Great 'big brand alternatives' Hunt

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Former_MSE_Debs
Former_MSE_Debs Posts: 890 Forumite
edited 4 December 2012 at 10:42PM in Shop but don't drop
Great 'big brand alternatives' Hunt

It's easy to fall into the trap of always opting for big brands - they're convenient, familiar and have huge marketing budgets behind them.

Yet there are decent alternatives at a fraction of the price, such as Mega Bloks instead of Lego, £2.99 light diffusing concealer instead of £26 Yves Saint Laurent or the Line Up 4 board game instead of Connect 4. What are your tried and tested big brand alternatives?

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  • VT82
    VT82 Posts: 1,079 Forumite
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    I am quite enjoying my X-Bolt from Lidl (rip off of Hugo Boss bottled but only £3.99 for 50ml). The bottle's too ugly to give as a Christmas gift though!

    And their Suddenly Madame Glamour is a well known cheaper alternative to Chanel Madamemoiselle.
  • VT82
    VT82 Posts: 1,079 Forumite
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    Ooh ooh ooh one more good one! Not exactly a gift idea but a real money saver for me.

    I got into taking Berocca daily because of my immune system, but even if your immune system is fine, they are great for perking you up (I don't go near energy drinks), and for hangovers and fighting colds.

    They might always be on 3-for-2, but is still always at least £4+ for a tube of 15. Instead, buy 'Energy Release' - it has exactly the same percentages of every active ingredient, it just leaves a tiny bit more residue in the glass. I kept my old Berocca tubes as they were emptied, and just started decanting Energy Release into them, so now they are indistinguishable to me. And the best part is the price; about £1.69 for a tube of 20 in B&M bargains, but I stocked up recently in Savers at 99p a tube! Great for the winter months, and for the New Year's Day hangover :beer:
  • mgfarley
    mgfarley Posts: 6 Forumite
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    I take 2 caffeine tablets every morning to kick start my day (I don't like the taste of tea, coffee or energy drinks and drinking cola first thing in the morning just feels wrong).

    Anyway, Poundland sells 'power kick' in packs of 30 (3p per tablet). Boots sells pro plus for £2.55 for 36 tablets (7p per tablet). They both contain the same amount of caffeine, so no competition.
  • Uniscots97
    Uniscots97 Posts: 6,685 Forumite
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    M&S Isis perfume instead of Issey Miyake. Still nice as a gift but a lot cheaper!
    CC2 = £8687.86 ([STRIKE]£10000[/STRIKE] )CC1 = £0 ([STRIKE]£9983[/STRIKE] ); Reusing shopping bags savings =£5.80 vs spent £1.05.Wine is like opera. You can enjoy it even if you don't understand it and too much can give you a headache the next day J
  • naggy_2
    naggy_2 Posts: 4 Newbie
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    I have to agree, M&S perfumes are brill!!
  • starrygazer
    starrygazer Posts: 3 Newbie
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    Instead of Stickle Bricks which have poor reviews on Amazon, try Thistle Blocks. We've ordered a bucket of them for our two and a half year old grandson for Christmas and they look OK
  • jenniewb
    jenniewb Posts: 12,836 Forumite
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    Thorntons is similar to M&S (or the same or at least very very similar!) according to a chocolate fanatic family member of mine.

    Apparently Chanel are something to do with Bojours but what I will say is...not in my experience! I wear mascara every day and if I wear Bojous mascara, it crumbles and flakes as the day goes on. I wear rimless glasses and they are now ruined due to these flakes being trapped in the invisitble wires arond the lenses. A year ago my mum bought me a Chanel mascara. I loved it and there were absolutly no flakes at all. I know they are made by the same brand but they really are not the same product.

    I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for those mini caffeine drinks? Lucosade Alert used to make them and there are a few brands sold in places like Holland and Barratt. But they all cost around £2 which is way too much- even a fresh coffee is cheaper! I prefer the versions which don't taste like Red Bull (I hate the taste and can't stand the smell!)
  • quinechinoise
    quinechinoise Posts: 412 Forumite
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    Sainsbury's unicorn ponies instead of My Little Pony.

    Is it just me or are the modern My Little Pony toys really hideous and distorted compared to the old ones of my childhood? They used to look like fairly normal horses and now they have long spindly legs and huge scary eyes! The Sainsbury's own brand ones look like the ponies I remember.
  • mand-mcr
    mand-mcr Posts: 11 Forumite
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    Anyone who is a fan of Ralph Lauren 'Romance' or Chloe should try Next Perfumes. Pretty in Pink is exactly like 'Romance' and London is just like Chloe. Both reasonably priced at approx £12 for 100ml
  • juliamarsh
    juliamarsh Posts: 365 Forumite
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    jenniewb wrote: »
    Thorntons is similar to M&S (or the same or at least very very similar!) according to a chocolate fanatic family member of mine.

    Haven't bought choc from M&S from a while but my uncle worked as their solicitor before he retired and he confirmed to me that they sold Thorntons and Lindt chocolate but with their own wrapping on - it was about 2/3 of the price of the actual named choc too! That was some years ago now but presume it is still the same.
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