10 target items that are just as good as the name brands

Target has revolutionized grocery shopping by selling such a variety of products like produce, pet toys, and home decor under one red roof. But it’s not just a time saver – some Target products can save you money over their name brand competitors, without compromising on quality.

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Check out these items on your next Target trip.

Frozen vegetables

The unsung hero of your freezer, frozen veggies are great to have on hand when you need to sneak veggies into your main course. Plus, they’re economical, making these frozen mixed vegetables from Good & Gather an easy addition to the cart.

Good & Gather is Target’s owned brand, focused on high-value foods with high-quality ingredients, including more than 2,000 products free of artificial flavors and sweeteners, synthetic colors and corn syrup to high in fructose. Thus, the Good & Gather Frozen Mixed Vegetables nutrition label compares to its brand name competitors at a lower cost.

Target’s 12-ounce bag of mixed vegetables is also a little bigger than its direct competitors, so you save more green. To see if packaged food items are a good value, divide the price of the item by the total number of ounces in the bag to find the cost per ounce.

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canned tomatoes

In a Wirecutter & NYT Cooking review of the best canned tomatoes, Target’s Good & Gather Whole Peeled Tomatoes made the cut for their savory sauce. They were also the cheapest option for quality canned tomatoes on the list. Enough said.

frozen pizza

The Good & Gather Signature Wood-Fired Margherita Frozen Pizza is easily one of my favorites. The Good & Gather range of frozen pizzas rivals brand prices and receives similar reviews for quality. They also have gluten-free options like cauliflower crust – which are cheaper, but slightly smaller, than their competitors.

Q-tips

An everyday item like cotton swabs can still make a difference in your monthly grocery budget. So consider swapping out branded cotton swabs for regular Target Up & Up cotton swabs.

While a dedicated reviewer points out that Target’s swabs could be fluffier, it’s hard to argue the price. The price of a 500-pack of Up & Up cotton swabs is about half that of the brand’s alternative, and it’ll still perform day-to-day functions like tidying up your makeup or those pesky keyboard crevices.

Food storage bags

Also on the Up & Up, Target brand food storage bags can also cut down on that grocery bill. Each variety of Up & Up food storage bags are priced significantly lower than their branded counterparts.

If you’re still worried about storing spillable things like meat and gravy, you can grab a pack of Up & Up Bags and save on storing other items like travel liquids in your suitcase.

Medicine

It’s tempting to rely on what you know when it comes to medicine, especially if there’s a certain brand you trust. But Target’s Up & Up versions of common over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen contain the same active ingredients as name brands for a fraction of the cost.

hand soap

Target’s Smartly brand is stocked with household essentials, with most items costing less than $2. That makes this Smartly Liquid Hand Soap a no-brainer. However, some perfumes sell out quickly, so be sure to check the store’s inventory before adding it to your shopping list.

Bath salts

You don’t have to wait until you can heal yourself to allow yourself to take care of yourself. Compared to the brand, Target’s Up & Up Bath Salts won’t break your shopping budget. The ingredients are simple, and the salts receive mostly positive reviews online.

Layers

Babies need about 200 diaper changes each month, according to the National Diaper Bank Network. So, in addition to other recurring expenses like formula and baby food, it’s hard to justify spending top dollar on something you throw away about six times a day.

The good news: Target’s Up & Up Diapers can really cut down on your diaper spend. In addition, they are resistant to well-known brands. In a Wirecutter review of 30 different diaper brands, Target’s Up & Up diapers were among the top performers.

For more expensive Target-branded items, take advantage of Target’s Price Match Guarantee. If you can find a cheaper price on Target.com, they’ll honor it at the register.

dog toys

Fur babies can cost as much as human babies if you don’t shop smart. And while some brand name dog toys are cute, the price tags are not. Target’s Boots & Barkley sells similar designs like these for a fraction of the brand’s cost.

Cutting costs on more disposable products can save you money to invest in more durable products like beds and leashes down the line. If your terrier rips a toy to shreds, regardless of brand, you might as well save money on his next victim.

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