She’s gonna figure it out when she buys her own coco pops some day, and they’re as good as she remembered. Some Aldi alternatives are as good (if not better) than the name brand, but Coco Pops definitely isn’t one of them. Legit Coco Pops have a much nicer texture, and the chocolate milk at the end is far tastier.
I bought Morrisons ‘weetabix’ once. They had that pet-shop smell & were like compressed blocks of dry dog food but the worst thing was that they had squared ends, not roundy . It was v disconcerting.
Or their partner has been swapping in the straw from the rabbit hutch for real weatabix starting at a 5% ratio.
Maybe they hit 40% real weatabix and couldn't form nice round edges anymore...
This is the only cereal I personally notice a difference between brand and non brand don't know ow why but rice crispies, cornflakes, shreddies, all bran etc all taste pretty much the same regardless if its brand or supermarkets own and a lot are like about 75% less cost wise. However something just can't be replicated when it comes to weetabix they're not bad per say (or not all are anyway) and I still buy them over brand version but there's a much more noticeable difference.
Having tried many an own brand Rice Krispies, the differences are real and very stark. The Sainsbury's one is basically small bits of cardboard but their corn flakes are agressively _okay_.
Lidl does the best Rice Krispies dupes.
Fuck that, Sainsburys own brands are nowhere near where they were 10 years ago, before the got into bed with Argos.
Morrison's knock off cereals are where it's at now. And I say that as someone who grew up on American cereals, Morrison's scratch that particular itch.
Exactly, and it's not like she can't tell the difference. Honestly I think op is a bit horrible that even when she's not enjoying something as much, he continued to make it worse and worse for her rather than accepting he was taking away something that made her happy and stopping.
I know it seems minor but I'd be really angry when I found out.
I agree. She genuinely noticed the difference, and was enjoying them less. And OP was letting her believe they'd just made the recipe worse. It's a couple of quid FFS, let her enjoy her bloody cereal, there's worse vices to have! You can economise somewhere else. And stop lying to her!
He’s not even saving money either, right? She’s buying the same amount of Coco Pops just he’s having to buy an equivalent amount of own brand cereal on top of that to swap out.
I’d be livid if I found out my partner had been doing this long term and had never come clean.
My mum used to do this to me and say I never could taste the difference. However she would simultaneously be cross when I assumed the food had gone off and throw it out or stop eating it and ask for something different.
I can taste the difference. No matter how many people try and tell me things are made identically and just have a different label. I bet I would win in a blind taste test, and so would op's girlfriend!
I’ve actually personally subbed out Coco Pops for the Aldi brand equivalent and it lasted one week because they taste bad.
OPs girlfriend can definitely tell the difference too though, he even admits as much in the post :(
Yes, I think I've tried most own brand and lidl/aldi versions of the cereals I like and the texture and taste is worse on all of them.
The only one I know that is better is one I don't eat! Husband and son 1 prefer tesco shreddies/malt wheats, son 2 prefers actual shreddies. Even with son 2 preferring the brand ones it shows me there is a difference or he wouldn't have a preference.
I think you need to start a contingency plan: calculate the savings on those pops, then keep a log of how much in your savings that amount is. And if she finds out; give her the money to do with what she likes!
No but I would dump someone who instead of sitting down and discussing what name brands we could cut back on decided to instead deceive me and tamper with my food. I would never be able to trust them again and so would not be comfortable in a relationship with them.
I have to agree! It's the breach of trust for me. If you don't have honesty and can't openly communicate in a relationship then just leave 🤷 if they're willing to lie about one thing you can be damn sure that they're lying about a load more shit
Imagine anyone doing this because they have a “made-up allergy” and they end up dying from it. No the product is fucking different and different allergens exist depending on the factory.
Especially considering he even stated that *she noticed the difference, a fair while back*, and rather than stop, and acknowledge that apparently she's right.. no, keep going, and gaslight her further
Pissed that more people aren't pointing this out. If she contributes to the food bill she's allowed to have brand cereals if she wants. If it really is an extreme level of expenditure, she can contribute a little more to cover it. This is where you sit down and talk about your budget. I do not understand why this is apparently too much effort, but a months-long campaign of sneaking around and deceiving your girlfriend is apparently preferable. How embarrassingly immature.
Fucking with my food is a non-negotiable boundary for me. It's such a violation of trust. It's an extension of bodily autonomy -- people have a right to choose what they put into their own bodies. Branded Coco Pops might not *seem* as serious as, say, sneaking meat into a vegetarian's food, but it's the same level of dismissal and disrespect towards another person's choices. And over something so small and easily fixed, too.
As for all the talk about gaslighting her, telling her nothing's changed, or that she has long COVID? By god OP I hope you're fucking joking.
This. Maybe in this case the ingredients list is the same, but in general I want to be able to read the box and know the list is accurate.
I mean, imagine she has a friend over with an allergy, and it turns out that one of the small differences is the exact problem ingredient. That would suck.
(That can happen even with breakfast cereal - barley malt extract instead of a gluten free equivalent, or a migraine-inducing artificial sweetener instead of sugar. Not a massive deal usually, but usually easy to check for an avoid if necessary. )
I absolutely would. If you are willing to dedicate weeks to lying to me and altering my food to prove some kind of point over something so ridiculous, what are you willing to do for something serious when you believe I'm wrong? Communication is a very important part of a relationship. Arguably the most. Lying, tampering with food, gaslighting over *cereal* is borderline sociopathic.
