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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask your "same but cheaper" hacks?

436 replies

Fishface77 · 02/03/2017 21:49

I've read that
Blue tin Nivea is a cheaper version of creme de la mer so I've bought 3 tins!

Please can Anyone recommend anything that is as good as the branded version but cheaper?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
OddShoe · 03/03/2017 06:42

Lidl fake Nutella tastes the same as real Nutella to me.

Also their fake shloer is better than the real stuff.

OddShoe · 03/03/2017 06:45

Agree allchatted about the eggs. I mainly use them in baking so don't taste them anyway but I'd never buy caged eggs. I know all chickens have been kept inside recently so in theory there has been no difference but I still couldn't bring myself to buy them.

Sparklingbrook · 03/03/2017 06:50

I agree with Lidls fake peanut M&Ms they are yummy. Also their own brand crisps beat Walkers hands down. And their tin foil.

I don't like Aldi at all but their clumping cat litter is great.

UnbornMortificado · 03/03/2017 06:53

Primark eyeliner. The £1 ps I love you one, I think it's a better one then the Lancôme one.

SheSaidHeSaid · 03/03/2017 07:45

I'd ignore the original eggs comment, must be a wind up.

Dullboringusername · 03/03/2017 07:50

Martin Lewis recommends that you swap out around a third of your branded items for cheaper versions each time you shop. If you don't notice the difference/prefer the cheaper version stick with it otherwise go back to the one you like better (or swap for a different cheaper-but-not-as-cheap item)

You can save quite a bit that way.

I think it was Martin Lewis anyway

TinfoilHattie · 03/03/2017 07:53

I don't think it's necessarily "same but cheaper". Own brand or budget products won't be the SAME, but will often be just as good or even better.

For example, I love Waitrose own brand liquid soap (especially clementine and ginger). I think it's just as good as Molton and Brown, smells gorgeous and costs about £1.20. I'm not stating that it's the same stuff though.

I think you have to be open to trying things with an open mind, not automatically buying the same brands week in, week out because it's what you've always done. We never ever buy branded washing liquid or dishwasher tablets, Aldi ones work just as well. I also think some of the supermarket face products like creams and scrubs are great, you just have to experiment to find the one which is right for you.

MouseholeCat · 03/03/2017 07:55

Nothing groundbreaking to add, but Lidl's nuts and dried fruits are infinitely better than ones I've bought in Sainsburys, Asda, Waitrose etc. Their mozzarella and cream cheese too. Also their smoked mackerel- it's 99p and delicious.

Spices from the world food section- big packs, wayyyyy cheaper, and generally better quality. Ditto coconut milk, pulses, popcorn.

IvyLeagueUnderTheSea · 03/03/2017 08:19

One thing I think it is worth thinking about with food is not just the taste but the ingredients.

Here are there pictures on ingredients one is Asda Smart Price vanilla ice cream, one is Kelly's vanilla ice cream and one is Haagen-Daz. They might all taste ok, and I know that the price difference is huge but it is worth thinking about.

To ask your "same but cheaper" hacks?
To ask your "same but cheaper" hacks?
To ask your "same but cheaper" hacks?
Thebearsbunny · 03/03/2017 08:20

I attended a gin tasting session a year or so ago. We were reliably informed that Tesco own brand tonic is far superior to any other tonic available in the uk. Morrisons isn't bad either.

Original poster
Fishface77 · 03/03/2017 08:20

I went to Sainsbury's and their tins of tomatos were about 75p each, the Asian food shop round the corner had them 4 for £1!

OP posts:
AndNoneForGretchenWieners · 03/03/2017 08:32

I like Nivea men post shave balm as a primer. It smells lovely and is so cheap.

Ragwort · 03/03/2017 08:37

Can anyone recommend a good ground coffee? I love Taylors Columbian but that has been discontined (after reaching £4 a packet Shock). I seem to have tried every Columbian blend on the market but can't find anything nearly as good. Any suggestions?

mrsnec · 03/03/2017 08:42

Try Lidl coffee. I like all the coffee I've ever tried from there, the ground stuff, the gold blend rip off instant and the Nespresso pods are all really good.

shovetheholly · 03/03/2017 08:52

I don't know if this is still the case, but last time I checked Norpak had palm oil in it (with all the problems of environmental devastation that brings) whereas I think Lurpak use rapeseed oil.

Aldi ground coffee is good!

Poundland is as good for flower and vegetable seeds as any of the major manufacturers, and they are less than 1/10 of the price a lot of the time. Aldi, Morrisons and Lidl also do brilliant plants - the former's fruit trees at £2.99 are a total bargain.

Hobbes8 · 03/03/2017 09:03

Co-op's big bags of fancy crisps are as nice as kettle chips, although they don't come in so many flavours. Their fair trade chocolate is as nice as green and blacks too.

There was a thread on here a while back about Superdrug'a MUA range. They have an eyeshadow palette that's supposed to be as good as an Urban Decay one. I have some of their stuff and like it, but I'm not much of a fancy make up expert (more of a fancy crisp one)

Mingewithafringe · 03/03/2017 09:51

This nail varnish remover for £1 at Primark takes nail polish off effortlessly, no scrubbing like other brands and you use less so lasts for yonks

To ask your "same but cheaper" hacks?
annlee3817 · 03/03/2017 09:55

aldi Austins Summer Fruit punch tastes the same as Pimms and more than half the price, we used it for our wedding :)

hollinhurst84 · 03/03/2017 10:04

W7 does a lot of dupes, their queen of brows is about £2-3 and a dupe for benefit gimme brow

mydogmymate · 03/03/2017 10:26

Nothing really new, but Lidl w7 washing up liquid is better than fairy, and at one time I wouldn't use anything but fairy. Also try ELC ( eyes, lips, cheeks) for makeup. I renewed all my makeup recently for £40 and free delivery. That included a free gift of a contouring pallet, I was really pleased with my haul.

HiDBandSIL · 03/03/2017 10:42

Good point ivy

HiDBandSIL · 03/03/2017 10:44

Waitrose own brand is often more expensive than the branded equivalent! Check the price per gram before you buy.

I switched from branded washing powder to Sainsbury's own and haven't noticed any difference to my laundry.

SittinginaSleazySnackBar · 03/03/2017 10:54

Archimandrite don't use the kiko translucent powder for baking if you ever have pictures taken with flash on, it's AWFUL for flashback.
Did my make up for a night out and the pictures the next day were terrible. White glowing everywhere I had put the powder.

p1nkflam1ngos · 03/03/2017 11:05

I buy eggs from a local farm that has won awards for the conditions that it's hens live in. They sell them in our villages butcher shop. The yolks are a gorgeous dark golden colour and taste amazing. I never buy supermarket eggs now unless we're really stuck.

Justanothernameonthepage · 03/03/2017 11:30

The nivea/creme myth happened when sellers on eBay were passing off decanted nivea as authentic creme. It's not the same at all (although nivea is great). But, most laundry detergents are the same. Cheapest toothpaste/suncream is the way to go with whitening strips separately. Asian supermarkets for ingredients. I buy eggs from a local farm (Southampton) where you can normally see the chickens on their patch so they are free range, and well priced