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What are the biggest false economies?

214 replies

toptramp · 13/10/2011 23:31

So I can stop being a mug and start saving.

OP posts:
babycham42 · 14/10/2011 20:04

BrawToken I'm going to rely on Poundland for stockings this year or they'll be very empty!!
I reckon it's ok if you inspect stuff and choose carefully.

NeopreneMermaid · 14/10/2011 20:09

Waiting until you're pregnant to visit the dentist because then it's free. You'll soon realise it wasn't worth it when you realise you can't take ibuprofen and spend the next entire week in total agony. Blush

WynkenBlynkenandNod · 14/10/2011 20:20

Cheap paint. Found this the hard way last weekend when I ran out of Wickes Satin and got some Dulux trade down the road. Then realised if I'd had Dulux in the first place I'd have been able to do half the amounts of coats.

BrawToken · 14/10/2011 20:23

But it's all plastic tat babycham. I know what you mean, but I have a teen daughter so I have had years of having plastic tat strewn all over my home from stockings and I'm over it now. This year I am going minimal (which will be difficult as my youngest is 3 Grin

MadameCastafiore · 14/10/2011 20:26

British Gas is bloody brilliant - we have their cover and they come to fix everything and in a rush if youhave young kids too.

MadameCastafiore · 14/10/2011 20:29

I made a chocolate cheesecake a la Lorraine Pascal at the weekend - cost a bloody fortune - could have bought 4 in Waitrose for the same amount!! So I disagree about baking things yourself - although I alway bake myself as don;t like the taste of shop cakes.

PelvicFlAAAAARGHOfSteel · 14/10/2011 20:31

Cheap cutlery, it bends. Not useful or attractive.

Bunbaker · 14/10/2011 20:36

Yes, I agree about cheap paint. I found out the hard way when we moved into a house that needed a lot of work doing. It took three coats of B & Q paint to paint the shower room, and one coat of Dulux to paint the bathroom.

babycham42 · 14/10/2011 20:38

BrawToken but my kids love plastic tat.

Anyhow,I'll blame Santa....

HarbingerOfBoom · 14/10/2011 20:45

Phone insurance, unless you have a ridiculously expensive phone.

My phone cost £99. Phone insurance that orange tried to sell me was £9 a month. So it would cost more to insure my phone for the year than my phone cost in the first place.

HarbingerOfBoom · 14/10/2011 20:47

Agree with MadameCastafiore about some home baking. Unless it can be made with store cupboard stuff you often end up spending alot on ingredients AND have to do the washing up.

horMOANSnomore · 14/10/2011 20:48

Those of you who said cheap toilet rolls and teabags - have you tried Sainsbury's value range?

Their teabags are great (and I'm fussy about my tea) at about 30p for 80!
Their toilet rolls are big and quite thick - £2 for 6. In fact, we can't use thick quilted loo roll as it blocks our temperamental drains.

Hate cheap shoes and wouldn't buy cheap coffee.

Armi · 14/10/2011 21:18

Usually I'd agree about cheap chocolate, but the Sainsbury's basics dark chocolate is lush, and it's only about 35p for a decent sized bar.

sarahtigh · 14/10/2011 21:18

home baking is not chaper than the cheapest jam cakes or brownies but it is cheaper than what you would have to buy to get same taste you can not compare a £1 cheesecake with a cheesecake made with cream cheese cream etc,
homemade starwberry jam costs more than cheapest jam but is much cheaper than the homemade types which are almost £3 for less than a lb jar
you have to compare like with like
if asda christmas cake taste ok for you then that is fine not worth making your own, however making your own size for size and "the best" range will be cheaper

I found that pampers simply dry when 2 boxes of 96 nappies are £18 works out cheaper per nappy than asda own brand, so I stock up when ohn offer and that normally last till offer repeated, but have used asda and morrisons nappies and never had problems with leaks, I jusr prefer the plain white look of basic pampers to the full on disney leafy swirly bottom of the others

farm foods toilet paper is actually pretty good

Bunbaker · 14/10/2011 21:27

I don't compare home baking to shop bought cakes because I find that most shop bought cakes taste vile. They have an artificial sweet sickliness that I find downright unpleasant. DD has been to countless parties where she has brought back a slice of supermarket cake that has had a Barbie or Scooby Doo on the top. She hates cheap shop bought cakes as much as I do and they have invariably ended up in the bin.

The only shop bought baking I eat are things I wouldn't/couldn't make at home - Danish pastries and doughnuts for example.

alemci · 14/10/2011 21:40

I think home baking is much better as it hasn't got all the rubbish such as trans fats etc and you make more at a time. I made brownies today with Pecan nuts. i did use unsalted butter etc but I made about 12. I never buy shop bought cakes now.