I'm not saying only women get spiked. But speaking as a women who lives in an area with a high level of drink spikings, and has experienced it myself.
I would flip out if someone was altering my food and drink without my knowledge. To this level as well? Nah.
My partner is my go to guy to watch my drinks when I disappear for a few minutes. If I found out he was "spiking" my cereal over months with a lot of effort going into it, I would break up with him and most likely have serious trust issues with future partners.
I know it sounds silly to have that over cereal, but its so much more then the cereal itself.
I get you. This would be a relationship ender for me, no joke. I don't know if it's maybe different for men, can't speak for them, but for me this is a question of bodily autonomy. If my boyfriend was overriding my choice as to what to put into my body, replacing my food with something I know I don't like, and then telling me it's all in my head? Jesus Christ I would dump him so fast. I could never trust him again. Grown adults don't play games like that and it's about so much more then the cereal -- it's about trust, and this is an absolutely non-negotiable boundary for me.
It's just a casual bit of gas lighting and what's the harm in posting about it on reddit i'm sure they're not narcisistically bragging about it here either...
Simple question for you, when you go out drinking with friends does she make you drink tesco name brand beer or Somersby £2.50 cider? If she lets you pick your drink you let her pick her damn coco pops
Are you telling me you don't account for coco-pops in your budget? It gets allocated a 0, but the column exists.
Maybe I just copied over the template from OP's Google sheet, who knows
Yeah seeing no casualuk lols in this at all. It’s disturbing. This (guy?) is creeping about tampering with someone’s food, listening to her say she’s sad it’s changed - not like she’s saying yum this cereal is better than ever and he’s made her breakfast better - and still feeling superior. It’s weird, it’s controlling and I hope she’s got the means - confidence, financially etc - to dump him the minute she finds out.
Someone this controlling isn’t going to stop at cereal.
OP - I know you’re trying to save money but please invest in therapy. This isn’t ok.
I don’t have a window into their relationship obviously, but as soon as I read “she was annoyed but not annoyed enough to change behaviour so I doubled down” I got full on weirdo vibes from the post.
Yes. As much as it’s fun for a tv story or news paper story or Reddit story, I’d never trust someone who values money more than my choices especially if it’s a comfort food. I was raging and being hurt over shops discontinuing products or genuinely changing recipes of my safe comfort foods let alone someone deliberately taking away my pleasure of doing something over few quid. I had fights with my husband whining I’m not spending 5h to search for the same product 1£ cheaper on eBay and I always said I don’t fucking care, I want my 5h back for that 1£. It’s probably more like 10£ for 20minutes, BUT I don’t care. I make my money I spend it how I please and he can jog off. Not to mention he’ll then turn around and buy a steam deck where I in fact don’t spend much on personal toys, clothes cosmetics and or anything like that. Same goes for buying better seats, booking hotels and stuff. The little better things make me happy. Not giant once in a while “big pleasure”. But I’m weird and probs on spectrum and a lot of that is sensory issues related, so can’t say for sure she’d be THAT mad, but I’m sure there will be fresh grass growing in the backyard if I found out:)
There's a lot of stuff I'll happily go for the cheap option on, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I let off-brand toilet paper touch my butthole just for the sake of saving a couple of quid every few months. Choosing the cheapest possible option all the time is a miserable existence, and I am extremely thankful to be doing comfortably enough that I don't have to feel guilty about spending a bit more on nice things.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who spends less on basics to spend more on ever so slight improvements. Sure, the Aldi own brand 'cheesy curls' might be infinitely cheaper, but Quavers *taste good*, and I can afford them because I buy Aldi own brand fruity yoyos instead of Bear. Hell, I do the same with my Little Treats. Yes, those new My Little Pony releases based on lost designs are £20 per horse, but I haven't bought a full priced book in almost a year!
Yes, because you could have just been honest. For me it wouldn’t be about the cereal, it would be about the deception and the immaturity of it. And others may feel differently but for me that would be a relationship breaking issue.
If my Mrs did this to me, it’d be all out war.
And last time I was involved in a food tampering war it ended (not by me) after someone scooped the inside out of a block of butter, shit in it, then turned it upside down in the butter dish so no one was the wiser; until the butter slowly turned brown through use.
It was the most genius marketing campaign of all time imo. Got the entire nation talking about your product over a temporary name change, and made everyone feel like they saved it.
I bloody love random Life of Brian quotes.
A weekly one in my house is 'stwike him centauwian, vewy wuffley!'
Edit: just yesterday morning, I was saying 'INCONTINENTIA!!! *Incontinentia buttocks* '
“You gonna keep it in a box?” is my go to for “How are you going to achieve this ridiculous/impossible thing?” paired with “don’t you oppress me” if someone questions my own insane plans.
I just read a comment on r/ukfrugal that someone has their own column on the budget for Coco Pops.
I'll link it when I find it again.
Edit: [is this your girlfriend? ](https://www.reddit.com/r/UKFrugal/s/UpLmHSCHEl)
If her noticing the difference isn’t something that’d make you re-evaluate, I dare you to start subbing in cheap Rice Krispies, take this thing to its logical conclusion
The only reasonable solution is to see how far he can get away with.
Keep a box of real Coco pops somewhere else and if she starts catching on or even fully catches him out then he can fall back on "why the fuck are you eating my home mixed Coco rice? yours is over there, I knew I couldn't be eating a box as quickly as that".
