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?

Poundland. Not poundage ffs.

@TurquoiseDragon
Which type do you buy please? Sensitive skin?

For those people looking for trousers for tall, slim people.
My beanpole nephew can buy Sainsbury’s own brand “slim” model trousers straight off the rack.

Sorry, wrong thread!

I used the one called nourishment up to now. The one for sensitive skin is a new one, and I haven't started using that one yet. I get them on a 16 week subscription.

[quote housecoat1968]@TurquoiseDragon
Which type do you buy please? Sensitive skin?[/quote]
My last post was for you, phone is doing stupid things since an android update.

Lemon juice from the baking isle. It's 0.35 p in Aldi, and is very cheap in most stores, it's a fantastic natural de-scaler. I use it to de-scale my kettle. A much cheaper alternative to chemical de-scalers and natural too!

Great thread 👌🏻

Dunno why people are so pissy about rice cookers.

There are loads of reasons why someone might want a recommendation.

We had one but currently ok with saucepan.

Also haven't got a microwave but wouldn't presume just because I have an oven that nobody else might like a microwave

Aldi frozen pain au chocolate, they taste like ready baked ones from much more expensive bakery near me.
The ordinary range I think is very good value for money. Revolution and NYX beauty have quite a lot of dupes of more expensive items, I don’t know if they still have it but they had a revolution foundation that was identical to Estée Lauder double wear (about 6 months ago so hopefully it’s still there).
B & M have lots of plastic storage solutions (for pantry’s, bathrooms, dressing tables and general storage) and when I looked at Amazon in comparison some of them were a third of Amazon prices.

My rice cooker is a cheap cookworks one I bought from Argos at least 12 years ago. I love it although we’ve been having Gousto of late and use the absorption method on their recipes which works well too.

A 25kg sack of magnesium sulphate/Epsom salt for about £25 rather than buying it in expensive wee packets labeled bath salts.
The sack lives in the bathroom (hidden) & we Chuck a few handfuls into each bath

@GibbonsGoatsGibbons

A 25kg sack of magnesium sulphate/Epsom salt for about £25 rather than buying it in expensive wee packets labeled bath salts. The sack lives in the bathroom (hidden) & we Chuck a few handfuls into each bath

Ooh. Where do you get them in this quantity, please?

Yes, where do you get it please Gibbons. I'm local and have never seen it

I found this, @RosesAndHellebores, though I'm not too keen on the chappie on the packet...

@GibbonsGoatsGibbons - do you get any grit or mud at the bottom of the bath? I seem to remember having that issue when I had to put rock salt in the bath, so just 🤔 cheers.

Never any grit! I buy it at consumption quality so it's very pure. Usually via eBay sometimes marketed for gardeners as above.

Brilliant, thank you!

@OooohAhhhh

Lemon juice from the baking isle. It's 0.35 p in Aldi, and is very cheap in most stores, it's a fantastic natural de-scaler. I use it to de-scale my kettle. A much cheaper alternative to chemical de-scalers and natural too!

Can I ask exactly how you use it? I'd much prefer it to the nasty chemical stuff too.

I love threads like this, this is the spirit of Mumsnet isn't it

My contribution- asdas own whole bean coffee. My husband recently bought a super fancy coffee machine and we've enjoyed trying out lots of fancy artisan brands (one was £14 for a bag! But we don't drink alcohol or go out much so this is our treat) and actually I think the Asda two for £5 bags are just as good.

Tbh Asda in general amazes me. I've just switched from Sainsbury's and I'm saving £30-40 on food a week buying the same stuff.

Cissyandflora

CannelloniMacaroni
Why the hell do some of you rinse cooked rice..?!? You’re supposed to rinse the rice before you cook it, or even let it soak for a few hours to remove debris and starch.

Lols. So cross

@Cissyandflora I can add a smiley if you like, so that you can see it was a genuine question. It’s a very strange thing to do. But thanks for the word cross, haven’t heard it in a long time and it cheered me up a bit. 🙃

@tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz absolutely! This is why I switched to using it. I was paranoid about left over chemicals in the kettle, and they are expensive.
Just pour around 1/4 of the small bottle into your kettle, fill the kettle around 3/4 full of water and bring it to the boil. Then let it sit for an hour or so. If you have a see through window on your kettle you see all the limescale coming off and fizzing! I then bring it to the boil again and leave it for a bit, then scrub it inside.
To finish I use a little more lemon juice on a scourer and give it one last scrub!
Voila, clean kettle. And for less than 0.35 p as you don't eve use the full bottle.

[quote OooohAhhhh]@tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz absolutely! This is why I switched to using it. I was paranoid about left over chemicals in the kettle, and they are expensive.
Just pour around 1/4 of the small bottle into your kettle, fill the kettle around 3/4 full of water and bring it to the boil. Then let it sit for an hour or so. If you have a see through window on your kettle you see all the limescale coming off and fizzing! I then bring it to the boil again and leave it for a bit, then scrub it inside.
To finish I use a little more lemon juice on a scourer and give it one last scrub!
Voila, clean kettle. And for less than 0.35 p as you don't eve use the full bottle.
[/quote]
Excellent thanks and it's nice and easy. I'm a convert ... plus worse case scenario as I'm paranoid about rinsing after is our first cuppa may be a bit 🍋

😁

If anyone likes knitting and crochet, Poundland yarn is great and £2 for 3 balls. It's not fancy but perfect for socks, gloves and hats.

@Vampirethriller

If anyone likes knitting and crochet, Poundland yarn is great and £2 for 3 balls. It's not fancy but perfect for socks, gloves and hats.

I do neither but we have a big Pom Pom project!!!