What are you guilty (or not) cheap loves?

[elfycat]

My examples are:

Pens - I love stationery and have pretty things. A purple Waterman pen with an 18ct white gold nib. It has a refillable cartridge and I use purple ink. It's beautiful to use.

My favourite pens are the orange-barrelled BIC pens. I even wrote a poem about them for a Literature Degree.

Coffee - DH has a DeLonghi Bean-to-Cup coffee machine (B'Day gift) which is amazing, and had come into its own during the Covid times.

I enjoy instant smooth blends. I might prefer it.

Notebooks - Back to Stationery. I have lots (Went on to take a Creative Writing MA) and have ones that cost a fair amount. Nothing bank-breaking but upper-end High Street and Independent Boutique.

I mostly write in the A4 hardback ones form The Works at £3 each. I have a cupboard full of them. Nice pictures, twee quotes but never unicorns for me. if you are a creative writer I thoroughly recommend a cheap notebook or two. I always feel a bit overwhelmed by my naff scribbles in an expensive book

Is it just me?

Mine is crisps.

Not interested in your high end crisp actually made of potato and naturally flavoured etc.

Give me a supermarket own brand wotsit/onion ring/skips. Full of crap I'm sure. But so tasty.

ooooh onion rings..!

Now I'm going to have to admit that I found a lost Vienetta in the freezer yesterday (as opposed to the Mint one I knew was in there).

Dr Oetker frozen pizza. My secret eat.

I also have a stash of The Works hardback notebooks @elfycat I can't pass the store without checking if they have any new ones. Wilko also have some great notebooks.
Another cheap love for me is yarn. I love doing crochet and it helps me to relax in that tiny one hour window after I've put DD down to sleep and she realises I'm MIA.

Second hand jigsaw puzzles. So much fun fort so little cost. It’s just not the same if bought full-price,

I love a nice mug. I have loads
Any that haven't got a pretty pattern end up in my handbag and I drop them into work.

Magazines (Your Home is my favourite)

Super noodles. It's shameful

Greggs sausage roll. choose it over fancy jamie oliver etc any day

Mcdonalds.Always.

I love Bettys Yorkshire Gingerbread, every time I’m in York I buy a pack and make it last (I’m type 2 diabetic) so it’s my occasional treat.

Cheap tins of ratatouille - I shove it on pasta or rice and top with cheap buitoni dried Parmesan- delicious and cheap!!

Fudge. Supermarket, posh, that stuff called fudge from seaside towns, anything goes. I call it medicinal fudge it perks me up so much.

I hear you with the pens and got a lovely cartridge roller pen a few weeks back. Also posh scented pencils that were mentioned by a mumsnetter possibly during lockdown.

I agree with you on the coffee - I really enjoy an instant coffee even though I know proper coffee lovers would shoot me.

Mr Whippy ice cream over anything artisan

Tesco Grip Retractable Ball Pens Black 10 Pack for £1.50
I LOVE these. They feel nice and write nicely. I love having a stash of them.

To those stationery lushes... Frixion pens are amazing, particularly in green, brown or purple.

My guilty pleasure is a plant. I'll pop along to a local garden centre, nursery etc... and I'll buy a plant. The cheaper the better. Then I'll get a few months or, if I'm lucky, several years of pleasure.

Instant noodles. Zero shame here.

Fortnum and Mason Chocolate Truffles

Asdas smart price spaghetti eaten cold out of tin.
I have no shame.

I am an unashamed wine snob. I worked in the wine trade for a while and hold the WSET Diploma.

However, for me, it's about quality, not price, so I'm as happy with a £10 Rioja as I am a £40+ Burgundy. I do, however, put a LOT of time and effort into researching what I drink.

PS - Lidl and Aldi's wine lists are AMAZING and you can get some amazing bottles for under a tenner.

Papermate InkJoy pens. The best, and only a couple of quid! At the moment my go-to treat is a Twix and a can of Vanilla Coke. Happiness for a quid.