I worked 14 years at a candy company. We made candy for many different companies including name and generic brands. After we filled the order for one brand we would stop the belt and changed the wrapper. We'd restart the belt but the candy was the exact same whether name/ generic. I know this isn't for everything but it opened my eyes and made me more open to generics.
@@lifewithkymm I know. I use to only buy the name brand chocolate stars but I started working there and saw all they did was change wrapper for the company it was going to. Very eye opening.
Yes, I am a pharmacy tech and many generics (Not all) are made by the same manufacturer as the brand. Every now and then the pills look exactly the same.
Here’s a shocker. My friend’s dad used to work on the assembly line for GMC trucks and Chevrolet trucks in Pontiac, MI. He swore up and down they were the same trucks just with different cosmetic packages. The GMCs cost more. They’d look at the paperwork and then slap on the appropriate cosmetic package. That’s what he said!
I used to be brand loyal to ketchup, I'd only buy the heinz made with real sugar. Then a couple years ago it got very expensive and my kids went through a bottle a week and sometimes more. I saw the great value brand had a made with real sugar option for less than half the price of the name brand. I bought the great value and secretly refilled my empty heinz bottle with the generic dupe to see if my family would say anything about the ketchup taste. Nobody noticed a difference!! After about 3 months I got tired of refilling the old name brand bottle and told my family "this is what we use for ketchup now, ya'll have been using it for 3 months now and have liked it. I'm just tired of putting it in the heinz bottle"
Haha I’ve been doing that with A-1 sauce. The name brand is $5 a bottle and the Great Value brand is $1.23 per bottle. My hubby has no clue and I’m saving $4 a bottle
You are my kinda people! I've done it with syrup, "club" crackers, ranch, mustard. The list is endless. The thing is if you tell the fam at the beginning they won't give the store brand a fair chance. Most of the time the store brand is equal or even better than name brand.
@@bonniethomas5309 yes ma’am! The Aldi “Velveeta” is way better than the real stuff and nearly half the price. It make the creamiest, simple mac and cheese ever
When I was in Highschool (20 years ago) I took an elective called Family and Consumer Sciences, which was basically an extended Home Economics class. One part of the course was blind taste testing. I remember it was very difficult to tell the difference and most of class preferred the generic. It was an amazing class that taught you how to save, shop, how to fill out a check, and write professional letters to companies to compliment/complain about a product.
We home school. i have taken my daughter with me to the store gave her a dollar amount for her snacks. It did not take her long to see that she got more by using store brands.
Just a note that the c & h sugar is cane sugar and the generic sugar is beet sugar. That probably doesn't make a difference for most people, but I cannot use beet sugar because it is more likely to be contaminated with something that I am allergic to. Cane sugar is usually more expensive than beet sugar, so I buy mine in bulk.
FYI, my husband ran a Flowers bread route for +40 years. He hauled the name brand bread and the Great Value brand bread. Supposedly the exact same product.
At the time my son worked for Walmart In Indiana (10 years ago) he told me great value bread in our area was made by Lewis bakery and that great value frozen vegetables were Byrds Eye vegetables
I was brand loyal to Hellman’s Mayo for years until I picked up the Bermans (Aldi brand) by mistake one day. The package is very similar and I was in a hurry and distracted by kids. I noticed when I got home and figured, well I’ll see how it goes, my family and I didn’t notice a difference and I’ve saved on Mayo ever since. I buy lots (almost all) store brands unless there’s a great sale bc I’m a single mom on a fixed income. I’ve learned so many money saving ideas from your videos and I thank you so much!!
I had a funny thing happen the other day. I use fetch rewards and I like you like Hellman’s Mayo. I bought Aldi to try and loved it as well. Got my receipt and scan it and fetch gave me points (bar code based😉) for Hellman’s. So makes me wonder where Aldi get their Mayo lol. It taste like Hellman’s to me. I have tried the great value Mayo and scanned and it didn’t give points for Hellman’s. I don’t care for that one either.
It's very important to pay attention to the price breakdown if sizes are different, even among the same brands. I buy the small olive oils (17oz) walmart brand and they are 4c or so cheaper per ounce than the larger 27-ish oz bottle. It's so crazy. Years ago I worked at a nail polish & remover factory. Mid-run we would stop the machines to change labels to a generic store brand. I'm glad I learned that early on in life, it saved me a ton of $$. Tillamook cheese is far better than the store-brand and I'll spend the extra for it (but only when it's on sale!!)
My brother in law worked for a famous ketchup manufacturer during summers off from college. It was the same. The run for the namebrand stopped, labels sometimes bottles changed but the product , the ketchup was the same as what was in the more expensive bottles.
My sister worrked for a butter factory , and same thing as Jill said. When they got towards the end of a batch they switched the name brand label to a generic brand label. Its the same butter but may (but rarely does) have a poorer mixture towards end batch .
I have found at least here in phoenix az Tillamook med cheddar is cheaper at Costco for 2.5lb bs 9.89 for the 2lb loaf at Winco, albertsons/safeway, frys & bashas are 10.99 to 13.99. I was just at costco & the 2.5lb loaf was 8.95 & winco was 9.98.
I grew up with my mom using store brands... as much as possible... but I learned to compare prices as an adult when I discovered that with local sales, sometimes name brand is cheaper... I always compare ounce to ounce... 🙂 Thank you for doing this and physically showing the price differences... You even did the next challenge is blind taste-testing... 😂 Love your channel!
I love your videos, I watch them all the time! I thought I might add a helpful tip .... when comparing prices, look at the price per ounce. In walmart, it's usually that number on the right with the orange highlight in the background on the price tag on the shelf... that way it doesn't matter the size of the package so much if you just want the best deal... much easier than trying to do the math in the store :)
Great video! Being the oldest of four while growing up I learned a lot. I would like to add to your tips with a few more: 1. Bread outlets will save enormous amounts of money! If you have one go check it out. 2. Coffee whole bean on Amazon is far cheaper. The investment in a grinder will pay for itself and coffee is eons better when ground right before brewing. 3. Eggs-if you go thru a bunch then get them at Costco. 4. This may be the most important tip-always and I mean ALWAYS check the clearance section of every department and try to leave a few extra dollars in your budget to buy "things for the future" if the sale is amazing.
I mostly shop at Aldi. I avoid their frozen broccoli florets. They are always crushed up in the bag. My kids used to like the Aldi boxed mac and cheese, but they changed something recently and they don’t like it now. It has a sweet taste. I do like that the Aldi brand items tend to avoid artificial coloring. Great video!
I bought the Aldi mac and cheese for my son and he said it tasted "dusty" lol. He still ate it tho! I bought garlic at Aldi and never again, the 3 bulbs are crazy looking, the cloves are yellow!
I was majorly brand loyal to Hellman's mayonnaise. Been buying it for 40+ years. That was my only national brand preference - mayo =had= to be Hellman's. I buy just recently bought a jar of Aldi's Store brand on a whim to save $$. I really like it. That shocked the heck outta me. I'll be saving $money now. Lesson learned.
I just found you and this is the third video I've seen of you. You actually say things I've never thought of or considered! You may not think that's a big deal but I'm the same age as you and I'm still at home with the kids, trying to manage our budget with not a lot of money; I've heard basically everything out there. I've read it all, seen it all, and thought I was doing it all. But you had suggestions that actually might work for me! That's huge! I already bake and make everything I can at home, I never use name brand anything, I compare ounces for every deal at the store, you name it, I've done it all. So I thank you for actually helping me! New subscriber now.
I only buy name brand products on certain things but mostly our stuff is great value. I have even started buying great value toilet paper since the pandemic.
Great value thick and creamy mac and cheese is the store brand to go with! I did a taste comparison and the kids and my husband were convinced I mixed up the boxes because they loved the GV one so much.
@@jennifercurtis8229 I've noticed that with a lot of name brands, they're way too salty or sugary or something like that. the off brand products are probably able to be cheaper in part because they don't have as much sugar or salt, but they're way easier to eat in my opinion!
