What things can't you compromise on?

jbreckmckye

Tea. Has to be real, leaf tea.

Gigervamp

zcrat41 wrote: »

British Pork (Parents are pig farmers, I'd be shot by my father if he found anything Danish!!)

That reminds me. We're in Wales, surrounded by sheep. Our butcher sells meat from local farms, but when hubby was in there the other day, he overheard a lady ask the butcher if he had any New Zealand lamb! :eek:

katiesmummy

teabags is a must for me- the economy ones have no flavour! i buy whatever is on offer or go to poundland when i take a trip to the big town near me and stock up on typhoo

i wont buy value mince anymore- i read on here about it being a false economy and you end up losing a lot because of water and its true- now i buy either steak or lean mince and portion it up so its not much more expensive but it tastes a lot better!!

when i do buy bread (not very often) i can't eat value brands- they taste stale to me

loo roll- will buy stores own brand but not the cheapest- its like sandpaper!!

fishfingers (occasional treat for kids)- always buy the 100% cod ones- would rather pay £1 for 8 and know they are actually eating fish than pay £2 for 20 and its only part fish, part gawd knows what else lol

coke- my oh won't drink anything but proper coke or pepsi but he doesn't get this very often and only when its on offer

non-bio washing powder- i have psoriasis and fairy is the only one that doesn't send me crazy with itching, am also allergic to biological powders anyway.

mayo- oh said cheap brands dont taste the same (i dont eat it so i wouldn't know lol)

thats quite a long list but i do surprisingly buy a lot of value brands- never buy heinz baked beans, always smartprice as they are never eaten on their own- chucked in chilli etc so i dont notice the difference in taste

ALIBOBSY

Well I have to admit at christmas we bought the hellmans and the heinz products as a christmas treat(waited for offers from Oct onwards), but to be honest I rarely buy brand names anymore unless a really good offer is on.

I think the secret is not just to get obsessed with price but to assess the value of something.
I agree about fairy for washing up, nothing else lasts as long. But OH has a Makro (wholesalers) card so I get the big bottles and decant into my smaller ones or get packs of 6 bottles at a time when on offer. Saying that if I run out or no offers are on, Aldi's "magnum" liquid is almost as good and is my fallback.

In fact my tip would be mostly Aldi and some Lidl products. I have found they are slightly more expensive than the big 3's "value" brands but infinately better quality. EG Tesco do value tinned plum toms for 31p, Aldis are 33p, but Tescos are watery and flavourless, Aldis tins are packed and they almost come in a thick sauce rather than tomatoey water.
Another tip is to watch for the offers and stock up when they are on, eg tuna there is regularly an offer on either Princes or John west tuna tins. Usually around £2.50 for 4 tins, so I have them stacked up in my store cupboard or the garage.

With kids, although I prefer better quality toilet paper and tom sauce, the way they go through both its cheapy all the way for us. Again I think Aldi's Tom sauce and Tpaper are better than the value versions, and Lidls are pretty good too. I love Aldi's super 6 fruit and veg as well-but I have heard that the quality of fruit and veg can vary store to store-mine is a good one.

I thought I could not use cheap washing powder and always used the expensive brand non bios, even shop's own brand brought me out in raised red lumps (same for the kids). I took the plunge and tried Aldi's own brand non bio as a friend with excema said she had been fine with it.
3 years later still using it with no problems at all. I use the tablets.

So I suppose the only thing I won't compromise on EVER is Heinz cream of tomato (probably because I loved it as a kid), but again I watch for the offers either in the supermarkets or Lidl and only get it then and stock up.

Also can recommend Sainsburys baby products, which they seem to have a half price sale on every few months, again I stock up (should see my bathroom cupboard).

Although I do insist on good quality meat, cheese eggs and veg, I get most of mine from local farm shops so in many cases this is cheaper than the big shops and/or much better quality. I also avoid processed products as much as possible. But I don't see these as not compromising, more choosing to buy the best quality and value for my budget.

Sometimes the cheapest is not the best value, any more than the most expensive is the best.

ali x

Reverbe

atwitsend wrote: »

I


bread- have you tasted the tesco value stuff? what the hell is in it, its rancid :rotfl: i would rather make my own or buy a nice loaf of wholemeal multigrain mmmmmmmmm :rotfl:

I buy it all the time. I dont like brown bread only occasionally on some sandwiches. It doesnt taste rancid to me but interested to see on some of these type of threads that some ppl rigidly stick to Kingsmill. They advertised this as being with a just cooked taste etc - personally i find it always tastes stale to me no matter how fresh..:lipsrseal

k2tog

Heinz tomato soup - have tried DS1 with shop's own brands but no success. 4 for £2 in T at the moment. Much better than normal horrendous price :beer:.
Ketchup must be Heinz too.
PG tips for home (where we use a pot) but own brand for work where it's made in the mug.
Bin bags also like many others on here.
Anything else is always less than top of the range :money:
Interesting thread. It's always worth seeing what people have had success with or otherwise.
ETA: forgot Clarks shoes for kids and Fairy

thisuseridistakenagain

i genuinely don't think there's anything anymore, we lived in australia last year, and couldnt get most branded things we loved so when we returened we really werent bothered anymore.

I'm a fake coke, runny beans, rough bog roll, squeaky shampoo, vinegary ketchup, rubbery cheese, watery chicken, UHT milk, value bread, bitter yoghurt, flavourless tea, wishy washy squash kind of gal!!

and better off for it!! lol

sillyvixen

Ches wrote: »

Good quality meat. I would rather have less than cheap and nasty.

i have a mamalian meat allergy - which means i cant eat meat - i dont have a problem with cooking meat for visitors (but only have 4 recipies and if you stay longer than 4 days you will need have a veggie meal or two!) but if i cook meat for others it does have to be good stuff as i cant physically taste what i am cooking for others! so the best is the best bet!!

Gigervamp

sillyvixen wrote: »

i have a mamalian meat allergy - which means i cant eat meat - i dont have a problem with cooking meat for visitors (but only have 4 recipies and if you stay longer than 4 days you will need have a veggie meal or two!) but if i cook meat for others it does have to be good stuff as i cant physically taste what i am cooking for others! so the best is the best bet!!

I don't eat meat either, but my sons and hubby do. I don't have a problem prepping and cooking it, but obviously, I can't (or rather, won't) taste it. So, I rely on my nose and their honest critique. (They know that they have to be honest, otherwise they'd end up with the same bad thing if it went wrong and they didn't tell me! :rotfl: )

I see it as a challenge.

And, suffice to say, we always use good meat from the butcher.

jbreckmckye

Good quality meat. I would rather have less than cheap and nasty.

The fact is, a meal made with a small amount of excellent meat, bulked out (with beans, oats, or veg) will end up nicer than a dish built from a larger portion of cheap and nasty, grisly offerings.