'Proper' brands v Supermarket versions

Besides deciding if I like it, I test own brand food on DH. He doesn’t look at the packet, so if he says something tastes different I ask if the difference is better or worse. We’ve changed a lot of things that way. Lidl or Aldi spreadable butter is definitely worse.

I buy Lidl's face cream (moisturiser). It's cheap and as good as the vastly more expensive products.

I live on my own now and shop daily. I walk to the shops and only buy what I can fit in my basket/back pack.

I help myself to supermarket leftovers at the food bank and community fridge. I'm told it gets thrown out if not eaten or possibly fed to pigs. There are often ripe bananas and M&S sourdough bread.
A few weeks ago I picked up a huge box of chanterelles from Lithuania

I don't want all the plastic packaging so buy loose fruit and vegetables and I use and also volunteer at our local farm /community store for rice, pasta, oats, lentils etc. and washing up liquid, washing liquid, hand soap etc.from the refillery.
I prefer real soap and it lasts 10 times as long

I shop in Lidl too and like their bargains.
As for own brands: toilet paper, tissues, beans and tomatoes are fine but I was given some co-op tea and it was horrid.

I think I eat well and cheaply.

I buy Asda own brand...
Toilet rolls
The new yellow pack tissues are excellent at about 69p.
Shampoo
Washing up liquid
Cheese
Baked beans
Dried pasta
Tinned tomatoes

I find their digestive and rich tea biscuits bland, their chocolate too sweet, breakfast cereal tasteless.

Roses Marmalade in Home Bargains is only £1, paracetamol and ibuprofen are cheaper.

they are all produced by the same branded companies just made cheaper

I think we all have our own ideas as to whether to buy brands or supermarkets' own. I found that Aldi premium dog tray meat was the same as a branded sold in Tesco.

I think you have to try non branded goods in order to decide whether or not you like them. I worked during the school holidays 50 yrs ago for Tudor crisps and was amazed to discover they produced crisps for M&S as well as other companies on the same production line. I shop at Costco and find their own Kirkland brand products are excellent and very good value for money.

We probably buy 90% or more own brands. I buy branded tea and coffee, chocolate digestive biscuits, baked beans and soup (but mostly make my own).

All my cleaning and laundry items are Sainsburys own brand. Also bin liners, kitchen roll, loo rolls and shower gel. As for food the only branded items I buy are Kelloggs corn flakes, Heinz baked beans and ketchup and Anchor butter. My best “swaps” are coffee pods, tea bags and granola. Sainsburys low sugar granola is excellent and much cheaper than the branded varieties. One of my favourite tv programmes is Eat Well for Less. Well worth watching.

I have to say that Aldi’s spreadable butter is pretty horrible compared to Lurpak. The only similarity is in the name - they both have “pak” on the end! But Aldi do a three fruit marmalade which is extremely good, but it tends only to be available around Christmas time for some strange reason as if they think people don’t eat it the rest of the year!

I do the bulk of my shopping at Aldi. Mainly their brands. I really like Yorkshire Tea and they usually have it on special offer, they have a very nice French salted butter and a very mature cheddar which is really good.

I get partner discount at Waitrose so I get the fancier stuff there, for instance Mutti tinned tomatoes and tomato puree. I only buy bronze die pasta and when it comes to risotto rice I get really picky and have to buy the one I like on line because the supermarkets don't stock it.

It was miserable indeed, MissA - very lonesome all on its tod in that tin, from Italy to Scotland!

We buy mostly own brands with a few exceptions such as Felix cat food, Cathedral City cheddar, Shredded Wheat, Marmite, Roses marmalade, Anchor butter. I also buy own brand cheddar for cheese sauces rather than using the Cathedral City. We watch our budget carefully and the own brands taste just as good I think.

One miserable tomato!
I would have been fuming.
They're one of my favourite foods.

I always think I'm going to complain when I open fruit and veg that is already on it's way out, but i never do.

Sainsbury's mayo 90p is just as good as Hellman's.

It was me with the single tomato, MissA, from Aldi. It was a 30 mile round trip so I didn’t complain! I should have though, as I was also charged twice for another item. It was my first ever visit and I only bought five items so that was a pretty poor attrition rate. . My dd persuaded me to go back, though.

I agree with whoever said that own brand Weetabix don’t taste the same. That’s true, but I don’t mind the different taste so am happy to buy. Stay away from Aldi basic basic brand, though. It’s like eating corrugated cardboard with milk on. I swear you could build houses out of it. ?

only buy cheap items from lidl, poundland and savers.
lidl tinned spaghetti rings 16p.
often use them where would previously use baked beans.
lidle 4 pack baked beans, not the basic ones, are about £1.10p

My girl went from yorkshire tea to Aldi red label.

I almost never buy named brands. Some own brands are better than others. I'm not picky about baked beans, tinned toms or coffee. I am picky about tea. But as someone on here has already said, Aldi's own tea is good.

I like the Asda lime marmalade.

I always used to have Rose's.

Somebody said they found Asda tinned toms only contained one tomato!!
I counted, last time I used them, and I had six and a half.

I prefer the cheapy ones as they seems sweeter.

I would complain about just one, though.

I agree with others about tinned tomatoes, there is a noticeable difference between cheap and expensive tins. I especially like tinned cherry tomatoes but at £1+ per tin I appreciate not everyone will be willing to pay that much.
I shop mostly at Tesco (online), and am slowly working my way through their cheapest ranges, buying one tin/packet/whatever at a time. I always buy Stockwell baked beans, often add a little chutney or fruity sauce depending on what I’m eating with the beans. I dislike their cheapest pastas, tasted very glutinous to me when cooked.
And agree with Greyduster about Roses lime juice, I’ve tried various other brands and disliked them all.
I buy John West tuna in spring water from FarmFoods, two packs of six tins now cost £8, was £7 until very recently. I don’t know how this compares to the price of similar in M&S but it’s cheaper than Tesco own brand.

I suppose you could mix up your own, if you felt virtuous enough?

Talking of Marmite, DH just loves the one with peanut butter. No substitute anywhere. However I think it is not so popular so often on offer.

It would be interesting to have a thread dedicated to alternatives, where we could recommend, try out, and calculate all the money we save.
Or not.