There are some things I can't buy generic on due to food allergies in the household. Whenever possible I do though. That said, pay attention to sales and unit prices... Sometimes buying a name brand at a larger size works out cheaper than a generic.
Great information! I’ve always felt, if I could find a store brand version that would live up to name brand, then I would buy the store brand. Then either use the savings to buy the things I was brand loyal to, or buy them less frequently and as a treat. I’m only really brand loyal to one thing now and it’s Heinz ketchup. I even buy it for my mother so when we have dinner at her house we have the “right” ketchup. She buys whatever is on sale. The bread you bought was a great comparison. I’ve had both and the name brand was sweeter to me, so I definitely preferred the store brand. Thanks for taking one for the team and buying both orders!
I frequently buy the store brand at Winco, Safeway, Target, and Fred Meyer but I refuse to give Walmart any extra profit by purchasing their store brand. I dislike Walmart with a fiery passion because it drove out a number of local businesses in my hometown.
So Walmart didn’t drive out the local businesses... the customers choosing to shop Walmart instead did. If Walmart wasn’t profitable, it would’ve closed up. Not shopping because of how they treat their employees, however, I can stand behind.
Many towns refuse to let Walmart build anywhere near them for that reason. As soon as Walmart comes to town, Main Street is DOA. There's a small town near me that boycotts Walmart. I love to visit it on Saturdays because it's like a time warp back to 1955. Main Street is jumping, full of people doing their shopping at mom and pop stores that have been there for decades. The town is charming and thriving just fine.
@@Scrapfan However, if there were no Walmart, there would be no patrons. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? To me it’s obvious that without Walmart, those patrons would be shopping the previous businesses. I’m not looking to begin any debate, just some friendly, and individual, points of view from See Mindy Mom lovers. Hope everyone is well and staying safe in these trying times.
@Tamar Hannah Whipkey ha, I was gonna say that. Also, Walmart was my son's first job and they treated him very well (wanted him to stay and go into management). He went from there to Starbucks, Walmart was about 100 times better to him (I know plenty of people hate Starbucks as well). I was raised in a small town that only had a family owned grocery store, it was gross. Now I live in a large suburb, our Walmarts are clean, nice, well stocked, but I know it isn't the same everywhere.
You hit the nail on the head. The fewer and more natural the ingredients, the more similar a generic is to a name brand. Honestly, I am a big advocate of generics. They're usually great
I have been switching over to generics. As long as my family doesn't see the package to know, they usually can't tell. I would be curious to see how generic vs costco would play out?
I bought the oxo brand cereal type storage containers they have flip tops for pouring the cereal out. Now when I bring the groceries home I put the store brand cereal in these containers. My family never sees the store brand box/ bag. They eat the cereal and they like the cereal.
Great advice as always! I've often found that if we change brand but prefer the one we've always bought better, that this usually changes once we get used to the new brand. Then we usually prefer the new one! I hope this makes sense!!!
Im so happy to have come across this channel and video! I used some of these tips yesterday, shopped the mailer/ad deals and saved $30 at my overpriced neighborhood market. So excited. Thanks for all you do Mindy.
About 2 months ago I purchased the 60 egg case at Walmart it was $7.50 ish, I purchased the exact same thing a month later and it was $9.50ish. A week later my hubby and I ran to Walmart to grab other things and I happened to walk down the aisle where the eggs are and they were $13.98 for the 60 eggs. I was shocked! I understand a 2 dollar increase but almost double?? Crazy! I am 52 and I honestly don't remember a time where grocery prices were increasing at such a rapid rate. Also, I love Walmart brand white bread. Its thicker than others and more substantial than others. Thanks for doing these types of videos. I'm shocked at the end totals. Wow!
I’m not brand loyal in most regards, but then, I mostly buy items with few ingredients, like you mentioned. I will buy a couple of name brand things that i think are wonderful- Pepperidge Farm Coconut Cake and Pepperidge Farm onion buns. Yes, their cookies are also fabulous, but i can stay strong and not buy those!😂😂
We are brand loyal for a few small things. And even then, usually only bc I have a coupon or special ibotta deal. Our budget is 125 for groceries for a family of 5. Due to buying generic, I end up usually spending 85. (To be fair my mom orders our family a half cow and we split it, so meat typically isn't featured too heavily). Unless there's a massive sale, I refuse to even go to Kroger anymore. BC, I tend to overspend there. Even on generics.
Holy savings batman!!!!!! What an eye opener! We've recently switched to generic on most items. I'm angry with myself for waiting so long. Thanks for doing this comparison shop at Walmart.
Thanks for taking it on the chin for us (financially speaking) to make your point. That was a significant difference. I have always bought house brands whenever possible as they are almost always comparable to the name brand, in my opinion. I'm so glad I found your channel as you give wonderful ideas to help stretch our dollars. For example, I just made the teriyaki chicken (got the chicken 1/2 off at Aldi) for dinner tonight from one of your recent videos and my family loved it. My next meal is going to be the chili stuffed potatoes - wow did they look delicious! Thank you!! BTW, my daughter lived in Shawnee, OK for several years and we often bought the different Shawnee Mills items there (the mill is right in town).
YES!!! I have been doing this for DECADES 😅 nobody ever has complained and name brand aren't better. Thankfully I've been buying house brand for a really long time and my kids and husband don't care. The "name brand" stuff always makes the house brand anyways. 🤷♀️
Great video, Mindy! I noticed the price difference between white and brown eggs, as well. We’ve started buying from a friend with a flock of chickens. Taste so much better! I primarily buy store brand, but I do buy a few name brands. Coffee is definitely name brand!
I always bought the least expensive eggs in until I ate an Egglands best egg at my mom's. I don't understand how a different brand of egg tastes better.
Thank you for your ongoing easy to follow recipes, I have been watching your channel for awhile now due to the extreme boredom I have with the endless question 'what's for dinner?' I'm always looking for creative ways to stretch the budget, especially now. Please, keep it up!
I switched to store brands some time ago...with a couple of exceptions. Flour is one. It's Gold Medal for me. My recommendation is to try the store brand. If it's not up to your standard, fine. But, prepare to be surprised. Besides, if you use something consistently, you become accustomed to its taste. I've heard that many times it is exactly the same product in different packaging. It's the advertising costs that boost the bottom line.
Thank you, thank you for doing this video. I am a believer in generics with most everything. One for the reason that April pointed out with the candy and if you look up dog food manufacturers there are only 5/6 companies that make all the different brands. Same food different packaging and great marketing! Making people think it’s better. Those who get sucked in waste a lot of money. Appreciate your channel and the cause you support Mindy. Keep up the good work.
You go girl! If other people have 30 extra bucks they want to throw away, they can blow it however they like, it's their money. But I certainly won't be doing it. 😄
Wow, bigger difference than I expected too! Coffee and yogurt are about the only things I’m brand loyal to and I always buy them on sale at Meijer not at Walmart without special pricing. I’ve always been willing to at least try different brands. Aldi has a couple items that I don’t care for but mostly you’re correct than store brand is just as good. I’ll share this video and watch it a few extra time in the hopes that you can recoup some of that grocery bill! 😊
Yes to the Oreos and Kraft Mac and Cheese! Also Hormel Pepperoni, Red Baron Frozen Pizza (Brick Oven Pepperoni!), Campbell's Bean and Bacon Soup, as well as Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing! We've tried generic for these, but decided we preferred the name brands. Pretty much everything else, I buy generic though. I recently switched my family to Great Value Chips, particularly the GV Cheese Puffs, Original Potato Chips, BBQ, and Original. No one complained, and I've saved some money! This was a great video!!! 😃
Kraft Mayonaise, Frenches Mustard and Heinz Ketchup. Thanks for sharing the info about Organic Milk. I never knew that! We use very little milk in this house but I like to keep it for cooking and cereal. It always goes bad before I use it.
Wow! I shop at Aldi primarily. I do get some things at Walmart when I must, but I avoid the store when possible. I am brand loyal to some things (Cascade, Tide,Dawn soap, Downy, hair products, Folgers) but have found Aldi brand to be just as good for the most part as the name brand!