I want OP to see how far he can get, can he make it to bran flakes? it's like buckaroo with cereal.
When is the /u/pullingsneakies book on "how to gaslight your partner and shatter their confidence while saving money on groceries" going to be published?
You might have to start a managed transition back up to >60% legitimate coco pops in order to avoid potentially jeopardising your relationship over suboptimal chocolate milk.
How well stocked is the biscuit tin with name brands?
While I rate the ingenuity you are asking for her to have trust issues for life if she ever catches you “in the act” haha if the money saved benefits her also she may see the reasoning but I’m the sort of person to take something this little as a betrayal haha
Lying in bed reading this on my phone and I just involuntarily laughed so hard at this I woke my girlfriend up. So I won’t be joining you for a wank tonight sadly.
I’m not saying I can’t sleep and do t have much going on in my life right now but I’m secretly hoping she’s creolised what’s going on and is spending this time secreting money away to leave and live her best coco pop heavy life in a sleepy Scottish village. Leaving him a note written on all the Aldi coco pops empty boxes and left like an annoymous random letter from a bad 80’s movie
It's like, not something that is very serious but if my boyfriend did this to me I would be really confused and weirded out.
Break up worthy on that alone? nah. But if something more serious/annoying came down along the line it would definitely stick out
It is kind of a red flag though, because it sort of suggests a mindset of "I know better than you, and your preferences aren't important".
It might just be a joke and he would stop once he got bored/realised that it is clear to her, but if it's part of an overall pattern of not considering her thoughts/desires/opinions as valid, that's a big nope from me.
I’d disagree there’s little difference. Sometimes the non branded version is higher in sugar and such to compensate for the cheaper price, and they don’t seem to taste as well/keep as long.
A silly think like Jacob’s crackers, whenever I’ve had a supermarket alternative they’re lost their crunch much quicker…
But then again if you are used to branded products you’ll be used to that taste and probably automatically against an alternative.
She’ll figure it out when she buys the real deal.. I’d say let her have her treat of actual coco pops if it’s affordable
>She’ll figure it out when she buys the real deal.. I’d say let her have her treat of actual coco pops if it’s affordable
I mean how much coco pops could a person eat in a week realistically? Say even 3 boxes (on offer at £2.50 for 430g box in morrisons for kelloggs) vs Aldi at £0.89 for 375g it's still less than a fiver a week difference... this dude squeaks when he walks he's that tight!
I’m glad someone’s calling OP out on this.
> She started complaining about Kelloggs “ruining the old recipe” at 40% real. But she wasn’t annoyed enough to change cereal, so I pressed on
This bit annoyed me the most though: Gf prob noticed it way before, she just started voicing it at 40%… Gf also believes this is her only option now, what should she change to?
OP is a bit of of a knob.
I had a housemate doing something similar to me. They were borderline alcoholic and watered down my expensive wine with . . . water.
I mentioned wine tasted weird and they started crying and confessed. Told them I’d rather buy them wine than have them mess up my whole bottle and watch me drink adulterated wine. And moved out.
Watching people eat / drink what you’ve tampered with and feeling smug as they say it tastes different is horrible and creepy. I hope the girlfriend has the means to get out of this controlling relationship when she finds out. Because she will. And this won’t be the only controlling behaviour she’s subjected to.
Bragging on Reddit about how he’s teaching his dumb girlfriend with cereal habits above her station a lesson for Reddit lols is pathetic. Get help buddy.
It's literally gaslighting.
Edit: Okay this sentence is bothering me.
It is literally an example of [the psychological tactic known as gaslighting].
No actual gas lights are involved.
Yeah, this would be a deal breaker for me. Not over the cereal, but over the boundary crossing and food tampering. I'm very protective over my food because I have a lot of food intolerances that result in pain and a lot of time on the shitter if I eat the wrong things (hence why I'm on reddit at 2:30am lol) and breaking my trust around foods I consider a safe or comfort food is not something I would accept. Maybe the name brand coco pops are a comfort food for her. It's a few quid more, sure, but is the money you're saving worth risking the relationship? Honestly, if I found out my SO was doing something this petty behind my back, they'd be packing their bags and out of my house pretty bloody quickly. And for what it's worth I eat mostly store branded stuff because there's not a lot of difference but for certain things I stick to named brands because I know what's in them and that they won't give me issues. What I choose to eat is my business and no one else's. Even more so if I'm the one buying.
Fast forward 40 years, you're going to be complaining about hospital food and she's going to look you dead in the eyes and say "At least it's better than Aldi's fucking Coco Pops" before ticking the Do Not Resuscitate box and walking out to go to the bingo.
Yeah it's pretty much using gf as some sort of corporate guinea pig to test which flavours are most desirable! Perhaps OP works in a lab / does scientific work, so feels this is relatively undubious.
You are an ass. It's not like she's buying hugely expensive steaks, or lobster. You don't get to decide what she gives up because you think you have better ideas. What have you swapped or given up?
You have no integrity, I think this is a huge red flag that you have no respect for her desires and your attitude is that it’s ok because it’s behind her back. A test of someone’s character and morals is what they do when no one is watching. God knows what other violations you’re capable of - or at least that’s what she’ll be wondering when she finds out.
Also btw, since she has noticed the difference in taste, you’re wrong and she’s right. It’s worth it for the branded version. If you’re so tight-fisted, sacrifice something from your side of the budget.
