Works For Me: The Brand-Loyal Edition

I am a marketer's nightmare.  I generally operate under the assumption that generic is perfectly fine, thankyouverymuch, and if generic isn't available, I just reach for whichever brand name is cheapest that day. 

BUT, as I am getting older and turning the act of grocery shopping into a fine art, I am learning that there a few brands that are worth the extra pennies.  Here's my list, and I'd love to hear yours.

Charmin Ultra toilet paper.  Because y'all, my family's bottoms deserve the best.  I have even been known to pack Charmin on trips if we're staying at the sort of place that seems likely to have sandpaper-ish stuff in the bathroom.

Oxi-Clean Laundry Stain Remover.  We take stains to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL in this household, and I continue to be amazed at the messes this stuff can clean up.

Bounty Paper Towels.  I must have an issue with paper products.  But I cannot stand crinkly, stiff paper towels that don't work.

Tide laundry detergent.  I'm a latecomer in joining the Tide groupies.  For years, I have held out and bought the cheapest detergent I could find.  And it all worked perfectly fine for me.  But then, on a whim, I took out a second mortgage and bought some Tide...and OH MY WORD.  It was the SMELL that did me in.  For the first couple of weeks I nearly hyperventilated every time I did laundry, I was doing so much sniffing.  It's heavenly.  So I've kept buying it in hopes that Hubs will not figure out how much we're spending on detergent.

Would you believe that's it?  Nearly everything else I buy generic, or cheapest available.  But there are a few non-grocery brands that I will drive out of the way for:

Honda.  We bought our first Honda about a year and a half ago, and it's been the most solid car we've ever owned.  No wonder people love them so much.  So when it was time to replace my van this spring, we bought another Honda.   I'll never go back.

Sonic.  I don't know what they put in their Diet Cokes to make them taste so much better than everyone else's, but I keep going back.  I think it's the styrofoam cups that keep the ice fresh ALL day.  My six-year-old son has told me that his dream is to work at Sonic when he grows up, because, he says, "I"ll give you Route 44 Diet Cokes whenever you want."  Sweet boy.

Burger King.  Best fast food burgers.  Period.

Sherwin Williams paint.  In the last five years, we have painted nearly every surface in our entire house, including cabinets and trim.  We've tried nearly every brand of paint (we started with the cheap stuff), and let me TELL you it makes a different.  I only use Sherwin Williams now, and it goes on much more smoothly and thickly than anything else.

Also, their Color Visualizer on their website is so helpful.

Okay, girls--share your list of must-use brands below.  Works-For-Me Wednesday guidelines can be found here. 

And y'all?  I am SO not trying to be a meanie about this, but I'm going to delete any WFMW links that go directly to the front page of a blog instead of to the WFMW post.  People browse through WFMW all week long, so if your link doesn't go straight to your post, it can be frustrating for readers to find it.  Please, FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS on how to link directly to your WFMW post. 

Thanks, as always, for playing along.  You make this so much fun.

