.

On a side note, you might want to check you positioning on your spin bike. Your leg should have a slight bend at the bottom of the stroke. If the picture was just taken for the sake of taking a picture and not while you were riding, ignore this...

it pretty much depends on the item you are buying. Most of the major stores, such as Publix, Costco, Sams etc., get their store brands from brand name manufacturers. They just put a private label on it. Sometimes the private label specifications are not as exacting as the brand name item, sometimes it is exactly the same. Trial and error is the best way to find out the quality of a product. As an example, I find all of the Kirkland brand from Costco, to be same spec, and right up to par with most of the brand name products out there. Walmart can be hit and miss because I think they strive to be the cheapest rather than high quality.

As others have said it depends on the store and the product. I buy store brand frozen vegetables (Tops or Wegmans) almost exclusively. They're cheaper, and I don't want the "fancy blends" or "light sauces" (though Wegmans has those options, too). Target has amazing store brand cereals, especially for you granola fans. They have flavors the name brands haven't thought of yet, and they come in clever resealable cartons. Here are my store brand favorites:

Frozen Vegetables
Frozen Grilled Chicken (Wegmans, cheaper than Tyson and lower in calories as well)
Target Cereals (cranberry vanilla granola is delicious)
Fat Free Regular Yogurt
Steamable Potatoes (Wegmans)
Salad Dressing (less variety but comparable taste and better value)
Cottage Cheese (Aldi's store brand is actually my favorite regardless of price)
Microwave Popcorn (the Walmart brand has nutritional information PER BAG instead of that "per cup popped" nonsense)

There are also items where I stick with the name brands because store brands have disappointed:
Greek Yogurt (Chobani is still king as far as I am concerned)
Soup (less selection, less quality, not much savings)

Even with recommendations you'll have to do some experimenting, but the good news is that store brands have come a long way. It has been a very long time since I've had a store brand product that was terrible (as someone else mentioned, off brand toaster pastries are evil, though Pop-Tarts aren't on my diet anymore anyway).