What to buy in Tesco Value Range

CLARABEL

staples from tesco for me include

tins of pride jumbo chick peas ( for houmus, curries and fritters) 23p a can

tins of kindey beans for chillis

chana dall dried beans for making dall

and lots more fresh stuff...depends what you're after. always try to work from a menu if you're cutting costs. it really helps.

clara:beer:

exlibris

I have just found this! I don't eat much bacon and have usually gone for the Bogoff stuff. However my son introduced me to this. It tastes like bacon should and doesn't shrink when cooked. He gets the middle stuff with a back and streaky attached.

Hope this will help someone

stamford

Tesco Value Salted Peanuts £0.21 for 200g - they taste great and the pack shows exactly the same nutritional values as the non value £0.39 variety

EmmaJ_3

Second the peanuts - I used them to make peanut cookies last week and they were lovely for snacking too.

My best recent value fine is the Japanese Style Rice Crackers, I put them out in little white bowls as pre-dinner nibbles and they looked very posh!

I regularly buy:
Baked Beans
Tinned Toms
Squash
Apple juice & orange juice
Cheese
Butter
Plain & SR Flour
Milk powder for breadmaker
Olive spread
Porridge oats
Cornflakes
Dried mixed herbs
Plain chocolate
Chocolate mousse
Dishcloths, dusters etc
Pantyliners
I'm sure theres much more I just can't remember right now!

Have bought value pesto this week as a trial. Tried value peanut butter a few weeks ago it wasn't very nice - too runny. Will be using it up in baking and going back to the wholenut version. Value 'wheat biscuits' (weetabix) were horrible too, but normal own brand version fine.

Basically I always choose value unless theres an ethical/personal reason for not doing so (ie I get a veggie box delivered now and always buy meat/fish from the butcher/fishmonger/farm shop/market), or unless it's not actually the cheapest (like their 1kg bags of normal own-brand pasta works out much cheaper than the value stuff; same with buying loose veg vs their value packaged veg if i need extra to the veggie box/farm shop). Or unless I've tried it before and it was yukky, like the peanut butter! I make my own cakes and biscuits etc, although have tried value jaffa cakes and they were really nice. I also use eco-friendly cleaning products & bin bags etc so don't go for value versions of those either.

Have to say getting over my previous value snobbery has saved loads of money and makes me feel quite smug! It also means I can better afford my other shopping choices like meat from the butcher and the veggie box.

Elle00

I searched the threads but nothing specific to Tesco Value came up so I hope it’s okay to start my own thread. I’m on a cost-cutting drive after moving house and did the weekly shop for myself and my 2yr old for £16.47 this week; that’s down from my usual £45 (this includes one adult, a toddler in nappies and two cats as well as household items). I’m interested to share with and to learn from everyone what people find good value for money from the Tesco Value range.

Here are mine:

BABY

Tesco Value Nappies: YES; at £1.48 for a packet of 20 nappies, that’s less than 7.4p per nappy compared to 13.2p per nappy for Tesco own or 20.3p each for Huggies. They look as cheap as they sound BUT they do the job really quite well and you don’t have to change your little one more frequently. I don’t think they’re as comfy as a more expensive nappy but I feel that’s actually a bonus for coaxing an older toddler out of nappies! They’re a bit plasticky and not as stretchy but they stay in place, haven’t leaked for us and last as long as any other nappy we’ve used does (that includes Huggies and Pampers).

Tesco Value Baby Wipes: NO; they’re false economy in my experience. They’re not very good quality and cost 85p for a pack of 100. You can now buy Tesco Ultra Soft Baby Wipes in economy boxes of 6x80 for £5.40. So you can either pay 0.85p per wipe and use three or four each time or you can pay 1.1p per wipe and use one or two each time. I personally snap up Huggies wipes whenever they’re on BOGOF as these are the best value for money in my experience.

Tesco Value Wipes: YES; 39p for 100 can’t really be beaten. Great for keeping around for wiping icky fingers after dinner or craft activities. Cheaper still is wetting a flannel but I’m both cheap AND lazy.

Tesco Value Nappy Bags: YES; 74p for 300 bags – why pay more for something you tie a dirty nappy in and bin? Sometimes the handles snap when you tie them too tight but there’s still something there to hold and chuck the bag in the bin with. They smell fine, look fine and do the job.

HOUSEHOLD

Tesco Value Kitchen Towel: NO; it’s just so rubbish! 4 rolls cost 97p and I have to use at least three at a time else they just disintegrate in my hand. I find it better value to buy a 8 pack of Tesco own for £3.65 and use one sheet each time.

Tesco Value Toilet Roll: YES; but only since my friend bullied me into giving it another try! I’ve been paying £4.69 for 12 rolls of Tesco Luxury Soft up until recently which is 16p per 100 sheets. I’ve now switched to Tesco Value Toilet Roll costing £1.12 for 12 rolls or 5p per 100 sheets. Yes, I use twice as much – but I’m still saving money! Because I’d have to use over three times as much before I was even paying the same as I was for the Luxury Soft.

GROCERIES

Tesco Value Porridge: YES; I love this stuff! It’s only 10p a pack cheaper than Tesco own but I use no more of it and can’t tell any difference in the taste. My toddler yums this stuff up too which is great as it’s both cheap and healthy. I make it using 50% milk and 50% water to keep the cost down.

Tesco Value Golden Syrup: NO; it's not all that much cheaper than Lyle's Golden Syrup (if you buy the 907g economy tin) and it tastes FOUL. Avoid at all costs!

