To ask your suggestions what it's ok to cheap out on?

[lettymoo]

I recently saw a thread about things it's worth spending more on to get better quality, but I was hoping to start a discussion about what things it makes absolutely no difference at all with and the lowest priced versions are just as good.

Some of the things I'll buy the cheapest/value version of include:
painkillers
medications
tortilla chips
cleaning products (although I'm starting to wonder about this)
printer paper
disposable razors
cotton wool pads

Would love to hear your suggestions!

I buy most things from aldi so rarely get branded.
Their big packs of loo roll are great.
Decaf tea, not as good as Yorkshire tea's but not far behind and fraction of price (tetley's is vile) mainly it just needs longer to brew.
Switched to bar soap than handwash and its so cheap, lasts lot longer with no plastic bottle to get rid off & my skins not as dry.

The brands I do buy I find in savers/home bargains etc much cheaper than supermarket. Mainly its just toothpaste, Deodorant. I like kenco decaf so just have to wait till on offer or I get supermarket own which isn't as nice but OK.
I get shampoo/conditioner from tkmax in those 1l bottles, I find hairdresser type brands are better, lasts much longer & the conditioner is thicker so don't need as much.

As a general rule, I buy the store brand for pretty much everything. Not the "smart price", but the usual own brand. Usually a lot (about a third) cheaper than the brand label and almost always just as good.

I do use Cillit bang and harpic toilet cleaner though, yet to find a store product that delivers the same results.

Great thread. lettymoo

Thanks for all the tips posters. I don' t live in the UK so have little choice on brands but will be moving back soon, so good to know.

vegancow thanks for the formula - been meaning to look one up.

wellhonestly why toothpaste to have 1000 ppm flouride?

@ChakiraChakra - thanks very much

Yes, unfortunately, SS is the one brand whose cartridges you can routinely guarantee being able to buy (I don't know if theirs are compatible with other brands, but you're still in their ecosystem if you're using their cartridges).

They've had a factory on occupied Palestinian land for many years. HOWEVER, I just had a look to find a link about it and I see that they have actually recently shut (or are in the process of doing so) their factory and moving, having been sold to Pepsi following a big drop in profits (whether through the boycotts or not).

Pepsi are hardly paragons of virtue either, and there are still some contentious issues, it appears, but I might be having another look at the option now with fresh eyes!

We occasionally do blind taste tests on things to work out if the cheaper are more acceptable.

Branston beans won our beans test by a mile; they are sooo much nicer.

One of my friends is Doctor of Chemistry, and one of their first year tasks was to measure the amount of active ingredient in cleaning products.

Almost without exception, the own brand products had higher concentrations, or were better formulated.

One of my friends is Doctor of Chemistry, and one of their first year tasks was to measure the amount of active ingredient in cleaning products.

Doing a Chemistry degree was when I learned to forgo brand names in certain products. My husband is still to be convinced that unbranded Lemsip and the like have identical ingredients. I still buy them though!

I disagree on tinned tomatoes, the value ones tend to be far more watery and bitter. I get them from the world foods section in the supermarket rather than the tins aisle. Packs of six for the same price as smart price but as good as napolena (think it might be a polish brand I buy)

Also disagree on shower gel. Every cheap shower gel I've used has made my skin really dry and itchy, but I have eczema and ridiculously sensitive skin.

Lidls coffee, chocolate, flour, chicken, mince, fruit and painkillers are all fine. There Covent garden soup knock offs are lovely too and their deluxe Irish cream is much nicer than real bailey's

I would say all fruit and veg except tomatoes are fine to cheap out on.

There's no going back once you've had the tomatoes with actual flavour though...

Most things to be honest
Squash (supermarket basic range)
Medication
Cleaning products
Baked beans
Mushy peas
Crisps from lidl or Aldi
Mouthwash
Dental floss
We buy toilet roll from farm foods 3x18 packs for £11 which are good.

Yes - re tomatoes, especially in February, which seems to be the nadir of the tomato year. The only fresh ones worth buying are v expensive Isle of Wight ones in M&S. Tomolino? I'd rather use tinned, even in a sandwich.