I avoid Walmart too whenever possible and I have one within walking distance. Alldi is my go to. For anything they don't carry I end up at Wegmans. But I prefer to avoid that.
I generally buy all the store brand items because very often they are comparable love the video ty for doing an exact comparison can't wait to show my husband
Love this video, I have really started buying more and more house brands since trying to take a deeper look into our household budget and try to get rid of some debt we have after paying for our wedding. The one thing that I don't know if I will keep buying house brand of is that Great Value brand frozen broccoli specifically. The last few bags I've gotten of the "florets" have been 95% cuts and 5% actual florest and the cuts are fine for like throwing in a soup or casserole but when just eating them as a side they can often be tough and really fiberous. I also only get name brand refried beans, the old el paso is my favorite and the great value brand just doesn't compare for me. Other than that I really haven't found a difference!
Love this video! And i think your right the more ingredients in a food the harder to dupe. I use lots of store brands, but triscuits, stovetop stuffing, and prego spaghetti sauce must be name brand. My rule is buy the dupe/store brand and try it, then you'll know.
Heinz Ketchup and Duke’s mayo are my main brand loyal items. Problem for me saving money is that other than those and a couple other items (canned green beans) I’ve already been buying the house brands. But, what an eye opener about the true actual difference over a whole grocery order!!! 61%!!! Ridiculous!!!!
I'm not brand loyal to anything food. But I haven't been in 30+ years. I've always maintained a grocery budget that was filled with off brand items. In the early days....because I financially absolutely had to in order to survive. But now I do it because I'm frugal and it's my way of life. I remember having a friend and her 3 boys over for taco night. The mom said her boys would only eat Old El Paso shells and sauce. 🤣 I made tacos with Food Lion store brand shells and sauce...at a savings of 100%. I threw all the boxes away before they got there🤣 And they loved them...including the mom. I have never told her😊 Buying name brand just because.....wastes alot of money that could potentially be income to become debt free....in my opinion🤷♀️
As far as eggs go - I'm just west of Atlanta and at Kroger yesterday and a dozen was $1.79 and Walmart was way more expensive at $2.37/dozen. You just have to watch the prices... I usually shop a either Kroger or Walmart (with Aldi thrown in there on occasion)
Growing up I was appalled that my mother always bought the store brand of things and now that I do the shopping and spend my own money and see exactly how much more name brands are to generics I'm definitely a primarily generic shopper. My favorite coffee is the caramel vanilla cream from Green mountain and I do buy the K-Cups at Sam's Club because they sell a big box for a good price. But I have been trying the Walmart caramel coffee and it is very good actually. I noticed they sell it in a bag when you were doing the comparison showing the store shelves so I may try it in the bag and dig out my reusable k-cup. I really need to do that cuz it is more cost-effective. The only cereal that I really buy brand name of is the Cheerios chocolate peanut butter and that's because there isn't a generic dupe for it. Maybe at some point? One thing that I'm very brand loyal to are potato chips. I have tried many store brands and I have yet to find one at Walmart that is good. So I stick with Ruffles or reduce salt Lays. Otherwise I am mostly good with generics on many things. The other thing that I am brand loyal to is my dog food. One of my dogs has allergies and has to eat a limited ingredient diet and the other one is on a diet and has to eat a reduced calorie food and after going through an exhaustive comparison of calorie counts on dog food I found the lowest calories on a name brand food and since she is a small dog and only eats a quarter to a third of a cup a day it's not that expensive to buy the name brand of that and there really isn't a good generic equivalent I found. So basically the dogs eat name brands and I eat generics. Now how did that happen? I always give the generic a try and if I don't like it I'll go back to the name brand. I do eat Lean cuisines and there really aren't generic equivalents for that and I do buy Hillshire Farms thin sliced luncheon meats. I know there is a Walmart equivalent brand but I just haven't tried it yet. The Hillshire Farms was a switch for me from buying at the deli but deli meat is all around $10 a pound where I am and I just can't justify spending that. I like the Hillshire Farms turkey and ham very much and they make a great wrap or sandwich. Thanks so much for doing this video Mindy. I have long known that generics are much more affordable and really the quality is quite good generally speaking. I think you have probably opened the eyes of some people who are not used to using generics. You make a very good point that the fewer the ingredients and item has the less likely you will taste a difference. I remember seeing some chefs on TV talk about how they buy generics of all their basic baking supplies sugar flower salt etc because it is so much more affordable and there is no difference. Thanks again Mindy I really appreciate it!
Thanks for doing this for people to really see how much more expensive name brand items are. I buy store brands except for the 2 things that I am brand loyal to which are Oreos and Miracle Whip.
There are currently no free range eggs in the UK due to Avian flu, all birds have to be kept indoors. I've read that 5million birds had to be destroyed due to the outbreak in one site in the USA.
Fage Greek yogurt. I’ve tried them all and I find it far superior. (This just pertains to the plain yogurt, I’m not picky on when it comes to flavored yogurts 😆)
Fage plain greek yogurt is the best with no additives. I make fantastic yogurt at home from Hiland whole milk and a quarter cup of plain fage greek yogurt as the starter. Sweetened slightly with raw honey and added berries, so good! I use it plain instead of sour cream. You can hang the yogurt to drain and make a spreadable cheese and use plain or add herbs, spices, jalepenos,etc..
I’ve been buying name brands exclusively almost my entire adult life. I mean, it’s one of the simplest ways to save money besides buying the clearance/loss leader items. I remember the extreme coupon craze from a few years ago and stacking coupons, combining coupons and sales, organizing coupons, etc. is like a part time job. Now I have a friend who loves coupons, she sees it like a game. So more power to those who love the challenge. I hated it though and would rather just buy store brands.
I love ALDI for this reason and do most of my shopping there. There's just a few items that I'm picky about and will go top-shelf name brand. I don't like ALDI's bleached white flour for baking. I always use King Arthur unbleached. I'm lucky, though, since I live in the area where King Arthur is milled. I know a place where I can buy KA flour for as little as $1.50 for a 5lb bag. It's cheaper than ALDI and the regular grocery stores. 😃
Aldis flour is weird. I buy it sometimes, but it seems to clump pretty bad like it’s got moisture in it. I’ve found though that if I’m trying to make good soft bread, I have to go with high quality bread flour. King Arthur is the absolute best, but unfortunately super pricy in my area.
Thanks for doing this, I have done generic for quite sometime, but have 2 go name brand. Very helpful for those who do primarily name brand. Thanks again
@mindy Really great video! If I’ve tried a generic I don’t like on a product I use a lot of, I always give it another try again a few months later. I sort of assume big retailers use different companies to prepare their private lines so it might be better then. I do feel like the major food companies do all the research, development and advertising that the generics get advantage from. It is expensive bringing new products out. Those Opal apples are so good to me that I don’t even look at the price. I love them because they do not brown when you slice them up. (And this is being said by an old gal who has an apple tree …🤷🏻♀️)…
Very good video. I buy a lot of store brands. I'm with the kids on the salty Ritz. :) My husband let me know that he doesn't like the Aldi cheeses. He says it taste "plasticky". I stopped buying that but I will buy Walmart or Kroger cheese. He likes that. Thanks for sharing this with all of us. Very interesting finds.
I’m brand loyal with mayonnaise (has to be Kraft Real Mayonnaise) and peanut butter. I’m like you in that I love Peter Pan Peanut Butter (smooth for me). I tried the Peter Pan Naturals but I didn’t care for it because it separates (even the no stir). Most everything else, I’m fine with the Great Value brand at Walmart where I shop for groceries. I just started getting the Great Value Organic milk and I have noticed the taste difference. It tastes so much better and it does last longer. Thank you so much for doing this challenge and thank for sharing your recipe videos as well. Your kids are too cute, Mindy!
I knew this and this was a good reminder. I live in a small town and make daily trips to the store and just pay for convenience. The inflation of food is horrible but I have not cared until this video. I have to be more diligent and drive the extra five miles to save money.
