Meredith asked,"What are your favorite Target-brand products, i.e., Up, Archer Farms, Cherokee, etc.? Mine are the Archer Farms Roasted Red Pepper and Asparagus soup and the AF Buffalo Wing potato chips."
And steigler7071 said, "I also like the idea of what your favorite brands are at Target. I have noticed you use store brands of pop tarts, cleaners, etc. I like that you are posting real and don't feel like you have to hide behind brand names."
First of all, WHAT? People hide behind brand names? I don't even know what that means. But yeah, we're all about being "real" around here.
Secondly, I don't get to use Target-brand products because we don't do our grocery/household shopping there (in general). Grayson -- who possesses higher math skills that I clearly do NOT -- says that the cost per unit is still lower at Wal-Mart, so that's where we buy those kinds of items. So while I WISH that I could expound on the joys of Target-brand grocery products, alas, I cannot.
I CAN tell you that there are some things we buy the Wal-Mart (Great Value) brand of, and we're very happy with them.
Generic
- "Toaster pastries" (Pop-Tart)
- Bleach kitchen/bath spray (Clorox Clean-up)
- Mustard
- Pine-scented cleaning solution (Pine Sol)
- Milk
- Clear American flavored carbonated water (GET ON THIS PARTICULAR BANDWAGON RIGHT NOW) ... no calories, good flavor (our favorites are wild cherry and black cherry, but there are like 20 flavors), and it comes in two-liter bottles, 16-ounce bottles and single-serving bottles (we buy the mid-size)
- Body wash (DITTO) ... I love the exfoliating kind. I'm sort of addicted to it now.
Those last two on the list -- the water and the body wash -- those are probably the two greatest generic buys we've found. And the boys (including Jake) ADORE that water.
Having said that, there are several things that we've learned we're absolutely willing to pay extra for in order to get the name-brand taste or quality.
Name-brand
- Soft drinks (Cherry Coke Zero, Caffeine Free Diet Coke)
- Cheese (Sargento, Kraft)
- Paper towels (Bounty)
- Toilet paper(Charmin)
- Facial tissue (Kleenex)
- Ketchup (Heinz)
- Jelly (Smucker's)
- Mayonnaise (Hellmann's)
I'm really particular about the way certain things taste, like my ketchup. And apparently if a paper good touches an appendage or an orifice, I'm a name-brand girl ALL THE WAY.
Things I DO purchase at Target include socks, outerwear (jackets, coats), clothes for the kids, toys, makeup and stationery. All of their store-brand merchandise in those categories seems to be priced about the same as Wal-Mart, but with a wider, cuter selection. I just bought this sweater for Jake on sale, which I just think is the cutest thing:
That particular sweater is OshKosh, which isn't exactly the store brand, but it was priced $11.99, which is a good price for a sweater, in my opinion.
Anyway, that's kind of my two cents about store-brand vs. name-brand merchandise. We definitely cut corners when we can, but we pay up for what we love. What do you guys do?
8 comments:
My mother is a lot like you - she's very much a generic-save-money girl, but there are things that she will NOT compromise on the brand name. The thing she's most insistant about is peanut butter.
I inherited that trait, too, just not about peanut butter. Couldn't care less about peanut butter. But unlike you, I have to have real pop tarts.
I buy all name brand (*gasp*). I don't know why... I guess that's just how I grew up. I should probably try some of the generic stuff to save some money, huh? Well- now that I think about it- I buy generic flour and sugar (grocery store brand). But that's about it...
Amen to the Bounty! I only use Bounty paper towels. I used to make my own baby wipes and we used Bounty paper towels. They really are the strongest.
We grocery shop at Aldi and I love the savings we get there.
i used to buy generics but now buy name brands matching my coupons to a good sale. I get a lot of things free like toothpaste, body wash, toothbrushes etc. You can use both a target web coupon and a manufacturers coupon on the same item at target which makes for some good deals!
I love the store brand body wash too! I'm so glad to see I'm not the only one :)
I'm a target girl. I like their brand of almost everything. They are saving me tons of money on diapers and wipes and I like them just as well as pampers.
Frozen veggies can definitely be generic, but only buy Kleenex, Northern Tissue, Bounty, Kraft Mayo, Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi, and Peter Pan peanut butter. We buy very few canned foods, but I buy house brand for soups for casseroles. (the lowfat and low sodium ones).
Beckie
Paige, we only do Peter Pan, too. I didn't list ALL the things in either category, clearly. And to be honest, the generic Pop-Tarts aren't as good as the real ones. We just don't give the kids the option all the time. ;)
Lacy, I used to do that, too. We've branched out.
Rachel, Bounty rocks. That is a well-established fact. ;)
Fog, I agree! You can get name-brand for less than generic if you shop smartly with coupons!
Shelby, agreed!
Nikki, one day, I hope to buy EVERYTHING at Target. Then I'd be livin' the dream.
Beckie, we buy generic soups for casseroles, too. I can't tell a difference, especially if it's in a casserole or crockpot dish.
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