THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN'T "SKIMP" ON!
Now everyone likes to save money, I think. And there are plenty of store brands that work perfectly fine. I usually give the store brand a chance, and I will faithfully continue to buy store brands and/or generics when they perform or taste the same as their name-brand counterparts. But...there are just some things you can't or don't need to try and save money on. The savings aren't worth it.
Take Pop-Tarts (R) for instance. I have tried several different store brands of "toaster pastries" and, I have never tasted one that was comparable to the name brand. They are all pasty, way more crust than filling, etc. On the rare occasion that I do buy Pop-Tarts, there will be no substitution.
Tea is another product, if you're a serious tea sipper, you can't save money on and get the same quality as its cheaper neighbor. If you just like tea to drink as a cool thirst quencher (southern style) or you just want the occasional cup as something different to drink, just about any tea will do. Serious tea sippers though, can easily tell the difference between a high quality tea and a lower quality. High quality teas are more expensive than low, but are still inexpensive as a beverage overall. But, the difference in aroma and taste are profoundly significant. There is no "skimping" here for me.
Toothpaste is another product that we have found you can't get too far to the lower end on, trying to save money. We buy a name brand because we have tried other cheaper brands (after reading the backs of the boxes to compare ingredients), and one in particular wouldn't be worth it if it were sold for a penny. It was thin, gross, and my mouth still didn't feel clean, even after brushing with it.
If you're a serious ice cream consumer like my husband, you can't get too far away from the name brands either. There is a BIG difference in taste and consistency between the name brands and the kind in the big buckets. I don't even like to see the word "artificial" on my ice cream ingredient list. On extremely rare occasions, I will eat one that may have an "artificial" flavor if the other ingredients are all natural. Usually this wouldn't have been my pick though; probably my husband's or one of the kid's and they want me to taste it. The kids though, will just about eat any ice cream of any brand that you put in front of their faces. I'd rather not have ice cream at all if it's not quality. I do believe that there is a difference between quality and name brand. I'm not stuck on name brands as much as taste, performance from a product, or I can see that I can read the materials and/or ingredients and they don't sound like chemical treatments for killing insects. Some things have ingredients that I do believe can or will kill insects...or attract them:)
What things can you not substitute? Comment and let me know.
2 comments:
I am with you 100%. I love my tea and can tell a difference between the likes of Lipton vs. Tetley. I also search for the white teas which very few stores carry. Another beverage (though I don't drink it as much) are the sodas. Coke is the real thing vs. "Sam's Choice" or "Big K", etc. Yes, we tend to like the branded items more and personally I will pay a little more for the quality and not a knock off. NLM
NLM, speaking of white tea, I can take you one step further. If you like it a lot, like I do, get yourself some quality loose leaf white (from a specialty store), and you'll even drop the store brands (including any "name brands" on the shelf). You may pay a little more, depending on the company and other factors, but you'll think it's well worth it. You'll be one-upping yourself on quality and taste again! Thanks for posting!
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