Are Value Buys a False Economy?

System

pawsies wrote: »

I think washing up liquid is. Cheap value ones can be so watery. Similarly, things like baked beans can be watery.

Frozen veg (eg farmfoods 3 for £2) tends to be ok though and healthier than fresh. It depends if you can compromise on some veg being more watery like broccoli.

Agree with the washing up liquid. It's false economy as useless on burnt on food unless you use a quarter of the bottle.

I cannot use Aldi's Magnum as makes my skin on my hands itch. Tried one bottle and don't want to risk using the other 'flavours' just in case. Only wear rubber gloves if I have plasters on my hands.

I stock up on lemon Fairy Platinum when on offer - cannot stand the smell of Fairy Original.

clarryd

I use economy washing up powder. Aldi brand. It is £2.49 for a large box and I feel it works just as well as the dearer brands. They have 2 in 1, bio, non bio and colour types.

I also use the Aldi dishwasher tablets they are both a lot cheaper and do just as good a job.

I swapped my toilet tissue to Aldi own also. 9 rolls for £1.99, even if you use a few more sheets than you would normally use with the more expensive brands you are still quids in.

Cheaper brands are just as good as the more dearer brands as long as you remember they are NOT the better brands.

tessie_bear

we buy a fair bit of value stuff...baked beans as find them less sugary...kidney beans...passata...rice pudding...flour...some biscuits...agree about meat such as mince and sausages

never tried value washing powder but might give a box ago after reading this

cjalynch

When we cut our budgets drastically I went down to a lot of value lines, but since discovering the joys and better quality of Aldi, I have dropped the vast majority.

I do still use the value washing liquid if I forget to get it or am having a particularly tight week but it is not as good as the Aldi gel.

Washing up liquid as above use the Magnum from Aldi as I found the value to be far too thin and definitely a false economy.

I do still buy the value sponges as I like to change them a lot and also the value swing bin liners as they do the job just fine.

Toilet paper also use Aldi as the quality is good and have just bought their kitchen roll for the first time (always stuck to Plenty previously) and am really happy with it.

I think that if you do not have an Aldi or Lidl to compare with and are on a strict budget then some of the Value products are a good way to save on essentials. As stated by others I would not cut back on meat and prefer to have a little of better quality (Aldi also comes out top here!)

good_advice

I but a little of value, shops own and branded.
Top of my shopping list is YS.

I mainly shop at Tesco.

DPJames

Those little scrubby sponges you were on about are a great example of 'you get what you pay for'.

Those packs of ten little ones for a pound you see everywhere are just terrible. They barely last a week.

But you get a pack of six big ones from Lidl for about a quid-ish, and they last for ages and ages.

maman

Do you use the sponges for wiping round the kitchen? bathroom? or are they for washing up? I can't say I've seen them.


I buy the (5 for £1?) large dishcloths from Aldi and they're just fine. Can't imagine how much I've saved in not buying J cloths any more. I wash them in with the whites and use new ones for the kitchen then gradually pension them off to bathrooms, floors and loos.

Doshwaster

The only "Value" item I refuse to touch are sausages. Everything else is worth a try.

Poppy9

Home bargains Nicky loo roll, 9 pack for £2 is excellent. You don't need to use more, it's quite substantial and soft.

pawsies

Poppy9 wrote: »

Home bargains Nicky loo roll, 9 pack for £2 is excellent. You don't need to use more, it's quite substantial and soft.

Yeah definitely. It's great stuff and its the best toilet paper I've ever found It is scented too.