Are Value Buys a False Economy?

maman

NoGoodNamesLeft wrote: »

For toiletries I find that value brands are sometimes false economy. I have very long, thick hair and the value shampoo and conditioner brands tend to leave it dry and don't go very far.
I usually use Aussie which is expensive, but I only use about a third as much as with other brands so it's not too bad.

On the other hand, I love Aldi's Lacura skincare range and Lidl's perfume, but don't know if I would class them as 'value' ranges.

I'm not sure if it's the one you use already but they had an Aldi version of Aussie shampoo and conditioner in store last week. It must have been a special as on the middle table not with the toiletries.

curryous

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.[/QUOTE]

I might well join you at Aldi because Tesco have sneaked a smaller cardboard tube into their Luxury Soft own brand toilet rolls. Sainsburys did the same two years ago but kindly marked the packaging to warn users. I made the mistake of buying a multi-pack of the Tesco rolls only to find they would not fit my holder. Perhaps they should have tested them on their own brand holder sold on Tesco Direct. If anyone from Andrex or Cushelle is reading this, please don't ever change!

nursemaggie

It all depends what you buy some things work out more expensive than branded. Hard cheeses are usually very expensive when you unit price. Soft cheeses usually work out very good value and taste fine.

I found long grain rice the worse. I had two teenagers and a basic state pension so we had to drastically cut food to just filling them until benefits came through. I bought value rice, cooked the usual amount for 3 and found there was just enough for the oldest, he had the biggest appetite. I had to cook the rest of the rice for two of us. I used a whole 500g of rice to feed just 3 of us. The most expensive rice I have ever bought.

That was 6 years ago from Morrisons. I have not tried any other. I always buy Indian Basmati Rice it always goes a long way. Not the 25kg bags I just do not have room.

[Deleted User]

I buy a fair bit of Value or own brand stuff,especially tinned tomato's veg etc.But I do spend a bit more on sausages.I always check the pork content to make sure its fairly high.I'd rather have one or two bangers with mash that taste nice than three that don't.A packet of good sausages will do me 4 meals of two per meal.So e.g. a packet of high content ones at £3.00 odd, the meat part of the meal is around 75p so topped up with veg costs around a pound per meal.I try to cost out a meal at around a pound for a main meal for myself.
I too am not keen on cheap bin bags but as I try to have as little stuff in the bin as possible a decent priced one lasts me a good fortnight/three weeks at least.I recycle all the paper stuff in my local recycling bins (I only live 5 minutes from the local precinct where they have large bins)veggie peelings go into the compost bin.

I am definitely a 'Fairy washing up' person.Been using it for over 50 years and I can't see me changing now.Aldi gel washing detergent is pretty good though and a lot less expensive than the Persil stuff.

I think its a case of trying stuff out which you get on with, but I'm not in the least bit 'snobby' about value brand stuff ,after all I just like to make the shopping budget streeetch as much as possible :):)

anotheruser

Thanks for the great responses.

There are only two things that concern me with Aldi:

1) The speed of their checkout operators.

2) A bottle of washing up liquid may be 750ml but in Aldi I may pay less but the bottle would only be 500ml... so it's a false economy in itself.

Although I get 5% off my Asda shop through a work deal, it's further to travel, but there is more choice.
Maybe I will work out a meal plan for a week, purchase from Asda one week, then Aldi the next and see the comparison.

I also buy Value kitchen roll. It's so cheap I don't mind using an extra sheet if I need to - the first number I pick for the job usually does the job well.

Scritti

anotheruser wrote: »

There are only two things that concern me with Aldi:

1) The speed of their checkout operators.

- One of the great things about Aldi - in & out in no time!

2) A bottle of washing up liquid may be 750ml but in Aldi I may pay less but the bottle would only be 500ml... so it's a false economy in itself.

- I've got absolutely no idea what this means. And Aldi's washing-up liquid is brilliant and beat Fairy in the last Which? Magazine test.

dlusman

anotheruser wrote: »

There are only two things that concern me with Aldi:

1) The speed of their checkout operators.

I find the speed of the checkout operators at Aldi & Lidl no problem if you use the checkouts they way they are designed to be used. Put all the stuff back into your trolley and do your packing at the bench area behind the tills. You do however have to check what is being scanned as it goes through , and check your receipt..

Haffiana

Scritti wrote: »

1)
2) A bottle of washing up liquid may be 750ml but in Aldi I may pay less but the bottle would only be 500ml... so it's a false economy in itself.

- I've got absolutely no idea what this means. And Aldi's washing-up liquid is brilliant and beat Fairy in the last Which? Magazine test.

Er, No.


About our winners

Our top-rated washing-up liquid is Fairy Platinum Original. With a score of 96%, this is the highest-scoring washing-up liquid that we have tested in 2013.
Aldi's Magnum Premium Original picked up an impressive score of 82%, while Aldi's Magnum Premium Eucalyptus Antibacterial also earned a Best Buy recommendation.

96% Fairy Platinum Original

Price: £1.70
Pack size: 433ml
Fairy Platinum was reformulated at the time of our most recent washing-up liquid tests, so we had to wait a few months to bring you the results. Happily, it was definitely worth the wait.
With a top score of 96%, one 433ml bottle of Fairy Platinum washes over 7,500 plates, more than any of the other washing-up liquids we tested.
Fat removing: 5/5
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82% Aldi Magnum Premium Original

Price: 59p
Pack size: 500ml
This Aldi liquid washed 27 small plates with a single squirt.
It offers phenomenal value – at 59p a bottle, 500ml of washing-up liquid is enough to wash more than 6,700 small plates.
Fat removing: 5/5
Foam duration: 5/5

70% Aldi Magnum Premium Eucalyptus Antibacterial

Price: 69p
Pack size: 500ml
Aldi’s Antibacterial liquid is a Best Buy for the second year in a row.
Another great-value option, one 69p bottle would be able to get through around 5,800 small plates.
Fat removing: 4/5
Foam duration: 5/5

Clowance

looking at it another way (hoping maths correct)
fairy platinum washes 44 plates for 1p
aldi green washes 110 plates for 1p

BUT nozzle size is also a factor. I have no idea how big the nozzle sizes are on either, but it would be particularly disastrous if you used too much fairy as it is so expensive.