I've reduced by food shop by 63% just by switching to non branded food.

oldernonethewiser

They are better value if you like the product and that's what you want to buy.

I am pointing out that the ingredients of own brand products can vary from those of named ones.

Unlike the beans example some can vary quite a bit. 

Fewer beans, not less 

avidusmortis

I find the ASDA Just Essentials range really good value

Farway

avidusmortis said:

I find the ASDA Just Essentials range really good value

Some things yes, but others I find the few pence extra for the Asda label is worth the  extra, cheese for instance, but perversely I prefer some Essentials items to Asda label

PLRFD

Don’t bother with Asda’s just essentials beef burgers not even fit for dog food.

Rob5342

Heinz baked beans are awful with horrible thin sauce, Branston beans are the best as they have a nice thick sauce but pretty much any beans are better than Heinz.

The best thing is to go up and down on everything you buy and see if you can notice a difference. 95% of our shopping is Lidl own brand but there are a few brands we prefer, and I always buy beer from our local brewery as I think it tastes so much nicer although it is a lot more expensive. 

Rob5342

Vitor said:

You're on the slippery slope to shopping at Lidl

Lidl is great, give it a try if you never have.

button_box

@Brie re oatcakes. Our preferred brand is Stockans which are made in Orkney. I am sure that is who now makes the triangle oatcakes which are in Lidl and they great when I don't have the time to make my own. The pack is cheaper and bigger (weight wise) than Taxco. Lidl do a thin and a thicker (rougher) oatcake. Don't know if they are available outside Scotland.

silverwhistle

Saver73 said:

I save loads by shopping in Aldi and it's surprising that for most products the difference between branded and non branded isn't noticable. Aldi like the other shops mentioned also sell branded products for less.  I still buy Kelloggs cereal and Cadburys chocolate.

Cheddar cheese is cheaper than most supermarkets at £2.79 for 400g

Nooo! :-)  That's a bad example as Cheddar cheese can vary so much in quality, although prices do vary a lot.

I normally shop in Aldi and pop in to Lidl and Waitrose as chance and need has it but don't really buy many branded goods.

The only time I used to buy biscuits was for my mum who liked her rich tea, and it was difficult to believe the price difference when buying the McVities' version compared with the Aldi version. So I can well believe the OP's savings!

RipleyG

Good for you @somerandomusername. Think how much money you'll save in a year.

For years, the only 2 things I didn't switch were marmite and nescafe instant coffee. The own brand yeast extracts are OK now, but I still haven't found an instant coffee alternative I like. If anyone has any recommendations, I'd love to know about them! 

Noticed last week that Lidl have now introduced a budget range that's cheaper than their standard own brand. I'm guessing that's so they can 'win' when it comes to the comparison shopping basket used to declare which is the cheapest supermarket. 

Saver73

silverwhistle said:

Saver73 said:

I save loads by shopping in Aldi and it's surprising that for most products the difference between branded and non branded isn't noticable. Aldi like the other shops mentioned also sell branded products for less.  I still buy Kelloggs cereal and Cadburys chocolate.

Cheddar cheese is cheaper than most supermarkets at £2.79 for 400g

Nooo! :-)  That's a bad example as Cheddar cheese can vary so much in quality, although prices do vary a lot.

I normally shop in Aldi and pop in to Lidl and Waitrose as chance and need has it but don't really buy many branded goods.

The only time I used to buy biscuits was for my mum who liked her rich tea, and it was difficult to believe the price difference when buying the McVities' version compared with the Aldi version. So I can well believe the OP's savings!

🙂 agreed that the quality of cheese varies and it's also personal taste too but Aldi cheddar has been quite highly rated in taste tests - well according to the internet! 😁 - i buy the cheese in the red packet but the 'extra mature' cheese in the purple pack is nice too, much stronger and different texture....