i love basic and value products in the supermarket!

[mrsfuzzy]

this title came to be because like alot of families nowadays we are broke! after persuading the kids not to eat the wallpaper and what was left of the carpet i knew i had to get into saving the pennies big time. as a big family we have never had a great deal my h works and i do parttime but there is always something the kids need, shoes etc. so i took the plunge and went for it,gradually introducing more and more basic goods into the trolley, and wow! the kids didn't take much notice nor did h, so what if an apple had a blemish on the skin, or the spuds werent a particular size, we tried it all [except meat we're all veggie] got some 'oh poor you' responses from various family members but what the heck, we are doing well on it and have saved money to help clear a few debts too. give it a try give the brands the elbow and try something new, you just might be surprised, my purse was and is still recovering from having some money it for once!

The Basic Bitter, though not brilliant, is not bad either. Perfectly drinkable and at £1 for 4 cans you can't complain.

i'm an asda gal but i do shop in sainsburys too, smart price = smart thinking in my book, after all things like loo roll without wishing to sound crass all ends up in the same place, does it really need to be fancy and smell of roses when it comes out of the packet ?

I get that too, OP. I can't believe the snobbery over value stuff! They must be very insecure

Value products have saved us - there are certain things that we've tried but not liked but we find the majority are perfectly ok.
I quite enjoyed the challenge of finding cheaper versions of all my groceries and was so surprised how much we could save by doing this.

I use Sainsbury's as well - I 'm lucky in that they'll deliver to me and as I had to give up my car (cost too much) it's a boon for the heavier items. (If you buy online for delivery on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays you get free delivery on orders over £100 so a big shop every two or three weeks is free delivery for me. Makes a big difference and they'll deliver in the evenings.)

I go for the Basics as well where they're good value - the odd penny here or there compared to LIDL or ALDI doesn't matter to me because I'm not paying for petrol to the shop. Things I always buy are

Tomatoes (plum peeled and chhopped)
Loo roll and Kitchen roll. (The Loo roll is very good value because it's thinner than some of the other brands and I've found that people don't use loo roll by thickness but by the length they pull off the roll.)
Fruit Juice
Fabric Conditioner (You don't really need that, I suppose, but I like it in laundry.)
Vegetables and fruit. (People moan about them but I've found they last.)

If you're shopping for value, though, be very careful to check out the BOGOFs and other offers that shops do. Some of the Basics products are simply not very good and you're often much better (in those instances) getting a few of a a higher quality item on offer - particularly if you have reasonable storage.

Also don't be bedazzled by the Basics labels into avoiding shops like ALDI and LIDL, if you have them near enough to you. Some of their products are cheaper even than the Basics range and really excellent quality and value. I'm entirely happy to tell people I shop at ALDI and LIDL - why shouldn't I be? There are some things they do that I would buy out of choice and not just because they're cheap!