What are the biggest false economies?

[toptramp]

So I can stop being a mug and start saving.

Sainsbury's basics milk chocolate is about the best cheap thing I've found recently. 32p for 100g, tastes wonderful.

there is no way I can wash that amount in 2 minutes and beat a dishwasher on economy Maybe others can run hot water and wash that amount of dishes in 2 minutes - but handwashing in this house gets done three times a day and I run the tap for more than 2 minutes to fill the bowl each time. Whereas if I used a dishwasher once every two days I would use less water, heat and energy all together and it would be a lot flipping easier

The biggest false economy is the way my mum cleans. Virtually no special sprays - just soap and water and a J-cloth. Learning you could buy actual oven cleaner, bleach for the loo, etc., was a revelation. Yes, some of this stuff is probably a bit of a scam but some of it is actually designed for cleaning specific stuff and that's what it does!

I love home baking with my kids. It really depends what your making whether it's good value or not. Fairy cakes can be made ridiculously cheaply, but I made Nigella's rocky road with the kids yesterday and it wasn't til after I realised how much it had cost. 3 bars of Lindt chocolate at nearly £2 each!!!

I have made it with savers chocolate before and it was cheaper but it tasted cheaper too!!

Well it was a false economy coming on this thread as now all i want is cake.

And I will have cake.

From the shop.

£2 quid a bar I agree with Sainsburys basic chocolate being good, about 30p a bar, and I always have a decent stash of it in for when we want to bake. I use basics flour which is about 50p a kilo, and use Vitalite, saving butter for icing only. I bake a lot as I enjoy it, but I do agree prices of ingredients are creeping up.

My kids have dairy allergies, and I have looked at the Sainsburys basics dark chocolate before, but it has milk in. Their 200g cooking chocolate is dairy free is much cheaper than lindt and if the rock road had just been for the kids I would have used that. The rocky road was to take to a friend's party so I didn't want to use the cheap chocolate as you can really taste the difference.

I agree home baking may seem a false economy, but I'm a batch baker and per item it works out cheaper. I'm buying a new freezer soon, once I get the garage cleared of all the dp's tat, and then I'll be bulk cooking things like pies, bolognese, etc, to store. It is time saving, as 10 portions of bolognese sauce doesn't take longer to cook than one.

And I meant to add, don't buy cheap stockings. I buy a better brand and hand wash, they last much longer (I haven't worn tights for years).

cheap instant coffee is just vile. must have decent coffee, choc and wine - less often but better!

good quality bread, muesli, cheese, sauces, toiletries, candles, pens, shoes/boots, glasses, bedding, all make life a little nicer, esp if you get them as a bargain.

cheap towels. go hard and bobbly faster. i invested in some lovely ones (can't remember if JLewis or M&S) about 6 years ago and they are still lovely!

as well as good bed/mattress as said before, i would also recommend getting the best sofa you can that suits you, my one is supercomfy and well worth it as i park myself on it every evening.

i buy one lovely notebook about once every 6 months for my lists-obsession, but it makes me smile every time i take it out and open it, its a visual and aesthetic joy and one of the things that makes me feel good about life.

Go to the deli counter for sliced meats rather than buy in a packet. In the supermarket the other day I got 200g of peppered salami from the deli for 90p. In a packet off the shelf it was £2.50!

Always check the price per kilo of meat.

Agree with cheap washing up liquid. I always buy fairy when it's on offer.

We replaced all our cheap (and threadbare) sheets with egyptian cotton ones and they're lovely, fit great and wash really well.

Cheap carpet (mixed with cheap underlay). Doesn't stand up to wear at all. Luckily we got some great advice and were able to spend a bit more for better quality carpet and underlay and it still looks like it was just laid (4 years later)

Out of date condoms. Don't buy them...

Cheap bubble bath - we just end up using half a bottle per bath. Nice bubble bath is worth the extra for the feel-good factor anyway.

Not getting the in-flight meal - we invariably end up getting the snack-pack things with the peperami and the cheese/biscuits because the smell of everyone else's meal makes us hungry, then you're forking out extra for a drink as well

Cheap low-quality batteries in the smoke-alarm. High quality and change them regularly. Put them into something else if they seem to have life in them - something your life does not depend on. Like the remote control.

I know someone in the flour & bakery trade, and cheap basics flour is not worth it if you bake regularly and in large volumes. It's unreliable blends from variable sources and will give really inconsistent results. She recomends McDougals or Homepride everytime, both of which are often v cheap in Iceland.

kitchen towel - 3 pack thirsty bubbles form poundland is fine and probably works out but the 4 pack ones they sell are rubbish and you need to use loads.

cereals - Sainsburys value wheatbix 64p and kids will eat them.

sainsburys value dishwasher tablets - not great had to rewash dishes

sainsburys value loo roll is fine if you are short of cash for the week but andrex does seem to last the longest

Reusing some primark pjs for dd2 bit out of shape but fine. Cheap clothes all the way for babies 6 - 12 months if you give your baby jarred baby food - those stains will never wash out!

This thread reminds me I need to get breakdown cover!

Pet Insurance for sure..............I got my dog in May (rescue) Since then we have had several trips to the vet including a bee sting, and kennel cough!!! I think it would be ab

I think that would have been nearly £1,000 all in all

Aldi toilet cleaner

Useless!

Never again.

Andrex does last but seems to float and not flush. Odd.

Mum's dog insurance was worth it's weight in Pedigree Chum.

Dishwasher tabs from the 99p shop - useless in hard London water.
Lidl ones are good though, ditto other Lidl cleaning stuff with 'Good Housekeeping' awards on.

And really cheap loo roll where it's 4 rolls for a quid, which vanish within the day. Not that I see the point of the quilted velvet stuff that's too fat to use either, but the happy medium is good!

The biggest problem is predicting what I'm going to actually use in the future before buying it.

Quality, not quantity; far less gets thrown away.

re: the flour. what about the shops own brands which are not value. Are they any good

I make a lot of cakes and i never have a problem with value flour...........

I don't buy value flour, but usually buy own brand.

Is Bero any good Sparkle?