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1. Pain relievers and other over-the-counter medications
Acetaminophen — the active ingredient in Tylenol — is available in many generic products. Note that the generics aren’t similar: they’re identical. Why would you ever pay more for an identical product? This also applies to everything from cold medicine to eye drops — virtually every over-the-counter medication. The labels are right there — read them.
Name-Brand Acetaminophen: $10.99
Store-Brand Acetaminophen: $6.99
Difference: $4.00 (57 percent)
Store-Brand Acetaminophen: $6.99
Difference: $4.00 (57 percent)
2. Water
Although I should certainly be used to it by now, I can’t get over the fact that people go to the store to buy something in a bottle that they could be getting nearly free in their kitchen sink. But even if you can convince me that bottled water is worth the money, you’ll have a heck of time convincing me that the gallon jug from Crystal Springs is noticeably better than the one from Publix. And if you’re really concerned about water quality and/or taste — why aren’t you buying a filter and making your own bottled water? I just don’t get this entire concept.
Name-Brand Water: $1.25
Store-Brand Water: $.85
Difference: $.40 (48 percent)
Store-Brand Water: $.85
Difference: $.40 (48 percent)
3. Milk
I’m sure there are connoisseurs of moo-juice that could distinguish name-brand milk from store-brand — but I’m not quite sure how they’d do it. Bouquet? Finish? Sounds like a bunch of bull to me.
Name-Brand Milk: $5.45
Store-Brand Milk: $3.39
Difference: $2.06 (60 percent)
Store-Brand Milk: $3.39
Difference: $2.06 (60 percent)
4. Margarine
It’s already a substitute for butter. Is it really going to negatively impact your quality of life to substitute the substitute?
Name-Brand Margarine: $1.79
Store-Brand Margarine: $1.19
Difference: $.60 (50%)
Store-Brand Margarine: $1.19
Difference: $.60 (50%)
(We save a ton on margarine purchases. We don’t buy it!)
5. Bleach
You’re taking a cup of chlorine and adding it to gallons of water in your washing machine. How could any TV commercial possibly convince you that a brand name will make your clothes come out better?
Name-Brand Bleach: $2.25
Store-Brand Bleach: $1.67
Difference: $.58 (35 percent)
Store-Brand Bleach: $1.67
Difference: $.58 (35 percent)
6. Cleaning Products
Many — if not most — cleaning products are already overpriced substitutes for stuff you already have around the house. Two of the most popular news stories we’ve ever done were Household Products Vinegar Can Replace and Do-It-Yourself Laundry Detergent. But let’s assume that you have a fetish for spray bottles and insist on buying ready-to-use cleaning products: is the name brand getting your counter that much cleaner?
Name-Brand Cleaner with Bleach: $3.29
Store-Brand Cleaner with Bleach: $2.39
Difference: $.90 (38 percent)
Store-Brand Cleaner with Bleach: $2.39
Difference: $.90 (38 percent)
(This comment is from me, This Mama- Make your OWN cleaners and save even more- and if you do purchase them- dilute them. They are always recommending you use more than necessary!!)
7. Spices
Think your job is hard? Imagine if your career entailed convincing the public that your company’s salt — the most basic of ingredients — was better than some other company’s salt. The whole idea is preposterous. And yet, there they sit, side by side, with nothing but their labels and their prices to set them apart. And where spices are concerned, that’s just the beginning — can you tell your oregano from mine?
Name-Brand Oregano: $5.48/oz.
Store-Brand Oregano: $1.24/oz.
Difference: $4.24 (342 percent)
Store-Brand Oregano: $1.24/oz.
Difference: $4.24 (342 percent)
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