Tightening our belts with cheap toilet paper

[zippitippitoes]

We've done a supermarket shop for the week and bought quite a few "value" products

frozen prawns
frozen cod fillets
chopped tomatoes
diet cola
2 chickens for £4.00
mature cheddar
Tesco tea tree shampoo

but got stuck on some. Are there some things which just aren't any good when they are really cheap.

We usually shop in Tesco's, but we didn't try the Value range in any of these

Andrex toilet rolls
Kellogs cornflakes
Colgate Tartare Toothpaste
Eggs
Shampoo
Can't Believe It's Not Butter

And is Asda actually cheaper than Tesco?

I bought some toddler clothes there yesterday which were great value (including a suede effect jacket with toggles which I really liked for £12.00)but never buy weekly shopping there, should we?

zip - erm the value loo roll - 16 rolls to a packet will last 2 of us about 3 weeks if we're lucky - yes they're cheap yes there's loads of rolls but rolls are v small, and also paper's v thin/not much paper on each roll - I now buy the 24 rolls of tescos (super soft I think it is) for £6.00 I think it is - works out cheaper for us to do it that way.

the value butter - not had, well had the value from kwik save it was ok yes,

bread's OK as well - but not one we like to have all the time if we can help it.

don't use the value toothpaste - but I did get the tesco own brand toothpaste - think it's 60p a tube or something - yes that was v good and lasted a while as well, was pleased with that,

eggs - fraid i'm a snob and only get free range - althou have slipped the value ones into DH's cakes and they were fine.

cornflakes - well a current debate for me tesco's own brand are ok - but they don't taste right iycwim, althou the crunchy nut cornflakes are OK.

mum shops' in Asda and finds tesco v expensive for her, but i'm in wales and shop at tesco.com and save a hell of a lot by comparision, our asda is v expensive and v poorly stocked.

have u tried doing it online - b4 we did that we were spending a fortune in kwik save/ iceland per month now tesco.com and butchers have ssaved us a load of money - v pleased.

ooh and for juice (OJ etc) go to lidls there they do a 2L carton of the fresh stuff for 70P I think it is and it's lovely v good def recommend that,

value busicuts are good as well, been known to have the odd value spag bolg ssauce as well for lazy days and that's been nice as well.

the value weetabix are ok

the value bread though to me reminded me of tiles though

oh yes DM - we've had that as well, that was nice,

DH won't eat the value baked beans, but I have managed to get away with the tesco coffee in a nescafe pot. tesco tea bags are OK as well.

Goodie lots of tips,

never thought of having a two tier system for toilet rolls..will definitely start that..might need little signs on though poo and pee

I hate the thought of cheap chickens and eggs and many other things from health of animal and ourselves POV but needs must

Major savings will be on dp giving up smoking £35.00 pw

And me giving up wine £----

Have changed gas and electric, and reduced Sky (that would go if i had the choice) It's still too much as only there for football and so £36.00 a month but if dp gives up smoking then it will be his only luxury.

zip - how about baccy? - my DH went from smoking £40 p/w in fags to £30 per month in baccy and also cut back as he's too lazy to roll them!

@ £40 per week on fags ! That is so much money !

I've just discovered a new morrisons near(ish) us. and was really impressed. the bogof offers were on great things (and no just crappy junk like tescos do mostly) and their own brands were nice too. i saved a fortune. and nice to shop somewhere different, with different things and feel like i was sticking my tongue out to monopolising tescos too
we buy all our cleaning products at lidls and have found their bathroom spray to be amazingly good.

zp dh and I gave up smoking at the beginning of January, we put the money away for 3 months and got a 42" tv with the savings - it was such an incentive to see the money build in a jar.

munz they are nice arent they

I can't help but feel that by the time I've driven over to Lidl from Tesco I've spent my 'savings' (on cleaning etc products) in petrol !

btw anyone see the offer in tescos 5 weeks ago on the leg of lambs 2 for a fiver
they were all gone the next day and never came back

ndp - why do u think I put him on baccy and stoppped the lunch money!

zip - does ur DH take a sandwich box to work? mine's also started an old 1 l bottle of juice made up from home with cordial (saves us a lot of money) the tesco cordial is nice I think it's £3 for 2 2l bottles or 3l bottles of something?

Fair play to you, Munz. I'm impressed

I'm not sure if there is a lidl or aldi near us, I was put off them by my aunt who buys everything in one of those and it all seemed disgusting

Did anybody have a tea suggestion, I buy Tea Direct at the moment (for some reason i find it harder to get cheap tea for ethical reasons)

We don't drink coffee so that's a saving.

tea - as in normal tea bags? the tesco's own are OK,
personally thou I prefer me PG tips, but have had tescos when it's been a short month. not tried any of the other shop's ones - althou I assume it's the same as the dishwasher tables - same stuff differnt packaging for all the own make brands.

Tasco value choc ices are nice.
I find Morrison's nappies really good, but they have just put the price up by 70p!
Value cheese is fine
Value toilet roll - always. You only wipe your bottom on it.
I don't buy processed meat anymore, but seem to recall that the value ones ming anyway.
Tesco value frozen white fish fillets - fab for pies.
Agree with getting fruit and veg off the market.... at around 3pm when they are starting to want to go home.
I get shampoo from poundland, as can buy the brandnames there cheaply.

dp has stopped work to finish the house and we are hoping to make our money at the end of the next twelve months by building a house in our backyard and then moving

so our finances are rather odd

as I work full time on my own business but it isn't into profit yet so I don't get paid either, although I'm thinking of doing a part time job but that may be a false economy as I need to work as much as I can on the business

so we are being very speculative/high risk borrowing to accumulate we hope.

I bought the Tesco own Fair Trade tea bags (black box), they're nice. Possibly a few pence cheaper than Tea Direct ?

Har har yes doormat, I got that offer, I was very lucky there! I love lamb.

I forgot we use
Ariel powder (I'm very cautious about washing powder as I am allergic) but any recommendations on it?

And dishwasher stuff?

Washing up Liquid?

An alternative to Sanex (again allergic) and i find if I use Sanex I don't need deodorant

colditz I did too but went the next day and they were all gone, never to be seen again

Personally, I would never buy value meat.
Tesco value margarine is foul but the butter is fine.

ztt, Lidl's non-fresh food is German and is generally better quality with fewer dodgy additives than UK supermarkets - eg things like frozen ready meals (although I know they count as luxury when you're belt-tightening) basically just have food ingredients, not chemicals. Worth a look with an open mind (but don't go on a Saturday if you can help it!)

Also they have the cheapest lightbulbs I've ever seen, the last time I went they had 11w energy saving bulbs for about £2.50 and 3-packs of 50w halogen bulbs for a similar price. I buy loads of non-foods from there, almost everything except laundry/d-w detergent.

zp I buy the tesco own colour tablets--{not value} when they are on offer and they are good-dont know about the allergies though

Washing powder, I use Tescos non-bio tablets but for coloured washing, I only use 1 rather than the recommended 2. No drop in quality of the wash! Still use 2 for whites unless it's a small load.