'Value' products - what's good?

[trashpony]

In an effort to reduce the cost of my ever-increasing shopping budget, I thought I'd buy a few value things but frankly I'm unimpressed. I got binliners for the kitchen bin which are so thin, the weight of a rice cake makes a hole. And a pack of those sponges with green scratchies on the back but they're really insubstantial too so I can tell they'll last me about a week, consequently saving me no money whatsoever.

Is there anything that's good (any supermarket) or should I just forget the idea?

 

[cliche guevara]

Value shopping is good but you have to know what you can and can't scrimp on.

Good Value products:
Tinned chopped tomatoes
Tinned tuna
Baked beans
(most tinned stuff actually)
Instant noodles (supernoodle style - not pot noodle style)
Fruit
Veg
Teabags
Chicken


Bad value products:
Cereals
Coffee
Toiletries
Washing/cleaning products
Instant noodles (pot noodle style - not supernoodle style)
Bread
Beef mince

 

[Cribynkle]

Juice is alright I reckon

 

[zenie]

Please don't buy value meat :vomit:

Which value are you buying Trashy, tesco?

tomatoes
noodles
kitchen roll
White bread (fine for toast)
pantyliners (I kid you not!! )
juice

Most of the fruit and veg is fine, I'd check that it's cheaper though as some value stuff is the same price as the loose A grade stuff.

 

[toggle]

Good Value products:

Teabags

no way, ever. i've never had value teabags that make even a drinkable cuppa, let alone a good one.


oh yeah, I've just picked up a load of the really cheap sanitary towels because they are better for post birth than expensive ones imo.

 

[cliche guevara]

Oh yeah, juice is fine. I can't tell the difference between that and the expensive shit. Squash is good too (once you get used to it).

 

[cliche guevara]

no way, ever. i've never had value teabags that make even a drinkable cuppa, let alone a good one.


oh yeah, I've just picked up a load of the really cheap sanitary towels because they are better for post birth than expensive ones imo.

Actually the teabags we get aren't value, they're own brand. Whoops.

 

[gentlegreen]

tesco

value porridge oats.
value mash

 

[trashpony]

Please don't buy value meat :vomit:

Which value are you buying Trashy, tesco?

tomatoes
noodles
kitchen roll
White bread (fine for toast)
pantyliners (I kid you not!! )
juice

Most of the fruit and veg is fine, I'd check that it's cheaper though as some value stuff is the same price as the loose A grade stuff.

I would never buy value meat

I shop at sainsbos so it's not value, it's 'basics' but same difference. I'm a mooooncup person so don't use panty liners

Noodles is a good one.

 

[Greebo]

You can also get away with:
sunflower oil
flour of all kinds
sugar
salt
tomato puree/paste
butter (but not marge or spread - value marge tends to be grimmer than grim)
longlife milk if you already use it (UHT ruins it good and proper no matter how much you pay for it)
plain biscuits
Value jam's okay if you're not fussy and just want something sweet, but you might prefer to get a meduim price jam and use it a bit less often.

Value long life juice is just about okay if you chill it, but tends to be disappointing if you're drinking it on its own.
Value lemonade and cola is just about drinkable if cold and given to people with no tastebuds, but it can be better value to bulk buy the next cheapest.
Value booze varies widely, most vodka tastes the same regardless of price, but there's wider variation with cider, beer and wine. Get the smallest possible amount first and keep track of the ones you don't like.

 

[geminisnake]

no way, ever. i've never had value teabags that make even a drinkable cuppa, let alone a good one.

Tesco ones used to be ok years ago when I still shopped there.

Trashy, Lidl is your friend for spongy washing pads with the green bit, the washing up liquid is good too, lasts for ages. It is easy to use too much when you first get it but then that might be a soft/hard water thing.

Tbh none of us have a problem with anything I buy from Lidl but we don't like much brand stuff coz it tends to be too salty/sugary/overpowering for us.

Don't buy the cheap weetabix though. Boy thinks they've changed and gone a bit rank. He likes the 'shreddies' though.

Dunno what washing powder you use but I mix a brand one with the tesco value one to make it last longer(1/2 & 1/2 ish). Boy is ok with both of them(he's why I had to change it yrs ago).

If you like houmous the tesco one is ace, I don't rate any others. Goes nicely on Lidl sesame 'ryvitas'.

Basically what value stuff are you wanting to buy coz over the years I've probably bought it. We is the live cheaply family

Freeway fizzy drinks from Lidl are better than value stuff. AND they don't have additives in them. Not that I think you drink much of them, but might be worth bearing in mind.

The apple and blackcurrant high juice(diluting stuff) they have in Lidl(about £1) is good.

 

[Roadkill]

Be careful with 'value' items. Sometimes the cheapness comes from their being a smaller quantity than the equivalent 'normal' product, and the unit cost is no different.