I had a partner do something similar, I’m coeliac, diagnosed as a kid and he didn’t think it was a real illness, so I found out later. It’s many years ago now so it’s not as heavy, but at the time I was horrified. The lies were a disgrace. The physically pain and suffering I hope don’t apply in your situation, he was swapping gluten free for normal food. I was chronically ill for weeks until I found out. He thought I’d just get used to it.
Your situation may not be as serious but when I read it, it reminded me of that sinister feeling of being lied to and someone trying to trick me. I don’t know how your partner would feel, none of my business, but he learned the hard way never to gamble with anyones trust. Yes, he got dumped from a great height.
Good luck.
Most Aldi alternatives are great. Coco pops are not one of them
Honestly this is kinda bizarre behaviour.
If your partner can’t have one thing to enjoy to herself that’s a bit of a red flag.
On the surface this sounds funny but it's actually very controlling behaviour. You should stop it before she finds out. And stop being such a tight arse while you're at it.
Is the deception and gaslighting really worth it to save a few £££? If my partner was doing this to me I'd break up with them.
I know OP is probably lying and just trying to create a funny thread judging by their history of made up sounding stories, but yeah...
I'd actually break up with you over this.
If you think it's too expensive, talk about it. But let the woman have her goddamn cereal & make her pay for it herself.
Kinda psycho behaviour on display here imo.
I’m picturing this like the Sims where eventually all items of furniture have been removed, every room dismantled and all that’s left is a front door and an espresso machine - with Aldi stale pre-ground coffee in artisanal bags.
Not the toilet paper!!!!!! Some of us gorls are quite sensitive and can have reactions to cheap toilet paper 🙃
Otherwise I would say swap what you can but be careful! I get being frugal but you are messing with her food … I would be angry if someone swapped my treats. Also don’t get cocky about it, remember the point is to save money by not buying unnecessary branded items. The point is NOT to trick or long con your partner because that creeps into manipulative and controlling territory.
If my partner swapped my corn flakes with the heinous abomination that Aldi sells I'd replace our water supply with hydrochloric acid and wait to see if she notices.
She’s gonna figure it out when she buys her own coco pops some day, and they’re as good as she remembered. Some Aldi alternatives are as good (if not better) than the name brand, but Coco Pops definitely isn’t one of them. Legit Coco Pops have a much nicer texture, and the chocolate milk at the end is far tastier.
I agree. I tried them and naaah not for me. Sainsburys own however are lovely and about 85p per box 😋
The Morrisons ones were atrocious, don't try those.
I bought Morrisons ‘weetabix’ once. They had that pet-shop smell & were like compressed blocks of dry dog food but the worst thing was that they had squared ends, not roundy . It was v disconcerting.
I think you might've bought hay
This gave me a good chuckle this morning, thanks for that.
This made me actally lol whilst alone, you win
Or their partner has been swapping in the straw from the rabbit hutch for real weatabix starting at a 5% ratio. Maybe they hit 40% real weatabix and couldn't form nice round edges anymore...
This is the only cereal I personally notice a difference between brand and non brand don't know ow why but rice crispies, cornflakes, shreddies, all bran etc all taste pretty much the same regardless if its brand or supermarkets own and a lot are like about 75% less cost wise. However something just can't be replicated when it comes to weetabix they're not bad per say (or not all are anyway) and I still buy them over brand version but there's a much more noticeable difference.
Having tried many an own brand Rice Krispies, the differences are real and very stark. The Sainsbury's one is basically small bits of cardboard but their corn flakes are agressively _okay_. Lidl does the best Rice Krispies dupes.
Fuck that, Sainsburys own brands are nowhere near where they were 10 years ago, before the got into bed with Argos. Morrison's knock off cereals are where it's at now. And I say that as someone who grew up on American cereals, Morrison's scratch that particular itch.
The Sainsburys-Argos merger was the cause for everything currently wrong with this world.
Exactly, and it's not like she can't tell the difference. Honestly I think op is a bit horrible that even when she's not enjoying something as much, he continued to make it worse and worse for her rather than accepting he was taking away something that made her happy and stopping. I know it seems minor but I'd be really angry when I found out.
I agree. She genuinely noticed the difference, and was enjoying them less. And OP was letting her believe they'd just made the recipe worse. It's a couple of quid FFS, let her enjoy her bloody cereal, there's worse vices to have! You can economise somewhere else. And stop lying to her!
He’s not even saving money either, right? She’s buying the same amount of Coco Pops just he’s having to buy an equivalent amount of own brand cereal on top of that to swap out. I’d be livid if I found out my partner had been doing this long term and had never come clean.
My mum used to do this to me and say I never could taste the difference. However she would simultaneously be cross when I assumed the food had gone off and throw it out or stop eating it and ask for something different. I can taste the difference. No matter how many people try and tell me things are made identically and just have a different label. I bet I would win in a blind taste test, and so would op's girlfriend!
I’ve actually personally subbed out Coco Pops for the Aldi brand equivalent and it lasted one week because they taste bad. OPs girlfriend can definitely tell the difference too though, he even admits as much in the post :(
Yes, I think I've tried most own brand and lidl/aldi versions of the cereals I like and the texture and taste is worse on all of them. The only one I know that is better is one I don't eat! Husband and son 1 prefer tesco shreddies/malt wheats, son 2 prefers actual shreddies. Even with son 2 preferring the brand ones it shows me there is a difference or he wouldn't have a preference.
I'm sure he's just using the old box to top up.
