"Never Again!" Share your budget misfires.

[ceemys]

Our never again involves eating out.

We were out and about one Mother's Day, and we decided that since we were near a fave restaurant, we'd see if we could get in for lunch. Walked in, discovered a brunch. They were full, but said we could eat at the bar if we wanted. We said sure. Normally, our family eats there for $60-70, so we didn't think about asking the cost.

We learned our lesson when the bill for $140 came. For brunch.

Lesson learned: Never eat out on Mother's Day.

Yes, I've learned that restaurants hike up the price on Mothers day! Crazy!!

 

[hollieplus2]

Reynolds tin foil, will never go generic again. I also prefer the non-stick too.

I also won't give up my Starbucks mocha's. I don't get them often and I don't drink coffee just the mocha's but I was desperate on a road trip once and stopped at McDonalds...never again!!!

 

[fofinia]

When DD11 was a toddler MIL gave her some store brand Cheerios. DD ate one and shoved the rest off her high chair lol! FIL told MIL "I told you not to get those, even the baby knows they're crap!"

OMG!!! So funny!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Dishwasher detergent from ALDI.... it left MAJOR residue in our dishwasher that took FOREVER to clean out just enough to get dishes clean (we never were able to get all of it unstuck from the machine).

Try this:
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/..._mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Our d/w repairman recommended it and gave us a few samples.


I refuse to believe it's the same ketchup that goes to Heinz, Hunts, etc. Anything that's not Heinz tastes very different.

 

[gvillemama]

Great Brand version of Cherry Pop Tarts.
I gave Hubby a List. I had put down Cherry Pop Tarts. He came back Great Brand version. First off, said what is this? I could not tell what it was? Hubby said it is the Pop Tarts you ask for. I said it doesn't say Pop Tarts?? He open the box and tore the packet to show me. It looked like a Pop Tart, and he point out it said cherry on the box. I took bite. It was liquid sugar goo inside, that tasted nasty. I so shock I told him to never ever buy any Great Brands ever again. He was shock by reaction. Now he always buys me Cherry Pop Tarts.

Yes! I can handle storebrand of most any foods, but Pop Tarts are the exception! So gross!

 

[MEM]

Sorry to the poster who claims that Heinz Ketchup was put into competitors, including Hunts, bottles. They are different companies and Heinz is very protective of their ketchup recipe. Try tasting Hunts vs Heinz, there is a big taste difference!

I'm a native Pittsburgher and I agree with you 100%. I can always tell the difference. Not only taste but color and thickness of the ketchup.

 

[BCV2003]

I'm a native Pittsburgher and I agree with you 100%. I can always tell the difference. Not only taste but color and thickness of the ketchup.

As a Pittsburgher I completely agree. Huge difference and my family will not eat anything but Heinz.

 

[BCV2003]

Not sure if this is the same all over North America, but our Costco sells Kirkland brand toilet paper, errrm, I mean bathroom tissue. The packs are so generous, the rolls are large and it always seems like a good deal. But once in a while we're running out and don't have time to go to Costco and we get whatever name-brand of T.P. that the nearest supermarket chain or Walmart is selling ... big mistake!

I always feel ripped off buying "major brand" T.P. no matter what brand, no matter what store, and no matter how big the (claimed) sale is. And the counting of rolls and/or their claimed size seems very deceptive to me. It's some kind of duplicitous math where they say "6 = 12 rolls" or some kind of baloney like that.

Oh yes and one more "NEVER AGAIN" .... dishwasher or laundry soap with no phosphate!

Same thing here. I always buy Kirkland brand TP and ran out last week. Since we are moving next week I didn't go to Costco and just bought Cottonelle at the grocery because that used to be my favorite brand before Kirkland. My husband and I both agreed that it was a big mistake. There is no way it was a double roll. They didn't last very long and the width of the rolls were at least 1/2 to 3/4" shorter. Complete rip-off. Definitely back to my Costco brand!

 

[momof1princess]

We usually have no issues with the things we buy at Aldi; however, not long after the Aldi store opened in our town, I decided to buy a box of their pop tarts, because DD16 loves them. Well...they were horrible. The two pop tarts in each packet were stuck together, it seemed like they were super glued together, and just wouldn't come apart without breaking into several pieces. DD said the crust tasted kind of chalky too. I took them back and got a refund.

We used to make a special trip to Aldi each week just to buy their milk, but recently, we noticed it was spoiling a LOT faster, It would normally last about 10-12 days in the refrigerator, but wasn't even making it 6-7 days, so DH stopped going there at all.

Our favorite budget buy is TP from Sam's Club-it's SO much better and cheaper than the name brand stuff. I even take it to WDW...lol.

 

[Brittmarie04]

My dishwasher started leaving my dishes so dirty, I thought the dishwasher was broken and would have to be replaced. Then I remembered I had recently started using Walmart (GV) dishwasher liquid. I switched back to Cascade and suddenly my dishes were sparkling clean again. What a waste the Walmart brand was.

I agree it's so awful....

 

[hearts8701]

Target brand dish soap it looked like dawn for half the price but it smelled like a wet dog never again

 

[queenofthehive]

Citrasolve - the best stain remover/degreaser ever. Great for stains on cloths - just put some on a cotton ball and dab on your stain. You can even wash in cold water and this stuff still works. Worth every penny...,

 

[momof1princess]

Citrasolve - the best stain remover/degreaser ever. Great for stains on cloths - just put some on a cotton ball and dab on your stain. You can even wash in cold water and this stuff still works. Worth every penny...,

Do you think it would work on fingernail polish? I got a little bit on a brand new t-shirt, and googled how to get it out, but nothing has worked.

 

[queenofthehive]

Nope, tried this today by swiping some nail polish on a rag and then treating it with Citrasolv. I threw it in the wash and low & behold when the wash was done that stain didn't even budge. So while it cleans most stains, it can't perform miracles.

 

[rajahfan7]

Anything other than charmin TP. OUCH.

 

[ellochka]

Nail polish on fabric is really though. If the fabric is natural fiber (cotton, wool, even silk), I would just buy acetone and basically soak and wipe, soak and wipe. I have a polish stain on my white terry robe, and though I got it lighter with just polish remover, it has not gone away, really.

 

[Manders77]

My family has a few, but the one that stands out is Smuckers Jelly ONLY. I've tried Welch's and off brands to save $ Never again. My kids don't know the difference in the tastes yet, so they finished it so I didn't waste it, but I learned that lesson. Another one is Chocolate Milk Mix. Only Hershey's, tried the kroger brand liquid, YUCK!!! Kids finished that too