Don’t Waste Money Buying Brands for These Products
Buying stuff can be fun, but the capitalist assumption of branding also makes it pretty stressful. Our stores and online platforms are filled with brands – no matter what you want to buy, there are literally hundreds of brands to choose from. Some you’ve heard of, some seem sketchy, and some remain a mystery, but most product categories have what you’d call a “premium” brand. These are well-known products from an established company that supposedly offer top-notch quality when compared to other offerings. But premium brands tend to prove themselves more through marketing than actual results. Generic or “store brands” started out as dull, cheaper alternatives, but they’ve actually blossomed a bit in recent years. These store brands are making a lot of money, and grocery chains are investing heavily in them.
Of course, just because a “generic” brand can be as good as a premium brand at the core ingredient level doesn’t necessarily mean that buying premium is always a waste of time, and while many over-the-counter or even prescription drugs are essentially are just like premium brands, they often use lower quality fillers and binders, which can affect your experience with them, and that experience sometimes comes at a cost. However, there are some products that are literally the same no matter how much money you spend on them or how fancy the brand is. For these products, paying extra for a premium brand is a waste of time. Here are the products you should never overpay for.
HDMI cables
These days, HDMI cables are as essential to modern life as coffee and oxygen. Everything from your streaming entertainment to your home computer to your video game system probably requires an HDMI cable to deliver content to your eyes, and there are plenty of companies that are more than happy to outright lie to you about their “premium” HDMIs. cables. Gilded? It should be better – after all , it’s gold .
The thing is, all HDMI cables are pretty much the same , and you won’t improve your digital experience by buying a fancy bundle. Take advantage of these Amazon basics and spend that extra cash on something that really matters, like a bottle of Goldschläger . Should be good – after all, it has gold in it .
Petrol
Gasoline is gasoline, no matter where you buy it from. There are different grades of gasoline, yes (although that doesn’t really matter either, since you should almost always buy regular, not premium ), but the brand of gasoline makes little to no difference. It ‘s literally the same combustible substance , no matter who sells it to you, or what kind of marketing they put on top of it. This means you’re always better off shopping for the lowest per gallon comparison or value convenience over branding.
Milk
Like gasoline, milk… milk. There are different varieties (whole, fat-free, etc.) that you can choose from, but it doesn’t matter what brand it is when choosing a carton of milk. Milk is usually produced at large regional dairies, and then packaged in different brands and sent to stores. In other words, almost all the milk in your grocery store comes from the same sources and is essentially the same thing . Go ahead and buy the cheapest milk you can find. The extra spending on premium brands has more to do with their packaging and advertising spend than anything else.
Baking accessories
You might think that when making a cake or batch of cookies for your loved ones, the brand of your mix or baking powder matters. You don’t want to offer someone cheap baked goods, do you? Well, no, but the brand of your ingredients doesn’t matter. Most of your baking bases will be the same no matter how much you spend on them or what brand. In fact, professional chefs tend to buy regular baking mixes, baking powder, and sugar for their creations because they know there are zero differences between brands. If you’re serving a bad cupcake, it’s because of your baking, not your overall ingredients.
spices
Take a moment to think about salt. Salt, fundamental to civilization, is simply sodium chloride. It is abundant and necessary for our health. There are different types of salt, but salt is so simple that there is simply no difference between brands. It’s just sodium chloride. Whether you buy table salt or sea salt, choose the cheapest brand you can find. The same goes for just about every spice on your shelf: if you can find a generic version or a competing brand that sells for a lower price, go for it. You won’t notice the difference because there is no difference.
Bleach
Bleach has become one of those products that are so closely associated with specific brands that we tend to think of them as interchangeable, but bleaches are chemical compounds (usually involving sodium or calcium hypochlorite) and as such they are all essentially the same. Whether you’re bleaching your clothes or trying to clean your bathroom tiles, it literally doesn’t matter how much you paid for the bleach you use.
One aspect of your bleach purchasing decision that can make a difference is the packaging. Well-known brands like Chlorox have put a little more effort into their bottles, designing them in a way that reduces splashing or spilling, which may justify some of the extra money. But what’s inside the bottle? It does not matter. Buy a premium bottle once if you need to and refill it with cheaper stuff when you run out.
Water
Ah, branded water: the greatest scam ever perpetrated against humanity. Water is such a basic substance that it literally falls from the sky on a regular basis, and yet corporations have somehow convinced us that a little water is somehow better and therefore worth our money. If you’re talking about water with something added, such as flavoring or vitamins, then you might be entitled to pay more for that brand (though you really don’t ). However, if you’re just buying water, it doesn’t matter which one you buy. This is water.
To be fair, mineral water is a real thing and drinking it has some minor benefits as it can deliver, you know, the minerals your body uses. This does not mean that mineral water is necessary , but you will not go crazy if you decide to drink it. In this case, the brand does not matter much, as different mineral waters have different composition. Yes, tap water quality varies and bottled water has a place in our lives, but if you’re not looking for mineral water, just shop for the cheapest water you can find.
Sunscreen
Sunscreen is a classic product that you get what you pay for. This is because most people don’t know that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates sunscreen as a drug . This means that all sunscreens meet the same standards and basically contain the same ingredients. While the type of sunscreen you use (in terms of SPF and other features like water resistance) matters, the brand you buy doesn’t . In fact, most store-bought sunscreens work just as well as their branded counterparts.
Of course, you may have your own brand preferences. It’s your money, so you’re making yourself, but with these particular products, it just doesn’t make sense to spend more.