5 Grocery Items That Are a Waste of Money To Buy Name Brand

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To buy name brand or not to buy name brand? Every time you go to the grocery store, you’re confronted with your own lower-stakes version of Hamlet’s famous question. You wonder whether you’re sacrificing quality for price by purchasing store or generic brands instead of that bigger name you’ve been accustomed to. 

Well, worry not — at least for several key items on your next grocery run. There are some products where splurging on the name brand is a waste of money, and a generic brand will offer you the same flavor or performance for a much lower cost. 

GOBankingRates took its grocery cart for a spin to see which name-brand goodies aren’t so great pricewise. 

1. Spices and Seasonings 

When you’re tossing together Grandfather’s famous garlic-roasted chicken, you might be tempted to spend big on name-brand garlic powder and other seasonings. Ask yourself: Did dear ol’ granddad have access to fancy premade spices from big brands? Most likely, he did not. And his cooking came out just fine. So will yours if you opt for less expensive generic spices and seasonings. 

In fact, you might be wise to skip the grocery store altogether and head straight to a dollar store for your spices. 

2. Bottled Water 

Is there really a difference between name-brand bottled water and generic water? After all, it all tastes like water. There’s no reason to spend more on bottled water with a fancier label when it’ll still provide the same health benefits as regular water. 

Frankly, if you’re able to carry around a tumbler or thermos to refill throughout the day, you’ll save more money in the long run — while also helping the environment. 

3. Prepackaged Granola 

If your eyes pop at some of the prices for granola — which can reach upward of $10 for certain well-known brands — you wouldn’t be wrong, or alone. There’s no reason to spend that much on a snack food when you can get the same flavor and nutritional boost from a store brand. 

At Wegmans, the Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain granola sells for $6.49. Compare that to Wegmans’ High Protein Vanilla Almond granola, which retails for $3.99 while still delivering a protein-packed snack. 

Learning to make your own granola with oats, nuts, seeds and sweeteners can also help you save money in the long run — especially if you buy ingredients in bulk. 

4. General Condiments 

To paraphrase Shakespeare again: Ketchup by any other name is still ketchup. It doesn’t matter whether you’re squirting ketchup — or mustard or mayonnaise, for that matter — from a name-brand or a store-brand bottle. You’ll get a very similar flavor. Any differences don’t merit spending several more dollars per bottle. 

The same rule applies to salt and pepper. Having a fancy salt or pepper grinder may dazzle guests at a restaurant, but your home kitchen isn’t going for a Michelin star. Get condiments from a dollar store and save money. 

5. Cleaning Supplies 

Unless your guests have Sherlock Holmes-level powers of deduction, they won’t be able to tell that you’ve used a generic brand of wood polish on your banister or stopped spending on name-brand glass cleaner. 

Generic and name-brand products alike are designed with one goal: to get your home clean. If you read the labels, you’ll find many of the same ingredients in both. At the end of the day, most core cleaning agents are nearly identical regardless of packaging. 

Whichever you use, all you or your guests will notice is that there aren’t smudges on the mirror or stains on the carpet. 

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