When to Buy Store Brands

It looks the same. It costs a lot less. But I've never heard of this brand!? Should I buy it?

In many cases, the answer is YES!

In the October issue of Consumer Reports magazine, they reviewed store brands to big name brands, and the result was quite favorable for store brands. The article explains, "In blind tests, our trained tasters compared a big national brand with a store brand in 29 food categories. Store and national brands tasted about equally good 19 times. Four times, the store brand won; six times, the national brand won."

And the good news is, they reported "the store brand foods cost an average of 27 percent less".

Store Brand Milk

One product where this especially holds true is milk. Store brand dairy products are typically produced by the same name brand you see right next to it on the shelves. Take Dean Foods Fat Free Milk for instance. If you see a Dean Foods gallon of milk next to a Jewel brand gallon, they are the exact same milk. Companies like Prairie Farms and Swiss Valley do the same thing. Frankly, there are not enough dairy farmers left to handle the volume, so the large name brands produce most everything.

Test it Yourself

The next time you buy milk, pay close attention to the font and text size of the Good Until Date printed on the container. When the name brand and store brand dates look the same, you will know that store brand milk came from the same plant and the same production line as the name brand. The only difference is the label on the container.

Unless you are EXTREMELY brand loyal for whatever reason, save yourself some CASH and buy the store brand. It's the same milk!

I could go on about the comparisons with store brand hand soap, furniture polish, cheese, contact solution and medine, but you get the point. Give them a try! It PAYS.

Cash in the Couch