Mindy, this was such a great video!!! I pretty much Always buy Great Value brand, but I've never really figured up how much miney I'm saving. So good to know! You always share the best tips, tricks and knowledge. And Thank You for "taking one for the team" with those 2 grocery bills! Greatly appreciated to see the huge difference. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!🥰
I buy generic in most items but the one I will not buy off-brand is Hellmans mayonnaise. Just a preference. Thanks for sharing. That was a huge difference!
I use to be a brand name only shopper but that is not true anymore, I now buy many house brand items. I was really surprised with the price difference of your purchases! The item I can’t change is Skippy chunky peanut butter. Love your tips, ideas and recipes. 👍❤️
Great video. I don't mind store brand for many things but there are some things I won't give .... Red Gold Ketchup, Miracle Whip, Hellman's Mayo, Toilet Paper.. I love a 'regular' oreo (not all the flavored ones). I looked at the price this week and about passed out!
Just left the ALDIs near me in Illinois and good god are their prices were way up. $4.00 for both a dozen eggs and butter. Not to mention the meat was ridiculous as was the produce. Good luck to us all!!
Great content! Love this video. We did a peanut butter taste test at my house and all of us liked Aldi peanut butter best. I was sure I was going to like Jif since that is what I grew up on.
Since Crystal farms changed their formula back in the early 2000's I now will only buy velveeta block cheese. I was raised on velveeta and like the creamy texture when it melts and way way back when crystal farms had the same texture and taste now it tastes like powder to me. I used to be a truck driver and know that many of the store and off brands come from the same manufacturers so I'm not too picky on canned goods and frozen stuff. Folger's coffee is another brand name in loyal to and my hubby insists on Hyland milk so when he's not home I buy what I want as in organic because I don't go through milk like he does it's a little more expensive but in the long run I don't throw out expired milk lol.
check the back label on products and sometimes you can tell if it was from the same factory by the location it was from. therefore the exact same product with a label switch
I just bought 25 lb bags of Walmart/Sam's brand of flour, sugar, Rice and 12 lb bag of pinto beans. I spent $45. I really like Walmart brands of most items. You are so good at price shopping verses brand. My husband eats so many Ritz type crackers that I always buy generic. Aldi Buttery crackers are fantastic.
Something I switched on my grocery list was buying fruits and veggies that were in season so in winter I don't put Strawberries in my cart but buy apples and bananas it saves us a ton of money!
I usually only buy name brand when they are on big sales, like loss leader type sales. Walmart is more expensive in my city because we have a lot of shoplifters. C&H is better sugar than the store brand. It is worth the boost. My fave coffee is actually Safeway Select Organic Italian roast and I'm pretty sure they are roasted in the same factory as Starbucks.
I really appreciate the time and expense you went to, in comparing name brand to store brand. What a big difference in price. I buy Great Value in the frozen vegetables for cooking and the fresh for salads, example broccoli and cauliflower. I also get store brand in the cream of soups like cream of chicken, etc. and name brand in chicken noodle and vegetable. These items seem to be a better taste in name brand to us. Flour, sugar, vanilla wafers all store brand. This was a great video! God Bless You and family😊
I rarely even have tinned spaghetti in tomato sauce, but that is definitely one product where I can taste the difference. I only buy the Heinz. The generics cannot touch it. But as an occasional indulgence, the extra cost is not a huge thing. Thank you for the video!
I have always been a true Oreo lover, BUT Aldi's brand double stuff dupes are BETTER ! With a blind taste test in my family no one guessed it right, they all thought the Oreo was the dupe. Try em.
I love this video! I grew up in a 100% name brand house, but I've been a budget/frugal shopper my entire adult life. I'm only brand loyal to a few things, mostly personal care/hygeine items. I do prefer King Arthur bread flour over others (I bake LOTS) but if the price difference is big I usually buy something else. So eye opening to see how much extra is spent just to have a name brand!!
I love this video. Living in Norway i dont have all the choises you have, but i use the storebrand if possible. But i do not by the storebrand cheese. We only eat Jarlsberg cheese. Other then that i by what is cheapest.
I only buy Heinz ketchup and Prego spaghetti sauce but for almost everything else (other than a few foods that need to be name brand for food allergies) we buy or are willing to try store brand if it's available/cheaper.
Great video ! I knew this decades ago before stores started offering their own brands. I understand that you pay for the name and package with the name brand items. On 20/20 or Dateline, I think, decades ago, it was said that the more expensive and less expensive brands are packed by the same companies.
I mostly buy store brand items. One brand name item my family must have are the Community porch breeze tea bags. We don’t like any other brand of tea (for iced tea). I even have to order it because none of the stores in our area have it.
When I have a name brand I prefer, I watch for it to go on sale and then buy several boxes or cans. I do the same with meat when it goes on sale too. It really helps. I do buy the store brand as much as I can too.
If I recall, Rachel Ray (I think it was her it might have been someone else) used to be a purchaser for a grocery chain and said on her show that nonspecific or specialty recipe products (canned beans, canned veg, pasta, etc) are the same product with a different label. The only ones that are different are products that involve a recipe (like different pasta sauces, dressings, chips, etc.)
For our family it really depends on the product. Certain things have to be certain brands for example we only buy tide or gain laundry pods and dawn dish soup no matter what. On the other hand we prefer store brand ketchup to the name brand. Also has to be name brand coffee but we’re fine with store brand breads and cheese (however do not like Walmart brand cheese)
Just FYI, once you open the ultra pasteurized dairy products they are usually only good for 7-10 days. I doubted this information when I heard it, but read the carton and sure enough it said to discard after 7-10 days. Now I will use canned products or dry goods way past their Best Buy dates, but I don’t want to feed my family spoiled milk.
I worked 14 years at a candy company. We made candy for many different companies including name and generic brands. After we filled the order for one brand we would stop the belt and changed the wrapper. We'd restart the belt but the candy was the exact same whether name/ generic. I know this isn't for everything but it opened my eyes and made me more open to generics.
Ooh wow!! That’s actually painful to learn lol Im not even surprised tho 😭
@@lifewithkymm I know. I use to only buy the name brand chocolate stars but I started working there and saw all they did was change wrapper for the company it was going to. Very eye opening.
This doesn't surprise me, my uncle worked for Wonder bread, and later Butterball. They do the same thing!
Yes, I am a pharmacy tech and many generics (Not all) are made by the same manufacturer as the brand. Every now and then the pills look exactly the same.
Here’s a shocker. My friend’s dad used to work on the assembly line for GMC trucks and Chevrolet trucks in Pontiac, MI. He swore up and down they were the same trucks just with different cosmetic packages. The GMCs cost more. They’d look at the paperwork and then slap on the appropriate cosmetic package. That’s what he said!
I used to be brand loyal to ketchup, I'd only buy the heinz made with real sugar. Then a couple years ago it got very expensive and my kids went through a bottle a week and sometimes more. I saw the great value brand had a made with real sugar option for less than half the price of the name brand. I bought the great value and secretly refilled my empty heinz bottle with the generic dupe to see if my family would say anything about the ketchup taste. Nobody noticed a difference!! After about 3 months I got tired of refilling the old name brand bottle and told my family "this is what we use for ketchup now, ya'll have been using it for 3 months now and have liked it. I'm just tired of putting it in the heinz bottle"
Haha I’ve been doing that with A-1 sauce. The name brand is $5 a bottle and the Great Value brand is $1.23 per bottle. My hubby has no clue and I’m saving $4 a bottle
You are my kinda people! I've done it with syrup, "club" crackers, ranch, mustard. The list is endless. The thing is if you tell the fam at the beginning they won't give the store brand a fair chance. Most of the time the store brand is equal or even better than name brand.
@@bonniethomas5309 yes ma’am! The Aldi “Velveeta” is way better than the real stuff and nearly half the price. It make the creamiest, simple mac and cheese ever
All my adult life I have bought A1 sauce…but not anymore. I’m now buying the Walmart brand for
lots lots less.
