No thrills groceries and toiletries

lantanna

I'm in a DMP as well and I've really had to cut back on the expensive toiletries / makeup that I was used to buying.

It is hard when you are in a DMP and really hard to stay focused.

Someone once told me that your toiletries all the same and that you don't need to spend a lot of money on them although a moisturiser you should spend money on.

What I did whenever I started the DMP was tried to use up all the toiletries that I had as I seemed to be collecting them for some reason!!!

I ask family and friends to buy me perfume and moisturisers at birthdays and xmas or else for vouchers to Boots / Superdrug etc.

I use No 7 Foundation and throughout the year there entire range is regularly on 3 for 2 so I stock up and collect my boots points for these now as well.

I used to buy Dior & benefit makeup and it makes me shudder how much I used to spend on these. I now buy them through Ebay, save a fortune and try to stay out of the shops. ASOS is also good sometimes for Clearance Beauty buys and for little packs etc for presents.

I buy budget toiletries in Home Bargains and Tesco and stock up when there are buy one get one frees on deoderants etc. I try to buy only what I need and have really changed my ways! I now have a makeup bag not a make up suitcase lol

Budget brands can be just as good - you can always decant items into cannisters / dispensers etc if you are not fussed on the packaging. Alberto Basalm Shampoos and Conditioners are 99p each normally in Tesco / Home Bargains and they are one the best I have ever used. It just takes you to look about and try to only buy what you need - easier said than done though. Local chemists often do good deals and reductions on perfume sets etc at the end of a season. I've often picked up great bargains and lovely perfume sets at great prices. Hope this has given you a few ideas xx

purplenicnak

If you're lucky to live by an Aldi, you should try not only the food but the household/health & beauty products. The best bathroom wipes I have ever used are from Aldi, better than shower sprays the mould just rubs away so easily. The pomegranate 'Kick Start' shower gel smells amazing, like Original Source. Loads of the makeup/face creams have won awards or come top of polls and the cleaning stuff won Good House Keeping awards and Which?.

lantanna

Oh also forgot to say, you should sign up for free samples were possible - its amazing what you can get sometimes off the net

Derivative

With toiletries I have to say I just go for the absolute cheapest. Loo roll cheapest per sheet (sometimes rolls are deliberately bulked out by not wrapping as tightly).

Shampoo is shampoo, soap is soap, toothpaste is toothpaste as far as I'm concerned.

On food it does vary quite a bit though, both in ingredients and taste. I don't buy a lot of value sauces as they usually have artificial sweetners instead of sugar. I've found generally that most/all non-processed food from the value ranges are identical - value tinned peas, for example. They're peas. Not much to change there.

clareabella666

we buy Asda smart price toilet roll which is 70p for 4 rolls, asda smart price spaghetti for spag bol which is about 40p, smart price curry sauce which seems to get hidden in the shops and thats only 9p! tastes lovely aswell. I have also found that sainsburys basics food is realy nice!

twiglet98

I wish we had a decent choice of where to shop and really envy those of you who aren't tied to one supermarket just because it costs too much to drive 20 miles to get a choice.

I find Value shampoo ok but not conditioner - may as well not bother. Last week Tesc0 had a load of Pantene shampoo and conditioner in discontinued packaging, lined up away from the rest of the Pantene range, with no shelf labels. I took them to the in-store scanner and they all scanned at 50p, so I bought the lot. I don't much like Pantene but my girls are happy with it - and I decant Value shower gel into used branded bottles as my fussy DDs won't knowingly use Value anything except dried pasta.

twiglet98

Oh, and I get Springf0rce loo rolls from the Discount Brands range at Tesc0, £1.99 for 9 rolls. They are only 2-ply but that suits our septic tank much better than thicker paper, Andr*x and the other thick ones block the drains.

I've also heard an 'expert' on the radio saying cheap toothpaste is absolutely fine, but use a decent quality toothbrush.

ms_london

candylucy wrote: »

Hi Ukeuro

I've used quite a few of the skincare products from Aldi and they are generally fab! At the mo I'm using a face serum which is about £3 and also their eye creme which is about the same. They also do a version of YSL Touche Eclat (which costs about £20) for about £3 and it is absolutely brilliant - does exactly the same job as the ridiculously expensive version.

Hope this helps x

Another fan of the Aldi beauty products - I used the serum and have been doing so for the past year or so, oh and the mascara - not bad for £3.49!!

I do shop in Aldi/Lidl for food products too, and the pound shop or wilkinsons for branded items

xx

natlie

Hi
I get my toilet rolls from approved foods £2.75 for 9 I ususlly get in a load when I put in an order. I use tesco value baby bath in my soap dispensers 11p and fills 2 carex bottles. I only buy bubble bath/shampoo on offer paid £1.77 for head and shoulders on bargain shelf in tesco also had clairol 10 minute hairdye for £1.75 instead of £5

I buy soft drinks from approved foods and we eat a lot of tinned food now.

GeorgieFTB

UKeuro

The major piece of advice I can give you is to not try everything at once, it is the quickest way to fail, and feel hard done by.

Take a stocktake of everything you have, that should give you some idea what you need to buy and will let you know how much slack you have to play with, start using up the stuff you already have then try the cheaper brands. Personally there are some items I will pay for, tea bags being the main one, always go for the upscale brand as I drink my tea black.

To really cut down spending, meal plan. It will cut down waste which will cut down spend!

Gx