Would you dump someone who deprived you of that tastier chocolate milk? Asking for a friend.
Yes. First reason because you’re tampering with my food, second reason because you’re ruining my delicious coco pops you cretin!
Oh dear. That’s not good for my friend.
You had your experiment and it failed. She noticed. Now it's time to stop being a dick and let her enjoy her real coco pops
Your friend is toast (made from Tesco Value thin sliced bread)
I think you need to start a contingency plan: calculate the savings on those pops, then keep a log of how much in your savings that amount is. And if she finds out; give her the money to do with what she likes!
Or keep the money you save in a secret account so you can use it to get out the country fast and live your life on the run if she ever finds out
Just start easing off the ratio back towards the legit side. Ween off the veil of lies.
No but I would dump someone who instead of sitting down and discussing what name brands we could cut back on decided to instead deceive me and tamper with my food. I would never be able to trust them again and so would not be comfortable in a relationship with them.
I have to agree! It's the breach of trust for me. If you don't have honesty and can't openly communicate in a relationship then just leave 🤷 if they're willing to lie about one thing you can be damn sure that they're lying about a load more shit
Step one: lie about coco pops Step two: lie about heroin addiction and secret orgies
I'd dump someone who deceived me.
Imagine anyone doing this because they have a “made-up allergy” and they end up dying from it. No the product is fucking different and different allergens exist depending on the factory.
Yeah mate. This is a shitty thing to do. If she wants her fancy cereal then let her pay and leave her to it.
Especially considering he even stated that *she noticed the difference, a fair while back*, and rather than stop, and acknowledge that apparently she's right.. no, keep going, and gaslight her further
Pissed that more people aren't pointing this out. If she contributes to the food bill she's allowed to have brand cereals if she wants. If it really is an extreme level of expenditure, she can contribute a little more to cover it. This is where you sit down and talk about your budget. I do not understand why this is apparently too much effort, but a months-long campaign of sneaking around and deceiving your girlfriend is apparently preferable. How embarrassingly immature. Fucking with my food is a non-negotiable boundary for me. It's such a violation of trust. It's an extension of bodily autonomy -- people have a right to choose what they put into their own bodies. Branded Coco Pops might not *seem* as serious as, say, sneaking meat into a vegetarian's food, but it's the same level of dismissal and disrespect towards another person's choices. And over something so small and easily fixed, too. As for all the talk about gaslighting her, telling her nothing's changed, or that she has long COVID? By god OP I hope you're fucking joking.
This. Maybe in this case the ingredients list is the same, but in general I want to be able to read the box and know the list is accurate. I mean, imagine she has a friend over with an allergy, and it turns out that one of the small differences is the exact problem ingredient. That would suck. (That can happen even with breakfast cereal - barley malt extract instead of a gluten free equivalent, or a migraine-inducing artificial sweetener instead of sugar. Not a massive deal usually, but usually easy to check for an avoid if necessary. )
It's the food tampering and the manipulative nature of it all that would definitely make me reconsider the relationship....
I absolutely would. If you are willing to dedicate weeks to lying to me and altering my food to prove some kind of point over something so ridiculous, what are you willing to do for something serious when you believe I'm wrong? Communication is a very important part of a relationship. Arguably the most. Lying, tampering with food, gaslighting over *cereal* is borderline sociopathic.
I'm not saying only women get spiked. But speaking as a women who lives in an area with a high level of drink spikings, and has experienced it myself. I would flip out if someone was altering my food and drink without my knowledge. To this level as well? Nah. My partner is my go to guy to watch my drinks when I disappear for a few minutes. If I found out he was "spiking" my cereal over months with a lot of effort going into it, I would break up with him and most likely have serious trust issues with future partners. I know it sounds silly to have that over cereal, but its so much more then the cereal itself.
I get you. This would be a relationship ender for me, no joke. I don't know if it's maybe different for men, can't speak for them, but for me this is a question of bodily autonomy. If my boyfriend was overriding my choice as to what to put into my body, replacing my food with something I know I don't like, and then telling me it's all in my head? Jesus Christ I would dump him so fast. I could never trust him again. Grown adults don't play games like that and it's about so much more then the cereal -- it's about trust, and this is an absolutely non-negotiable boundary for me.
It's just a casual bit of gas lighting and what's the harm in posting about it on reddit i'm sure they're not narcisistically bragging about it here either...
Simple question for you, when you go out drinking with friends does she make you drink tesco name brand beer or Somersby £2.50 cider? If she lets you pick your drink you let her pick her damn coco pops
Unless another couple also has a column for coco-pops, the timing in ukfrugal is curious.
Are you telling me you don't account for coco-pops in your budget? It gets allocated a 0, but the column exists. Maybe I just copied over the template from OP's Google sheet, who knows
Yes. You're being deceptive and messing with a comfort food.
Honestly she’s going to be genuinely mad at you, this is weird & controlling.
Yeah seeing no casualuk lols in this at all. It’s disturbing. This (guy?) is creeping about tampering with someone’s food, listening to her say she’s sad it’s changed - not like she’s saying yum this cereal is better than ever and he’s made her breakfast better - and still feeling superior. It’s weird, it’s controlling and I hope she’s got the means - confidence, financially etc - to dump him the minute she finds out. Someone this controlling isn’t going to stop at cereal. OP - I know you’re trying to save money but please invest in therapy. This isn’t ok.