Tbh I think they're basically just another supermarket scam, although I do take advantage of cheap tins on occasion.

 

[Madusa]

Tinned veg
bog roll
I actually prefer sainsbury's basics yoghurts.

 

[mhwfc]

Tesco Value Jaffa Cakes FTW!!

 

[Greebo]

Not as nice as the jaffacakes Lidl sells.

 

[spanglechick]

butter

disagree strongly. value butter is too thin and an odd colour.

 

[Thora]

Good Value products:
Chicken

Value chicken? FFS

 

[Greebo]

I meant for cooking

 

[Maurice Picarda]

I disagree vehemently about noodles. The price of instant noodles directly equates not only to quality, but to the number of different packets you get to open and add. 30p gets you a wan sachet of msg with a picture of a chicken; £1.20 gets you soup base, chilli oil, dried veg, dried prawns and something called flavour pack, each separately packaged and scissorable. Preparing the latter feels like cooking and is eminently worth the extra.

 

[El Jefe]

NEVER eat cheap beans. Just not OK.

If you can't tell the quality difference between Heinz and any other brand, you're crazy banana

 

[tarannau]

Lidl for the win I reckon. Some great stuff on their shelves, consistently cheaper than the big 4.

Not sure about the recommendation on value chopped tomatoes if I'm honest. Often they're so watery, thin and tasteless that you end up adding 2-3 cans where one could possibly have done. Especially if you intend making a thick, tomato sauce based dish I'd look elsewhere.

 

[tarannau]

I disagree vehemently about noodles. The price of instant noodles directly equates not only to quality, but to the number of different packets you get to open and add. 30p gets you a wan sachet of msg with a picture of a chicken; £1.20 gets you soup base, chilli oil, dried veg, dried prawns and something called flavour pack, each separately packaged and scissorable. Preparing the latter feels like cooking and is eminently worth the extra.

Not true ime. Super Noodles are ludicrously overpriced in supermarkets, but a trip to your local Oriental store should provide 3 or 4 packs of various types of noodles for £1. 4 lush packs or ramen goodness, on rice stick noodles if you like, complete with dried veg, chilli and garlic oil. You won't get the Japanese UFO style bowl provided, but in the main noodles like that are ridiculously cheap.

 

[geminisnake]

NEVER eat cheap beans. Just not OK.

If you can't tell the quality difference between Heinz and any other brand, you're crazy banana

I can tell the difference between Heinz and others. Heinz are the rankest sugary ones I NEED a PUKE smiley!!!!
Not a big BB fan anymore tbh. They all tend to be a bit sweet.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Not true ime. Super Noodles are ludicrously overpriced in supermarkets, but a trip to your local Oriental store should provide 3 or 4 packs of various types of noodles for £1. 4 lush packs or ramen goodness, on rice stick noodles if you like, complete with dried veg, chilli and garlic oil. You won't get the Japanese UFO style bowl provided, but in the main noodles like that are ridiculously cheap.

True, but dried meat or fish pushes up the price. I'm basing costs on Oriental City in Colindale, which has three aisles of noodle snacks. You can't go over 80p without getting an ornate polystyrene bowl, though. And at £1.10 it's a limited edition polystyrene bowl designed by Grayson perry.

 

[tarannau]

Ach, not a great fan of dried meat/fish in noodles, shrimps perhaps the exception

Just like them in all their gloriously spicy, garlicky soupiness. Top value. Why anyone buys plain old Super Noodles for 3x price is beyond me.

Value kidney beans ain't bad ime either, way better than the tomatoes. A few broken skins, but unless you're bean gazing lovingly in a salad it won't make a jot of difference.

 

[trashpony]

I go to Wing Yip personally. And I already shop at lidl for loads of things (stuff in cans, oil, fizzy water, fruit and veg). So do I have to accept that with my lidl/chinese supermarket shopping, I'm making all the savings that are possible without sacrificing quality?

 

[mrs quoad]

Carrots

 

[MysteryGuest]

lidl potato salad - £1.49 for a frankly imposing quantity of seriously yumsy wumsy stuff.

 

[ScallyWag II]

I get value nappy bags and salt from sainsburps. Nappy bags for removing the poo from a freshly filled litter tray (for cats) and for collecting slugs and dousing them in the cheap salt.

I also get the value bin liners (the white) ones and have never had a tearing problem with them tbh.

I'd vote for Lidls over the supermarkets on most things as well.

Never get Morrisons value fabric conditioner. It makes water look jelly-like and it doesn't smell very nice at all.

 

[ScallyWag II]

lidl potato salad - £1.49 for a frankly imposing quantity of seriously yumsy wumsy stuff.

and Lidl's coleslaw is very good too