1. OW (Aquaphor) 2. Jill (free coupons) 3. Diatribal (many many things...) 4. Smockity Frocks (Frosted Flakes) 5. Capturing Today 6. Lana G! 7. Laura (Command Hooks) 8. WorksForMom (Favorite Clothing) 9. Sincerely Anna 10. ellen b ~ the best 11. Stretch Mark Mama (Baby Bjorn Bibs) 12. Michelle at Scribbit (sack lunch ideas) 13. Pmom @ Chocolate and Garlic (Cook\'s Illustrated) 14. An Ordinary Mom (Burt\'s Beeswax) 15. Mandy Houk (Lysol!) 16. Christa @ No End in Site (3 for moms) 17. Karen (Detergent) 18. SingForHim @ RealLife (I save 50% on groceries) 19. Jodi (It\'s the Cheesiest) 20. mommy of three (brand loyalty) 21. Jane Recycled Fabric 22. NerdMom (Brand Loyalty) 23. Western Warmth (Magic Erasers!!!) 24. Mommy-fied (airtight containers) 25. Nikki (spot remover, t.p. paper towels) 26. Stacey@Look, Mom, Look! (Music for Moods) 27. Mommy Zabs (making playdoh) 28. Chrystal 29. Heather (puzzles and then some) 30. DeputyHeadmistress(how to find things in your purse) 31. faithful chick (Carmex and Sharpies, oh my!) 32. Lynnae (Land\'s End Backpacks) 33. Ewokgirl (Red Juice and cat food) 34. My Twenty Cents Keeps Moving (coke, palmolive etc) 35. chilihead (jeans, makeup, more) 36. Chrystal (MILK) 37. Kelli (Living in Grace) - Cleaning Winners! 38. Sheila (juice with less sugar) 39. Bev (Chips, TP, Cars) 40. Emily (BabyGap socks) 41. Susanne (varied items) 42. Lori - Queen of Dirty Laundry (Velveeta, Dr. Pepper, etc.) 43. Laura @ Laura Williams\' Musings (varies) 44. Shauna (various) 45. Dawn (A Few Things) 46. The Pumkin Patch 47. Michelle (kitchen tips) 48. Abel (Some simple birthday ideas on wife\'s birthday) 49. Elizabeth (paper towels) 50. Alison 51. At A Hen\'s Pace (subbing ground turkey--secrets & recipe) 52. Owlhaven (my splurges) 53. Mamalady(Costco) 54. Suzanne (fav brands) 55. Jennifer (Top10 favorites) 56. Sasha- Brand Loyalty 57. Proverbs31 (Borden,Pace,etc) 58. Joo (grocery faves) 59. Robin (Tiny Love toys) 60. Duckabush Blog (Homeschool Faves) 61. Karla (teeth whitening) 62. Corrie (family faves) 63. mummifiedx5 (my favs) 64. Christine~AreWeThereYetMom(family favorites and a quick craft idea) 65. 3foldcord (no more tears) 66. Organising Queen (favourite Bible) 67. cardiogirl (stain removal)

68. Kathy (salad dressing & brownies) 69. Nap Warden (Shoes, the shoes!) 70. Stephanie (label once, lotion) 71. phyllis (morningstar farms) 72. Beth/Mom2TwoVikings (mac & cheese) 73. Laane 74. Musings of a Housewife 75. Georgia Mom (Publix, Lands End, Boar\'s Head) 76. Katrina (Stainless Steel Cleaner) 77. Musings of a Housewife (cleaning stuff, diapers, coffee, and more!) 78. Shirley (two dead mice) 79. Jenny from Mommin\' It Up (Carter\'s clothing) 80. peach (Dr.Pepper, etal) 81. carrie@with all that I\'ve been given (compiled list) 82. Jes (Trash bags and TP) 83. Kathy (cleaning products) 84. Short Stop (Starbucks Favorites) 85. Elena managers of their homes 86. mopsy (Mexican Coke) 87. Rhen (redemmption box) 88. Merci (Cascade Action Packs) 89. Aubrey (cereal) 90. Jen (brand loyal) 91. The Natural Mommy (Best. Bib. Ever.) 92. Heather L. (car organizer) 93. Charity (my fav brands) 94. Kel (kids teeth brushing product) 95. The Building Brows (Toilet Wand, Simple Solution, more fab cleaning brands) 96. Katrina (1st WFMW post, T.P.) 97. Lori ~ Simple Life at Home (various) 98. Tonsofsons ~ cean car 99. Tracy(various) 100. Multitasking Mama (towels, detergent, toiletries etc) 101. April (food and kids) 102. jen (Tide, cleaner, pb&j) 103. oh amanda (more than you wanna know) 104. Redheaded Ranting (breastfeeding hurts!) 105. Juggling Frogs (curling ribbon) 106. Melissa(food products) 107. Stacey, Kisses From the Father 108. Not Quite Crunchy Parent ( Bring Back the Booster) 109. Lorraine (my list) 110. Leeann (TIVO, scent free products, meat loaf mix) 111. Carrie (flip flops, strollers, and girl\'s clothes) 112. Milehimama (A roundup of favorites) 113. Summer\'s Nook (Brand Loyalty) 114. Amy (Magic Bullet) 115. Jendeis (Open Pit BBQ sauce) 116. Melinda (brand loyalty) 117. Kara (Oreo\'s) 118. Amy (Lotions) 119. Jennifer (just a few holdouts) 120. Tracy (black beans and more) 121. Demeter (FotL & Scott Extra) 122. Kris @ Wonder Mom 123. KimC (brand loyalty) 124. Candace (Eat More Veggies) 125. Ann (phone center and basket loyalty) 126. Lady Why (baby products and more) 127. Naturemama (drink up) 128. Kellyn (Socks) 129. Karen (my favorites) 130. MommaofMany (a supertaster\'s sandwich bag) 131. Liza (best lip balm) 132. Meredith (strollers, knits, backpacks) 133. MrsPear (Aveeno, All Free and Clear) 134. (((((HUGS))))) sandi~worcestershire&vitamins I sell

