When you’re a broke grad student, you learn almost as much about store brand products as you do about your field of study. Buying store brand can help your limited grocery budget stretch a bit further each month, but it can also lead to buyer’s remorse. In some cases, the store brand is a great product. In others… well you probably should have gone with the name brand.

Since not all store brand products are created equal, I’ve decided to share my knowledge with you all. I hope that you can learn from my mistakes. Now, as a disclaimer, my store brand knowledge applies specifically to Kroger, which is where I do all my grocery shopping. I cannot vouch for the quality of other grocery chains’ brands, although I suspect they follow a similar pattern. My list of okay-to-buy products would be ridiculously long, so I’m just going to share my “don’ts” list:

• floss – Do NOT buy Kroger brand floss! It is weirdly shaped (aka not round), so it is very difficult to use.
• “hazelnut spread” – Weird flavor, weird consistency. Stick with actual Nutella. (Although Kroger brand peanut butter is perfectly delicious).
• dish detergent – Just buy Cascade or whatever your favorite name brand is. For whatever reason, dish detergent is something you can’t skimp on. (At least in my experience, this applies only to the powder. I have never tried Kroger’s liquid detergent. It may be rad.)

• feminine products – The store brand is bulky and uncomfortable at a time of month when you are attempting to maximize comfort. Stick with Tampax or that new “U” by Kotex stuff.
• razors – For some reason, Walgreens decided that their razor heads should pivot in a very bizarre fashion. The end result is that, unless you hold your arm at an extremely uncomfortable angle, only one of three blades on the razor will actually be in contact with your skin. Uncomfortable, inefficient and not worth the $1 you saved.