Pssst: Sometimes store brands are just as tasty (and they're cheaper)!

Browse any grocery aisle, endcap display, dairy case and frozen food section and you'll find them: Store brands and generics are more sought after than ever.

Even if there was no recession and gas prices hadn't gone north of $4/gallon, perhaps fans of store brands know something you don't --- foodstuffs taste just as good, if not better, and non-foodstuffs are also less expensive and their quality is on-par with name-brand items. A piece in USA Today notes that smart shoppers aggressively seek out store brands and grocery chains like Kroger, Supervalu and Safeway are experiencing a surge in sales of items ranging from canned goods to paper towels and toilet paper.

Price is one thing, but what about taste? As a discriminating, yet dedicated store brand shopper, I've been on the side of the store brand for some time now. What's good? Well, it's a matter of individual taste and preference, to be sure. For my part, I enjoy store brand plain, non-fat yogurt. You can add blueberries, peaces, granola and other stuff to it and it's a great breakfast, as well as a base for dressings. A 32-ounce container of Axelrod's Plain, Non-Fat, Easy Dieter yogurt is $2.89 at my local Fine Fair and Pathmark. Stonyfield Farm, Dannon and other name brands can be as high as $4.89. Ouch.