The owner of this pantry prefers Trader Joe's! Credit: paulcole/Flickr
I’m brainstorming a list of food brands that are a good value as part of research for this year’s Frugal Festival. An announcement about the date, location, and theme of this year’s event is coming soon!
In the meantime, let me know which food brands you rely on to save money at the grocery store, warehouse, or other place where edibles are sold. Beyond generic brands, which are often a great deal, what labels do you like because they mean value, in your mind?
Thanks for your help!
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
fresh and easy good deals on cheese and fruit
Trader Joe’s has good-quality stuff. For most items I’m not hung up on brand names because store/generic brands taste just as good.
However, I prefer Hellman’s/Best Foods mayo over Kraft (and CERTAINLY over generic). Every so often there are sales plus instant rebates on Unilever products at Walgreens, so I’ll stock up on mayo and Lipton tea bags. I generally use store-brand teabags for iced tea (my staple beverage), but with the sale/rebate Lipton is just as inexpensive. And I’ll admit to an ancestral fondness for the Lipton brand: It’s the kind my mom used.
I second the vote for TJ’s. Their cheeses, dairy products, rice, etc. can’t be beat for price and quality. They’ve finally brought back their Sweet & Hot mustard, which I really missed.
I also buy Pavilions/Vons Safeway brands for canned tomatoes, beans and some other items because I can get no-salt-added products that are often on sale. I buy regularly used produce at Jons, where prices are usually cheaper. However, produce prices have really shot up lately, and will probably continue to do so. I read the weekly ads in the newspaper, clip coupons and look for the best bargains.
I have been buying produce from Sprouts lately, their prices are really cheaper than any other store. As for tried and true brands, of all the toilet paper I buy on sale, my favorite is still Northern, and I will wait til it’s on sale and buy it as fast as I can! There really is a difference!
I really love Trader Joe’s. The quality cannot be beat, and (in most cases), the prices are right. I like their variety too. I use Ralph’s to fill in on some canned goods and cleaning products. I wish there were some Trader Joe’s coupons.
I’m with the other respondents in my praise for Trader Joe’s.
I find S&W Ready Cut Tomatoes and Muir Glen Diced Tomatoes to be far superior to other brands in taste and texture. They are so good, I can eat them right out of the can (I don’t usually, but they taste good).
Also, Bearitos Lowfat Refried Black Beans taste much better than other brands – very important for use in burritos and soup where the beans really need to shine.
In terms of vegetarian jerky (substitute for beef jerky), Primal Strips are really the best. I like the Hickory flavored soy strips which are wheat free. They taste much better than other brands, so much so, that I now order them from Amazon because they are challenging to find in stores on a regular basis.
Another item I order from Amazon is McCann’s Instant Irish Oatmeal. Much better texture than Quaker and other brands, and more natural flavor.
Are you looking for any brands? Local? Items that can be bought anywhere? Just curious. I lived in CA for a year. I miss those types of festivals you have out there.
Garelick Farms
Stonyfield Yogurt
Tropicana
Axelrod Yogurt
I picked items that I really like. They are not always the cheapest but from time to time you can get them on sale.
I try to buy them at bulk clubs when I can to ensure that they are cheaper.