Stouffer's lasagna vs. Wal-mart's Great Value lasagna

I had a large group of people at my house last Saturday for my son's third birthday party. In total, there were 15 adults, and 7 kids. Needless to say my house was packed, and I had planned on feeding them something for lunch since the party was in the early afternoon. On my shopping trip to Wal-mart to obtain all the party goods I decided on lasagna for the main course, since it would be easy to feed a crowd. Stouffer's lasagna and Great Value lasagna are right next to each other in the freezer section, and other than the box and the price, they seem pretty much the same. I was buying a lot of stuff for the party, and I opted to try Wal-mart's Great Value brand since we have had success with their products in the past.

The party was a huge success, and during lunch I kept getting the same question about the lasagna, “Is this Stouffer's lasagna?” I was proud to announce that the lasagna was in fact Wal-mart's Great Value brand and everyone seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the taste, saying that it was as good or better than Stouffer's. The great thing about the lasagna was the easy preparation, cooking, and clean-up. Two of the family style trays fed my group of twenty-two people, although we also had garlic bread and salad as well.

Wal-mart's Great Value brand of lasagna was priced at around $10, and Stouffer's lasagna was priced at about $13. Even if I had a coupon to use for Stouffer's lasagna, I would probably never have a $3 coupon so I would still pay more for the name brand although I get a similar quality, if not the same, from the generic brand.

Wal-Mart samples

Wal-mart has a section on their website that offers a free sample for different products. These are great samples that allow you to try out a product, normally come in trial size, and sometimes include a coupon for a future purchase. I've gotten many different samples from the Wal-Mart site including laundry detergent, diapers, and dishwashing soap. The samples usually arrive in 3-4 weeks and can be found here: http://instoresnow.walmart.com/In-Stores-Now-Free-Samples-And-Trials.aspx

Check back often on their site for new sample offers.