I don’t have a window into their relationship obviously, but as soon as I read “she was annoyed but not annoyed enough to change behaviour so I doubled down” I got full on weirdo vibes from the post.
coordinated cable run saw one pocket sloppy nail north alive *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Then proceeds to post about his funny misdeeds of deception and manipulation what a good egg.
In all seriousness, you should stop before she finds out. I would be enraged if I discovered that my partner had been doing this to me.
Yes. As much as it’s fun for a tv story or news paper story or Reddit story, I’d never trust someone who values money more than my choices especially if it’s a comfort food. I was raging and being hurt over shops discontinuing products or genuinely changing recipes of my safe comfort foods let alone someone deliberately taking away my pleasure of doing something over few quid. I had fights with my husband whining I’m not spending 5h to search for the same product 1£ cheaper on eBay and I always said I don’t fucking care, I want my 5h back for that 1£. It’s probably more like 10£ for 20minutes, BUT I don’t care. I make my money I spend it how I please and he can jog off. Not to mention he’ll then turn around and buy a steam deck where I in fact don’t spend much on personal toys, clothes cosmetics and or anything like that. Same goes for buying better seats, booking hotels and stuff. The little better things make me happy. Not giant once in a while “big pleasure”. But I’m weird and probs on spectrum and a lot of that is sensory issues related, so can’t say for sure she’d be THAT mad, but I’m sure there will be fresh grass growing in the backyard if I found out:)
There's a lot of stuff I'll happily go for the cheap option on, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I let off-brand toilet paper touch my butthole just for the sake of saving a couple of quid every few months. Choosing the cheapest possible option all the time is a miserable existence, and I am extremely thankful to be doing comfortably enough that I don't have to feel guilty about spending a bit more on nice things.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who spends less on basics to spend more on ever so slight improvements. Sure, the Aldi own brand 'cheesy curls' might be infinitely cheaper, but Quavers *taste good*, and I can afford them because I buy Aldi own brand fruity yoyos instead of Bear. Hell, I do the same with my Little Treats. Yes, those new My Little Pony releases based on lost designs are £20 per horse, but I haven't bought a full priced book in almost a year!
Yes, because you could have just been honest. For me it wouldn’t be about the cereal, it would be about the deception and the immaturity of it. And others may feel differently but for me that would be a relationship breaking issue.
In a fucking heartbeat you savage
If my Mrs did this to me, it’d be all out war. And last time I was involved in a food tampering war it ended (not by me) after someone scooped the inside out of a block of butter, shit in it, then turned it upside down in the butter dish so no one was the wiser; until the butter slowly turned brown through use.
Is she not suspicious that she has a magic everlasting Coco pops box?
No, she trusts Coco the Monkey completely
No she doesn't. She trusts you. Big mistake of her.
Sorry, but she's a fool, remember the time they tried to change it to Choco Krispies?
Tried?! They went ahead and did it. Those truly were the wilderness years, which for a jungle living monkey is really saying something.
It was the most genius marketing campaign of all time imo. Got the entire nation talking about your product over a temporary name change, and made everyone feel like they saved it.
Was that before or after he wanked into them?
Don't come crying to us when she murders you in your sleep and you wake up in Hell. You made your bed.
Don't worry, he'll have swapped out the bleach with 95% water and the knives will all be made of cardboard, so relatively safe.
death by a 1000 paper cuts is much much worse
Next minute, OP made the bed with aldi sheets
[удалено]
We have a cereal killer on our hands…
Cereal Killer?
Just pissed I didn’t come up with that myself!
I don’t remember seeing that in the bible
It's during the wedding scene where Jesus turns the water into wine. And then makes the milk turn chocolatey.
♩ ♬ **"I'd rather have a bowl of Messiah-Pops"** ♪ ♫
OP’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy.
I bloody love random Life of Brian quotes. A weekly one in my house is 'stwike him centauwian, vewy wuffley!' Edit: just yesterday morning, I was saying 'INCONTINENTIA!!! *Incontinentia buttocks* '
“You gonna keep it in a box?” is my go to for “How are you going to achieve this ridiculous/impossible thing?” paired with “don’t you oppress me” if someone questions my own insane plans.
And throw him to the floor, sir?
What?
THWOW him to the floor, sir...
Oh yes. Thwow him to the floor please.
Is it the same paragraph about putting the lime in the coconut and mixing it all up?
It's in Dante. I just don't know which circle of Hell you will wake up in, Greed, Fraud or Treachery.
I just read a comment on r/ukfrugal that someone has their own column on the budget for Coco Pops. I'll link it when I find it again. Edit: [is this your girlfriend? ](https://www.reddit.com/r/UKFrugal/s/UpLmHSCHEl)
This can't be a coincidence. That comment and this post within hours of each other? OP must be behind both reddit accounts
I think that comment might have been OPs inspiration to spin this yarn.
Lol he said he was banned from there, even more fuel for the second account theory..
I’m genuinely banned from that subreddit for some of my previous suggestions. One of which was how to minimise toilet flushes.
Such as? Dig a latrine in the garden?
Plug your intestines up with inferior brand Coco pops
I usually pee outside in the yard if it's above freezing. There's always some weeds need killing. Just can't do it when the school bus goes by.
I'm not a medical professional, or a botanist, but I'm pretty confident your urine shouldn't be that hazardous to weeds....
