No-frills ranges at supermarkets: Are they really good value?
Most UK supermarkets have a no-frills range now in easily identifiable packaging. Since downshifting radically in July 2006 I have become obsessed with how to get maximum value from a minimal household budget especially when doing the weekly supermarket shop). Here is a record of which products are worth buying and which have been a so called false economy due to lack of quality where it’s needed. [NB: Due to ethical stance on organic animal rearing I won't be trialling any cheap meat or egg products] Shower gel (52p) = No. Not if you value your skin. It is like washing with washing up liquid. Dish cloths = Yes. Last forever especially with the occasional overnight soak in bleach. Sweet pickle = Yes. Tastes no different to leading brands such as Branston or Ploughman’s Toothpaste (27p) = Yes. Why didn’t I discover this years ago? I must have got through hundreds of tubes costing over a quid each… Rubber washing up gloves = Ok. Feel a bit thin but they last long enough. No good if you like the comfort of a good thick glove while washing up. Butter = Yes. Brilliant. Rice crispies = No. Taste very unlike actual rice crispies more like soggy polystyrene as soon as the milk hits them.