A great big list of products that are cheaper but just as fab versions of their expensive counterparts.

[Thandeka]

Hello,
I just discovered that Baylis and Harding Handwash (Mandarin and Grapefruit) smells EXACTLY like Molton and Brown and is a fraction of the price (£1.93 for 500ml in Sainsbury's compared to £14 for 300ml Molton Brown).

Having already shared in Chat - I just thought starting a thread in Products where we could list all the things we discovered that are just as fab (and cheaper) than the posh versions and save us money.

(If this thread takes off Thandeka thinks definitive proof that Mumsnet is firmly middle class and not upper middle class/upperclass as per other debate!) If it doesn't- then it's just me the happy cheapskate.

I've got a very old solid stick of vanish (looks like a solid deodorant) It has lasted at least 3-4 years, loads better value than the spray imo.

if you are super-lazy like me, put chunks of Fairy soap in a Kilner jar and cover with water until you get this soap water and the Fairy pretty much melts.

then put that in a spray bottle and use it for really tough stains.

I also put neat white vinegar on sweaty armpits. Not on the actual armpit, on the clothes I mean.

lol at laundry top trumps. i use whale blubber from a leviathan washed up on the beach... [eco]

by a weird coincidence i went to tescos today looking for the liz earle-like cleanser...but couldn't find it

can anyone do a link?

Well you need to get out more then.

oh yes...

Tesco Vintage Cava - so much cheaper and more drinkable than Champagne

I don't do cheap dishwasher tablets: every time I do, it blocks up the drain with cack and we have to, erm, jiggle...

Sorry ggirl that last comment was to Aitch, not to you.

Tesco champers has actually won some serious awards!

I bought a bottle for our neighbours' new year and they said it was most excellent.

Baby oil makes a brilliant eye make-up remover and zinc based creams (like the ones for nappy rash) are amazing to calm skins prone to redness.
You can make an amazing body scrub by mixing almond oil with unrefined sugar and kaolin makes a really deep cleansing face mask.

Asda smart price part baked baguettes - less than 40p for two

mix up some (smartprice!) butter and garlic puree, put slits in bread and put butter mix in

bake

voila. Delicioso garlic bread

hmmm. formil washing powder affected my skin. my eyes swelled so much my eyelids split. I posted a pic once when the fish was moanimg about itchy eyes! Tescos value powder is fine though

Second Collection 2000.

I love my posh products but will only buy my eye pencils and concealer (not for under eye, that is Touche Eclat and you'll have to prise that out of my cold, dead hands to get it off me) from them.

Their pressed powder is also good and I agree the tint stuff is better than Benefit.

Instead of buying expensive mould and mildew spray I use diluted bleach in a squirty bottle. Does exactly the same job for about 15p instead of £2.odd.

I also bought some big kilner jars from a local cook shop for £2.60 each. Put my flour and pasta and stuff in them and are so much cheaper than similar storage jars.

Tesco's own brand soup is baxters. Just a different label.

Neutrogena facial cleanser (£4.59) just as good as Dermalogica/Clinique etc.

Also like Body Shop Undereye Concealer in place of Touche Eclat - does exactly the same thing only half the price. Buy the one with the brush, not the stick.

I have discovered that NO black liquid eyeliner exists that is as good as Chanel though. But as I save on above I don;t feel guilty buying it. Hurrah!

I went to that shop called Home Bargains the other day and couldn't believe how cheap some of the branded stuff was. Well worth a trip to stock up your store cupboards and bathroom cabinets.

They sell the Batlis and Harding handwash for around £1 too.

www.approvedfood.co.uk/

Try the above for incredible bargains. It's basically food and drink that has either not got long on its date, or has gone over the best before date - but as it is tinned/packets then tis all FINE. Have done two orders so far and have got absolutely LOADS of food for £20. You get a very smug feeling as you open your packet of Lloyd Grossman soup (10p!) followed by main meal with cous cous (10p again) and perhaps a fairtrade choc pudding afterwards (20p)...you the drift. Some nice lady on mumsnet gave me the link (sorry - can't remember who)

Caveats - the stock changes all the time so there is no guarantee on what will be in, and also because it is tinned/packet stuff then the range isn't exactly the ACME of healthy eating....but to supplement a normal shop and save tonnes it is GREAT.

Would also second the ALDI washing up liquid, plus blue brie and croissants in a tin in the fridge section that you 'make' yourself. Dd (3) loves doing that. Also their pressed powder is great and comes in a very smart looking case (no one will ever know...) with a mirror inside, which many of the brands stocked in Boots at higher prices don't have.

Marking thread

Have just had a look at the approvedfood site - looks fab. Thanks for the link

Only other thing to mention about the approved foods is to check the sizes - some of them are catering sizes i.e VAST! I nearly got 5 litres of mayonnaise for 50p, which whilst very cheap would not quite have fitted in my fridge! On a similar vein, I am now the proud owner of a 1000 size box of tea bags (99p!), and we rarely drink it. If my mum and dad visit enough it will get used though.....

Boots Ingredients Mango and Orange Blossom Body Butter for £2.93 (and often on offer) is the best I've ever used. Much better than the Body Shop or other alternatives, really rich and absorbs really easily and makes the whole room smell amazing.

I also rate Alberto Balsam shampoo and conditioner, it's about £1 a bottle and usually on 3 for 2 in the supermarkets. Excellent value, cleans well and smells great. Better than Herbal Essences, Aussie, Tresemme etc.

Baby oil and baby lotion also make lovely, low-cost body moisturisers that last ages. And always buy cotton buds, cotton wool, soap etc from the baby aisle - for some reason it's a lot cheaper than buying it from the cosmetics aisle!

Finally, value sponge scourers are about 15p for 5 and are great. Cheaper and better than anything else!

i agree with the collection 2000 stuff. i'm always a bit to buy it but a lot of it is great. little pots of loose eye shadow are especially good. gorgeous colours. £2 i think.

i wish i had an aldi near me for the fake touche eclat!