Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Not So Knock Off

Today as I was changing Brayden's diaper, I was thinking about how some things (alot actually) are totally fine with getting the knock off. Save $1, smile, live to see another day. But some things, such as diaper cream, really are the real deal, and knock off's just don't cut it. I decided that I should start a list of knock off's that really don't hit the bar as far as quality is concerned. If you have something to add to the list, by all means, please leave a comment. Here's to helping out the fellow consumers:
Desitin diaper rash cream- I'm sorry Equate brand, but you really didn't get the whole composition of Desitin now did you? It's runny, the creams and oils separate, and it leads to a huge mess. Dirty diapers are bad enough, I want something that will come out fast, easy and go on clean and with one swipe. Thank you Desitin-- I will proudly dish out the extra buck just to get your purple tube!
Velvetta- Off brand veletta is like eating ground up chalk with orange dye in it. No seriously, it is. The Aldi's brand comes close, but if you're making cheese dip, do yourself and your dinner guests a favor and buy the real deal. People will thank you while they're licking their chops with cheesy rotel goodness.
Off Brand Mack and Cheese-- I really have only tried off brand mac and cheese once. When I was 11 years old. Our maid made us some for lunch (it was what mom left us), and I about threw up all over the freshly waxed floors (ok, they were just shined and lysoled, but do 11 year olds really know the difference?). I told Shirley that she had made chalk for us to eat, and she laughed so hard. Needless to say, mom bought Kraft from then on out.
Off Brand Sodas-- nothing beats a Coca-Cola classic, NOTHING. Dr Pepper would also be in this category (Mr. Pibb aint got nothing on the Dr.).
Off Brand Dishwasher Detergent-- Drew's about as frugal as a person can come, and he has begged me to purchase Palmolive. Apparently the off brand leaves residue on our dishes that dear Drew can't stand to have on there.
Off Brand Pads-- sorry if you're a dude and you read my blog, but maybe this will help you out if your woman asks you to go to the store for her. I thought for sure that the off brand pads would be as good as the name brand. I mean, can't hurt anything right? Wrong. Take my word for it. ALWAYS is named that for a reason. On a side note, off brand tampons work great, so I guess the money you save evens out in the end.
Off Brand Diapers/Wipes-- We've tried, on numerous occasions, to switch from Pampers to an off brand diaper. I mean, let's face it, diaper manufacturers have us mom's in a corner. Unless you are super granola and plan on cloth diapering (more power to you! I couldn't do it if my life depended on it!), you'll see what i mean. Brayden leaked out of EVERYTHING but Pampers. Even Huggies. I told Drew that what little money we did save on diapers was quickly diminished by all of the laundry I was forced to do because of leaky diapers. So, we've stuck to Pampers, and likely won't change anytime soon. Off brand wipes are the same way. We're huggies wipes fans, probably moreso because you can buy them by the case at Sam's. We've tried off brand, and I think you use 3 times more than if you use the Huggies brand.

That's all I can think of right now. Trust me, I am a very frugal person, but some things, you just can't buy off brand!

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