A can of Rotel is about $1.36 (diced tomatoes and chilis for making salsa).
The equivalent can from Walmart Great Value (GV) is about $0.96. I usually buy the GV cans to save money.
However, after trying a can of Rotel, I noticed some important differences.
First, Rotel was higher quality ingredients and just tasted better straight up.
Second, the GV can had twice as much water for filler!
Each can is 10 oz net weight. Cans weigh the same, but the GV can has 80 g of water, twice the Rotel can.
So after adjusting for water, the GV can is actually like $1.13. Still cheaper, but less savings than I originally thought.
Should I have posted this here in r/Frugal? I’m new. I wasn’t sure where else to share this discovery.
@David
>Should I have posted this here in r/Frugal?
Absolutely. Being frugal means finding good value, not just finding the lowest price on the shelf. Good work.
Mikey.47 said:
@David
>Should I have posted this here in r/Frugal?
Absolutely. Being frugal means finding good value, not just finding the lowest price on the shelf. Good work.
Yeah, I noticed this when I bought canned lentils recently too - a ton of water filler. What do these companies have against us right now?!
@Farley
Nothing against us, other than they consider us stupid money extraction sources and will push as far as they can go to keep us from realizing the game of giving us as little as possible for the most amount of money.
@Farley
And, though I buy a lot of Great Value stuff and have no issues with them, the past THREE TIMES I have bought Great Value version of frosted mini wheats, the bottom of the bag has a MASSIVE amount of crumbs, like easily a full cup or cup and a half worth, which is more than a full bowl of cereal’s worth. I never find that much in the name brand. I’d like to see OP buy both of those and do a comparison. I’d subscribe to a YouTube channel just doing these comparisons with GV brand stuff and name brand tbh.
This content is what I’m still on Reddit for, thank you!
Nile said:
This content is what I’m still on Reddit for, thank you!
These are reasons I think the internet isn’t dead yet. Only a human would do this experiment and think that other humans would be interested in the results.
@Bela
Seems like Reddit is the only place where you can find actual conversations about niche topics like this.
Crazy, I just experienced this trying to make a 5 ingredient chili. We bought off brand Rotel and off brand beans and the chili is practically all liquid. The name brands weren’t much more and made an excellent chili last time we tried this recipe. Not skimping next time.
@Rowan
I’m so sorry, chili is usually a dish everyone looks forward to eating! Yeah, I wish recipes were sometimes more explicit in telling you to use a brand name ingredient when it matters most.
I’ve failed on some baking recipes before because I used generic all-purpose flour, when the recipe maker should’ve called for a specific brand for consistency.
Thanks! I wasn’t even aware I was curious about this and now I already know the answer!
Sometimes cheaper is cheaper in both senses of the word!
David said:
Thanks! I wasn’t even aware I was curious about this and now I already know the answer!
Sometimes cheaper is cheaper in both senses of the word!
Thanks, this is useful and very helpful.
On the other hand, you can use the word vacillate too much, but on the other hand, I also see your point that it’s not used enough, but on the other hand…