I have done the same and it's only the name on the bottle, if it was the generic bottle would still be on the shelf
When I was in Highschool (20 years ago) I took an elective called Family and Consumer Sciences, which was basically an extended Home Economics class. One part of the course was blind taste testing. I remember it was very difficult to tell the difference and most of class preferred the generic. It was an amazing class that taught you how to save, shop, how to fill out a check, and write professional letters to companies to compliment/complain about a product.
I wish they would still do these kinds of classes! 😔
This should be a required class!!
3:55 😊
We home school. i have taken my daughter with me to the store gave her a dollar amount for her snacks. It did not take her long to see that she got more by using store brands.
That’s a great idea! What a great lesson!
Just a note that the c & h sugar is cane sugar and the generic sugar is beet sugar. That probably doesn't make a difference for most people, but I cannot use beet sugar because it is more likely to be contaminated with something that I am allergic to. Cane sugar is usually more expensive than beet sugar, so I buy mine in bulk.
FYI, my husband ran a Flowers bread route for +40 years. He hauled the name brand bread and the Great Value brand bread. Supposedly the exact same product.
At the time my son worked for Walmart In Indiana (10 years ago) he told me great value bread in our area was made by Lewis bakery and that great value frozen vegetables were Byrds Eye vegetables
I hope this helps people open up to the idea of shopping prices rather than shopping brands.
True
I was brand loyal to Hellman’s Mayo for years until I picked up the Bermans (Aldi brand) by mistake one day. The package is very similar and I was in a hurry and distracted by kids. I noticed when I got home and figured, well I’ll see how it goes, my family and I didn’t notice a difference and I’ve saved on Mayo ever since. I buy lots (almost all) store brands unless there’s a great sale bc I’m a single mom on a fixed income. I’ve learned so many money saving ideas from your videos and I thank you so much!!
I was always brand loyal to Helmann's too, but have since realized that Big Y and Stop&Shop brand mayo tastes the same!
I had a funny thing happen the other day. I use fetch rewards and I like you like Hellman’s Mayo. I bought Aldi to try and loved it as well. Got my receipt and scan it and fetch gave me points (bar code based😉) for Hellman’s. So makes me wonder where Aldi get their Mayo lol. It taste like Hellman’s to me. I have tried the great value Mayo and scanned and it didn’t give points for Hellman’s. I don’t care for that one either.
I put have put store brand ketchup or mayo or milk in the name brand container... they never knew
It's very important to pay attention to the price breakdown if sizes are different, even among the same brands. I buy the small olive oils (17oz) walmart brand and they are 4c or so cheaper per ounce than the larger 27-ish oz bottle. It's so crazy. Years ago I worked at a nail polish & remover factory. Mid-run we would stop the machines to change labels to a generic store brand. I'm glad I learned that early on in life, it saved me a ton of $$.
Tillamook cheese is far better than the store-brand and I'll spend the extra for it (but only when it's on sale!!)
My brother in law worked for a famous ketchup manufacturer during summers off from college. It was the same. The run for the namebrand stopped, labels sometimes bottles changed but the product , the ketchup was the same as what was in the more expensive bottles.
My sister worrked for a butter factory , and same thing as Jill said. When they got towards the end of a batch they switched the name brand label to a generic brand label. Its the same butter but may (but rarely does) have a poorer mixture towards end batch .
I think if we researched it we would find this is standard practice with most products.
I have found at least here in phoenix az Tillamook med cheddar is cheaper at Costco for 2.5lb bs 9.89 for the 2lb loaf at Winco, albertsons/safeway, frys & bashas are 10.99 to 13.99. I was just at costco & the 2.5lb loaf was 8.95 & winco was 9.98.
Thank goodness for store brands! Without them, my family would starve to death!!
I grew up with my mom using store brands... as much as possible... but I learned to compare prices as an adult when I discovered that with local sales, sometimes name brand is cheaper... I always compare ounce to ounce... 🙂 Thank you for doing this and physically showing the price differences... You even did the next challenge is blind taste-testing... 😂 Love your channel!
Thanks for taking one for the team. This is a huge eye opener for people that struggle to get food on the table and need to stretch their dollars.
I love your videos, I watch them all the time! I thought I might add a helpful tip .... when comparing prices, look at the price per ounce. In walmart, it's usually that number on the right with the orange highlight in the background on the price tag on the shelf... that way it doesn't matter the size of the package so much if you just want the best deal... much easier than trying to do the math in the store :)
Great video! Being the oldest of four while growing up I learned a lot. I would like to add to your tips with a few more: 1. Bread outlets will save enormous amounts of money! If you have one go check it out. 2. Coffee whole bean on Amazon is far cheaper. The investment in a grinder will pay for itself and coffee is eons better when ground right before brewing. 3. Eggs-if you go thru a bunch then get them at Costco. 4. This may be the most important tip-always and I mean ALWAYS check the clearance section of every department and try to leave a few extra dollars in your budget to buy "things for the future" if the sale is amazing.
I mostly shop at Aldi. I avoid their frozen broccoli florets. They are always crushed up in the bag. My kids used to like the Aldi boxed mac and cheese, but they changed something recently and they don’t like it now. It has a sweet taste. I do like that the Aldi brand items tend to avoid artificial coloring. Great video!
I totally noticed that sweetness in Kraft original mac and cheese after years of buying Great Value original mac n cheese!
I bought the Aldi mac and cheese for my son and he said it tasted "dusty" lol. He still ate it tho! I bought garlic at Aldi and never again, the 3 bulbs are crazy looking, the cloves are yellow!
I agree about the broccoli and I have the same issue with Walmart's frozen broccoli. There are very few florets.
Just a tip on the coffee I always shop around and I find that Amazon typically has it cheaper
Thanks!
I was majorly brand loyal to Hellman's mayonnaise. Been buying it for 40+ years. That was my only national brand preference - mayo =had= to be Hellman's. I buy just recently bought a jar of Aldi's Store brand on a whim to save $$. I really like it. That shocked the heck outta me. I'll be saving $money now. Lesson learned.
Me, too. I switched to Aldi's mayo and ketchup about a year ago. There is a slight difference to the Heinz, but they taste equally good to my family.
I just found you and this is the third video I've seen of you. You actually say things I've never thought of or considered! You may not think that's a big deal but I'm the same age as you and I'm still at home with the kids, trying to manage our budget with not a lot of money; I've heard basically everything out there. I've read it all, seen it all, and thought I was doing it all. But you had suggestions that actually might work for me! That's huge! I already bake and make everything I can at home, I never use name brand anything, I compare ounces for every deal at the store, you name it, I've done it all. So I thank you for actually helping me! New subscriber now.
I only buy name brand products on certain things but mostly our stuff is great value. I have even started buying great value toilet paper since the pandemic.
Great value thick and creamy mac and cheese is the store brand to go with! I did a taste comparison and the kids and my husband were convinced I mixed up the boxes because they loved the GV one so much.
Same, like the GV thick and creamy better, sorry Kraft. Throw in tuna and peas for a meal.
I disagree. Sorry! Kraft thick and creamy over great value. But I prefer Aldi’s Mac and cheese over Kraft original all day long. Crazy, heh?🤣
@@Scrapfan Hahaha, I think Aldi’s is flavorless myself!
The GV thick and creamy is the only one I usually buy!
@@jennifercurtis8229 I've noticed that with a lot of name brands, they're way too salty or sugary or something like that. the off brand products are probably able to be cheaper in part because they don't have as much sugar or salt, but they're way easier to eat in my opinion!
I really appreciate all of these tips Mindy, I’ve been buying more store brands with my family - so far so good!
There are some things I can't buy generic on due to food allergies in the household. Whenever possible I do though. That said, pay attention to sales and unit prices... Sometimes buying a name brand at a larger size works out cheaper than a generic.
Always check, the key word is sometimes 🙂
@@katv1195 only works if you live near an Aldi. Closest Aldi to where I am is hundreds of miles.
