"I Have No Idea Why We Were Ever Paying For It": 21 Cheaper Everyday Things That People Prefer Over The Pricier Versions
I used to spend like $90 a month just on my cellphone plan. But when everything on Earth rapidly became more and more expensive, I switched to a prepaid plan, and now it only costs me about $15 a month. My service is exactly the same, and I don't miss the extra spending one bit.
Recently, u/smeghead3000 asked people on Reddit to share the cheaper products they've realized they actually love, thanks to inflation, and people had so much to say. Here are some of the top responses:
1."I wish I knew how amazing sardines were earlier in life!"
2."Ninety percent of my winter veggie intake is now cabbage-related. I refuse to pay the high price for offseason produce anymore."
3."I am a sunscreen-every-damn-day girl and DO NOT SLEEP on the Walgreens-brand moisturizing one (in a yellow container). My grandma let me use hers once, and I loved everything about it so much, I ran out to buy some. Often, they’re 'Buy one, get one 50% off' or they have coupons. I prefer it over any name-brand sunscreen, including the Neutrogena I used to use."
4."I'm cooking more beans and lentils from dry instead of buying canned beans or frozen prepared meals."
"I looove beans from dry!! I started cooking them again recently. It has been LIFE-CHANGING — and I forget why I ever stopped."
5."We started shopping at our local Asian and Hispanic grocery stores. We go to Aldi's for bread, bagels, and paper products. Fresh produce lasts a lot longer and is cheaper, too. Our food budget has dropped from $200 a week to $125 consistently for two adults in the last 10 months. We pack lunches, usually last night's dinner leftovers, and have saved a substantial amount of money."
6."Tinting my own eyebrows. I used to get expensive treatments at the salon at $50 per month — now I get Just for Men beard dye and use that with a Q-tip. Works amazing, and I have way more control over the color/darkness/frequency of it, not to mention the time saved by just doing it in five minutes at home instead of allocating an hour in my day to go to the salon."
7."Using liquid dish soap and laundry soap instead of pods. We had switched to pods several years ago, and when prices started going way up last year, we switched back. I have no idea why we were ever paying for pods!"
"The powdered dishwasher soap is even better. You get a lot more washes because you're not paying for packaged water!"
8."Unless there is a big noticeable difference, I buy almost all store-brand things when I shop. Why spend more for things that are essentially the same?"
"I worked in the food industry. The items in store packaging are literally the same products, especially frozen foods. Same for medicine and other store brands. Walmart and Safeway, for example, bargain with the same vendors as brand names. Same quality, same production line, different packaging."
9."I buy almost all of my casual clothes on Poshmark."
10."Ground meats. They're cheaper than other boneless cuts and can be used in a lot of the same applications. I use ground pork for my stir-fry and rice bowl, and it's amazing — crispy and sort of soft, soaks up the sauce, and you get a little with every bite."
11."I stopped using the sweetened or flavored creamers, and now I can't stand them. The aftertaste is so horrible to me. I buy cream for cooking, so I always have some on hand, and I don't buy different cream just for my coffee anymore. Same with flavored coffee. I will now and then get a certain brand as a treat, or see a flavor that sounds interesting and I want to try, but I usually regret it."
"A tiny pinch of salt to counteract bitterness and a bit of vanilla in the grounds will flavor coffee very nicely, without the synthetic taste from flavored coffee/creamer."
12."I discovered overnight oats. Holy cow! They're great. I also figured out that dried blueberries are cheaper than frozen or fresh blueberries and taste identical in overnight oats. No more bran flakes. No more milk. Just water, oats, blueberries, a little cinnamon, and some sugar."
13."Tofu. I eat it at least once a week now. Cheaper protein than meat. I never ate it prepandemic."
14."I already bought this pre-inflation, but Kirkland (Costco brand) Zyrtec. You get a year’s supply for pennies compared with regular Zyrtec — 100% the same ingredients, too."
"Where I live, cats need flea medicine year-round, even if they are indoor cats. The generic Selarid (flea med) at Costco is half the price anywhere else, AND you don't need a Costco membership to use the pharmacy!"
15."Suave shampoo. I tried it in a summer rental and it was great, so my fancy stuff is sitting unused. I thought I might use it for a week or two and get tired of it, but it’s working great. I use the fancy stuff every few weeks, and Suave most days now."
16."Frozen veggies. They were always a staple, but now I buy them in bulk and eat them daily!"
17."I used to buy Gardein Ground Be'f Crumbles until I realized that they're just textured vegetable protein, which is exceptionally cheap. Same with buying mung bean to make vegan egg substitutes instead of shelling out for Just Egg. So much easier to customize when you make both of these things at home."
"One bag of TVP can make like 20 bags of Gardein Crumbles. I only discovered this about a year ago. Incredible! I gotta try the DIY Just Egg next."
18."Not a brand, but I’ve started buying my veggies at small, local mom-and-pop fruit and veggie markets. I can walk down there and buy a couple of things I need. They may cost a bit more (and sometimes I find they’re the same/less), but I haven’t had to use my car to get there. And I’m not in a large grocery store where I’m going to buy a ton of different things I don’t need while I walk through to get to the cash register. And I’m supporting small local businesses. It’s a win for everyone. I’m so fucking tired of the large grocery chains and their price gouging."
19."I'm using bar soaps again rather than shower gels and liquid hand soaps. The natural soap bars last a long time."
"Less plastic waste, too, compared to a bottle of body wash every time."
20."I use microfiber cleaning cloths instead of paper towels. You can catch them on sale for less than 40 cents per cloth. They pay for themselves after eight uses and can easily last 100 uses. They are superior to paper towels in every way, except for cleaning up tomato sauce or dog vomit. For that, you should stick with paper towels. The only downside is having to fold them when the dryer is done. That part gets old pretty quick."
21."I’ve started making my own snack bags of trail mix. I find them so handy, since I’m breastfeeding and always need a snack in my bag. Trader Joe’s has some affordable options, but then I moved, and there isn’t one close by. Right now, Publix has a sale on Blue Diamond Almonds and Walnuts, so I stocked up with some dried cranberries and snack-size sandwich bags. Voilà!"
What's a cheaper product that you think is better than the expensive version? Tell me all about it in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
