What’s something you buy which is cheap/basic that is really good?

[Earbogeys]

Mine is bars of unscented soap from (predictably) Aldi, and also Waitrose own salt and vinegar crisps.

What gems are in your life?

'Vogue' by Milton Lloyd perfumes smells the exact same as Chanel no 5.
Bought it for £3.50

Instead of expensive facial oils, I use Natures Aid Sweet Almond Oil £3.69. No smell.

Great for my 50+ years old dry skin and keeps wrinkles at bay. When I went back to more expensive facial oils, they did not moisturise as well and cracks appeared in my skin towards the end of the day. They needed topping up.

Lidl dishwasher tablets!

@Earbogeys snap on the professor peppy!! Sugar free and only 42p for a two litre bottle can't go wrong, plus the name makes me laugh too :)

Iceland luxury ready meal curry is amazing!

The IKEA high chair was an amazing buy when I bought it. £12 for the chair and £3 for the attachable tray. Best high chair ever.

Right ready ... what I buy all the time
Aldi
Washing liquid blue or green
Yellow softener
Dish washer pods
Blast kitchen roll
Soft toilet rolls
Deodorant spray
Lime basil hand wash (jo malone knock off smells the same )
Candle
Hot cloth cleanser (Liz Earle knock off)
Q10 serum
Sainsbury’s window cleaner
Sainsburys bleach spray
Revolution rose lip oil knock off dior lip oil
Mini macron nail glow again dior rip off but better
Zara red temptation perfume smells exactly like baccarat rouge but cheaper
Wilko princess mascara
There's probably loads more I'll have another think
Only dear things I buy are nars tinted moisturiser nars concealer

I totally agree about the IKEA high chair. I now recommend it all pregnant friends (after spending silly money on others beforehand).

Barley Pearls! Sensory Perception Disorder and really enjoy how chewy they are, eat them with cream, like a rice pudding but they have more fibre than rice 😃

I buy Imperial Leather and Palmolive original soaps and take them out of the wrapping which makes them harder and last longer when you come to use them.
Meanwhile they're in my underwear and nightwear draws, unwrapped, which makes the clothing smell beautifully fresh and clean like a baby after a bath...IYSWIM.

Aloe Vera Vaseline lip therapy, best lip balm ever, I used to suffer from very dry lips at this time of year, not now. £1-2 max

One litre bottle of sweet almond oil £9.99 for removing eye make up. Lasts for months and months.

housecoat1968

where do you buy sweet almond oil for £9.99 please?

@JackieWeaversZoomAc

After years of using fancy clothes wash, when they discontinued Method super concentrated laundry liquid, I switched to own brand plain pack clothes detergent. It's brilliant at cleaning clothing, lasts forever ever, low scent and is packaged in a cardboard box.

Which shop own brand?

Oh yes ..Aldi Lacura Rose Oil, Q10 serum, Snapshot Ready primer, Caviar day cream and Q10 night cream plus their mascara and detangling hair brush and jade double ended face roller thingy.
M&S Nuxe mini oils (4 in a box) for face body and hair. They are FABULOUS esp on legs face and hair. My hair is strong and tends to get dry after being coloured. A few drops of Nuxe oil makes it look and feel silky. A must have IMO.

@ivykaty44

Naissance Sweet Almond Oil (no. 215) 1 Litre – For Skin, Hair, Massage, Nails, Cuticles, Ears, Face, Body, Stretch Marks - Natural Skin Care, Carrier Oil for Aromatherapy - Food Grade, Vegan, No GMO https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007MCXGO6/ref=cmswwrcppapigltti2SZWV18DXQMTTXWMX6A8??encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Ikea has some fab chunky glass highballs, £2 each, really solid and stylish.
I realised a while back that expensive face balms that you wash off with a muslin cloth - the majority of the benefit is from using the cloth. So now I use any cleanser (currently using deodorised coconut oil in a refillable tin for eco reasons) with cheap muslin cloths. Hot cloth cleaning on the cheap! I find super drug own brand moisturisers to be pretty good too.

Sauerkraut! Easy to make and cheaper and more probiotics in it than shop bought capsules.

Must re-read and take notes, so many great suggestions on here!

Asda do electric rice cookers, ideal size for 2-3 people, for about £10-16. Look out for the reduced price around the Chinese New Year ;-)

Superdrug own brand Colour Effects hair dye. Often on offer (3 for 2 or second one half price or something). They just shampoo in - and out - so are dead easy and quick to use, ie instead of your usual shampoo. I use one a couple of times a week and all my hairdressers always comment on the colour and condition. £1.99 for what they say will last 3 washes, but I get loads more than that out of it on my mid-length hair in a soft water area.

@SydneyCarton

Rimmel soft kohl eyeliner, absolutely the best

Thank you so much for this. I'm down to the last 1/2 inch of Bourgeois, which I can no longer buy in the UK.

I’m a Lidl fan. Their Formil cleaning products are consistently excellent. I have no idea why anyone would choose to pay more for branded products. Their Greek-style natural yogurt is the cheapest and the best.

Rajah spices are so much cheaper and better than the stuff in those silly little glass jars. They are usually in the World Foods aisle.

Waitrose own brand toilet roll is really good, soft and strong and long and all that and not expensive. Agree the Asda one is very good too.

Love the look of those soap raiser thingys as we use bar soap and it does tend to go a bit manky.

Have ordered one of those microwave rice steamers.

Would also like to know which own brand washing powder

Boots hyaluronic acid and boots tea tree foot spray!! Both heaven!!!! Tesco jelly beans are a zillion times nicer than the jelly bean company!! Also aldi croissants in the bag beat most bakery ones!! And tesco cream crackers or cookies!!! Aldi corn on the cob. Love this thread

@Twattergy totally agree. Liz Earle’s cleanser is on for seconds, it’s the hot muslin cloth that is good.I use it or a good old fashioned flannel with any old cleanser and it has exactly the same effect.

how did we get into the habit of calling it "full fat Coke"? There is no fat in Coke or Diet Coke!

I always took it as a knowing joke, a riff on saying “full fat milk”, and acknowledging that the sugar in full sugar coke will make you fat.