Switching to store brands is one of the easiest ways to cut a grocery bill without changing what you’re eating.
The problem is figuring out which products are worth switching.
Some store-brand foods are nearly indistinguishable from the name brands sitting next to them. Others aren’t quite as good, and you may decide the cheaper price isn’t worth the trade-off.
You don’t need to replace everything in your cart at once.
Start with the foods where the difference is least noticeable, test a few products, and keep the swaps that actually work for your household.
Start With the Boring Stuff
The easiest store-brand swaps are usually the foods where the brand isn’t doing much for you in the first place.
Think about basic ingredients you use in recipes:
- Flour
- Sugar
- Rice
- Pasta
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Cornstarch
- Dried beans
- Canned beans
These products aren’t necessarily exciting, which is exactly why they’re good places to experiment.
If the store-brand flour works in your pancakes and cookies just as well as the name brand, there’s little reason to keep paying more.
Try Canned Goods Next
Canned foods are another easy category to test.
Beans, tomatoes, corn, peas and other vegetables can often be replaced with store-brand versions without changing much about the meal.
Start with something you use frequently.
If you go through several cans of diced tomatoes every month, try the store brand the next time you need them.
Use them in a recipe you already make.
If the finished meal tastes the same, you’ve got a permanent swap.
That’s much more useful than buying a dozen cans of something you’ve never tried simply because it’s cheaper.
Frozen Vegetables Are Worth Testing
Frozen vegetables are another category where you may find some easy savings.
Broccoli, peas, corn, green beans and mixed vegetables are good candidates.
Look at the bag before buying.
Check the weight, the ingredients and whether you’re getting plain vegetables or something with added sauces or seasonings.
Then compare the unit price.
If the store-brand frozen broccoli is cheaper and cooks up just as well, there’s really no reason to keep buying the name brand.
Don’t Ignore Dairy
Milk, butter, eggs, sour cream and other basic dairy products can also be worth comparing.
Some people are very particular about certain dairy products, especially things like yogurt or cheese.
That’s fine.
Start with the products where you don’t have a strong preference.
You may discover that the store-brand butter works perfectly well for cooking, even if you still prefer a different brand when you’re spreading it on toast.
You don’t have to make one blanket decision about an entire category.
Pasta Is an Easy Experiment
Pasta is one of the first things I’d try.
Different shapes and brands can vary in price, but basic pasta doesn’t need to be complicated.
Buy the store brand.
Cook it the same way you normally cook your usual pasta.
Use it with your regular sauce.
If nobody notices a difference, you’ve found an easy way to spend less every time you make pasta.
And if your family does notice, you’re out the cost of one box—not much of a risk.
Try Store-Brand Baking Supplies
Baking is another area where store brands can make sense.
Things like flour, sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar and basic spices are often good candidates.
If you’re baking a cake or batch of cookies, you’re usually combining several ingredients anyway.
There’s little reason to pay extra for branding on a basic ingredient if the cheaper version performs the same way.
Chocolate chips and vanilla extract are a little more personal, so test those separately.
Don’t Assume Every Store Brand Is the Same
This is important.
Just because you like your store’s canned tomatoes doesn’t mean you’ll love every product with the same store-brand label.
Retailers source different products from different manufacturers and suppliers.
Quality can vary from one category to another.
Think of every new product as its own test.
You aren’t deciding whether you “like store brands.”
You’re deciding whether you like this particular store-brand product.
Check the Ingredients Before Switching
If you’re replacing a product you buy regularly, take a quick look at the labels.
You don’t need to compare every word.
Just make sure you’re getting something reasonably similar.
Pay attention to things like:
- Main ingredients
- Added sugar
- Sodium
- Oils
- Serving size
- Allergens
- Product weight
Sometimes the cheaper product is cheaper because it’s actually a different product.
That’s not necessarily bad, but you should know what you’re buying.
Compare Unit Prices, Not Just Package Prices
A store brand can look cheaper and still be more expensive per ounce.
