AIBU to think that sometimes you getter better quality by spending less?

[Allthingsprettyreturns]

Take something like Aldi washing up liquid for less than 60p which imho is better performing that some branded products?

[insanityscatching]

I don't know, I buy Fairy the mega size for £1.50 in Home Bargains and it lasts around 3 months so it costs me £6 for the year. If you buy less than 10 bottles a year then yes Aldi's is better value I suppose. Does it?

[insanityscatching]

Ignore the does it? I was having a conversation elsewhere

[Forgettable]

Well yes and no

eg anything other than x brand washing powder will set off dcs skin condition so a waste of ££ for our family

Something else: amazingly some parts of the UK don't have lo cost/discount type stores in easy reach (here Lidl is 15 miles thataway, Aldi is 28 thisaway for eg) and there are just crappy small coop/tesco stores with little choice

ho hum

[Impatientismymiddlename]

On some things you do and on some things you don't.

I tried so many branded non bio washing powders over the years and they all exacerbated my sons eczema, then I started using aldi and beats all the other brands and doesn't irritate my sons eczema.

I have tried non branded coffee and it's dire. Branded coffee only in my house

Washing up liquid is pretty much the same quality whether I buy aldi's own or fairy. But aldi dishwasher tabs are much better than either fairy or finish.

I find cheap clothing doesn't last as long as (the majority of) more expensive clothing. They just fade or lose shape in the wash and don't fit as well.

[WooWooOwl]

I find Primark vest tops are better than any I've ever bought from more expensive high street shops.

[IwinIwin]

Sometimes- but you make judgement calls. Value ketchup and orange juice taste great to me, value beans not so much- Branston all the way. Aldi's fishcakes are awesome, as is their ham sandwich meat- lush and inexpensive. Sometimes more expensive isn't better as well, I did one waitrose shop and never again. Most was the same as tesco, sainsbury and Aldi but I did not like the fresh soups and sandwich fillers that I regularly buy. Fillers were too small, too sweet and tasting of not much more. Soups weren't all that either. I was very glad when Covent garden ones started to come back fter a massive period of not selling at Tesco.

Isn't it the moneysavingexpert website that says to try the cheaper brands because a good amount of them are on parr.

Aldi's washing powder= great and cheap, same for their washing up liquid. Though I'd agree with Fairy being the ultimate best. Tesco and sainsburys own brands barely bubble, Aldi comes close but Fairy is superior.

[pluCaChange]

I find second hand children's clothes a good example of this. You can already see how they stand up to washing and wear (which can be an issue: how many times have we found material bobbling and hems dropping, after a few washes?), and they cost a lot less than new.

[Cushioney]

I find by combining offers and coupons I can buy branded goods for the same prices as unbranded goods. By using coupons, I bought 8 rolls of Triple Velvet toilet roll for £1.80. That is cheaper or a little more than depending where you shop than unbranded or value lines

[riskit4abiskit]

Totally agree with primark vests they're ace. I have many old tops from shops like river Island next etc that seem to have thicker material so last longer. Recent buys seem to have thinner material that wears out quickly unless. Joules seasalt etc are expensive but last longer

[parallax80]

I fairly recently did a Sainsbury's Basics only shop and we then worked out which things were noticeably different from the next brand up in either content or taste. I suspect with a lot of things Sainsbury's have a job lot of stuff made in a factory and then package all the wonky ones as Basics, as the content if often identical.

Can thoroughly recommend Basics brie amongst other things.

[LaFataTurchina]

Totally agree with charity shop finds often being great value. Older stuff seems to be better made, and I can afford clothes from nicer brands than I could in a shop.

I've found that lidl fresh flowers last a really long time.

Shower gel - can't use any of the nice smelling expensive stuff as it makes me super itchy, I like the 'simple' range as it's both cheap and non itchy.

[LaFataTurchina]

imptient - DP has excema too and unfortunatly the only washing powder we can buy is fairy non bio -pricey!

[Cherryblossomsmile]

Basics Brie

[Cherryblossomsmile]

Lidl has better quality fruit and veg IMO. For example, their carrots taste like carrots. Tescos taste like water.

[upthedamnwotsit]

Primadonna Olive Oil from Lidl is nicer than all of the expensive ones I've ever wasted money on. Though apparently the whole industry is rife with scams so the fancy descriptions on the pricey stuff may very well be bollocks.

[MaryWestmacott]

Sometimes, yes. I prefer the Waitrose own brand vanilla icecream to Haagan Dazs vanilla icecream, and Waitrose is 50p less for a tub.

I prefer the Sainsburys 'taste the difference' balsamic vinegar to most branded (and more expensive) ones.

Simple's eye makeup remover is better at getting off waterproof mascara (without upsetting the senstive skin around my eyes) than the one from Lancome or Clarins.

But often with food products, you get what you pay for.

[ClashCityRocker]

Yup, I find farmfoods chicken fillets a lot better than tescos or asda.

We tend to buy supermarkets own versions anyway.

In a rare, delusional moment of grandeur I did by some buffet food from Marks and Sparks at christmas.....general consensus in our household are that we should've gone to Iceland...

[redexpat]

Superdrug tampons are so much nicer than either tampax or lillets. Although am now a mooncupper, so they're only in my case of menstral emergency purse.

[Impatientismymiddlename]

Lafata I have previously tried fairy non bio and it inflamed my sons eczema really badly. I have also tried Persil non bio, supermarkets own non bios and even surcare (which is non perfumed and recommended by the British dermatological org) and they all really irritated my sons eczema. The only one that doesn't cause a problem with my sons skin is aldi non bio.
I also find that my son can eat a wider range of 'normal' foods from aldi than he can from other supermarkets. My son is allergic to gluten and dairy and aldi add less bulking agents to a lot of their processed and convenience foods so we can buy things like lamb burgers, bratwurst sausages, Chinese pork chops, ham, oven chips, pasta sauces without needing to spend ££££ on special free from versions. We don't eat those kinds of processed foods very much but we like to have them in the freezer and cupboard for when we are short of time and fancy something a bit junky.