On the subject of medications/vitamins: My aunt is a pharmacist, so I asked her if there was any difference between a generic vitamin C versus something with an actual brand. She says by definition they have to have what they advertise, so if two different bottles both say they have X milligrams of something, they both have it. However, the difference is that generic brands might take longer to dissolve in your stomach, meaning parts of it might never quite get digested, and thus you'll flush stuff out instead of absorbing it. Same thing with medications - they might take longer to relieve a headache, for example.
For the most part, though, since generics ARE so much cheaper, I'll tend to go for those with simple things like headache/pain killers. You can get store brand stuff that is the same as Aleve and so on. I've found that generic eye solution (not contact cleaner, but for red eyes and such) and nasal decongestant sprays seem to work pretty well. Antibiotic gels and whatnot also seem to work pretty well.
Won't get anything less than Listerine. It is all about the Listerine. Also Colgate Complete.
Will get generics on products where I can't think of a way that they'll fail. So paper bags, plastic sandwich bags, q-tips, cleaning supplies like counter wipes, etc all seem to be ok. Napkins, plastic/paper cups and plates if ever needed, and other stuff like that all seem to be ok. Seems like Windex versus anything-not-Windex is a lost cause - they all leave streaks.
Only use Heinz ketchup. Someone point me to something better. Found that generic mustard tastes ok.
Only eat Poptarts, but that's more because of a specific flavor than brand loyalty. Don't buy cereal often but I'll usually go for brand stuff. Don't buy many frozen pizzas, but I've found that 99% of them all taste the same anyway, unless you get California Pizza Kitchen.
I've tried to use generic lighter fluid for the grill, but I can't tell if it works better or worse than, say, Kings(whatever). But I'm about to get a charcoal chimney, so problem solved. Don't know if you lose anything by getting generic charcoal.
Local grocery chain - HEB - makes a lot of their own stuff, and I've found some of it really works. Their fajitas are good because they are already marinaded in liquid. So if you need to grill that same night, you'll still get something juicy and tender. Sure you can buy your own stuff from their meat market, but only if you're planning to marinade it over night.
I buy brand soap for washing dishes, but I should try a generic at some point. They are way cheaper. It's just that they look like little more than water with food coloring added.
