I tend to be a Frugal Franny. If I can possibly find one, I will buy the store brand of just about any household product you can think of. Just this weekend I happened to be shopping at a store where they were out of the generic brand mouthwash. I wound up spending almost $6.00 on a bottle of mouthwash. It almost killed me. But at least my teeth will be white.
But Frugal Franny goes out the window when it comes to dishwasher detergent. Dan laughs at me, but it really is true: I would rather wash my dishes by hand than use store brand dishwasher detergent. It’s a long and rather unpleasant story involving clumps, goo, and waking up to a dishwasher filled with greasy dishes where sparkling ones were meant to be. I’ll spare you the ugly details, but the bottom line is this: I’ll use Electrasol in a pinch, but if I get my way, I gotta have Cascade.
Enlighten us. What are your favorite household products? What name brands can’t you live without?
I can’t believe nobody not one person mentioned OREOS!
Also, Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in dark brown.
Always Maxi Pads with Wings
Dark Magic Green Mountain Coffee
mommaaa
If you’re still out there, I just saw your question. 🙂
I use the powder that comes in the round tubs. I use more or less depending on if I’m doing a white or light colored load vs. darks.
I didn’t realize I had so many brand loyalties!
Here are a few-
-Lansinoh nursing pads- extremely absorbent but no visible lines- I haven’t found any other one that compares
-Burt’s Bees Baby Wash and Baby Lotion- since I switched, the regular brands seem so harsh smelling
-Aveeno Skin brightening face wash and face lotion- the only thing that I found that keeps my skin clear, but doesn’t dry it out.
-Clorox Wipes- indispensible for bathroom cleaning
-Target brand diapers, I have found, are great, but for newborns, I buy the expensive Pampers swaddlers or Huggies Supreme. I keep telling myself that I should try cloth, but I can’t bring myself to add to my "Mount Washmore".
-Kraft Macaroni and Cheese- with an extra slice of american cheese added.
-Cascade dishwasher detergent- I use the powder that comes in a ginormous box at Sam’s Club
-Palmolive Dish Soap- maybe this brand because my mom always used it, but it HAS to be citrus scented (lemon or orange), the floral scented dish soap I find repulsive, especially when pregnant.
For so many of you ladies who insist on name brands, consider the following:
A lot (not all) of the store brands are simply name brands repackaged. For example, here in the northeast, Hannaford milk and other dairy are usually Hood. If you look closely where they print the expiration date, it lists the plant number….which happens to be the same plant number as on the Hood bottles/containers. Also, some of the Hannaford brands throughout the store are coded with the name of the name brand that actually makes it (flour tortillas, for example, are made by Manny’s). Look at the code above the bar code.
Somebody mentioned that they would only use a certain whipped cream. At my local store I took 5 minutes to look at the ingredients in each of the cans. The ingredient list and "nutrition facts" were exactly the same! A closer look showed that they were all made at the same plant! Anybody here married to the guy whose job it is to change the labels for all of these different things?
Be careful of brand loyalty. You might just be loyal to their marketing budget.
And I don’t personally like those pillow things. Most dishwashers don’t need the whole amount to clean every load. Some have different levels of "dirty", etc. As Amy Dacyczyn of the Tightwad Gazette says, try cutting back the amounts of detergents that you use for different things. You’d be surprised at how much you don’t have to use.
Oop, novel length. Sorry.
Saran Wrap
Trader Joe’s Shredded Wheatcereal
Private Selection Moose Tracks Ice Cream
and… the surprise one is . . .
Great Value (Walmart brand) dishwasher detergent! Consumer Reports tested it against Cascade, etc., a few years ago and rated it really high! It’s worth a try!
I’m with you on the Cascade. It’s the best. I rarely use it, but I can’t live without Heinz ketchup. The generic brands are just yucky! And Tide liquid laundry detergent. Can’t. live. without. Tide. 🙂
Okay, I didn’t see this product many times and was shocked. In fact I think I only saw it once: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I was loyal to this BC (before children) when I had 2 dogs and a husband. Now with a toddler and newborn, it goes without saying. Nothing else gets things clean with less effort and time.
I am in the process of trying to convert my husband to more generic brands but, because he is a brand name snob, we are moving slowly toward that.
Here are my top 10:
1. The aforementioned Mr. Clean Magic Erasers
2. Johnson and Johnson Nursing Pads (I tried the Lansinoh a lot of others are fond of and maybe I let down too much because mine were soaked through in 30 minutes)
3. Luvs Diapers (we use others when they are free, but these seem to be the only ones our daughter cannot take off herself)
4. Oreos–as someone else mentioned the substitutes are NOT the same
5. Mountain Dew (and Diet)
6. Bounty Paper Towels– I don’t know why, but they do seem to work better
7. Cottonelle Toilet Paper– I’m sorry, but I am picky about the feel of toilet paper
8. Daisy Sour Cream
9. Cheetos
10. Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate
I’m actually happy to report that some of these items only make it on the shopping list once a month or less! So thank you Danielle, I feel better about myself now that I’ve done this inventory!
I’m with you on this one, Danielle. I find that store brand soap products are the one area that store brands let us down. I must have my Tide and also prefer Cascade but will use Electrasol in a pinch. Also, prefer Palmolive liquid for hand washing. Other than soaps, I use lots of store brands. I am an OLD mom, will be 65 on Saturday.
