Tresemmé, très bon marché

My shampoo and conditioner of choice is Tresemmé, for no other reason than that the 900ml bottles are nice and big so I have to restock them less frequently.

Honestly, almost all shampoos have similar formulas (here's a quick rundown of what the various ingredients are and do), so there is no point believing the claims the manufacturers make for their particular products. If their use of sulfates bothers you, here's a good starting point for sulfate-free shampoos.

Anyway, I am used to spending about $8 a bottle (it's currently $10.74 at Woolworths), so I was pleasantly surprised to see it on sale at Foodworks for $4.99. That is officially a Nice Price.

Teatime specials

I am a big tea drinker, so I was hugely excited that Twinings 100 teabag varieties are currently $6 at Woolworths (save a whopping $4.09).



When I was in there last week, I snapped up some Good Earl, but all the English Breakfast had sold out already. A lady was searching for the EBT and as I watched her reach for it she gave a consterned sigh when she saw there was none there.

"You could try Irish Breakfast," I suggested brightly.
"I know what I wanted," she pouted.

Aww, too bad.

To go with your tea, Woolworths cinnamon donuts are currently half price – $1.94 for a dozen. They're freshly baked daily. Be the hero of your workplace and come back with donuts for everyone's morning tea!

Tim Tams, Royals, Mint Slice and other Arnott's chocolate biscuits are on special for $2 at Woolworths… but also at Foodworks!

Or you could try the intriguing Little Chef's frozen sweet pastizzi for $2.49 each (also half price). I am a massive fan of frozen pastizzi as they're a fancy catering option for parties and yet all you do is take 'em out of the freezer and bung 'em in the oven.



The flavour featured in the Woolies catalogue is Berry Bliss (strawberries and ricotta), but apparently there are also Grandma's Strudel (apple and ricotta) and Zesty Lemon (lemon and ricotta).

More surprising fruit and veg bargains

I feel like I should maybe eat my words regarding Foodworks being the dirt supermarket, because its latest catalogue has some pretty good fruit and veg specials.



First, it has bananas for $1.99 a kilo, which is the same price as Woolworths, and they're $2.50 a kilo at Coles.



And second, Foodworks has four cobs of corn for $3. Admittedly, Coles does sell four cobs for $2, but Woolworths charges 98c per cob, which would work out to $3.92 for four.

Foodworks catalogues are a sorry sight compared to the multi-page Coles and Woolies ones, though. It's one piece of paper, folded into four pages. You can't fit many specials in there.

A surprising avocado bargain

Recently I joined some online market research panels, mainly for the lure of winning cash prizes, but also because I enjoy doing surveys. Yesterday I did a very extensive survey comparing various supermarkets, and let me tell you, Junk Mail Bargains has equipped me brilliantly for comparing them.

In general I think IGA and Foodworks are the dirt supermarkets – the ones you only go to in country towns on holiday, or if you are unfortunate enough to live in North Melbourne. I get these catalogues but their specials are never very good, and they have the worst own brands. (Black & Gold should be renamed Poverty & Depression.)



However, at the moment Foodworks has avocados for $1.68 each. Currently they are $2.98  each at Woolworths and Coles.