As for store brand versus name brand, I’ve also noticed differences in ingredients. It’s interesting–my favorite soda is Mountain Dew. I like the Kroger version of it better than Pepsi’s. But if I switch to diet, I like Pepsi’s better than Kroger’s, which tastes nasty. A look at the ingredients tells me why: Pepsi’s version includes sucralose, and Kroger’s does not. Sucralose tastes a heck of a lot better than aspartame, which is also in Pepsi’s version but is not the only sweetener.

Of course it’s cheaper yet to not drink soda at all. And better for your health too. I tell myself I’m missing out on a good thing when I don’t drink it, but on the other hand, I don’t enjoy being sick either.

That could be by failing to save up for the things you really need in life, or the opposite case where you hoard money. This blog is flirting with an equally wrong way of looking at money.

Don’t be so stingy in life that you can’t enjoy anything.

Store brands tend to save money by using far cheaper packaging. You’ll notice this with leaky milk. Their seals are never as good, meaning your food will often go bad sooner than “name brands” will.

Store brands also tend to use more water. Ingredients are listed in order of amount used, and you can compare shampoo, soda, even bread. Store brands will use more water, or more high fructose corn syrup, because they’re cheap but help fill the required weight in order to compare to a competetor. I’ve seen some where water is the number one ingredient in a store brand, but only third or fourth in a name brand. That can be a huge difference.

Compare the nutritional content as well. Store brands like to use “filler” (salt, water, corn syrup) that aren’t very good for you, but get the same taste. Crackers show this very well.