Consumer Reports recently compared a bunch of Costco brands to more expensive name brands. Here are five that are just as good . . . but a lot cheaper.

1. Laundry detergent. The Kirkland brand at Costco was just as good as Tide at getting stains out. But it costs you about 11 cents a load, compared to 25 cents a load for Tide.

2. Bacon. The generic brand cooked up just as crispy . . . had the same ratio of fat to meat . . . and cost about $1.50 less per pound.

3. Organic chicken stock. A case of six 32-ounce jugs at Costco costs about $12 . . . about half as much as the name brands.

4. Mayo. They did a blind taste test, and no one could tell the difference between the Kirkland mayo and the name brand stuff. And it costs about 40% less.

5. Batteries. The Kirkland batteries were just as good as Duracell.