Our tongues curled, our toes cramped, our eyes rolled loose in our heads.

Still, we sipped.

For you, dear readers.

And, well, also so we could rationalize buying all that generic soda.

Turns out, we were not won over by many of the nonbrands, with a standout exception: Orange-Pineapple, give us a call sometime. Thankfully, though, we remain generic devotees, and so we offer a second week of price comparisons of Shaw’s, Hannaford and Wal-Mart house brands. The prices, jotted down last week, are listed cheap, cheaper and cheapest by volume. (For what it’s worth, that’s also how we organize our address book.)

• Boxed macaroni and cheese
Hannaford macaroni and cheese, 7.25 oz., 59 cents
Great Value macaroni and cheese, 7.25 oz.,Wal-Mart, 50 cents
Shaw’s macaroni and cheese, 7.25 oz., 50 cents

As mentioned last week, there are very few things we won’t buy in their generic form. But for Shopping Siren, boxed macaroni and cheese is one of them. Give her Kraft or give her nothing! Bag Lady isn’t nearly so particular — violent orange powder is violent orange powder — but does have a spirals-over-elbows preference. And no cartoon characters, please. There’s no proper way to swallow a SpongeBob.

• Trash bags
Hannaford 13 gallon with flaps, 35 count, $3.99
Homelife 13 gallon, Shaw’s, 30 count, $2.99
Great Value 13 gallon, Wal-Mart, 30 count, $2.56

If one only pays 8.5 cents a bag instead of 11.4 cents a bag does that make one’s significant other more likely to empty the trash and drag said bag to the curb without being reminded? We’re drafting the research grant application right now.

• Canned chicken noodle soup
Hannaford, 10.5 oz., 66 cents
Great Value, Wal-Mart, 10.5 oz., 60 cents
Shaw’s, 10.5 oz., 56 cents

Being sick is already not fun. At least with these soups you can also make it not expensive.

• Cat litter (clumping, unscented)
Shaw’s, 14 lbs., $5.79
Hannaford, 14 lbs., $4.99
Special Kitty, Wal-Mart, 28 lbs., $6.98 (comes in a cardboard box instead of a plastic-handled tub)

As a new pet owner, Shopping Siren has a sudden appreciation for the cost of cat litter. (Also the cost of sticky-tape lint brushes and string-on-a-stick toys, but that’s a column for another day.) Brand name litters have set her back $12 or more for a large container, a fact she laments after pricing generics. This extra savings means more money for shoes! Bags! Um. Lint brushes!

• Ripple potato chips
Shaw’s, 5 oz., $1.29
Hannaford, 8 oz., $1.99
Great Value, Wal-Mart, 12 oz., $1.75

We thought bags of potato chips came in standard sizes. Apparently not. (Or maybe the stores we went to just weren’t feeling very standardy.) No matter. Our sizal interpretations: This Ought To Last The First 10 Minutes of “The Office.” (5 oz.) Hm, Maybe I’ll Have Company (8 oz.) Party! (12 oz.)

• Soda (2-liter bottle)
Shaw’s, $1
Hannaford, 88 cents
Wal-Mart, 78 cents

Some things are perfectly perfect in generic form. Others are just … not. Soda, we discovered, is a not. Or at least the soda we happened to try in our lone taste test of the week. Keeping in mind this is the review of just two sets of taste buds, we cracked open W-M Sam’s Choice Diet Twist-Up (flat, eh), Shaw’s Super Chill Diet Cola (bland), Shaw’s Super Chill Diet Mt. Chill (points for neon yellow color, but weak flavor), Sam’s Choice Diet Cola (all right), Hannaford Peach (strong; needed to scour tongues after) and Hannaford Orange-Pineapple (sweet, with a nice pineapple aftertaste).

Moral of the story: Save on kitty litter, then spring for the real deal on soda. Or, go healthy and stop drinking soda period. Or, next time, volunteer to taste test generic Oreos. Mmm.

Bag Lady and Shopping Siren’s true identities are protected by a pair of stylish, sweater-wearing Doberman pinschers (who really like it when the trash bag rips; they can be so sadistic) and the Customer Service counter at the Sun Journal. You can reach them at [email protected] or [email protected]