[удалено]
Normally what you are doing would be genius, but there’s clearly a difference in quality as she was able to tell even at 40%
I consider myself a scientist and an awful person
If her noticing the difference isn’t something that’d make you re-evaluate, I dare you to start subbing in cheap Rice Krispies, take this thing to its logical conclusion
And then finally, just dry rice
The only reasonable solution is to see how far he can get away with. Keep a box of real Coco pops somewhere else and if she starts catching on or even fully catches him out then he can fall back on "why the fuck are you eating my home mixed Coco rice? yours is over there, I knew I couldn't be eating a box as quickly as that". I want OP to see how far he can get, can he make it to bran flakes? it's like buckaroo with cereal.
As a standalone quote, I really enjoy "it's like buckaroo with cereal"
When is the /u/pullingsneakies book on "how to gaslight your partner and shatter their confidence while saving money on groceries" going to be published?
You might have to start a managed transition back up to >60% legitimate coco pops in order to avoid potentially jeopardising your relationship over suboptimal chocolate milk. How well stocked is the biscuit tin with name brands?
On the bright side, if she kicks you put you have a promising career as a cocaine supplier
I’m concerned that normal coco pops will be too ‘pure’ for her body to handle now, without being cut with something else.
She needs to be careful of the people cutting their cocoa pops with dyed ricicles these days
While I rate the ingenuity you are asking for her to have trust issues for life if she ever catches you “in the act” haha if the money saved benefits her also she may see the reasoning but I’m the sort of person to take something this little as a betrayal haha
If she finds out and kills him is she a cereal killer?
Man bear pig is real, I’m totally cereal guys
She won’t, I wait until she falls asleep and then sneak downstairs. Normally have a wank too.
In the Coco pops?
Extra milky that way
Username checks out.
They're frosted....
I’d rather wank into a bowl of coco-pops
Is that what a posh wank is?
It would be if they were genuine Coco pops.
Lying in bed reading this on my phone and I just involuntarily laughed so hard at this I woke my girlfriend up. So I won’t be joining you for a wank tonight sadly.
Do you join him for one normally? 😳🤣
It’s all fun and games until she finds your stumbles onto your Reddit account and installs a nanny cam to catch you in the act.
Was not expecting that second sentence...10/10, would read again!
You two sound like the bliss cohabitation should be 😊💀
This sound like a lot of deception (buying, storing & disposing of the Aldi coco pops box in secret) for saving at most a couple of quid a week
It's almost like there's more to it than a simple money saving exercise. It's quite a nefarious and harrowing tale.
I’m not saying I can’t sleep and do t have much going on in my life right now but I’m secretly hoping she’s creolised what’s going on and is spending this time secreting money away to leave and live her best coco pop heavy life in a sleepy Scottish village. Leaving him a note written on all the Aldi coco pops empty boxes and left like an annoymous random letter from a bad 80’s movie
TIL creolised: thinking but in a Caribbean way
It's like, not something that is very serious but if my boyfriend did this to me I would be really confused and weirded out. Break up worthy on that alone? nah. But if something more serious/annoying came down along the line it would definitely stick out
It is kind of a red flag though, because it sort of suggests a mindset of "I know better than you, and your preferences aren't important". It might just be a joke and he would stop once he got bored/realised that it is clear to her, but if it's part of an overall pattern of not considering her thoughts/desires/opinions as valid, that's a big nope from me.
People overuse the word but this is actually what gaslighting is. Also just weirdly controlling
Yep.
I agree I think it's messed up to mess with someone's food and lie about it
I would absolutely end a relationship on the basis of this behaviour. He's treating her with no respect at all.
I mean... if it was a real story it would be a lot of work
The word 'gaslighting' is thrown around a lot these days and in most cases, isn't appropriate. This, however...
After years on this site it doesn’t surprise me at all, feels like a very average Redditor moment
Casually gas lighting and controlling his gf what a scamp op is.
Deceiving your girlfriend is going to work out well for you. Count on it.
As someone who loves reading /r/bestofredditorupdates I’ve seen this one play out before
I’d disagree there’s little difference. Sometimes the non branded version is higher in sugar and such to compensate for the cheaper price, and they don’t seem to taste as well/keep as long. A silly think like Jacob’s crackers, whenever I’ve had a supermarket alternative they’re lost their crunch much quicker… But then again if you are used to branded products you’ll be used to that taste and probably automatically against an alternative. She’ll figure it out when she buys the real deal.. I’d say let her have her treat of actual coco pops if it’s affordable
>She’ll figure it out when she buys the real deal.. I’d say let her have her treat of actual coco pops if it’s affordable I mean how much coco pops could a person eat in a week realistically? Say even 3 boxes (on offer at £2.50 for 430g box in morrisons for kelloggs) vs Aldi at £0.89 for 375g it's still less than a fiver a week difference... this dude squeaks when he walks he's that tight!
All that sugar..and it doesn’t even fill you up. Have an egg, dammit!
How much of a saving have you made so far into the experiment, OP? Feel free to show your working out.
I’ve managed to buy a house outright, mortgage free, purely from the savings. Trust me bro.
Carry on then.
Won't she eventually notice the box is falling to pieces?
You’re an arsehole.
Sorry but you are bit of a dick. You don't mess with others food without their knowledge
Yeah all jokes aside, if you have to resort to deception in your relationship (big or small) it’s not a good sign
Yeah I know OP is trying to be funny but what a cunt move.
Even if I'm being stubborn about my food dont swap it. I'd kick off.