135. Callista (my brands) 136. Janel 137. Simply A Musing Blog 138. GP in Montana 139. Holly (laundry detergent) 140. Desiree Rutter 141. TX Poppet (salsa & consumer politics) 142. Clappy Shoes Magic Eraser 143. Southern Girl (Lean Cuisine) 144. Good Thoughts 145. Texastanya (favorite things) 146. SAHMmy Says(best baby products) 147. singinole 148. Deb (brands I use) 149. Jennifer @ The Mom Chronicles 150. Janell/Special Needs Homeschool 151. Linda(tuna& cokes) 152. warillever 153. Jennifer (several things) 154. The Estrogen Files - Lowes vs Home Depot 155. Mandy (teeth whitening, makeup, wall scrubber) 156. KimC (brand loyalty) 157. Barbara (Tetley Tea, and more) 158. jen@Conversations 159. Laura 160. Scissorbill (CRISCO!) 161. Adena (making biscuits and brands) 162. Cindee (brand loyalty) 163. ~Amy (soy milk & pet food) 164. Amy 165. Gift of Green (Ziploc and 365 Milk) 166. margalit (filofax, hellmans, method cleaners) 167. Kathy Days (brands with easy-read allergen labels) 168. MoobeeMa (Supermom Vitamins) 169. Kelli @ Gohn Crazy (Brands I LOVE) 170. Doris (favorite fabric softener) 171. Ann\'Re (my list) 172. Mo (my must have brands) 173. A Reforming Mom (my real list) 174. Kara (diapers to chocolate) 175. Lindsey (great online finds) 176. Momma 2 Beans (My Top 10) 177. The BRC 178. Andrea (personal and cleaning) 179. Annabelle (Christian Momma) 180. Amy (bad experience w/ cheap detergent) 181. Jamie (skivies) 182. Stacey (fave brands) 183. Jenn 184. Melody (First WFMW) 185. Song of the Sagebrush (Saving on the Power Bill) 186. MemeGRL (lots of favorites) 187. Frugal Homemaker Plus (Brand Loyal does not have to be expensive! Plus my favorite brands) 188. morethanafish (household faves) 189. Tara (Easy Off Bam - The Yellow One) 190. Nancy - Fav Foods and Stuff! 191. Stephanie - Green Cleaning Products 192. Dini (deoderant/cereal) 193. Jill (these are a few of my favorite things!) 194. Ang (I love this thing!) 195. Aimee 196. Nikki @ Recovering the Design (top 5) 197. jen 198. Amy (the second time I actually liked to the blog!!) 199. Lizzie (dish scrubbers/scrapbooks) 200. Penny (Mama26blessings)

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Comments

[Laura]

I couldn't agree more with Bounty and Tide except we have to use Tide Free due to my son's allergies so no sniff fest happening over here. I also LOVE Cascade for my dishwasher. I will NOT use anything else!

Great edition!
Laura

[Smockity Frocks]

Wow, Shannon. You went all out on your list of products. Thank you! I can't wait to read what everyone else says, too.

[ellen b]

this is going to be interesting. We've always been Toyota and Honda fans. I'm just becoming a Tide fan since Amway is no longer selling their SA8 plus detergent that was the best stuff out there...
Thanks for your hosting...

[diatribal]

Shannon, I'm totally with you on the Good Paper Products. (I choose Bounty also!) Be wary of Charmin Ultra, however. That is what we used to buy because it is so soft. One day, we found a nasty clog in our plumbing. It was very difficult to remove (initially, they thought that tree roots had invaded). Finally, the plumber asked what type of TP we were using. When I told him Charmin Ultra, he chuckled and said, "Well, that's the problem!" I have since had 2 other plumbers tell me never to use that stuff because it clogs pipes. We have switched to cottonelle (my husband actually likes it better) and we have had no "plumbing" problems...pardon the pun!

