to automatically ignore value brands

[somedayma]

I probably am BU because I could definitely do with saving some cash on my grocery shop. But I've had some v bad tesco value items in the past (soft rice crispies, plasticky tasting chocolate etc).

I was looking at value chicken breasts today, thinking 'they're probably going to taste the same as the other slightly more expensive ones once it's in a stew anyway'. but for some reason bought the more expensive ones anyway.

Value ready salted crisps taste the same as branded ones. Just FYI

I agree, basics smoked salmon trimmings are less than a pound and are great for making posh pasta or blinis Or in scrambled egg.

I think costco is our saving grace as a big family.
Anyone who is self employed, NHS staff, armed forces, teachers etc can join and if you can face the inital outlay and have a car big enough to bring it all home in you can save a fortune on heniz beans, soups etc.

I agree about the smoked salmon trimmings. Have a lovely past recipe for them and they are delicious in a flan with asparagus and emmenthal. Have just made shopping list:

macaroni
cheddar
olive oil
bread
bacon
litre milk
litre juice
yoghurts
6 pack crisps
lettuce
toms
cu
peppers
baked beans
sliced loaf
fabric conditioner
chicken
1 x veg
pckt poultry gravy
1 pckt meatballs
2 ready meals
2 x fruit (plums/satsumas?)
jar coffee
small kipling cakes
packet biscuits

That will just about last until Tuesday evening if I hide the cakes and biscuits and bring them out in degrees. I bet I spend £50.00 minimum on that.

Sometimes Costco is bargain- city, things can be half price and alot of their cleaning products are Professional Grade.

But the choice can be limited.
I always do a quick compare to Sainsbo before I go (good if you have the Costco wallet of vouchers) to check.
And ours doesn't run out of stock of the special offers.

Should have said Tuesday morning!

Ive never tried Costco although I do have a Makro card, and depending on what it is yes you can save a fair bit of money. I usually buy washing powder, dishwasher tablets, toilet rolls etc in bulk there. And also the dreaded chicken breasts - a 5 kg pack for £19 which does the month. So I only have to buy the value ones if we run out.

Things like baby wipes I'm not fussed which brand I use so i'll buy what ever is on offer in Costco, YY to the chicken breast, huge amounts of mince and 4 filet steaks for £25, M&S charge that for 2.
I buy Costco tinned tomatoes, their own brand ugg boots for the children and all appliances because they will replace them if they break no matter how old they are.
And I've got my eye on an American top loading washing machine, just need to work out how to get it home

Ah, see if there's one thing I really do/did appreciate it's a nice, good quality baby wipe !

slarty - do NOT feel guilty, you are doing the right thing. You are sticking to recommended portion sizes for protein. I don't understand this obsession with huge portions of protein beyond what is recommended as (repeating myself here), your body cannot store protein beyond what it needs (unlike carbs and fat) so it is a waste of money. In addition, excess protein has to be processed by the liver and then the products of that processing filtered out at the kidneys so you're just making your organs do loads of extra work for no nutritional benefit.

I'm a recent Aldi convert (after being fed up with being fleeced by Waitrose, which is the local supermarket - well, that and the Coop in the village, which is villanously overpriced because it's a convenience store in a prosperous area ). What I like about Aldi is the lack of choice - there's none of this 'ten types of everything' that you get in superstores. The greater choice in larger places just means you're liable to up-size in terms of price and possibly get two different variants because you can't decide. And the weekly shop takes about half the time if you don't have bloated aisles full of stuff you don't really need. Choice isn't always good.

I've found most of what I buy there is absolutely indistinguishable from the branded things or good quality own-brands in other supermarkets. Though Sainsbury Basics range is excellent and often priced same as Aldi.

I do buy free-range chickens at Aldi, but feel guilty doing so - I don't understand how they can be so cheap and still be free-range. Suspect it's a matter of chickens in barns theoretically being allowed outside through small open doors, rather than happy feathered bums bobbing up and down in a wooded area with a nice view. I also buy free-range eggs there (ditto). And premium steak mince (it's farm-assured and about half the price of Sains). Any other meat is got from the butchers, Waitrose, or farm shop if I'm feeling flush.

i always buy tesco value, or just tesco. Nothing wrong with it imo. Same product, cheaper price. Its got my shopping down to about £30 per week.

Thanks Collision.

I go to Aldi, because it is cheaper (and a lot better,in most cases) than Tesco...even with my husband's 10% staff discount!!!

I have cut our weekly shopping bill from 100 quid down to 70 quid by switching to value brands.

The fromage frais, weetabix and beans are rank and have switched back to Other brands.

But am a total convert to value digestives, choc digestives, rich tea biscuts, penne pasta, chopped tomatoes, sweetcorn, teacakes, scones, cream crackers, tinned rice pud and custard, tinned fruit, little apple juices for lunchboxes, concentrated orange juice (still ge premium brands for weekend breakfast), frozen fishcakes and loads more

Tesco value, brw

Assa was pretty rank on most stuff

Do you think so follow? Ive found that most smart price stuff Ive tried from Asda has been ok. Made my DS some bacon rolls with their sp bacon today and it was a bit thin but he said it tasted lovely.

Meant to say but maybe Ive just been lucky!

Well, did my shopping, got a couple of extra bits: some feta, crumpets, shamp/cond/shw gel, which were all on offer, bottle of wine, bottle of beer, spuds, pitta bread, scampi (from the three for a £10 range). Might just eek it out until Wednesday morning. But the budget of £50.00 ended up as £75.00!

How annoying! I'm trying to log in to MySupermarket so I can see how much cheaper my massive Aldi shop was compared to Tesco and it won't let me on!

Aldi and Lidl may be great but from my part of London it would probably take at least 45 mins there and 45 mins back and I would still need other things and as I work full time, economically it just wouldn't be worth it.

duckdodgers.You disgust me.Do you honestly not give a shit about animal welfare? Could you not leave something off your shopping list so you could afford to put the extra into buying chicken that is at least rspca monitored?
What a horrible role model for your dc.

No reply? Ok I will wait while you order your take away,put out your fag or turn your sky tv over.All of which I assume you have/do,but the welfare of a living animal means nothing? Some people!

May I just ask a ketchup question?!!!

In my quest to reduce the weekly shop cost I have tried to find a replacement for heinz ketchup. Now, I can't stand the stuff myself but my two DS so far have refused both Sainsbury and Tesco version.

Is there a good alternative out there ????

Aldi ketchup the only one --me and--the dcs will have other than heinz, the benefit with my dcs is they're under 5 and the packaging is v similar to heinz so its easy to fool them, and its nice too.

Thanks J - I'll give it a go!!!