So I have three basic rules when it comes to certain necessities in my life:
1. No generic aluminum foil...it never works as well and I end up wasting money.
2. No generic toilet paper...I don't enjoy the feeling of sandpaper-like tissue anywhere.
3. No generic tampons...sorry if that's TMI but I feel strongly about it!
Other than those three, I'm pretty much open to generics. I believe that generic prescriptions work just as well and I take advantage of the fact that they are cheaper. I have no shame in buying store brand products (except, of course, for those listed above) when I think they taste/function the same as a brand name. Sometimes it just makes sense.
I broke my rule #2 recently. Money is tight and when I shop, I find myself counting every penny and searching for the best deal before I go to a store. So when I recently went to Target to buy diapers, cat food, cat litter and toilet paper, I went there because all were listed in the weekly store ad as on sale, and they were indeed good deals. But when I got to the toilet paper, which was the last item I needed to get, I instinctively reached for the 12 pack of Cottenelle double rolls because that is my brand of choice. It was on sale for $6. Right next to the pack that I was going to grab was Target brand toilet paper. It was 12 double rolls for $5.80. At first I said "20 cents? Not worth it..." but then I began my investigative techniques. Target compares their brand to Northern TP. I have used Northern and it was okay. I just always preferred Cottonelle. The rolls of Target TP are slightly wider than Cottenelle TP. I would get more square footage of TP with Target's brand. It was indeed the better deal. With a little hesitation, I picked up the Target brand and headed for the checkout line before I changed my mind. I figured it was worth a try.
Adam came home from being on the road that week and I shared with him my new product purchase. His response was expected: "You bought store brand TP?" Yes honey, I did. And quite frankly, since I am home more than you are and I need to use it EVERY time I enter the facility, if it sucks, I'll be the one to suffer. I actually was eager for our other TP to run out so we could start the experiment.
Guess what? It is not awful TP! In fact, I like it. It doesn't hurt my nose if I have to blow my nose on it. It's quite soft and the rolls are indeed larger. I have found that I use less (which would make my father so proud!). And it isn't linty...which isn't a huge problem with Cottonelle but it is an issue nonetheless. Adam even said to me "That's actually not bad TP!" after his experience with it. And he mentioned that he wants to take a roll with him on the road so he doesn't have to use truck stop TP all the time. But wait...it gets even better! When you get to the end of the roll, they didn't use that annoying glue to secure it to the roll. YOU GET ALL THE TP OFF THE ROLL! I remember holding our old brand's empty roll and feeling slightly discouraged by the amount of TP left on the roll...it was almost 4 whole squares! Four squares was considered adequate TP for doing your #1 in my house when I growing up. How many squares have I wasted over the years? My gosh...it must be...oh, I don't even want to fathom a guess. It's a lot of wasted TP.
NO MORE WASTED TP FOR ME! I'm a changed woman. Target has made a believer out of me. Listen as I shout it from the rooftop:
I LOVE TARGET TOILET PAPER!
But you know what? I've tried their version of Rule #3 above and, sorry Target, it can't compare with my chosen brand. But with the extra 20 cents I'll be saving every time I buy TP from now on, I can afford to go brand name on that one! 
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