Target’s 45+ in-house brands make it easy to ditch price-gouging big names for good. Though some of the products prove that you get what you pay for, some of them deliver just as much value—if not more—than their name-brand counterparts.
Stop overpaying and switch to these generic Target products:
Sunscreen
Save money and your skin with the up&up brand sport sunscreen. Target sells a 10.4-ounce bottle of this reef-conscious SPF 50 sunscreen for around $6.
Meanwhile, an 8-ounce Banana Boat SPF 50 Ultra Sport Sunscreen Lotion bottle costs almost $9. Both provide broad-spectrum protection and resist water for up to 80 minutes, but the Target version is significantly cheaper.
Tissues
Instead of reaching for a Kleenex box, try the up&up version. A pack of four 60-count Kleenex ultra-soft tissue boxes costs about $6.60. However, up&up’s ultra-soft tissues include 65 per box and are only $5.70 for a four-pack.
Cleaning Products
Swap your name-brand cleaning essentials for generic products available at Target. The store’s Everspring brand offers most household cleaning items for less.
For instance, a 35-count pack of Everspring cleaning wipes is about $0.40 cheaper than the Clorox equivalent. Similarly, 28 ounces of the Everspring all-purpose disinfecting spray is almost $1.20 less expensive than the same amount of product from the Method brand.
Sheets
Buying sheets at Target is one easy way to cut down costs. A set of 400 thread-count queen sheets from the in-house Threshold product line is reasonably priced at $50. CGK Linens sells the same 100% cotton set for $70, which is much pricier.
Frozen Pizza
Target’s Market Pantry brand offers tasty frozen pizzas for far less than rival pizzamakers. You can snag a thin-crust pepperoni pizza for just $4—a quick, convenient, and affordable dinner option.
The same style of pizza from the California Pizza Kitchen line would be over $7. Even Red Baron, a famously low-budget brand, charges nearly $5 for a thin-crust pepperoni pie.
Office Supplies
Stop buying name-brand pens, notebooks, tape, and other office essentials and switch to generic instead. Up&up has many competitively priced options for everything you need for your home, workspace, or school bag. Compare the price for a 100-pack of 3” x 5” ruled index cards: $0.75 from up&up versus almost $8 for the Staples brand.
Medicine
Why overspend on over-the-counter medications when you can save big with Target brands? A bottle of 100 extra-strength Tylenol acetaminophen tablets costs almost $11.
However, the same amount of tablets from up&up containing identical ingredients is just $2. The same goes for cold and flu medicine, too—24 daytime tablets are around $10 from Vicks but only $6 from up&up.
Pantry Staples
Target’s Good & Gather and Market Pantry brands give other food companies a run for their money. If you’re shopping for pantry staples like canned vegetables, baking products, pasta, and other shelf-stable items, generic is the way to go. For example, Good & Gather sells a 5-pound bag of unbleached all-purpose flour for around $2.60—3 less than the King Arthur brand.
Clothing and Accessories
Many shoppers rave about Target’s in-house clothing brands, including Universal Thread and A New Day. These labels offer versatile, budget-friendly basics to refresh your wardrobe.
You can get a 3-pack of women’s tank tops for as low as $21 or find accessories that look luxury quality for a fraction of the price. Take the slouchy shoulder handbag by A New Day—it’s only $30 but closely resembles Bottega Veneta’s Teen Jodie purse, which retails for thousands.
Food Storage Bags
Say goodbye to Ziploc and hello to up&up. Food storage bags are essentials in many households, and you probably restock them often.
Do your wallet a favor by ditching big-name brands for cheaper generic versions that work just as well. A pack of 280 sandwich-sized storage bags is about $6.20 from up&up, nearly half the price of the same Ziploc product, which is almost $11.50.
Bath Towels
Target will help you never overspend on bath towels again. The store’s Threshold product line makes high-quality home items for way less than other competitors.
Threshold sells a pack of two midweight ribbed bath towels for $12, a steal at $6 per towel. In contrast, the Hearth and Hand with Magnolia brand charges nearly $13 each for the same style of bath towel.
Candles
Lighting a candle will instantly elevate your home’s coziness. However, you might be shocked by how expensive some candle brands are.
Chesapeake Bay Candle, for instance, sells 3-wick soy wax candles for around $17, a pretty hefty price tag. Instead, reach for a 3-wick candle from Target’s Threshold brand, which costs only $10.
Frozen Fruits and Vegetables
At Target, you can stock your freezer without blowing your grocery budget. Frozen mixed vegetables are handy for a quick, no-cook side dish. Birds Eye sells a 10-ounce bag of peas, corn, carrots, and green beans for almost $1.20.
Meanwhile, Good & Gather offers a 12-ounce portion of the same vegetable blend for under $1, giving you more for your money. The same goes for frozen fruits—Wyman’s charges $0.28 per ounce for wild blueberries, while the Good & Gather version is only $0.22 per ounce.
Score money-saving deals by shopping at Costco
Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand offers many reasonably priced alternatives to name-brand products. Switch to these generic Costco items to save money without compromising quality.
15 Cheap Costco Products That Outperform Their Name-Brand Counterparts
Skip these overhyped Trader Joe’s items
The quirky snacks and meals lining your local Trader Joe’s shelves can be tempting. However, some of the store’s products aren’t worth your money.
17 Overrated Trader Joe’s Products That Are Ripping You Off
Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
