What cheaper products do you actually think are a false economy?

[NickNacks]

This month has been a bit tight as I work TTO so income isn't what it usually is. So whilst shopping I've been carefully watching prices and meal planning to stretch the pennies. One of the savings I decided to make was nappies.

Big mistake! I usually buy pampers baby dry for DD but instead picked up sainsburys own brand. As a result she's leaked two nights this week meaning extra washing (so detergent, water, electricity). She also needed changing much more often so more nappies used. And finally, due to the lower absorbency, she's got nappy rash meaning I've had to fork out for a tube of Metanium.

Def not going to buy then again and will stick to my expensive pampers thanks!

What have you bought which on first sight seems a better price but actually is a false economy?

Washing up liquid, Fairy might be more expensive but you need so little it lasts ages.

Where to start?... Thin, cheap wallpaper that rips and shreds before you can slap it on the wall. Ditto cheap paint that needs several coats. Kitchen appliances that conk out and need replacing twice as often. Cheap sticking plasters that don't stick. Cheap instant coffee.... easier to quit coffee all together.

Toilet paper - Value brands much cheaper but much thinner so you end up using twice as much.

Bin Bags - I bought cheap ones and they constantly split so I had to double them up each time I used them. Waste of time and money.

School shoes - I've tried buying DD shoes from shoezone/supermarkets a few times. They barely last a month, whereas Clarks, although more than double the price, tend to last at least 2 terms or more.

I think sometimes with the cheaper brands one make will be significantly better than others. I find Aldi nappies better than branded ones however tesco own (not value) leak really badly, and tesco value need changing every 2 hours (DS is 17 months) as they can really only cope with 1 wee :)

Agree washing up liquid is not worth scrimping on, some of the cheap ones seem to leave a nasty film on the clean dishes!!

I won't buy cheap meat as I waste so much trying to cut all the fat off, however my local butcher is far cheaper than the supermarket so I try to find the time to go there instead.

Agree with all these too!

When we first set up home and had dc1 we were very poor and used value everything. Gradually as we could afford it we upped to the next brands. Now on tighter months I find myself getting really cross with all the cheap stuff again and would rather have less of quality products.

Loo roll that is too thin and doesn't last!

Cling film and tin foil. Cheap = thin so it rips or comes off the roll at an angle and you end up with a thin triangular strip.

Nail varnish. Cheap stuff chips off in a microsecond.

Cheap cheese. No one likes it so it ends up going old and hard and being thrown away. Ditto cheap ham.

Cheap meat. I don't think any of it is any good.

Agree with having good stuff less often.

Cheap razors, I learnt this the hard way cutting my legs to ribbons. I bought myself a Gillette Venus which came with a replacement head and there fantastic plus they come with 2 strips of shaving foam actually on the razor so now I dont need to buy any. Will probably last longer too!

Frying Pans, have probably had 6 in the last year as the handles go wobbly or the coating goes manky, have now treated myself to a lovely one with life time guarantee and spent about the same as the last 6 I have bought!

That's 10 years (i'd be returning the frying pans if I'd got through 6 in a year!)

Washing up liquid. Only Fairy is good enough to last ages and ages.

Toilet paper. Value stuff is crap and you have to use loads.

Agree about razors too, and deodorant.

Meat too. I'd rather only eat it once a week but have nice good quality lean meat than cheap fatty meat. Sami with ham. We don't really buy it at all, so the occasional purchase might as well be nice.

Also, on bigger things, there is no point buying cheap electrical items, huge false economy there. DO your research and buy the best product you can afford according to reviews and tests.

Agree Pootle, I have a very old very good cast iron one that is way better than the cheap ones I have bought in the past as extras.