Maybe the name brand has a 24-ounce package for $4 while the store brand has a 16-ounce package for $3.
The store brand costs less at the register, but you’re getting less food.
Check the unit price whenever package sizes are different.
It’s one of the easiest ways to avoid thinking you’ve found a bargain when you haven’t.
Try One Product at a Time
Don’t replace your entire pantry in one shopping trip.
If you switch ten products and hate three of them, you’re left trying to remember which ones didn’t work.
Instead, make a few swaps at a time.
Try the store-brand pasta this week.
Try the canned tomatoes next week.
Then test the frozen vegetables.
This gives you a chance to figure out what works without wasting a lot of food.
Ask Yourself Whether Anyone Actually Notices
After you’ve tried the cheaper version, don’t overthink it.
Did you notice a difference?
Did anyone else?
Did the food cook the same way?
Did the recipe turn out normally?
If the answer is yes, you’ve probably found a keeper.
And if someone immediately says, “This tastes different,” that’s useful information too.
You can keep buying the name brand for that particular product and save money somewhere else.
Be More Careful With Foods You Eat by Themselves
A basic ingredient that’s mixed into a recipe can be easier to replace than a food you’re eating on its own.
You may never notice which brand of flour went into your pancakes.
You might notice the difference between two brands of coffee.
The same can apply to:
- Peanut butter
- Cereal
- Yogurt
- Crackers
- Coffee
- Juice
- Salsa
If you’re going to taste the product directly, brand and quality may matter more.
That’s where you should test before committing to a cheaper version.
Look for Store Brands During Normal Shopping
You don’t need a special “store-brand shopping trip.”
Just make the comparison while you’re already shopping.
If you’re standing in front of the canned tomato section, take a few seconds to compare the options.
If the store brand is significantly cheaper and looks like a reasonable substitute, try it.
Eventually, you’ll have a list of products you automatically buy as store brands.
That’s when the savings become effortless.
Keep the Swaps That Work
The goal isn’t to constantly experiment.
Once you find a store-brand product your household likes, make it your default.
You don’t need to reconsider it every week.
If store-brand rice works, buy store-brand rice.
If store-brand pasta works, buy store-brand pasta.
If the name-brand coffee is still your favorite, keep buying it.
Over time, your grocery cart becomes a combination of products you’ve tested and know you like.
That’s much better than blindly buying either the cheapest option or the most familiar brand.
Let Sales Change Your Mind
Your default doesn’t have to be permanent.
If you normally buy store-brand cereal for $2.50 but the name brand drops to $1.99, buy the name brand.
If the store brand is on sale for $1.50 while the name brand is $4, go with the store brand.
The point of finding good substitutes is to give yourself options.
You aren’t committing to one brand forever.
You’re learning which products are interchangeable for you.
Build Your Own List of Reliable Swaps
After a few months, you’ll probably have a pretty good idea of where you can save.
Your list might look something like:
Always buy store brand: rice, pasta, flour, canned beans.
Usually buy store brand: frozen vegetables, butter, canned tomatoes.
Buy whichever is cheaper: cheese, cereal, yogurt.
Prefer the name brand: coffee, peanut butter, pasta sauce.
That’s a much more useful system than trying to follow someone else’s list of “best store brands.”
Your household has different preferences, different stores and different prices.
The Best Substitute Is the One You Don’t Notice
That’s really the goal.
You aren’t trying to prove that store brands are better.
You’re trying to find the products where paying extra doesn’t get you anything you’ll actually notice.
If the cheaper version tastes the same, cooks the same and gets used just as quickly, take the savings.
If it doesn’t, move on.
There are probably plenty of other products where you can make the switch.
A few dollars saved on pasta, canned goods, baking supplies and frozen vegetables may not seem like much on one shopping trip.
Do it every week, though, and those small swaps start becoming real money.
And the best part is that once you’ve found the store-brand substitutes that work for you, you don’t have to think about them again.