I think things like banana cake are quite cheap to make plus you already have the things in your cupboard so it is only things like eggs and butter which have to be purchased.

I noticed my dd's clothes which have come from New look etc are rubbish. they all seem to go into holes under the arms or rip.

ChippyMinton · 14/10/2011 21:47

I made danish pastries this week - about 18-20 decent-sized ones, filled with walnuts. Apart from the store cupboard ingredients, i spent £1.20 on butter and £1 for the nuts, plus a couple of eggs. Probably about £3 in total, that's less than 20p each. The local bakers' danish are about 75p each. Mind you, I wouldn't scoff 3 in one sitting at that price Blush And they did take all day to make, with all the resting and rising etc.

happybubblebrain · 14/10/2011 21:56

Breakdown insurance, pet insurance, mobile phone insurance etc - it's almost always cheaper to self-insure i.e. have sufficient savings.

toptramp · 14/10/2011 21:59

Am I the only person who dosn't care what tissue I wipe my bum with? I have never noticed the difference.

I buy Tescos 2 in 1 lavender washing liquid with fabric conditioner for £2.50 per bottle and it's fab. Nice soft, fragrant clothes.

Home baking is cheaper most of the time. I would love to make christmas cake but it's cheaper to buy it in the shop.

OP posts:
ivykaty44 · 14/10/2011 22:14

Remember Insurance is gambling, makes me think twice over whether I want to gamble or not over soemthing breaking down. I also use this with over zealous sales people in Dixon type shops when they want to sell me insurance or warrenty - oh no I don't like to gamble - it takes the wind out of there sales pitch Grin

Nellie52 · 14/10/2011 22:17

Disposable nappies. All makes are expensive in the long run compared with washables, even including washing costs. Especially if you have more than one child.

CBear6 · 14/10/2011 23:34

Cheap loo roll, not only do you use more but no amount of money saved compensates for that vile finger-through-the-paper experience.

Cheap bleach, it's like water so you use twice as much. Own brand, yes. Value, no no no.

Value tinned tuna, it's just fins, bones, and brine. Ditto value tinned salmon.

Ready-made dinner kits like the Old El Paso fajita kits, etc. It's usually cheaper to buy a pack of tortillas, a jar of salsa (or some tomatos and chilli), and a jar of mexican spices.

Also yes to cheap meat like value packs of mince. It's snouts and hooves. Cheap cuts of meat however are excellent for slow cooking, boneless chicken thighs practically melt in a slow cooker curry.

Key meters for gas/electricity. In our one bed flat when it was just the two of us DH and I were spending upwards of £60 a month on the gas and electricity key meters. In our two bed house with two DCs on a tariff we're spedning £49 a month.

Cheap nappies. I know some people will disagree and some cheap brands are okay (Lidl own brand and Kiddicare Just 4 Bums are great) but Little Angels and Simply Dry are the pits. Whenever we've used them on DS he gets nappy rash because they don't lock away moisture as effectively and we get leaks so we spend more money on nappy rash creams and doing laundry.

Primark jeans. I find their children's jeans tend to shrink after the first wash this may be down to my rubbish laundry skills though

yellowraincoat · 14/10/2011 23:40

Disagree about supermarket clothes, if you're careful you can get some bargains. I bought a beautiful dress from Asda and after 2 years, it still looks good.

Agree re cheap toilet roll. Pointless.

mathanxiety · 14/10/2011 23:55

I would have agreed about the cheap shoes were it not for a pair of strappy black sandals I bought in Target in the US for $6.24 once that have taken me to every event where a pair of strappy high-heeled black sandals could possibly take you. They are fab. Possibly the exception that proves the rule though.

Agree wrt cheap cuts and the wonders of slow cooking/stewing. Also decent quality tp is worth it and lasts longer.

Disagree that insurance is gambling -- get hoover insurance/ paid repair policy, and life insurance. It can make a huge difference. (House, contents, car ins necessary, private health optional but a good idea if you or yours have any sort of condition)

Small electrical items are a crapshoot. I had a little cheap hand mixer that lasted 12 years before it finally conked out one Christmas Eve. Its expensive replacement (I had to go out then and there to get it) lasted til the following March Sad. Unless you spend a lot for the absolute best there are no guarantees.

Santa Claus gift wrap is a complete waste of money and precious time.

Avoid cheap binbags and cheap dishwasher detergent.

LikeABlackFlameCandleBNQ · 15/10/2011 05:55

Buy One Get Two Free: for aaaagggeeesss Huggies wipes have been £1 a pack. Ive been stocking up. Went into Sainsbo's last week and they had them on Buy One Get Two Free...fabulous, till I saw that they were priced at £2.50 a pack Hmm That would save me 50p. Over three packs.

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