Tesco Value Rice Snaps: YES; and though you can taste the difference if you really try, it isn’t worth paying the extra when you can’t afford to. A 440gm bag of Rice Snaps is 73p from the Value range of £1.01 from the Tesco Own range; that’s quite a big difference over the course of the year.

Tesco Value Plain Chocolate: YES YES YES; I am a complete chocolate addict, and this stuff is absolutely amazing. It tastes very similar to Cadbury Bournville and costs just 28p for a 100g bar. Bournville will set you back 56p per 100g or Tesco Own costs 31p per 100g. So not much of a saving between Value and Tesco own, but it tastes so darn good that there’s no point paying the extra 3p to be honest.

Tesco Value Milk Chocolate: NO; I won’t buy this again I’m afraid. It’s dirt cheap at 23p per 100g bar but it tastes like the cheap chocolate they use to make bargain easter eggs out of. Tesco Own is 31p per 100g but I’m still not a big fan of that even to be honest. I think I’ll stick it out with the Value dark chocolate and wait for Cadbury to put an offer!

Tesco Value Tinned Sweetcorn: YES; brilliant value at 15p for a large 325g can. That’s compared to 25p for a can of Tesco own – and there’s absolutely no difference in taste or quality that I’ve noticed.

Tesco Value Fromage Frais: YES; I wish I’d tried these sooner. My toddler gets through six yoghurts a week easily and these Tesco Value ones cost just 46p per pack of 6 compared to £1.49 for a 6 pack of brand name fromage frais.

Tesco Value Crisps: YES; they're noticeably not as nice as Walkers or even Tesco own but the price is just so unbeatable they're not to be scoffed at. They cost 35p for a 6 pack (18g packs) and are lightly flavoured. I agree with whichever poster suggested this makes them less unhealthy for little ones.

Tesco Value Sunflower Spread: YES; at just 29p for a 500g tub, I don’t know why I ever paid more for something I can’t taste anyway. I mean you whack it on your toast or in your sandwich and it’s just drowned out by the other flavours anyway. The consistency and texture are just fine.

Tesco Value Mini Rolls: YES; they’re not superb but then my kid’s no connoisseur about these things. They cost just 32p for a pack of 6 raspberry and vanilla mini rolls which is so cheap it would cost me more to bake him some cakes myself.


What have other people found good value for money from the Tesco Value range?

debbym

I buy the Tesco value foam bath to use in a pump dispenser instead of liquid soap - 20 odd p and it lasts for ages.
Tesco full flavour cheese gets our vote as well - you can use less cos it has a good flavour.

Don't buy the value mince beef especially if you have little ones - I usually manage to find shards of bone in it:eek: Also tescos value bread is usually stale on the day it is sold in our local store - I buy Morrisons own cheapy one instead (only thing I get regularly from them though ) - not big bread eaters in our house even though there are 5 of us and it lasts all week without going blue or hard.

Although I do use their own nappy sacks it is only when I have run out of old carrier bags - even cheaper at free!!

pigpen

I buy value everything.. the beans and spaghetti sometimes have a bit more juicr in them than expensive brands.. but the price definitely makes the difference.. especially when I use 3 for 1 meal!!! There is also less salt and sugar and other 'expensive' ingredients as well which can only be a good thing!

I like their kitchen roll.. but I use it for lining my compost caddy, blowing my nose and drying my windows when washing them.

I have used their loo roll for years.. the children use the same amount however much it costs.. I have a sneaky andrex nicked frommy mtohers for me.. ... ssshhhh... don't tell her!!!

Value noodles are disgusting but the children eat them and at 8p a packet I don't mind them eating 4 packets between them.

Value pasta is revolting.. I wouldn't feed it to the cats!

Value pet food doesn't have the right nutrients in for healthy pets so I won't buy that but they do get the premium stuff.

tea bags.. nasty grey tea.. I get the premium ones.

I thought the value nappies were junk.. they split, fell apart and made my girl sore as they are plastic outside and made her little legs and bum sore.

I can't use their bath foam/shampoo etc.. it made hubby have horrific dandruff!! and my eczema flared up something horrendous just sleeping next to hubby after he'd got washed in it!

Wash powder is great.. same as any other but less itch inducing perfumes and rubbish.. and who needs perfumed wash powder when you use fabric conditioner!

Crisps/snacks.. perfect for small children and packed lunches.. lass flavourings/salt etc.. so though they look carp and have a smaller amount in they also contain less junk!

Tesco fruit is actually the repackaged stuff which is past its best.. no different to the more expensive stuff but maybe a bit of a funny shape or a but ripe.. perfect!!

I've never had a problem with any of their meat.. and lets face it.. a pig is a pig!! oink!!

Pink.

Hi Elle,

There's an earlier thread on what's worth buying in the tesco value range that should help so I've added your thread to it.

These threads may interest you too:

Watch out for Tesco's Value

What Value things have you tried and liked?

Pink

Elle00

Pink-winged wrote: »

Hi Elle,

There's an earlier thread on what's worth buying in the tesco value range that should help so I've added your thread to it.

These threads may interest you too:

Watch out for Tesco's Value

What Value things have you tried and liked?

Pink

So why didn't it come up when I searched the forums?!

Pink.

Elle83 wrote: »

So why didn't it come up when I searched the forums?!

I have no idea

If you go to the top right of the main old style board there is an option to 'search this forum'. When you click on that it gives you an option to go advanced, click on that then search titles only for 'tesco value' and you'll see the threads.

If you have a look at sra's A-Z guide on searching that will explain better than I can.

Pink