What do you not buy anymore because you’ve found a cheaper/better alternative?

[fateisdestined2025]

Cakes for me. Homemade cakes taste better.

Same , also ketchup Mayo and Salad Cream from M&S. the soups in particular are fantastic and they don’t charge a ridiculous price for a half tin of beans

Co-Op baked beans are lovely and only 50p with member card. Don’t like Heinz the sauce seems ‘watery’

I agree Aldi nappies are great, I love the big package as well.

Bread, butter and filled/fresh pasta tend to be homemade here - we put a Sunday aside every few weeks and make a load of each to pop in the freezer.

As a Sainsbury’s shopper and initially purely through financial need, I swapped:

Dolmio pasta sauces (approx £2.50) for Sainsbury’s own brand 69p
Heinz baked beans (approx £1.40 per can) for Sainsbury’s own brand at 40p
Napolina pasta (approx £1.50) for Sainsbury’s own brand at 65p
Princes Mackrel Fillett tins (approx £1.75) for Sainsbury’s own brand at £1.00
Cathedral City mature cheese block (approx £10.71/kg for Sainsbury’s own brand at £8.13/kg). *Unable to provide item cost total as package sizes differ for this product.

The most surprising swap was the mackrel fillets as I’m very funny with taste and texture re fish but omg the own brand was sooo much better! The fish is firmer and a more ‘authentic’ all round taste - hard to describe!

It was difficult to find a good swap for sliced bread but that’s fine as I’m trying not to eat it anyway.

PS it’s a testament to how good the alternatives are that even though I’m financially better off now, I’ll keep my frugal swaps still!

I do not understand why people still buy Weetabix - branded. As all supermarket Weetabix is made by Weetabix! They may change the texture of the supermarket own.

Lidl’s 36 is £2.10 and Weetabix 36 is £4!

Though I wish Weetabix make supermarket own mini Weetabix

@Auburngal not sure if I believe that as Lidl weetabix is beyond bad, tasteless and just horrendous. Tescos is lovely though.

Many own brands are so much nicer than branded and healthier as they have less salt and sugar. Except Asda baked beans, they're gross. Felt like I was swallowing a huge dose of salt, tesco own brand are amazing though.

There are not many brands I insist on. PG Tips tea bags, because I am yet to find a cheaper one that tastes as nice. Muller low fat yoghurt as cheap ones are a bit watery. Fairy liquid.

If I do buy other branded, its because the deal works out cheaper than the own brand.

Pizza. Homemade is immense! Takeaways are awful in comparison.
Curry, can't fault takeaway curry tbf but homemade is just so much more oomph'y.
I'd love to learn how to make a decent loaf but my first attempt could have been used as a weapon 😭

Dry shampoo. I make my own and it works great and much cheaper.

I always thought no matter how bad things got, I'd always use Heinz tomato ketchup.... until i went to my friends for a BBQ and she had Tesco value ketchup and it was totally fine. Now I just buy whatever is cheapest.

Heinz ketchup because M&S is £1 and better by orders of magnitude

@ComedycookSNAPS

I used to buy Heinz tomato sauce then I realised if I ever had a burger elsewhere I would eat it with whatever tomato sauce was there. Plus the children had the sauce more than me and no one has said anything.

I used to buy Heinz tomato sauce then I realised if I ever had a burger elsewhere I would eat it with whatever tomato sauce was there. Plus the children had the sauce more than me and no one has said anything.

As all supermarket Weetabix is made by Weetabix!

The same can be said for biscuits - made in the same factories with different packaging.

Notably Burbon and custard cream biscuits are the same

Oh ASDA'50% less sugar and salt ketchup. Tastes vety much like a ketchup of my childhood...

Jars of pasta sauce - We have made our own for years now.

Yankee candles - I like just get the Wickford and Co ones from Lidl now for a fraction of the price.

Heinz beans, tomato ketchup and tomato soup, as well as hovis white bread - all replaced with M&S alternatives for half the price!

I don't buy Jo Malone/White Company candles anymore. Someone recommended an Etsy seller on another thread and I've been used her shop for the past 3 months for scented gifts. Same scents. 1/3 of the cost. It'll save ma fortune at Christmas AND i'll be supporting an independent seller!

Only on MN would someone be economising by shopping in Waitrose - this did make me smile 😉

I think the only branded products I buy now are Yorkshire tea and Nescafé gold blend. Everything else is either Aldi /M&S/ Waitrose own brands. I love M&S cleaning products, really good value as well.

I don't use jars of pasta sauce anymore. Carton of passata with herbs and spices added based on dish and taste. Cheaper and healthier than jarred PS

M&S tinned soup, not especially cheaper than other brands but better tasting.

100% agree re guacamole. With hummus there’s not as big of a difference imo, although it’s fun to get creative when you make it yourself. I put beetroot in my hummus!