Peaches/nectarines I only buy as 'ready to eat' - or there's a magical fortnight in August when market stalls have loose ones that aren't rock hard and go rotten before ripening.

RedHatsDoNotSuitMe - I just wondered where it had been kept for twenty years! Didn't buy it.

Yes to :
tortillas(love the 20p ones on Aldi)
medication
shower gel and hand soap
Nuts
cleaning stuff
frozen veg
cheddar but has to be mature
rice and pasta incl brown
razors
face cream(Aldi)
suncream

Branded:
Diet coke or Pepsi

Toothpaste (as long as it's 1000 ppm fluoride)
Toothpaste should have at least 1350 ppm fluoride, more if you are at risk of tooth decay.

Chocolate from Aldi and Lidl is better than most branded chocolate.

I will never cheap out on meat and eggs. I'd rather substitute with cheaper proteins (pulses, nuts or beans).

As a family we are 'well off'.
However all cleaning products and toiletries bought from Home bargains.
Generic medication eg own brand supermarket paracetamol and recently went looking for Vicks vapour rub horrified to find it cost £4.75
Own brand version£1.25
I second Primark for pyjamas and basics like long sleeved base layer T shirts and thin strapped vest tops.
I mix these with higher end clothing.
Tinned goods like tomatoes passata herbs etc supermarket own brand every time.
Orla Kiely towels and Scion bedding from TKMaxx
TK also great for quality wrap and cards.
Aldi organic Pinot and Prosecco are both fab.
Our vet was charging us £38 a month for medication for our cat- I discovered I could buy direct from vet wholesaler for £6!
I spend a lot on my car - brand loyal had the same brand of car for 23 years -different models -but always reliable.
And shoes always spend a lot on my footwear.
And I haggle ….much to my DH's horror.

Provenance/eco-friendly is really important to me, so I buy organic as much as possible, which is almost never cheaper.

But i do buy unbranded paracetamol & ibuprofen.

Not a brand snob but I genuinely do morose a difference between the cheap value brands and the more premium options.

Paracetamol I will buy the cheapest value pack. But that is it.

Morose shouls read notice

Days out. I try and save as much as possible on trips to museums and zoos etc.
Holidays are taken out of season. It’s cheaper. And healthier.

To save money I make food at home. I look for recipes online and in magazines too.

My fave thing is dog poo bags, which are quite expensive. But own-brand nappy sacks are 25p and do exactly the same job.

But are not biodegradable.

I cheap out on pretty much everything these days including skincare - Simple have an SPF moisturiser and make up - so many inexpensive brands these days.

The few things I don't buy for less are:

• Ketchup only Heinz will do
• Squash has to be Robinsons - DS refuses cheap imitations
• Philadelphia cream cheese is not chalky unlike less expensive brands
• Shoes - DS and DH have wide feet and need decent shoe wear and frankly I like certain makes and have a bit of a growing fetish for Woden trainers
• Bras - have stopped paying Bravissimo prices, but highly rate an M&s minimiser bra

floor wipes.wilkos are amazing.
cereal.take a few bowls then there is nothing to it.
squash.double concentrate double size half the price.
flour
pasta.
tu clothes are fantastic.
wonky veg
bread flour
porridge
pasta sauce.
kitchen roll

HAS to be branded Diet Coke/Pepsi for me, but then I drink so much I'd happily call myself a connoisseur!

I try to spend as little as possible generally though and opt for own brand for most things and rarely notice much quality difference between that and brands - generally only buy brands if on offer. Particularly love to treat myself to Haagan Daaz if its on offer but would never pay full price!

People who cheap out on tinned tomatoes - aaaah! Do you not have functioning tastebuds, or do you just not care? They're graded as they go to be tinned, and the cheap brands are unripe garbage tomatoes while the (not that much more expensive) name brands are actually ripe and red when they're processed.

My favourite by some margin is the KTC brand (found in the ethnic/Indian aisle in most supermarkets). Great results and cheap as anything.

And my personal contribution - instead of disposable changing mats (hardly a necessity anyway, granted) we put down incontinence pads at a 20th of the price, and just throw them out if DD has an accident on them.

Tea/coffee
Shampoo
Bread
Passata
Porridge oats
Frozen vegetables