Due to lack of choice, it’s hard to remain brand loyal in hillbillburbia. We pretty much take what we can get. But here’s my top 10 – when I can find them:
Dawn Dish Soap (it removes oil from waterfowl, it’s strong enough for my kitchen)
Sam Adams Hefeweizen (Sam or Bud? Sam or Miller? Sam!)
Bare Minerals Makeup (Everything else, I repeat *everything else* makes my face break-out like a 14 yr old’s. And yes, it comes in the mail)
Benedryl (the generics just aren’t the same)
Doritos NATURAL Chips (no msg!!!!)
Amy’s Organic Soups (no msg!!! and all the ingredients are whole foods!!! makes a great base for a "fixer upper" meal – add pasta, rice, more veggies, soup-worthy leftovers to expand the can)
Kitchen Basics Stocks (Chicken, Beef, Vegetable, Fish – no msg!!! and only whole foods ingredients)
Daisy Sour Cream
Mayfield’s Ice Cream
And yes, I must have the Scrubbing Bubbles. Those little guys really make the bathroom cleaning easier 🙂
Cascade IS worth the extra money. BUT, a repairman for GE told me those little packets wear out your dishwasher. He warned me to go back to the powder.
Cottonelle is the only brand for TP for us. Some comedian once said, "Even poor people deserve good toilet paper."
Ghiradelli chocolates – they are creamier than any other brand, imho!
Bounty sectioned paper towels – less waste & they do more with less.
Litehouse Ranch Dressing – I didn’t like ranch dressing at all before I tried this brand!
Wheat Thins by Nabisco
Bar Keepers Friend – powedered cleaner that can remove scorch & stains from almost anything in the kitchen
Hummel Hot Dogs. All beef. They are the BEST!!!
Okay, after reading all this I fear that I have cravings for some of the brands you have listed. Ghiradelli chocolates? Expensive Hot cocoa? Ahhhh…now I have to spend more money just to try some of this stuff!!!
I’m so brand loyal that my husband makes fun of me. I have to have Bounty paper towels. And the price is going up, up, up! They’ve got to be kidding! I also stick with Cascade, but for me it’s Cascade Complete liquid. What’s really hilarious is finding out that, without ever having discussed it with you, your sisters are loyal to the same brands!
While I was in the hospital after giving birth to DS2 last spring, my husband did the shopping and purchased generic toilet paper.
When I got home I immediately sent him to the store for Charmin. I’m pretty sure expecting your wife to use generic toilet paper after giving birth could be grounds for an annulment!
Dixon Ticonderoga pencils, Heinz Ketchup (I grew up in Pittsburgh, where every other brand was shunned heartily!), Tide with Bleach Alternative, Pantene ProV(I tried the Target brand and thought it was lacking unfortunately), Constant Comment Tea, Diet Coke, and…this is going into new territory, I think…I hate buying cheap tshirts and sweaters. I would rather spend $20.00 at Ann Taylor Loft on one tshirt that lasts throught washings and dryings all year long, than buy a boxy, illfitting one from Old Navy or Land’s End (I’m petite and they never fit properly!) that only disappoints me, despite the initial savings. I think a good pair of jeans, a nice pair of trousers, a few nice blouses and sweaters, etc. are worth the expense if they are made to last and provide many happy uses!
I am laughing to see some of my brands mentioned over and over!
I am a chocolate snob. Nothing but Ghirardelli.
And I hoard these brands whenever there’s a sale:
Cheerios, Barbara’s Shredded Oats and Special K cereals
Orville Redenbacher popcorn
Snyder’s Old Tyme Pretzels
Folger’s Breakfast Blend
I relate to your story big time. With my old washer and dryer, I used to use Tide. But I now have a "Whirpool" front loader, I’m now struggling to find a affordable and effective brand. "He" compatible soaps have a lesser amount to be put in, but the size is also smaller; with me 5 kids, I would appreciate a suggestion.
By the way… I use the small all in one packages from Electrasol for my dishwasher! Can’t cut corners with cleaness, we have to do it to often to waste our time!
HE detergent: I got a small bottle of concentrated detergent to use on vacation (I think it was ALL). This is 3X regular detergent and you can dilute it regular strength for your HE. Then buy your regular detergent and measure it out using the small concentrated detergent cup: perfect! No dilutions, works great! You use the regular cheaper detergent, but only a third as much! I guess you can go even cheaper and use a measuring cup. I would guess 2 oz (1/4 cup).
I have not had the luxury but I have to say I miss my Mac computer.
And laundry: Maytag. I know for a while they weren’t as good but now they are the ones built for Commercial Business.
Burt’s Bees lip balm
Tom’s of Maine toothpaste
Dr. Bronner’s castile soap…yummy lavender or peppermint
Mother-ease diapers
Bragg’s soy sauce
Avalon lavender facial moisturizer
St. Francis Herb Farm Calendula salve for diaper changes
Imagine my concern when our lovely new dishwasher started leaving us with really dirty dishes no matter what we did.I always used cascade (powder or packs) but either left a terrible mess! A call to the store brought a repair man online who knew exactly what was going on. We have a Bosch which uses a very small amount of water (that’s why we bought it)and it seems if you use too much soap you are in trouble.He had me run it empty to clear everything up and then use 1 teaspoon of dishwasher detergent( I now use SA8).I make sure the rinseaid dipenser is topped up and voila we now have perfect shiney dishes. Who knew!
Ok while I’m at it I have recently developed a longing for Breyers Fried Ice Cream. It is to die for.Taste is rich with a bit of cinnamon and little pieces of Tortilla inside to chew on. Diet ice cream naah if you have ice cream go big or go home.