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

[fateisdestined2025]

Cakes for me. Homemade cakes taste better.

Guacamole is so easy to do, just mix with a fork: avocado, lemon, garlic and add salt. Shop bought one is really disgusting.

porridge sachets are so small so I use porridge oats with vanilla extract, fruit or jam, dates, honey, syrup

....unless you're addicted to M&S choc covered custard creams - £3 a packet of 6!! 😒

My husband works in the food industry, and so now I am always amused by threads like this. Sainsbury’s, Tesco, M&S, Asda etc. don’t own any of their own food factories, Aldi and Lidl don’t own any in the UK at least; they all buy their stock from the same external producers. So caterpillar cakes, for instance, no matter what the name or supermarket, are all made in one UK factory. There will be tweaks to the recipe - M&S use slightly more luxury ingredients - but that’s all it is, a tweak in the mix used to make thousands of cakes, and I’m not sure most people would tell the difference, certainly not a load of seven year olds at a party. There is little to no discernible difference between any supermarket own brands, beyond labelling. As for big brand producers making supermarket own brands - that would be telling 😉

We have our main supermarket shop delivered, but once a month we do an Aldi top up of all the things that are just too expensive elsewhere: olive oil, coffee, maple syrup.

@Velmy i don't suppose you know the name of the disaronno dupe? It's literally my favourite and if there's a cheaper alternative that tastes the same I'm going to be over the moon 😊

M&S Earl Grey tea bags are the best - and I've tried every other brand. They're really 'fragrant'.

Aldi's Cassario rum is delicious, even compared to the big brands (although some of Aldi's other spirits do taste cheap and nasty, such as their amaretto).

Aldi's extra mature cheddar. It's a mighty 7 on cheese scale (?!) and many other shops, including M&S, only go to 6!

Oh I love those frozen parathas 😁

What’s this called please?

How do you do this?

Sainsbury’s hash browns much cheaper and far superior to salty McCains hash browns.
Never buy wool detergent, just use cheapest shampoo from Lidl, my wool clothes smell amazing!

Ms Mollys digestives instead of McVities.

Lurpak spreadable butter. They reduced the size of the pack and increased the quantity of oils in it.
I now buy butter.

I was only used to use the branded products but now have switched to own brands due to how expensive everything is. I bake a lot and find own brand flour sugar etc is just as good because they sell more of it so it tends to be fresher. I refuse to buy the branded 200g of butter and have switched to Supermarket own brands, 200g does not work for me. Whoever decided on this silly change obviously doesn’t bake.

And supermarkets get their flour from the same mills after all!

Add a bit of horseradish if you want a little kick!

Well I say I make my own but you don't really make it. It's just cornflour. It works a treat. I mix a little bit of cocoa powder in aswell to dull some of the whiteness as I have brown roots. Use a brush to dab it on and brush it out a few minutes later. Sounds mad but since I found this trick tried it I haven't looked back.

Any chance you can provide the link or recipe for this bread ?

Yes, I agree bread has become stodgy and horrid in the last year - what is going on? I thought I was being indulgent on a Waitrose shop recently (very rare for us!) and got a baguette from their fancy range. It's like the Warbuton shite - plasticky nothing tasting that gives you tummy pains and bloating. The half that we left has still not gone stale 5 days later, which actually makes me quite depressed as the reason baguettes are a treat is that it's an excuse to eat it all on the same day in our house, before it goes stale! It's my version of the McDonalds test for bread these days; if it lasts that long there's not much thats real about the ingredients. Bread used to be so cheap but now it's £3 a loaf I'd rather it actually was cheaper and more affordable to buy more frequently without the chemicals added in.

Sorry, bread soapbox rant over!

I really can’t believe this. I wish they were. I find Aldi nappies and pull ups so super thin and flimsy !! In fact I’ve tried almost every brand of nappy available and can’t find any that r anywhere near as good as Pampers sadly ! I really wish they were. I always shop around so I always get them on an offer. Full price for them is insane !

I don't buy humous anymore. It is more expensive to make your own but a tin of chickpeas makes a batch much bigger than a tub you buy. The flavour and texture are so much nicer and there are no nasty additives.

Morrisons cereals are far better than branded, particularly shreddies and Weetabix. Shame no one does their own brand big shredded wheat.

For those saying fairy wul. Lidl own dark green one is brilliant and has the nostalgic old fairy smell.

Lidl chocolate digestives and equivalent of Maryland cookies are better and their strawberry jam is the best out there.

Lidl's Lupilu nappies and pull ups. For my eldest, I always used to still use Pampers for night time, and the cheaper ones during the day. But I have totally converted to Lidl nappies for my second child.

@givemushypeasachance I am the exact same! Fairy Liquid and Who Gives a Crap toilet paper are my non-negotiables and all cheaper alternatives are just false economy.

For literally everything else I go Aldi or supermarkets own. No difference!

I started making my own sourdough bread. The process is quite long so I make 3 at the time. Can freeze 2 and take it out whenever I need. Delicious, cheaper and healthier