My Big Splurges

I am not a big name-brand shopper-for the most part, I think store-brands are just as good. But I do have a few products that I splurge on because I think they are worth it for one reason or another. Here they are, and why I like them:

Jif-it's just my favorite peanut butter.

C&H brown sugar-packaging mostly, the store brands don't have zippers, so they always dry out before I use it all.

Florida's Natural OJ- it's the only one that the juice is all from the US- even Tropicana, Dole and Minute Maid have juice from other countries. I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous.

Hidden Valley Ranch- not only do I refuse to buy fat-free (yuck!), but this is the only brand that will suffice for me!

Barilla Plus or Whole Grain Pasta- the Plus has veggies, the Whole Grain it's obvious, and white pasta is so bad for you- this stuff tastes as good if not better (and fills you up quicker)!

Challenge Spreadable butter- margarine is so nasty-tasting and bad for you with all that hydrogenated unpronouncable stuff, you might as well eat the real thing- this butter is mixed with canola oil (good for you) so it's spreadable straight from the fridge (I've tried other brands and they're not so spreadable).

Sara Lee whole wheat bread- not dense and chewy like most wheat breads, but still 100 %. Actually I like other breads too, I just refuse to buy any that aren't 100% whole grain. A lady in Lehi asked me how I got my kids to eat whole wheat bread- they eat it great, they don't know white bread even exists!

Crisco stick shortening- I pretty much only use shortening for pie crusts, it's so nice to just cut a piece off instead of measuring the goopy, yucky, greasy stuff!

Deli lunchmeat (turkey, ham, roast beef, salami)- can't stand the processed stuff- and it's actually not usually cheaper anyway if you look at the weight.

Kraft mayo- I know it's dumb, but it's the new jar. So easy to get it all out without getting it all over your hands! I also like this new olive oil kind, at least a little better for you (another thing I refuse to buy fat-free).

La Costena refried beans- mentioned in a previous post, these taste as good as restaurant ones, thanks to lard (no 98 % fat-free here). In the authentic Mexican brands section.

Pace Chunky Salsa- okay, I really like restaurant salsas best, but for store-bought this is the best!

Progresso or Campbell's non-condensed soups (but not Campbell's Healthy Request)- they are yummier, more filling, and sometimes on sale for a pretty good price!

Del Monte Italian green beans- these wide beans are tastier than the regular kind- we've grown them in our garden and canned them (they are called romas in the seed catalogs), but when we don't have those we buy these.