Great information! I’ve always felt, if I could find a store brand version that would live up to name brand, then I would buy the store brand. Then either use the savings to buy the things I was brand loyal to, or buy them less frequently and as a treat. I’m only really brand loyal to one thing now and it’s Heinz ketchup. I even buy it for my mother so when we have dinner at her house we have the “right” ketchup. She buys whatever is on sale. The bread you bought was a great comparison. I’ve had both and the name brand was sweeter to me, so I definitely preferred the store brand. Thanks for taking one for the team and buying both orders!
I frequently buy the store brand at Winco, Safeway, Target, and Fred Meyer but I refuse to give Walmart any extra profit by purchasing their store brand. I dislike Walmart with a fiery passion because it drove out a number of local businesses in my hometown.
So Walmart didn’t drive out the local businesses... the customers choosing to shop Walmart instead did. If Walmart wasn’t profitable, it would’ve closed up.
Not shopping because of how they treat their employees, however, I can stand behind.
Many towns refuse to let Walmart build anywhere near them for that reason. As soon as Walmart comes to town, Main Street is DOA. There's a small town near me that boycotts Walmart. I love to visit it on Saturdays because it's like a time warp back to 1955. Main Street is jumping, full of people doing their shopping at mom and pop stores that have been there for decades. The town is charming and thriving just fine.
@@Scrapfan
However, if there were no Walmart, there would be no patrons. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? To me it’s obvious that without Walmart, those patrons would be shopping the previous businesses. I’m not looking to begin any debate, just some friendly, and individual, points of view from See Mindy Mom lovers. Hope everyone is well and staying safe in these trying times.
@Tamar Hannah Whipkey ha, I was gonna say that. Also, Walmart was my son's first job and they treated him very well (wanted him to stay and go into management). He went from there to Starbucks, Walmart was about 100 times better to him (I know plenty of people hate Starbucks as well). I was raised in a small town that only had a family owned grocery store, it was gross. Now I live in a large suburb, our Walmarts are clean, nice, well stocked, but I know it isn't the same everywhere.
Hello 👋🏽 I will always buy birdseye broccoli because they have more of the florets and less of the stems.
You hit the nail on the head. The fewer and more natural the ingredients, the more similar a generic is to a name brand. Honestly, I am a big advocate of generics. They're usually great
I have been switching over to generics. As long as my family doesn't see the package to know, they usually can't tell. I would be curious to see how generic vs costco would play out?
I bought the oxo brand cereal type storage containers they have flip tops for pouring the cereal out. Now when I bring the groceries home I put the store brand cereal in these containers. My family never sees the store brand box/ bag. They eat the cereal and they like the cereal.
Costco has a generic brand themselves, Kirkland
@@robinclay2660 yep
Love this! I can't stand buying name brand products. As a family of 6 we need our money to stretch.
Great advice as always! I've often found that if we change brand but prefer the one we've always bought better, that this usually changes once we get used to the new brand. Then we usually prefer the new one! I hope this makes sense!!!
Im so happy to have come across this channel and video! I used some of these tips yesterday, shopped the mailer/ad deals and saved $30 at my overpriced neighborhood market. So excited. Thanks for all you do Mindy.
About 2 months ago I purchased the 60 egg case at Walmart it was $7.50 ish, I purchased the exact same thing a month later and it was $9.50ish. A week later my hubby and I ran to Walmart to grab other things and I happened to walk down the aisle where the eggs are and they were $13.98 for the 60 eggs. I was shocked! I understand a 2 dollar increase but almost double?? Crazy! I am 52 and I honestly don't remember a time where grocery prices were increasing at such a rapid rate. Also, I love Walmart brand white bread. Its thicker than others and more substantial than others. Thanks for doing these types of videos. I'm shocked at the end totals. Wow!
I’m not brand loyal in most regards, but then, I mostly buy items with few ingredients, like you mentioned. I will buy a couple of name brand things that i think are wonderful- Pepperidge Farm Coconut Cake and Pepperidge Farm onion buns. Yes, their cookies are also fabulous, but i can stay strong and not buy those!😂😂
@@barbnauman705 ahh the Coconut cake.
@@lovelife7343 yes, and it’s still a good buy at Walmart ❤️🎉
We are brand loyal for a few small things. And even then, usually only bc I have a coupon or special ibotta deal. Our budget is 125 for groceries for a family of 5. Due to buying generic, I end up usually spending 85. (To be fair my mom orders our family a half cow and we split it, so meat typically isn't featured too heavily). Unless there's a massive sale, I refuse to even go to Kroger anymore. BC, I tend to overspend there. Even on generics.
Holy savings batman!!!!!! What an eye opener! We've recently switched to generic on most items. I'm angry with myself for waiting so long. Thanks for doing this comparison shop at Walmart.
Thanks for taking it on the chin for us (financially speaking) to make your point. That was a significant difference. I have always bought house brands whenever possible as they are almost always comparable to the name brand, in my opinion. I'm so glad I found your channel as you give wonderful ideas to help stretch our dollars. For example, I just made the teriyaki chicken (got the chicken 1/2 off at Aldi) for dinner tonight from one of your recent videos and my family loved it. My next meal is going to be the chili stuffed potatoes - wow did they look delicious! Thank you!! BTW, my daughter lived in Shawnee, OK for several years and we often bought the different Shawnee Mills items there (the mill is right in town).
YES!!! I have been doing this for DECADES 😅 nobody ever has complained and name brand aren't better. Thankfully I've been buying house brand for a really long time and my kids and husband don't care. The "name brand" stuff always makes the house brand anyways. 🤷♀️
Great video, Mindy! I noticed the price difference between white and brown eggs, as well. We’ve started buying from a friend with a flock of chickens. Taste so much better! I primarily buy store brand, but I do buy a few name brands. Coffee is definitely name brand!
Yeah, I moved to all local eggs as well. The taste difference is unbelievable and this is one area where I won't compromise.
I always bought the least expensive eggs in until I ate an Egglands best egg at my mom's. I don't understand how a different brand of egg tastes better.
I’m brand loyal to A2 whole milk. It’s organic, ultra pasteurized, with the A2 protein that makes it more digestible. We love it!
Thank you for your ongoing easy to follow recipes, I have been watching your channel for awhile now due to the extreme boredom I have with the endless question 'what's for dinner?' I'm always looking for creative ways to stretch the budget, especially now. Please, keep it up!
I switched to store brands some time ago...with a couple of exceptions. Flour is one. It's Gold Medal for me. My recommendation is to try the store brand. If it's not up to your standard, fine. But, prepare to be surprised. Besides, if you use something consistently, you become accustomed to its taste. I've heard that many times it is exactly the same product in different packaging. It's the advertising costs that boost the bottom line.
Thank you, thank you for doing this video. I am a believer in generics with most everything. One for the reason that April pointed out with the candy and if you look up dog food manufacturers there are only 5/6 companies that make all the different brands. Same food different packaging and great marketing! Making people think it’s better. Those who get sucked in waste a lot of money. Appreciate your channel and the cause you support Mindy. Keep up the good work.
You go girl! If other people have 30 extra bucks they want to throw away, they can blow it however they like, it's their money. But I certainly won't be doing it. 😄
Just wanted to mention, we love the GV Mac n Cheese, more so than the Kraft! Thank you for sharing this video. I enjoy watching all of them.
Wow, bigger difference than I expected too! Coffee and yogurt are about the only things I’m brand loyal to and I always buy them on sale at Meijer not at Walmart without special pricing. I’ve always been willing to at least try different brands. Aldi has a couple items that I don’t care for but mostly you’re correct than store brand is just as good. I’ll share this video and watch it a few extra time in the hopes that you can recoup some of that grocery bill! 😊
Yes to the Oreos and Kraft Mac and Cheese! Also Hormel Pepperoni, Red Baron Frozen Pizza (Brick Oven Pepperoni!), Campbell's Bean and Bacon Soup, as well as Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing! We've tried generic for these, but decided we preferred the name brands. Pretty much everything else, I buy generic though. I recently switched my family to Great Value Chips, particularly the GV Cheese Puffs, Original Potato Chips, BBQ, and Original. No one complained, and I've saved some money! This was a great video!!! 😃
Kraft Mayonaise, Frenches Mustard and Heinz Ketchup. Thanks for sharing the info about Organic Milk. I never knew that! We use very little milk in this house but I like to keep it for cooking and cereal. It always goes bad before I use it.
