No matter how broke I am, I will not compromise on

[NorthEndGal]

Butter
If I only had a few dollars left, I'd still buy butter.
Not margarine, not 20-80 spread, just real pure butter.

Anything else, I'll do without, or by a substitute, etc

What is your "I'm not going without" thing?

With you @NorthEndGal I would rather go without spread completely than use margarine

Free range eggs - I would rather have nothing
Good quality dog food for DDog (I'd starve before I let him go hungry) and other things like insurance
Make up

@Frith2013 wish I could help - is it possible to PM?

I’ve got £4 to last 3 of us until next Tuesday

Mmmmmm. I'm not poor now, but the memory lingers. Maybe this is lighthearted but it does make me uncomfortable.

I shopped in charity shops, didn't get haircuts and bought store brand everything (including cheap butter) and learned to live off cheap pasta, lentils and suchlike (I was vegetarian).

Cranks wholemeal bread. Pretty much the only bread you can buy that isn't made using the Chorleywood process, which is what makes most bread revoltingly soft, pappy and squishy. Even "quality" breads.

Try it. You won't be disappointed!

Free range eggs
Unwaxed lemons

A lot of you clearly haven't been totally broke.

When I was late teens I remember being so broke I shoplifted kwik save own white label things. That was broke.

Coffee..i cant stand cheap tasting coffee

I have been so broke I ate paper for five days.

Although I only buy free range anyway I thought eggs from caged hens were banned in the UK now?

I agree with butter although I'll happily buy the basics butter as opposed to Anchor etc.

Mine's an opposite. I would travel further out of my way to an Asda to buy their own cheap brand version of Coco Pops rather than buy Kelloggs' version. Since they took out all of the yummy bad stuff, they're bloody awful, but Asda's taste just like they used to!

Butter.
Good fabric in natural fibres (I sew every day if I can).
Good quality flour, especially for pizza.
Yorkshire tea- teabags when I'm flush and loose tea when I'm not.
Everything else is negotiable.

HP brown sauce
Butter
Kerastase shampoo and conditioner

Heinz Ketchup
Branston Beans
Sausages
PG Tips

Everything else is as cheap as i can buy it for as im broke :-(

Agree with you Op .Butter is essential in my life .I lived in the states when my kids were young and all the kids were fascinated that we had 'real butter' on the table instead of some crappy low calorie ,low fat glue.I paid $4 a pound for Kerrygold (I'm Irish) in 2003 .Same goes for decent full fat yoghurt , good coffee beans for my coffee machine and proper bread .No sliced pan for me.
Good cheese always too.Could live from my above list and be happy

Proper Maldon salt and proper butter.
Olive oil
Make up

Tobacco. While I make sure DS is properly fed, when we are skint I'll skip lunch for myself for a few days so I can get a pack of rolling tobacco. Because, despite all the waa, waa, waa, about how awful it is that poor people smoke, and wouldn't they be better off if they didn't smoke (a tenner a week doesn't make that much difference when you are longterm poor) if you are a smoker, the idea of going without the one thing that temporarily makes you feel a bit better and a bit less helpless is a compromise you will not make.

Loose leaf Yorkshire tea
Butter
Heinz beans
Meat
Pens
Sunglasses

I've been very poor. Now that we're ok, these are the only things I won't compromise on. Most other things I'll get whatever is the cheapest. Old habits die hard.

Organic milk and butter.

Free range eggs.

Naice lettuce (lambs) - can't be done with Iceberg!

I am lucky to not have to worry now, but believe it or not, I was once a student on welfare , so I know what no money is like.
I would buy 6 boxes of KD (2$), 3 pk of Kool aid (1$) 2 loves of bread (1.50$) 3pk Jello (1$) a bag of apples (2.50$) and a pound of butter (3.50$) each week.
It's been more than 2 decades, and I still remember

I don't take for granted what I have right now, and I recognize the tables could turn again.
Still gotta have my butter

loo roll and nappies. I couldn’t buy a cheap brand of either.

Butter and free range eggs.

Proper coffee, Yorkshire tea and free range chicken.

'Broke' is relative isn't it?
I agree - butter eggs bread coffee tea fresh fruit are things I'd prioritise.
Good soap, bulbs for an indoor pot, and books for my spirit/mind.

But sometimes even yellow labelled / own label items are too much £

Only free range eggs.

Nowadays I'd only buy butter but I've been really poor in the past when margarine was the only thing I could afford.

Those of you saying Heinz beans, cheap and cheerful ones are honestly just as nice if you put a knob of butter in with them when they're cooking and cook them down on the hob so they're lovely and soft.