Top 5...

Along with learning to share a bathroom, a bed, way too little closet space, and the TV remote, Nick and I have also begun sharing the grocery shopping.  In the beginning it's important to shop together so that when you need your significant other to pick something up for you at the store they get the right thing.  This takes a little training and if your significant other isn't that observant it can be more difficult.  I am reminded of the time that I asked Nick to pick up some Q-tips while he was at the grocery store and he came home with Kroger brand cotton swabs.  I'm hoping it was because there was a sale on the Kroger brand swabs because no one who's ever used a brand other then Q-tip would buy the off brand.  There is a CLEAR difference between the two, and an important one when it comes to cleaning out your ears! There is about half the amount of  cotton on the end compared to Q-tips and those off brand ones feel like you might as well stick a pencil in your ear.  So it is with this inspiration that I give you a Top 5 based on items you just can't substitute. 

    

5. Heinz Ketchup: I'm pretty sure Heinz puts heroine in their ketchup because if you grew up on the stuff, and I don't know ANYONE that didn't grow up pairing fries, burgers, and hot dogs with Heinz ketchup, then you are one of the many brand loyal customers that really gets pissed every time you sit down at a Steak n' Shake, excited to order a plate of their shoestring fries until you look over next to the napkin holder and notice that Steak n' Shake doesn't serve Heinz ketchup! They provide that weird bottle of little mini pepper things but they serve ketchup which is actually manufactured by Steak n' Shake!  Then there are the restaurants that serve Hunt's Ketchup which is not an acceptable substitute either, you just can't beat that good ole Heinz!

4. Cereal: So this is a wide generalization and I know that there are some good generic brand cereals out there but of the few I've tried recently, they just don't cut it.  I know it's nece

ssary to cut back in these times and I'll definitely keep trying the off brand cereals but I can say that the off brand Raisin Bran with Granola vs. Post Raisin Brand Crunch doesn't even come close.  There's about half the amount of raisins and not nearly enough granola!  Then there's Honey Bunches of Oats with Strawberries, which is one of my top 5 cereals. It's a smaller box and is so damn expensive that I finally tried the generic brand and I was definitely disappointed.  The strawberry's tasted more like Styrofoam and there wasn't nearly enough honey on the flakes and granola!

3. Pickles:  I am a pickle LOVER. I was raised on the delicious garlic infused pickles from my Grandfather's garden and have been hooked ever since. I'm the girl that asks for your pickle if it's laying on your plate for too long and I've been known to make a meal of pickles!  Dill pickles are my favorite and Vlasic makes the best.  You've probably seen the commercials with the Stork cartoon describing how Vlasic has the firmest, crunchiest pickles, and they aren't lying! 

I've tried a ton of off brands and they are soggy and don't have the crunch that Vlasic delivers.  So if it's crunch you're looking for stick with Vlasic!

2. Paper Towel:  Thanks to Amazon.com and Nick's Amazon Triple Points credit card we're obsessed with buying things in bulk from the website.  Well one day Nick made the mistake of buying some no-name brand of paper towel which was the cheapest pack they offered and boy was it a mistake! I cringed every time I reached to pull off a paper towel and half a sheet would rip off before shredding to pieces when wiping off the counter.  With paper towels you get what you pay for and Seventh Generation is not worth the cost savings!!! 

1. PB&J:  I may be almost 27 years old but I still enjoy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich like I did when I was a 4th grader.  Most of us grew up on PB&J for lunch and then probably grew out of it in our college years.  I still eat one a week at least and it's still so good!  I was a Skippy crunchy kid growing up and have evolved to a JIF Smooth lover but along the way I tried m

y roommate's off brand peanut butter and it's so not the same quality! It's not bad and if you're used to it I'm sure it's great but there's a slight lack of flavor in the off brand.  I could probably get used to the off brand peanut butter but when it comes to jam, forget it!!  Smucker's jams and jellies seem to have a monopoly on the market but there's a good reason for that, they're without a doubt the best! Unfortunately it seems like the jars keep getting smaller while the prices for my beloved Raspberry preserves continues to go up, (to almost $5.00 a jar!), but when there's only 3 ingredients to a classic PB&J you can't really skimp on one of them!!