Wow! I shop at Aldi primarily. I do get some things at Walmart when I must, but I avoid the store when possible. I am brand loyal to some things (Cascade, Tide,Dawn soap, Downy, hair products, Folgers) but have found Aldi brand to be just as good for the most part as the name brand!
I avoid Walmart too whenever possible and I have one within walking distance. Alldi is my go to. For anything they don't carry I end up at Wegmans. But I prefer to avoid that.
I generally buy all the store brand items because very often they are comparable love the video ty for doing an exact comparison can't wait to show my husband
Love this video, I have really started buying more and more house brands since trying to take a deeper look into our household budget and try to get rid of some debt we have after paying for our wedding. The one thing that I don't know if I will keep buying house brand of is that Great Value brand frozen broccoli specifically. The last few bags I've gotten of the "florets" have been 95% cuts and 5% actual florest and the cuts are fine for like throwing in a soup or casserole but when just eating them as a side they can often be tough and really fiberous. I also only get name brand refried beans, the old el paso is my favorite and the great value brand just doesn't compare for me. Other than that I really haven't found a difference!
Love this video! And i think your right the more ingredients in a food the harder to dupe. I use lots of store brands, but triscuits, stovetop stuffing, and prego spaghetti sauce must be name brand. My rule is buy the dupe/store brand and try it, then you'll know.
My brother in-law worked at a dogfood company 10 years ago there were 17 different bags for the same dogfood.
Heinz Ketchup and Duke’s mayo are my main brand loyal items. Problem for me saving money is that other than those and a couple other items (canned green beans) I’ve already been buying the house brands. But, what an eye opener about the true actual difference over a whole grocery order!!! 61%!!! Ridiculous!!!!
I'm not brand loyal to anything food. But I haven't been in 30+ years. I've always maintained a grocery budget that was filled with off brand items. In the early days....because I financially absolutely had to in order to survive. But now I do it because I'm frugal and it's my way of life.
I remember having a friend and her 3 boys over for taco night. The mom said her boys would only eat Old El Paso shells and sauce. 🤣
I made tacos with Food Lion store brand shells and sauce...at a savings of 100%. I threw all the boxes away before they got there🤣
And they loved them...including the mom. I have never told her😊
Buying name brand just because.....wastes alot of money that could potentially be income to become debt free....in my opinion🤷♀️
As far as eggs go - I'm just west of Atlanta and at Kroger yesterday and a dozen was $1.79 and Walmart was way more expensive at $2.37/dozen. You just have to watch the prices... I usually shop a either Kroger or Walmart (with Aldi thrown in there on occasion)
Growing up I was appalled that my mother always bought the store brand of things and now that I do the shopping and spend my own money and see exactly how much more name brands are to generics I'm definitely a primarily generic shopper. My favorite coffee is the caramel vanilla cream from Green mountain and I do buy the K-Cups at Sam's Club because they sell a big box for a good price. But I have been trying the Walmart caramel coffee and it is very good actually. I noticed they sell it in a bag when you were doing the comparison showing the store shelves so I may try it in the bag and dig out my reusable k-cup. I really need to do that cuz it is more cost-effective. The only cereal that I really buy brand name of is the Cheerios chocolate peanut butter and that's because there isn't a generic dupe for it. Maybe at some point? One thing that I'm very brand loyal to are potato chips. I have tried many store brands and I have yet to find one at Walmart that is good. So I stick with Ruffles or reduce salt Lays. Otherwise I am mostly good with generics on many things. The other thing that I am brand loyal to is my dog food. One of my dogs has allergies and has to eat a limited ingredient diet and the other one is on a diet and has to eat a reduced calorie food and after going through an exhaustive comparison of calorie counts on dog food I found the lowest calories on a name brand food and since she is a small dog and only eats a quarter to a third of a cup a day it's not that expensive to buy the name brand of that and there really isn't a good generic equivalent I found. So basically the dogs eat name brands and I eat generics. Now how did that happen? I always give the generic a try and if I don't like it I'll go back to the name brand. I do eat Lean cuisines and there really aren't generic equivalents for that and I do buy Hillshire Farms thin sliced luncheon meats. I know there is a Walmart equivalent brand but I just haven't tried it yet. The Hillshire Farms was a switch for me from buying at the deli but deli meat is all around $10 a pound where I am and I just can't justify spending that. I like the Hillshire Farms turkey and ham very much and they make a great wrap or sandwich. Thanks so much for doing this video Mindy. I have long known that generics are much more affordable and really the quality is quite good generally speaking. I think you have probably opened the eyes of some people who are not used to using generics. You make a very good point that the fewer the ingredients and item has the less likely you will taste a difference. I remember seeing some chefs on TV talk about how they buy generics of all their basic baking supplies sugar flower salt etc because it is so much more affordable and there is no difference. Thanks again Mindy I really appreciate it!
Thanks for doing this for people to really see how much more expensive name brand items are. I buy store brands except for the 2 things that I am brand loyal to which are Oreos and Miracle Whip.
There are currently no free range eggs in the UK due to Avian flu, all birds have to be kept indoors. I've read that 5million birds had to be destroyed due to the outbreak in one site in the USA.
I am loyal to Daisy brand Light Sour Cream! I feel like no store brand can make it as good as them
Other light sour cream has a really weird texture in my opinion.
Daisy sour creams are my favorites.
The things I will not compromise on is Jif peanut butter, Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Heinz ketchup
Great video! I am absolutely brand loyal to Philadelphia cream cheese. The store brands always taste terrible to me.
I've always bought store brands, I was shocked when you shared the total of the name brands! I'm a sure your video will convert some of your viewers!
Fage Greek yogurt. I’ve tried them all and I find it far superior. (This just pertains to the plain yogurt, I’m not picky on when it comes to flavored yogurts 😆)
Fage plain greek yogurt is the best with no additives. I make fantastic yogurt at home from Hiland whole milk and a quarter cup of plain fage greek yogurt as the starter. Sweetened slightly with raw honey and added berries, so good! I use it plain instead of sour cream. You can hang the yogurt to drain and make a spreadable cheese and use plain or add herbs, spices, jalepenos,etc..
I’ve been buying name brands exclusively almost my entire adult life. I mean, it’s one of the simplest ways to save money besides buying the clearance/loss leader items. I remember the extreme coupon craze from a few years ago and stacking coupons, combining coupons and sales, organizing coupons, etc. is like a part time job. Now I have a friend who loves coupons, she sees it like a game. So more power to those who love the challenge. I hated it though and would rather just buy store brands.
My brand name favorites are Bounty Paper towels, Tide detergent and when it comes to tomato soup it has to be Campbells!
I love ALDI for this reason and do most of my shopping there. There's just a few items that I'm picky about and will go top-shelf name brand. I don't like ALDI's bleached white flour for baking. I always use King Arthur unbleached. I'm lucky, though, since I live in the area where King Arthur is milled. I know a place where I can buy KA flour for as little as $1.50 for a 5lb bag. It's cheaper than ALDI and the regular grocery stores. 😃
Aldis flour is weird. I buy it sometimes, but it seems to clump pretty bad like it’s got moisture in it. I’ve found though that if I’m trying to make good soft bread, I have to go with high quality bread flour. King Arthur is the absolute best, but unfortunately super pricy in my area.
Thanks for doing this, I have done generic for quite sometime, but have 2 go name brand. Very helpful for those who do primarily name brand. Thanks again
@mindy Really great video! If I’ve tried a generic I don’t like on a product I use a lot of, I always give it another try again a few months later. I sort of assume big retailers use different companies to prepare their private lines so it might be better then.
I do feel like the major food companies do all the research, development and advertising that the generics get advantage from. It is expensive bringing new products out.
