I grew up in a household where generic meant “worse.” Store brand cereal was punishment cereal. Generic ketchup was ketchup-adjacent. I carried that snobbery into adulthood, spending an extra $40-60 a month on brand names for things that taste exactly the same.

Then I did a blind taste test with my kids. They couldn’t tell the difference between name-brand Cheerios and the store-brand version. Neither could I. I’ve been slowly switching ever since.

The categories where generic wins

Over-the-counter medicine. Store brand ibuprofen is chemically identical to Advil. The FDA requires it. Same active ingredient, same dosage, same quality control. The only difference is the box. Kirkland (Costco) and Equate (Walmart) are made by the same manufacturers as the name brands — often on the same production lines.

Canned goods. Canned tomatoes, beans, corn, peas. The store brand is often packed in the same facility as the name brand. Blind taste tests consistently show no detectable difference. Save 30-50% for the same product.

Cleaning products. Bleach is bleach. Hydrogen peroxide is hydrogen peroxide. Rubbing alcohol is rubbing alcohol. The generic version is the same chemical. Don’t pay extra for a brand name on a commodity chemical.

Milk, butter, eggs. Dairy is heavily regulated. Store-brand milk comes from the same regional dairies. The only difference is the carton. Butter is graded by the USDA — the grading system doesn’t care whose label is on the box.

Where to still buy name brand

• Laundry detergent: Tide really does clean better in Consumer Reports testing. The generics have gotten closer but aren’t there yet.
• Paper towels: Bounty absorbs more. Store brands rip sooner. I’ve tested this on actual spills.
• Trash bags: The cheap ones split. The Hefty ones don’t. Worth the extra two dollars to not have garbage juice on your kitchen floor.
• Q-tips: Generic cotton swabs have less cotton and bendier sticks. This is a hill I will die on.

How much I actually save

I switched about fifteen items to generic over six months. My average grocery bill dropped from $140 to $115 per week. That’s $100 a month. $1,200 a year. For buying a different box of the same thing.

The key is to try one generic at a time. If you can’t tell the difference, keep it. If you can, switch back. Don’t do it all at once or you’ll blame the switch for everything that doesn’t taste right.