Being frugal is not only about paying little for things but also making sure that you are getting a good value. We often turn to Consumer Reports magazine to make sure we are getting good quality items for the price we pay. This post is about how some generic brands offer you not only a better price but also a better product.
Wal-mart’s Great Value powder detergent outranks 15 other dishwashing detergents and it only costs $0.05 per dishwashing load. The only better detergents were all Cascade brand and their price per load went from 10-17 cents. Other notable generics also chosen as Consumer Reports’ Best Buy were Target brand and Kirkland’s signature (from Costco).
In terms of High Efficiency laundry detergents, Costco’s Kirkland’s Signature Ultra ranked in #5 out of ten and at a cost of $0.12 per load is CR’s Best Buy in this category. For conventional detergents Walmart’s Great Value Ultra Glacier Breeze came in 4th out of 22 reviewed detergents. At a cost of $0.12 per load, it was only bested by Tide detergent with a cost per load ranging from 27-35 cents.
Even in the food category certain generic brands best name brands. Trader Joe’s granola and Market Pantry (Target’s brand) granola are rated best buys and outranked Cascadian Farms and Whole Foods Market granolas.
If you haven’t yet, give generic brands a chance, you might be surprised by the results of your own research!
For more Frugal Friday posts, visit hostess Crystal Paine at Biblical Womanhood
