What's Just Not Worth Scrimping On?

milann

Ariel soappowder and Herbal Essence shampoo - panic set in when I read a label saying my flavour of herbal essence is ending - this was from Morrisons a while ago but other supermarkets still seem to sell it - not quite sure what's happening there :0

Little_Miss_Uni-Debt

I always seem to find new things I love then a few weeks later they stop making them or change the recipe. New and improved?... I don't think so!

MrsTUS

We have scrimped on absolutely everything. There's not one thing that we've kept as a luxury - much to my dismay. MrTUS is the real MSE advocate and I HATE HATE HATE the cheap Asda Smartprice packs of mince he comes home with - bothing worse that a bit of gristle or an ACTUAL piece of artery/vein that you find amongst your spag bol.. It makes me sick. He also buys Asda Smartprice sausages - again I HATE them 40% meat - I dread to think what the cuts of meat actually are and I dread to think what the quality of the remaining 60% is... :[ Struggling with moneysaving at the money.... *sigh*

gilligansyle

When I've had to cut back I've used virtually every value thing there is, but would sooner do without some things than have cheap versions.
Coffee and tea have to be 'proper' - I know people say you can't tell the difference but you can.
Ketchup - has to be Heinz - as do baked beans. Buy them on offer and don't eat that much of them.

Soap powder, I mix cheap own brand with the good stuff to make it go further, or use soapnuts.
Washing Up Liquid - own brand every time.

Loo roll - not the *very* cheap stuff, but the Nicki stuff you get in Home Bargains is OK. Buy good stuff when its on offer.

As for cheap mince and sausages, no. Just wouldn't do it. Would do without meat. I would prefer to have it just occasionally and buy quality from local butcher.

Also agree with the poster who said about cheap biscuits. Smartprice biscuits are fine if all you are doing is dunking them.

fakeplastictwee

MrsTUS wrote: »

We have scrimped on absolutely everything. There's not one thing that we've kept as a luxury - much to my dismay. MrTUS is the real MSE advocate and I HATE HATE HATE the cheap Asda Smartprice packs of mince he comes home with - bothing worse that a bit of gristle or an ACTUAL piece of artery/vein that you find amongst your spag bol.. It makes me sick. He also buys Asda Smartprice sausages - again I HATE them 40% meat - I dread to think what the cuts of meat actually are and I dread to think what the quality of the remaining 60% is... :[ Struggling with moneysaving at the money.... *sigh*

Have you tried eating more veggie meals? I would rather eat vegetarian than poor quality meat. In our monthly shop we buy 1 pack of sausages and one pack of chicken breast, the rest is frozen quorn that we use sparingly

Pee

I now mostly drink proper coffee, which I usually buy at ALDI and am quite happy with the quality of that but I used to drink Maxwell House and took a big jar back to Uni with me. It would last several weeks, and then I would drink cheap tea (I'm not made keen on tea and have to admit being fairly unable to tell the difference between good tea and cheap tea) for long enough (more than three days, less than a week) for the cheapo instant coffee to taste okay.

Sometimes taking a break from something can make you appreciate the cheaper version.

I do believe it is worth spending money on good shoes, although I am happy to save money by buying these from Ebay, in sales etc I only go for good makes like Hush Puppies, Hotter and Clarks.

I also only buy shampoo and conditioner when it is on offer i,.e. two for one and vary the brand, but it has to be a good brand.

My boyfriend doesn't believe it's worth scrimping on toilet paper - has to be Andrex - or washing up liquid, which he is very sparing with.

lr1277

Tyres - better to be safe than sorry.

Robinson's no added sugar lemon cordial.

Butter, oil, supplements and bread (though now I am low carbing, I can go for the shorter loaves)

Little_Miss_Uni-Debt

Pee "I do believe it is worth spending money on good shoes.


This reminds me of what my grandad used to say - "make you you have a comfy bed and a good pair of shoes, because if you're not in one, you're in the other!"

money_honey

I think I'm a bit fussy, I have quite a long list (probably why I have so much debt...). Food-wise - Tea, coffee, coke/pepsi, washing powder, toilet rolls, beef (mince, steak etc - I can't stand bits of gristle or really fatty meat), sausages, baked beans, bread...
Other stuff - make up, shampoo (I don't mind using cheap shampoo now and then but as my hair is highlighted and very thick & long it looks dull if I use too much cheap shampoo), car tyres, shoes (depending on the type).

That's all I can think of for now. However I will say that I always buy my favourite brands when they're on offer now, and I've saved quite a lot of money buying them in bulk every time they're on offer. I've currently got 3 large packs of fairy gel in my cupboard waiting to be used, and they're lasting me ages! Also, meal planning has allowed me to keep buying the nicer meat etc but cut down on the food bill.

cloudcuckooland_3

Hi there

I am bravely wading through some cheap an nasty coffee that was on offer - never again!
I have just been offered a job after 10 months unemployed and am looking forward to 'upgrading' from chemical margarine spread to butter.
Can't scrimp on catfood unfortunately. I mistakenly bought a more expensive brand that was on a good offer and now the cats won't eat the cheaper stuff. I have tried a battle of wills with them but have had to throw the cheap stuff in the bin after a couple of days.They were definitely prepared to sit it out till I caved in!