This was a great idea! I am having a blast reading about what other folks have to buy!

[Lisa]

My love for our Hondas borders on idol-worship. And I'm proud--of--it!

[Michelle at Scribbit]

Nice to hear some good recommendations-- thanks!

[An Ordinary Mom]

Add liquid Biz to your Oxi Clean and you will have an amazing stain remover on your hands! I posted about this little trick earlier in the year as a WFMW!

[Karen@FamilyBriefs]

Wow! Look at all the brands YOU came up with! I struggled for my one (although I should have come up with our Honda as well - I REALLY couldn't live without it!!!)

We love Oxi-Clean too and our favorite Bounty is the Select-A-Size!

Thanks for hosting a great week again!

[Chelsea]

Amen to your brands! I, too, adore Tide, Oxi-Clean, and my beloved Honda Odyssey. I've also had an Accord that made it to 172,000 miles each before I was able to sell it used for $3,000. Talk about solid cars.
I once tried the Costco brand of toilet paper. It smelled like vomit. Seriously. I'll never buy anything but Charmin again.
I'm personally a fan of Chick-fil-A's Diet Dr Peppers, which also come in those wonderful styrofoam cups, but I'll admit that a Sonic stop can make me happy on a hot summer day.

[Karen (mommy of three)]

I am so with you on most of these, lol:-) However, I recently switched from Tide after *cough*32 years, my whole life*cough* of Tide Loyalty. I had a coupon for $5 off Arm & Hammer Detergent, and it was only $8.97 for a box that is for 120 loads, so for $3.97 I had to try it...and I love it! I never thought I would like anything else, but this is great. Everything is just as clean, if not more, and smells great too! Not to mention the price savings!!!

[Jane]

My love for the scent of Tide is crazy. It's my favorite mens cologne! For women, I tend to wear Fabreeze! LOL, seriously though it's true!

As for other brands, it has to be Helmans (or here in CA -Best Foods) mayo or I'm not havin' it.

I have had a Honda and it was one of my most beloved cars, but now I am equally in love with my Toyota Scion. My dh has a Toyota that is 14 years old and still holding it's own on LA's mean streets.

That's about it- coupons and sales tend to rule the purse here.

[Western Warmth]

Thanks for sharing those!

[faithful chick]

With you on the Tide, sista! It hurts my tummy to think of paying more, but the smell of some Tide Clean Breeze makes it all better! Top that off with a Downy Clean Breeze dryer sheet...nirvana!

[Chrystal]

Thanks for this post. I look forward to seeing what people choose to stick with! Forgive me for posting twice. I meant to include that brief definition and forgot the first time. Please delete the first one if you get a chance. Thanks again for hosting!

[Lynnae (From Under the Clutter)]

Thanks for sharing! I'm still resisting the Tide....though it's getting harder after reading the comments!

[Bev]

This is my first time doing the WFMW, hope I did it right!

[Emily]

I love Tide, too, although I use the unscented variety.

I'm so happy I actually have a good WFM idea to share this time! :) I've been skipping it for awhile because I couldn't think of anything.

[Laura @ Laura Williams' Musings]

I'm not a true brand loyal person.. I just use what works best and what I can by inexpensively with coupons, sales, etc.

[Shauna]

Totally agree about the heavenly scent of Tide. I can't justify the cost unless it's really on sale, though!

[Jeannette]

I think it is the ice in the route 44's that keep me coming back. And for the record, choc. coke is my all time favorite. although right now I am off of colas until I lose some more weight. I refuse to go on that cruise next May in a size 16 again.

[Michelle]

LOL, I'm the total opposite of you on TP, Shannon. I buy Scott because it's not all cushy. I know most people can't stand it but I can't stand the cushy stuff.

[Jennifer]

It's funny to see how many of my favorite items are also other people's... that must mean they are really good!
Thanks for the fun!

[Stacey]

I don't like Charmin at all..it's too soft for me,I need some roughage. ;) I buy the Costco toilet paper or white cloud from Wal-Mart.

I love Sonic's little ices! I want to buy a freezer just so I can buy bags of pebble ice. :)

[jen]

I LOVE Burger King

[Sasha]

I love Tide. I totally agree about the smell.

Sonic--Lime slush...yum

BK-Definitely the best if there isn't a Whataburger around. However...BK has better fries than the latter.