Those Opal apples are so good to me that I don’t even look at the price. I love them because they do not brown when you slice them up. (And this is being said by an old gal who has an apple tree …🤷🏻♀️)…
Thank you for this great comparison! I prefer Hunts canned tomatoes to all others.
Very good video. I buy a lot of store brands. I'm with the kids on the salty Ritz. :) My husband let me know that he doesn't like the Aldi cheeses. He says it taste "plasticky". I stopped buying that but I will buy Walmart or Kroger cheese. He likes that. Thanks for sharing this with all of us. Very interesting finds.
Helmans mayo. Jif peanut butter (for sandwiches) for cooking I use store brand peanut butter.
I’m brand loyal with mayonnaise (has to be Kraft Real Mayonnaise) and peanut butter. I’m like you in that I love Peter Pan Peanut Butter (smooth for me). I tried the Peter Pan Naturals but I didn’t care for it because it separates (even the no stir). Most everything else, I’m fine with the Great Value brand at Walmart where I shop for groceries. I just started getting the Great Value Organic milk and I have noticed the taste difference. It tastes so much better and it does last longer. Thank you so much for doing this challenge and thank for sharing your recipe videos as well. Your kids are too cute, Mindy!
I knew this and this was a good reminder. I live in a small town and make daily trips to the store and just pay for convenience. The inflation of food is horrible but I have not cared until this video. I have to be more diligent and drive the extra five miles to save money.
Mindy, this was such a great video!!! I pretty much Always buy Great Value brand, but I've never really figured up how much miney I'm saving. So good to know! You always share the best tips, tricks and knowledge. And Thank You for "taking one for the team" with those 2 grocery bills! Greatly appreciated to see the huge difference. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!🥰
Wow, big difference! Have been buying store brands for yrs. Have to agree with you on the Oreos! Coke would be another name brand thing too.
I buy generic in most items but the one I will not buy off-brand is Hellmans mayonnaise. Just a preference. Thanks for sharing. That was a huge difference!
I use to be a brand name only shopper but that is not true anymore, I now buy many house brand items. I was really surprised with the price difference of your purchases! The item I can’t change is Skippy chunky peanut butter. Love your tips, ideas and recipes. 👍❤️
Great video. I don't mind store brand for many things but there are some things I won't give .... Red Gold Ketchup, Miracle Whip, Hellman's Mayo, Toilet Paper.. I love a 'regular' oreo (not all the flavored ones). I looked at the price this week and about passed out!
Just left the ALDIs near me in Illinois and good god are their prices were way up. $4.00 for both a dozen eggs and butter. Not to mention the meat was ridiculous as was the produce. Good luck to us all!!
Great content! Love this video. We did a peanut butter taste test at my house and all of us liked Aldi peanut butter best. I was sure I was going to like Jif since that is what I grew up on.
Since Crystal farms changed their formula back in the early 2000's I now will only buy velveeta block cheese. I was raised on velveeta and like the creamy texture when it melts and way way back when crystal farms had the same texture and taste now it tastes like powder to me. I used to be a truck driver and know that many of the store and off brands come from the same manufacturers so I'm not too picky on canned goods and frozen stuff. Folger's coffee is another brand name in loyal to and my hubby insists on Hyland milk so when he's not home I buy what I want as in organic because I don't go through milk like he does it's a little more expensive but in the long run I don't throw out expired milk lol.
Awesome video! It’s crazy how much more name brands cost! I definitely try to buy the generic/store brand when I can. ☺️👍
check the back label on products and sometimes you can tell if it was from the same factory by the location it was from. therefore the exact same product with a label switch
Coffee to us makes a great day start= Folgers Black Silk,three dashes of sea salt.
Wow! Really good. I do most of mt shopping at Walmart... big difference.
Thanks Mindy as always!!!!
I just bought 25 lb bags of Walmart/Sam's brand of flour, sugar, Rice and 12 lb bag of pinto beans. I spent $45. I really like Walmart brands of most items. You are so good at price shopping verses brand. My husband eats so many Ritz type crackers that I always buy generic. Aldi Buttery crackers are fantastic.
Wow this was really impressive!! thank you for going through the effort to do this. the information is absolutely incredible
Something I switched on my grocery list was buying fruits and veggies that were in season so in winter I don't put Strawberries in my cart but buy apples and bananas it saves us a ton of money!
I usually only buy name brand when they are on big sales, like loss leader type sales. Walmart is more expensive in my city because we have a lot of shoplifters. C&H is better sugar than the store brand. It is worth the boost. My fave coffee is actually Safeway Select Organic Italian roast and I'm pretty sure they are roasted in the same factory as Starbucks.
I really appreciate the time and expense you went to, in comparing name brand to store brand. What a big difference in price. I buy Great Value in the frozen vegetables for cooking and the fresh for salads, example broccoli and cauliflower. I also get store brand in the cream of soups like cream of chicken, etc. and name brand in chicken noodle and vegetable. These items seem to be a better taste in name brand to us. Flour, sugar, vanilla wafers all store brand. This was a great video! God Bless You and family😊
I rarely even have tinned spaghetti in tomato sauce, but that is definitely one product where I can taste the difference. I only buy the Heinz. The generics cannot touch it. But as an occasional indulgence, the extra cost is not a huge thing.
Thank you for the video!
I have always been a true Oreo lover, BUT Aldi's brand double stuff dupes are BETTER ! With a blind taste test in my family no one guessed it right, they all thought the Oreo was the dupe. Try em.
Oooo thanks for sharing! I've wondered about those.
Try the Aldi latte cookies there the best fake Oreos I've ever had hands down.
Thanks for sharing! My family loves the double stuffed so this is definitely good info!
Same, I have not had a bad Aldi brand cookie.
I would rather eat a Great Value over Oreo... Aldi isn't near me so I haven't ever tried them.
I love this video! I grew up in a 100% name brand house, but I've been a budget/frugal shopper my entire adult life. I'm only brand loyal to a few things, mostly personal care/hygeine items. I do prefer King Arthur bread flour over others (I bake LOTS) but if the price difference is big I usually buy something else. So eye opening to see how much extra is spent just to have a name brand!!
I love this video. Living in Norway i dont have all the choises you have, but i use the storebrand if possible. But i do not by the storebrand cheese. We only eat Jarlsberg cheese. Other then that i by what is cheapest.
I only buy Heinz ketchup and Prego spaghetti sauce but for almost everything else (other than a few foods that need to be name brand for food allergies) we buy or are willing to try store brand if it's available/cheaper.
Great video ! I knew this decades ago before stores started offering their own brands. I understand that you pay for the name and package with the name brand items. On 20/20 or Dateline, I think, decades ago, it was said that the more expensive and less expensive brands are packed by the same companies.
I mostly buy store brand items. One brand name item my family must have are the Community porch breeze tea bags. We don’t like any other brand of tea (for iced tea). I even have to order it because none of the stores in our area have it.
When I have a name brand I prefer, I watch for it to go on sale and then buy several boxes or cans. I do the same with meat when it goes on sale too. It really helps. I do buy the store brand as much as I can too.
If I recall, Rachel Ray (I think it was her it might have been someone else) used to be a purchaser for a grocery chain and said on her show that nonspecific or specialty recipe products (canned beans, canned veg, pasta, etc) are the same product with a different label. The only ones that are different are products that involve a recipe (like different pasta sauces, dressings, chips, etc.)
For our family it really depends on the product. Certain things have to be certain brands for example we only buy tide or gain laundry pods and dawn dish soup no matter what. On the other hand we prefer store brand ketchup to the name brand. Also has to be name brand coffee but we’re fine with store brand breads and cheese (however do not like Walmart brand cheese)
Hellmann's Mayonnaise is a must in our household. Also, Skinny Popcorn is the best.
Just FYI, once you open the ultra pasteurized dairy products they are usually only good for 7-10 days. I doubted this information when I heard it, but read the carton and sure enough it said to discard after 7-10 days. Now I will use canned products or dry goods way past their Best Buy dates, but I don’t want to feed my family spoiled milk.