WFMW: The Brand Name Edition

This week, Works-for-Me Wednesday is a theme edition. What brand names are worth the extra money?

I almost always buy the generic brand or whatever is on sale. I have very little brand loyalty. However, there are some exceptions. Isn't there always?

The first is milk. I have always been an rBST-free kind of gal, even before it was the new big thing. I have always bought Hood Milk because it was always the least expensive of the rBST-free milks.

Plus, come on, it has a light-block bottle for better taste! (Seriously, I have no idea if that does anything at all.)

Just yesterday, I went to the store - the store that usually has the cheapest milk - and Hood is over 4-bucks a gallon! I was not happy. It just so happens that the same store - Hannaford - now has rBST-free store brand milk for .20/gal less than Hood.

I now seriously question that brand loyalty.

One brand I do not question my loyalty to is Cabot Cheese. It's made in Vermont. Enough said. Oh yeah, and it tastes so good! It's creamy, not crumbly. It's award winning. I have tried other brands and there is no comparison. It is also pretty affordable. (But maybe that is just here because it doesn't have to go far.)

King Arthur Flour. Again, made here. (See a theme?) It is also non-bleached and never bromated. It's good flour. I buy a 25 lb. bag every month at Costco.

They have so many varieties. They have a white whole wheat, for people like me who need to be acclimated to whole wheat.

And their recipe for classic white sandwich bread is to die for. A staple in our home. It's also good made with half wheat flour.

Ritz Crackers. We all hate the store brand. Ritz rules! Plus, I can get them at Costco, so they are not really any more than the store brand. Peanut butter and crackers is a must-have staple in this house.

Oh yeah, peanut butter. We hate the store brand. Even the kids can taste the difference. I really have no preference between Jif and Skippy, but I buy Skippy because they sell it at - you guessed it - Costco.

It's funny that I came up with so many products because all I could think of when Shannon first announced this theme was the natural products we use.

When we first went natural on cleaners and soaps, I tried every natural dishwasher soap I could find and they all were terrible. Then I payed the extra few cents for Seventh Generation and I love it. It works so well! The dishes come out clean and, best of all, no migraines! Oh, and no phosphorous goes into the lake. If you're into that sort of thing.

I also use Seventh Generation laundry soap and household cleaner spray. The spray is great for mirrors and windows. There is no smell at all! (Unlike Windex, which gives me an awful migraine if I just walk into a room where it was used.)

And did I mention they are local? Not just in VT, like Cabot and King Arthur, but actually within walking distance from my home.

I can't leave without mentioning my buddy Burt's Bees. I started buying the lip shimmer because my husband would not kiss me with lip gloss on because of the taste. Since he wore Burt's Bees lip balm, I thought, what the heck? I'll try it.

I love it!

In fact, the store was out once, so I tried another brand of natural, minty lip gloss - eeew! Not as good as Burt's.

I also buy their face powder and face cream.

Last, but not least, for my hair, I buy Nature's Gate. The shampoo and conditioner (jojoba) and the hair gel, it works great for keeping my curl from turning to frizz, without the crunchy-stickiness!

For more brand-loyalty WFMW posts, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer!