This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dollar General for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
In some cases I am a brand loyalist. For other items, I discovered long ago that brand doesn’t really matter. Generic brands are often nearly identical to the big brands. And, and of course, they are usually a lot less expensive.
For a little budget-minded shipping, I headed out to Dollar General to compare a few Dollar General Brands to the big boys. I was quite surprised just how many Dollar General brand items were available. Honestly, I never really noticed the Dollar General brand before, typically shopping for a specific item.
My challenge was to purchase one item from each of Dollar General’s generic branded lines:
- Dollar General Health
- Dollar General Body
- Dollar General Baby
- Dollar General Cleaning
- Clover Valley (DG’s food line)
I really wasn’t sure what options I would find initially, but as I filled my cart I soon realized that there were a ton of great options from every category. After considering what we needed at home and the Dollar General options available, I quickly narrowed my selection. I purchased:
- Dollar General Health – 100% Natural Beeswax Lip Balm (for K who just recently finished her balm and was in need of more)
- Dollar General Health – Hand sanitizer (for K’s back-to-school list – yes, I am starting early)-
- Dollar General Body – Hand soap (because we always need soap refills)
- Dollar General Baby – Corn starch powder (for homemade sidewalk chalk paint)
- Dollar General Baby – Unscented wipes (also from K’s school supply list)
- Dollar General Cleaning – Cleaning wipes (who doesn’t need more of these?!)
- Clover Valley – Green Olives (for our favorite family meal)
As I pursued the aisles considering Dollar General brand items, what struck me the most was the savings. On average, the Dollar General item was $1 less than the national brand. That’s a savings of approximately $7 on my seven items (no coupons needed)! Plus Dollar General brand items come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
After realizing how much I was saving, I decided to splurge on a large frame that I found in the clearance bin. While the art inside the frame is not my style, I am on the hunt for nice frames to spray paint and convert for the playroom. At just $5 for a detailed 12×12, it was a bargain. Especially when you consider that I saved more than that buying Dollar General brand items.
My grand total for everything in the picture (and the frame, which you can kind of see in the picture) was $19.95. Not too shabby for a pile of things needed for our house.
Next time you are at Dollar General, check out the Dollar General brand items. There are so many options to choose from, I bet you will find more than a couple of things on your shopping list too.
Connect with Dollar General on Facebook and Follow Dollar General on Twitter to stay up-to-date on current promotions and sales. (Hint, from time to time there are various dollar off purchase coupons that would really make Dollar General branded items a deal.)
Christy Garrett says
June 20, 2013 at 10:47 pmI typically am a fan of using generic cleaners. They are made of the same base chemicals and are a fraction of the cost. I love finding hidden treasures at Dollar General.
Rust says
June 22, 2013 at 8:09 pmI stretch my grocery budget at dollar general and have for years. I also like their pet supply prices.
Diana Stanhope says
June 22, 2013 at 8:23 pmI love their brand! I shop Dollar General every week because of the $5 coupon and because it is the only general store in my small town! It’s great they support small towns.
natalie parvis says
June 22, 2013 at 8:31 pmI enjoy shopping there now and again. i like getting cleaning supplies there.
Sherri Lewis says
June 22, 2013 at 8:33 pmI haven’t ever tried any of their brand stuff, but I will have to give them a try…..
Kimberly Schotz says
June 22, 2013 at 9:23 pmWish we had a Dollar General around here. I am always looking for ways to save money.
Dianna Thomas says
June 22, 2013 at 9:35 pmI wish we had a Dollar General–we have the Dollar Tree –and I do save some there– and they do use coupons ,but not freebies –you always pay tax–but its ok
✩.•*ミ Amy Orvin ミ✩.•* says
June 22, 2013 at 10:02 pmI never buy the store brands, but I do love saving money. Thanks for the info. I need to check into this.
Sheila K. says
June 23, 2013 at 11:01 amWe go to Dollar General every month or two to stock up on cleaning supplies and paper products; it saves a lot of money over time!
Susan H. says
June 23, 2013 at 7:59 pmI love to shop at Dollar General. There is one about 3 minutes from my house. I buy a lot of their brand items also. Love to avoid Wally World.
Crissi says
June 24, 2013 at 7:05 amWill definitely check some of these out – definitely love non-name-brand cleaning supplies. Such a deal and get the job done just the same!!
Tina says
June 25, 2013 at 8:13 pmI love Dollar General. I love their products. I usually buy their brand. I love their coupons too.
Kim Henrichs says
June 26, 2013 at 12:36 pmI’m new to Dollar General but so far I’m really liking their stuff! I get a lot of cooking supplies there.
Kenneth Floyd says
June 28, 2013 at 3:25 amThe only problem is that there are no dollar generals within 15 miles of me.
Sandy McFadden says
June 28, 2013 at 8:10 amI love Dollar General I find some great items at bargain prices.
Christy Denton says
June 28, 2013 at 8:10 amAs an avid couponer and otherwise super frugal person, if I don’t have a coupon or it’s not on sale (for a REALLY good price) then we buy generic. Some items I don’t even try to hunt down coupons for because I actually like the brand name BETTER! I feel like lots of big name companies have their reputation and loyal customers, and they feel like they can cut small corners (which lowers quality). Store brands are constantly fighting to get new people to ditch the big names and switch to their store brands. For that reason, they are always trying to IMPROVE their already comparable product! Double score for us! Cheaper prices and the same or better quality on a variety of items. This is especially true for generic medicines, which follow the same formula as their pricey counterparts. FYI I scored a 250 count bottle of Dollar General ib prof-fin for $4 .79 not too long ago!
karen l says
June 28, 2013 at 12:29 pmI shop there all the time!
Richard Hicks says
June 29, 2013 at 2:18 amSavings are really good for generics. THey are mostly the same as the branded ones made by same companies. We get generics all the time
Sandy VanHoey says
June 30, 2013 at 3:06 amI have bought a lot of items like their sinus pills, etc. Haven’t tried any of the baby wipes but need to since we use so many here.
helga says
June 30, 2013 at 2:58 pmI have never been disappointed with DG brands. Thanks for the review.