Continuing on my No-Name Experiment, I've tried many, many products and several of them are now staples in our cupboard. As was pointed out in the comments ages ago, things that are the simplest tend to be the best, or to make little difference.
I have found that beans of all kinds (Chic Peas, Black Beans, Romano Beans, Pork n' Beans) are fine (though sometimes have more salt then I'd like).
Tuna, bottled lemon juice, canned tomatoes and tomato paste (both salt-free!) are great, just as good as brand name.
I am a huge fan of No Name perogies. G is a HUGE fan of perogies, so we eat them at least once a week. We were surprised at how good the No Name brand was. We had eaten some Cheemo brand recently (Feta, Spinach and Potato flavour) and those were amazingly good, so the No Name ones didn't live up to those, but they were as good as any other standard potato/cheese ones I've had. They have become a staple in our fridge.
I believe someone mentioned ketchup not being worth it, but I haven't found much of a difference. I don't buy Heinz ketchup ever since I went to Mexico and saw small children picking their tomatoes, so I probably don't know what I'm missing.
Showing posts with label The No-Name Experiment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The No-Name Experiment. Show all posts
Friday, April 29, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
On Packaging (No Name)
What I've quickly discovered in buying so many no name products is that one of the ways they cut corners is in packaging.
The re-sealable seals don't work, the caps sometimes leak, and it's better to just cut bags open rather then try to pull them apart. Little things that have been improved in packaging on say, a bottle of lemon juice (the cap has a flip top with a little hole to squeeze it out of) aren't there on the no-name (just a screw top). Clearly, these are the conveniences we are paying those few extra cents/dollars for.
Are they worth it? I'm going to go with no. As long as you pay attention and use other means of closing things, it shouldn't be an issue and the savings are good.
The re-sealable seals don't work, the caps sometimes leak, and it's better to just cut bags open rather then try to pull them apart. Little things that have been improved in packaging on say, a bottle of lemon juice (the cap has a flip top with a little hole to squeeze it out of) aren't there on the no-name (just a screw top). Clearly, these are the conveniences we are paying those few extra cents/dollars for.
Are they worth it? I'm going to go with no. As long as you pay attention and use other means of closing things, it shouldn't be an issue and the savings are good.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Not Worth It (a return to the No Name Experiment)
I received a complaint (from this guy - known to me as Dad) that I started this No Name thing and haven't kept going. I originally planned to do a once-a-week update, but life got in the way. I have three half-finished posts. So I'm going to try and finish those in the next couple weeks and become disciplined enough to actually post reviews!
So, before this started, there are some things I've already tried in the past and have deemed Not Worth It At All. I'm not going to retry them this time around.
No Name Κraft Dinner* - Nobody makes that neon orange powdered cheese like Kraft. Aside from PC White Chedder Mac and Cheese, none of the generic brands compare. We only have it on occasion (usually I put spinach in it, which G thinks it comes with), but those occasions have to be brand name.
Toilet Paper - No. Just no. It's not worth it in many ways, including the price, because you tend to use more of a thinner brand.
Things I've tried in the past couple weeks that are not very tasty:
Instant Oatmeal - I like hot cereal in the morning, but I hate dirtying a pot, so I buy instant sometimes. Ugh. I tried the Apple Cinnamon flavour and it was not good. Gummy, tasteless and so much worse then Quaker.
Soda Crackers - The name brand is just SO much better. If you eat generic for awhile, you can kinda forget that, but once you buy a box of Premium brand, you notice the huge difference.
Oat O's (aka Cheerios) - G has not entirely expressed her dislike for generic Cheerios, but they're pretty bad. I hate buying cereal because of how overpriced it is, but I'd much rather just wait for a sale on brand name then get No Name.
(that is such a Canadian thing to say - that is to say, boxed Mac and Cheese)
So, before this started, there are some things I've already tried in the past and have deemed Not Worth It At All. I'm not going to retry them this time around.
No Name Κraft Dinner* - Nobody makes that neon orange powdered cheese like Kraft. Aside from PC White Chedder Mac and Cheese, none of the generic brands compare. We only have it on occasion (usually I put spinach in it, which G thinks it comes with), but those occasions have to be brand name.
Toilet Paper - No. Just no. It's not worth it in many ways, including the price, because you tend to use more of a thinner brand.
Things I've tried in the past couple weeks that are not very tasty:
Instant Oatmeal - I like hot cereal in the morning, but I hate dirtying a pot, so I buy instant sometimes. Ugh. I tried the Apple Cinnamon flavour and it was not good. Gummy, tasteless and so much worse then Quaker.
Soda Crackers - The name brand is just SO much better. If you eat generic for awhile, you can kinda forget that, but once you buy a box of Premium brand, you notice the huge difference.
Oat O's (aka Cheerios) - G has not entirely expressed her dislike for generic Cheerios, but they're pretty bad. I hate buying cereal because of how overpriced it is, but I'd much rather just wait for a sale on brand name then get No Name.
(that is such a Canadian thing to say - that is to say, boxed Mac and Cheese)
Friday, January 28, 2011
So Far, So Good
So, I've been trying the No-Name stuff.
First up, the Gingerale - this was a surprising one. Paul was really skeptical, but we tried it and it was really good. Much better, even, then other generic brands (Big8, Safeway brand) we've tried. It was actually gingery, a bit spicy and pretty tasty.
Conclusion: Totally worth it.
