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?

Nivea soft moisturiser.

Yes to bar soaps, switched for environmental reasons, but have now realised they're great. Plus my kids love playing with them in the bath

Aldi crumpets. 25p for 6. Taaty and less salt than Warburtons which are triple the price.

Aldi shortbread, the ones in the black packet for £1 ish. Look and taste homemade and I couldn't make them for that price.

Aldi hand soap that's a dupe of Molton Brown.

Aldi 67p frozen pizza is delicious.

Aldi Austins, which is a dupe of Pimms. We get through rather a lot in the summer, along with the 27p lemonade!

Agree with Aldi body lotion. Unbelievable value for money.

Oh heck, pretty much everything in Aldi

Aldi caviar night cream, I used to buy Neal's Yard Frankincense Intense at nearly 10 times the price but the Aldi is just as good.

Avoca own brand soap, it's expensive at €6.50 a bar but it's a big bar, doesn't go mushy, smells delicious, doesn't make me itchy and lasts for about 4 or 5 months (two people using it).

Dunnes own brand dry roasted peanuts. Tastes so much better and less oily than branded ones and doesn't have weird chemical ingredients like some others do.

Lidl tampons! They have a sturdy cardboard applicator with proper finger indents in it so you get ‘purchase’ (if you know what I mean 🤣) to actually get the thing up you, unlike other non-plastic brands.

I really like the little chocolate bars that Aldi do. I have no self control so if I have a 100g bar of chocolate I just keep going.

The small bars are kept in the garage so there is 'friction' involved and I just can't keep grazing. They taste really good and are an excellent size.

I also really like bar soap from Waitrose. The rest of the family aren't keen. I also only buy cruelty free products so Aldi, Superdrug and Waitrose own brands tend to be my 'go to'.

@BlueSkyeThinker

cancel the cheque

Stop the Unstoppables.

Courgettes, halved, sliced, skin on, fried. A quick delish cheap veg side that matches most meals. And keeps in fridge all week.

@NightmareSlashDelightful

It’s not cheap in itself but it is because it replaces loads of other products — black Marseille liquid soap. I get it from a French company. It cleans anything except people (ordinary Marseille soap will do that) and you can also use it as an insect spray for plants. I buy a 750ml bottle and it lasts months because it’s so concentrated.

Ooh, what can it be used for please? I love their hand soap so thinking I should try it. And can I get it in the UK?

Un stoppable s

omg please do not burn unstoppables its as bad as people spraying fabric softener all over their house, so bad for you and dangerous.

elbow grease is amazing at getting stains out of everything for £1

Oh thanks everyone for the heads up re the unstoppables, I'll stop doing that then. I used to buy unstoppable wax melts from B & M but they stopped making them hence why I used the beads. It wasn't for cheapness, it was because I really love the smell, I never use cheap wax melts, they're just awful.

Nivea - better than all the expensive moisturisers I have used
Ponds cold cream

A filter coffee machine and Kirkland coffee. (A French press and same coffee for work or hols )

Garner ultimate blends shampoo and conditioner. Better than all the fancy expensive salon stuff.

Garnier sorry

If you have a Company shop in your area and are eligible for membership that’s definitely worth a go. They sell surplus stock very cheaply, it’s always random and you can’t ever bank on them having something in but I quite like the lucky dip aspect of it.
www.companyshopgroup.co.uk/

Aldi shower gel, jasmine, neroli and something @ £1.99 Makes my bathroom smell like a spa
I wish they did a whole range in it

Rajah spices in big bags - more cost effective than jars
Potatoes in a large brown sack from Morrisons. My last one has mainly baking size potoatoes

@SharksAlive

Washing powder (just Fairy) - no plastic boxes, no gunged up washing machine, can't think why I ever stopped using it in the first place.

I've just gone back to Daz. Amazed at the difference and it's so cheap to buy and no plastic waste. Not sure why I ever stopped using it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Aldi do a dupe of the Sanctuary spa bubble bath that is sold in boots. Sanctuary is about £8/9 a bottle but £1.50 in Aldi and I swear it is exactly the same thing. Massive bottle as well. Aldi also do a dupe of the Aussie brand shampoo and conditioner, about £1.79 a bottle instead of £3.99. Also their Lacura hydrating moisturising gel is £4.99 a pot and a complete match for the Clinique moisture surge which is about £28. So yeah; basically Aldi stuff 😂

If only their fruit and veg wasn’t so hit and miss I’d do all my shopping there.

Yes, potatoes in big bags (I get ours from Lidl), 7.5kg for £3, a lot cheaper than those in small bags. We keep the bag in the dark in the garage.

Dove soap

Costco Kirkland Canola spray cooking oil - a twin pack last about a year.
Argan oil shampoo and conditioner in the tubes from Poundland etc.
Valerian tablets from Savers work better for me than Nytol and are much cheaper.

I make a lovely body moisturiser by mixing 50/50 coconut oil and cocoa butter (has to be Palmers for me) and add a few drops of oat oil. It solidifies into a waxy consistency that just melts into your skin with body heat.

Boots collection concealer
Tesco own brand non-bio powder

Dove Shea butter soap is lovely, but I can only get it at Sainsbury’s now.

Aqueous cream. The best facial cleanser (hot cloth method) and treatment for chapped hands there is IMO. c. £1 for a large tub.