I always by the cheapest dried pasta on the shelf, unless I need a specific shape, and even then I will get the cheapest box of the appropriate shape I can find. I don’t think there’s a huge difference, and nor does anyone who eats my cooking. Really, most baking staples: salt, sugar, baking soda.
WalMart has really cheap whole wheat pastas and rice (I found a cheap 5 lb bag of brown rice, yay me!). Since I eat whole wheat products, I buy their pasta boxes. They only have 2-3 shapes only, though, but I make everything into those shapes (recipe be damned).
bump, thanks for the diet citrus drop recommendation! I bought a case yesterday from Kroger… Yay! Thanks! Do they have the “code red” version? 
Bottled water, milk, butter, their pre-cut veggies (cut in the store, have to be fresher than the bags shipped in, right?), basics like sugar and flour, rice, canned veggies if the nutritional content is the same as brand name (sometimes generics are higher in sodium)
In many things, I find generics very similar to the national name brands. However, there is usually a higher-end “gourmet” or “artisinal” brand that I like better. Whether I buy that is a matter of budget and how much I care. Good cheese? Yes, if I’m doing a cheese plate or a nice dish with cheese as an important component. No for sandwiches or the 3 year old’s lunchbox.
I am a macaroni & cheese addict. Once when I was a teenager my mom bought the generic store brand instead of Kraft and I didn’t want to taste it. But I had it anyway and I don’t think I’ve bought Kraft since. It’s a different store now but I still enjoy the price and taste of generic over Kraft.
I started buying tissues from Aldi because I realized I go through a lot of tissue (calm down - I’m a girl) and what I use it for (cleaning glasses, post-Neti-pot nose emptying) doesn’t require anything fancy.
Forgot about dairy products: milk, cream, butter, eggs (not really dairy, but in the same aisle), cheese. Not necessarily the store brand, but the cheapest on the shelf, whatever it is.
I never buy bottled water, but I’ve never lived anywhere the tap water was undrinkable.
One thing to watch out for with store-brand sodas is the caffeine content: Diet Coke has (I think) 46 milligrams of caffeine per 12 oz can, but Raley’s/Nob Hill Diet Cola only has 12 milligrams. The name brands have started noting the amount of caffeine they contain, but generics haven’t yet. Calling/emailing corporate for the info gets tedious.:mad:
With or without, caffeine has little effect when you’ve been drinking for as long as you can remember (really!).