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.

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 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"

My father worked at a processing and packaging plant for a bit when I was a kid. He said he would never buy name brands again, because at the plant, they packaged the same hot dogs into a name brand package and a generic package. Same product, different packaging. I suspect that happens more often than we realize.

Thank goodness for store brands! Without them, my family would starve to death!!

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.

I hope this helps people open up to the idea of shopping prices rather than shopping brands.

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 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 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!!

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!!)

Just a tip on the coffee I always shop around and I find that Amazon typically has it cheaper

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 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.

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.

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 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!

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 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.

Love this! I can't stand buying name brand products. As a family of 6 we need our money to stretch.

Great video. I am a generic brand for 85% of my groceries.

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!

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. 🤷‍♀️

I really appreciate all of these tips Mindy, I’ve been buying more store brands with my family - so far so good!

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.

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.

My brother in-law worked at a dogfood company 10 years ago there were 17 different bags for the same dogfood.

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!

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. 😄

Hello 👋🏽 I will always buy birdseye broccoli because they have more of the florets and less of the stems.

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.

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.

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!!!

Hellmens mayo!! So much creamier than the other brands!

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

Great video! I am absolutely brand loyal to Philadelphia cream cheese. The store brands always taste terrible to me.

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.

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).

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.

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!!!!

Got ground sirloin for 3.49 no limit got 5 pounds no room for any more saved 31 dollars

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.

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! 😊

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 :)

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.

The things I will not compromise on is Jif peanut butter, Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Heinz ketchup

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?

Thanks so much for all of the research you do! It is very helpful!!

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!

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!

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.

I am loyal to Daisy brand Light Sour Cream! I feel like no store brand can make it as good as them

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!

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!

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.

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!🥰

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 idea. Thanks for your passion to help people.

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!

Coffee to us makes a great day start= Folgers Black Silk,three dashes of sea salt.

Loyal to Heinz ketchup😋

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!

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.

What an eye opening video. I started doing Walmart pickups during the Pandemic and have continued doing this. I rarely go into the local grocery stores. I do still go to Costco and I do go to Aldi. I find with just 2 of us buying produce in bulk from Costco is often wasteful which is what I started going to Aldi. It was great seeing the kids. I am brand loyal to Velveeta cheese (when I use it) vs. Walmart. My husband is brand loyal to Chips Ahoy cookies. Thanks Mindy

I need to do this. Thanks for sharing!

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)

I make my own oat milk because of a grandkid that can’t do dairy and I make it for Pennie’s but I always do house brand when I can I see no difference you have given me a lot more good ideas thank you

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

Wow! Really good. I do most of mt shopping at Walmart... big difference. Thanks Mindy as always!!!!

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!!! 😃

@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 …🤷🏻‍♀️)…

Thanks for the video. I love them.

Wow this was really impressive!! thank you for going through the effort to do this. the information is absolutely incredible

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.

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!

This video is fantastic! I love your videos. The videos make me happy.

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.

Thank you for this great comparison! I prefer Hunts canned tomatoes to all others.

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🤷‍♀️

Awesome video! It’s crazy how much more name brands cost! I definitely try to buy the generic/store brand when I can. ☺️👍

Great video! I'm going to be honest, I'm not brand loyal to anything. It's all about price for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️🙂

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.

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!!

Very insightful !!! Deeply appreciate what you did in this video !!!

That is an incredible difference!!!

Love this video! My family has food allergies, so a lot of what we buy is name brand. Where I can, I buy generic. The exception is for cheese - it's Tillamook cheddar only.

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!

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

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. 👍❤️

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.

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.

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.

Great source of good info!

This was good. 👍 I'm definitely all about the off brands -they taste the same and save so much 💰 money. 😃

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!

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.

Your kids are awesome taste testers. We did a taste test years ago on Great Value Mac and cheese and Kraft. My kids and I all preferred Great Value. I was positive Kraft would win. Thanks for all your great money saving tips!