It really varies by price for most items, but I stick with my preferred peanut butter always.

Not budget related, but grabbed a pack of "lite" icecream recently and found it was a lot nicer than the normal stuff. Weird.

Hi Greer :) You do realise that Pams, "Budget", and Signature Range, etc. don't actually have any factories or make any food don't you? :)

If you love hummus try making your own ! It's so easy, takes less than 5 minutes & you'll end up with 3 times the amount you'd buy for less money. To make it even cheaper cook your own chick peas. Dead easy in a crock pot overnight. For recipes for both go to www.healthyfoodguide.co.nz

I eat lots of it too & would have to say mine's better than any commercial brand & I know exactly what's in it. No additives, good quality olive oil, NZ garlic not chinese, & it costs me a fraction of the price of store bought brands. Try it. You'll never go back !

I suggest you also try factory shops where possible. I know here in Auckland, I can buy 48 rolls of cottonsoft reject toilet paper for $10. Theres nothing wrong with it, except it might stop halfway through a roll or the print looks a little dodgy, but who cares? Just put a few good rolls away in case Her Majesty the Queen comes for dinner...

Have you tried the Couplands Southern Plains bread? It's about $3 a loaf and even better than Freyas etc. Yum!

My favourite budget brand item is Home Brand Tortillas. Seriously, they taste better than the brand name ones. And they're really versatile. You can use them for tortilla/wraps obvs. But they're also great to pop some garlic, cheese & tomato paste on, cut into pizza segments and into the oven for 5 minutes for pita crisp type things. Or, if you put them in a frypan over a high heat for a minute or two, they can substitute for naan bread if you're having curry. And they last in the fridge forever.

Yea I'm pretty weird when it comes to home brand stuff. Like you, with some things I just can't do it. Bread definitely not, and for some reason not canned tomatoes. And I always get premium mince, some people don't believe me but the difference in taste is huge!

But budget rice, pasta and cheese are all good by me.

Good topic. I asked my partner to get some brown sugar at the supermarket. He got the budget stuff. I haven't opened it yet but just looking at it in the packet it does not look right. Usually good brown sugar is glossy, sticky and dense - but this stuff is pale and grainy :(

Budget brands are ok/good enough........MOST the time, but like yourself Greer some you like, and some you don't. Sometimes you just gotta try it too see if it's any good. Things which I have tried and found to be good budget brand wise are: Pams porridge rocks, big bags of the stuff (3kg for about $3) and just as good as any other brand. Pams cream honey and jams, Pams or signature range weet bix, Budget mixed grain bread (The stuff you get from new World or Pak N save), only about $1.50 and just as good as any average muti grain bread (but not in the league of Plougmans!), yes definately budget or signature range pasta, cheese and milk. Items I have found not so good are definately stay away from the coffee and the biscuits and toilet paper (toilet paper rule of thumb on most major brands on special = .50c per roll, ie 4pk = $2).....but most other stuff is all good enough. One thing to watch though is always check the price! Don't just pick up the budget brand stuff because you think it's going to be cheaper, have a quick look at the other brands prices as sometimes they are on special and are priced the same or cheaper.

I'm a budget brand shopper. I see no reason why I should buy the expensive stuff when I can get budget stuff for half the price.

And there's nothing wrong with sandwiches for dinner. You've heard of Subway, right? ;)