Second up, the Mayo - I tried it both mixed in tuna, and just spread on a sandwich. It was decent in the tuna, but as a spread, it didn't really stand up. It was watery and not tangy. I love my mayo - especially Hellman's, and especially NOT Miracle Whip. But, it would be fine as a mixer - in tuna, in dips, in salad dressing, just not on it's own.
Conclusion: Moderately worth it
Thirdly: Tortilla Chips
We eat quite a bit of tortilla chips. Chips and Salsa, Nachos, these are our go-to snacks. So, I bought a big bag (Club Pack in No-Name terms). We hadn't had yellow corn in awhile, since we've mostly been eating white corn. They were fairly tasty. Unfortunately, they don't come in a reduced-salt version, which I quite like about brand name.
Conclusion: Moderately worth it for the savings, but I would buy brand name occasionally as well.
Lastly: Granola Bars, specifically these Sweet and Salty ones:
I like the brand name ones quite a bit, so I thought I'd try them. This, my friends, this is what this experiment is all about. These are exactly the same as brand name, and at half the price. They are super yummy and, like two boxes for $5.
Conclusion: So very, very worth it. I highly recommend.
So, that's part one. So far, so good. Thanks for all the comments on the last one! I'm glad people are interested. I'm not going to buy anything that I wouldn't normally buy, so that leaves out quite a bit of pre-prepared stuff, and I am going for the savings over the experiment, so when (for example) Black Diamond cheese was cheaper this week - I bought it instead.
First up, the Gingerale - this was a surprising one. Paul was really skeptical, but we tried it and it was really good. Much better, even, then other generic brands (Big8, Safeway brand) we've tried. It was actually gingery, a bit spicy and pretty tasty.
Conclusion: Totally worth it.
Second up, the Mayo - I tried it both mixed in tuna, and just spread on a sandwich. It was decent in the tuna, but as a spread, it didn't really stand up. It was watery and not tangy. I love my mayo - especially Hellman's, and especially NOT Miracle Whip. But, it would be fine as a mixer - in tuna, in dips, in salad dressing, just not on it's own.
Conclusion: Moderately worth it
Thirdly: Tortilla Chips
We eat quite a bit of tortilla chips. Chips and Salsa, Nachos, these are our go-to snacks. So, I bought a big bag (Club Pack in No-Name terms). We hadn't had yellow corn in awhile, since we've mostly been eating white corn. They were fairly tasty. Unfortunately, they don't come in a reduced-salt version, which I quite like about brand name.
Conclusion: Moderately worth it for the savings, but I would buy brand name occasionally as well.
Lastly: Granola Bars, specifically these Sweet and Salty ones:
I like the brand name ones quite a bit, so I thought I'd try them. This, my friends, this is what this experiment is all about. These are exactly the same as brand name, and at half the price. They are super yummy and, like two boxes for $5.
Conclusion: So very, very worth it. I highly recommend.
So, that's part one. So far, so good. Thanks for all the comments on the last one! I'm glad people are interested. I'm not going to buy anything that I wouldn't normally buy, so that leaves out quite a bit of pre-prepared stuff, and I am going for the savings over the experiment, so when (for example) Black Diamond cheese was cheaper this week - I bought it instead.
Friday, January 21, 2011
The No-Name Experiment
So with my new car, I've been able to shop at Dominion (Newfoundland's version of Superstore/Loblaws/President's Choice), which tends to have cheaper food then other places. And I've decided that I'd perform an experiment.
I tend to buy generic brands of things (again, with the cheapness), but there's generic store brand and then there's No-Name. No-Name brand is... like the lowest of the low when it comes to generic. With it's yellow and black packaging and complete lack of anything to attract you to it, it's the cheapest option out there. Most Canadians are pretty familiar with it.
But does it make a difference? I've definitely found that for some things, it doesn't matter at all, but I'm sure there are others where it makes a difference.
So, this is my experiment. From now on, anytime I buy something new, I'm going to buy No-Name. And I'll rate it: Worth the Savings, Not Worth the Savings and Somewhat Worth the Savings.
I'm thinking this will be an ongoing feature on this blog. I'll let you know some of the products I'm trying out and whether I think it makes any difference.
Today I bought Gingerale:
and Mayonnaise:
I haven't had a chance to try either at this point, but I'll let you know. I'm pretty passionate about my mayo, so I'm skeptical. And Paul gagged when he saw that I bought No-Name Gingerale, so he's pretty passionate about that.
I tend to buy generic brands of things (again, with the cheapness), but there's generic store brand and then there's No-Name. No-Name brand is... like the lowest of the low when it comes to generic. With it's yellow and black packaging and complete lack of anything to attract you to it, it's the cheapest option out there. Most Canadians are pretty familiar with it.
But does it make a difference? I've definitely found that for some things, it doesn't matter at all, but I'm sure there are others where it makes a difference.
So, this is my experiment. From now on, anytime I buy something new, I'm going to buy No-Name. And I'll rate it: Worth the Savings, Not Worth the Savings and Somewhat Worth the Savings.
I'm thinking this will be an ongoing feature on this blog. I'll let you know some of the products I'm trying out and whether I think it makes any difference.
Today I bought Gingerale:
and Mayonnaise:
I haven't had a chance to try either at this point, but I'll let you know. I'm pretty passionate about my mayo, so I'm skeptical. And Paul gagged when he saw that I bought No-Name Gingerale, so he's pretty passionate about that.
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