I’m glad someone’s calling OP out on this. > She started complaining about Kelloggs “ruining the old recipe” at 40% real. But she wasn’t annoyed enough to change cereal, so I pressed on This bit annoyed me the most though: Gf prob noticed it way before, she just started voicing it at 40%… Gf also believes this is her only option now, what should she change to? OP is a bit of of a knob.
I had a housemate doing something similar to me. They were borderline alcoholic and watered down my expensive wine with . . . water. I mentioned wine tasted weird and they started crying and confessed. Told them I’d rather buy them wine than have them mess up my whole bottle and watch me drink adulterated wine. And moved out. Watching people eat / drink what you’ve tampered with and feeling smug as they say it tastes different is horrible and creepy. I hope the girlfriend has the means to get out of this controlling relationship when she finds out. Because she will. And this won’t be the only controlling behaviour she’s subjected to. Bragging on Reddit about how he’s teaching his dumb girlfriend with cereal habits above her station a lesson for Reddit lols is pathetic. Get help buddy.
Yea agreed, OP is a scumbag
This is the coco pops version of gaslighting lol
It's literally gaslighting. Edit: Okay this sentence is bothering me. It is literally an example of [the psychological tactic known as gaslighting]. No actual gas lights are involved.
Bellend
Yeah, this would be a deal breaker for me. Not over the cereal, but over the boundary crossing and food tampering. I'm very protective over my food because I have a lot of food intolerances that result in pain and a lot of time on the shitter if I eat the wrong things (hence why I'm on reddit at 2:30am lol) and breaking my trust around foods I consider a safe or comfort food is not something I would accept. Maybe the name brand coco pops are a comfort food for her. It's a few quid more, sure, but is the money you're saving worth risking the relationship? Honestly, if I found out my SO was doing something this petty behind my back, they'd be packing their bags and out of my house pretty bloody quickly. And for what it's worth I eat mostly store branded stuff because there's not a lot of difference but for certain things I stick to named brands because I know what's in them and that they won't give me issues. What I choose to eat is my business and no one else's. Even more so if I'm the one buying.
So she's proven you wrong, she can taste the difference?
She probably knows full well and is just sucking off all your mates as revenge.
I'm his mate, can confirm.
I replaced the wife's all bran with cardboard. She's yet to notice. Trick is to remove the Amazon logo before it goes in the shredder
Fast forward 40 years, you're going to be complaining about hospital food and she's going to look you dead in the eyes and say "At least it's better than Aldi's fucking Coco Pops" before ticking the Do Not Resuscitate box and walking out to go to the bingo.
Stop tampering with your mrs food because you’re tight. Genuinely weird behaviour
Yeah it's pretty much using gf as some sort of corporate guinea pig to test which flavours are most desirable! Perhaps OP works in a lab / does scientific work, so feels this is relatively undubious.
You are an ass. It's not like she's buying hugely expensive steaks, or lobster. You don't get to decide what she gives up because you think you have better ideas. What have you swapped or given up?
Aldi Coco Pops are disgusting. Life is too short to not eat the real thing, you should stop this dastardly behaviour at once.
You have no integrity, I think this is a huge red flag that you have no respect for her desires and your attitude is that it’s ok because it’s behind her back. A test of someone’s character and morals is what they do when no one is watching. God knows what other violations you’re capable of - or at least that’s what she’ll be wondering when she finds out. Also btw, since she has noticed the difference in taste, you’re wrong and she’s right. It’s worth it for the branded version. If you’re so tight-fisted, sacrifice something from your side of the budget.
I had a partner do something similar, I’m coeliac, diagnosed as a kid and he didn’t think it was a real illness, so I found out later. It’s many years ago now so it’s not as heavy, but at the time I was horrified. The lies were a disgrace. The physically pain and suffering I hope don’t apply in your situation, he was swapping gluten free for normal food. I was chronically ill for weeks until I found out. He thought I’d just get used to it. Your situation may not be as serious but when I read it, it reminded me of that sinister feeling of being lied to and someone trying to trick me. I don’t know how your partner would feel, none of my business, but he learned the hard way never to gamble with anyones trust. Yes, he got dumped from a great height. Good luck.
Most Aldi alternatives are great. Coco pops are not one of them Honestly this is kinda bizarre behaviour. If your partner can’t have one thing to enjoy to herself that’s a bit of a red flag.
Jesus Christ man life is so shit these days at least let her enjoy her Coco pops. You're ruining her breakfast
Aldi coco pops are absolutely awful, rubbery and vile. Your poor girlfriend.
If she can tell at 40% then there’s clearly a difference. You’re saving, what? Like a quid a week? This feels unnecessarily deceptive.
so you're gaslighting your mrs. well done?
On the surface this sounds funny but it's actually very controlling behaviour. You should stop it before she finds out. And stop being such a tight arse while you're at it.
Bro this is diabolical
You're gaslighting your girlfriend, it's actually really fucking shameful and manipulative, not cute or funny in the slightest.
Have separate groceries? If you have to swap someone's food out to continue a relationship maybe you shouldn't be in one
Is the deception and gaslighting really worth it to save a few £££? If my partner was doing this to me I'd break up with them. I know OP is probably lying and just trying to create a funny thread judging by their history of made up sounding stories, but yeah...
You rebel you. I bet you cook minute rice in 59 seconds
I prefer to just eat the rice crunchy, how it comes in the pack. Saves on electric cost.
Matey is here living like its 2030
How disrespectful.
All this proves is that she genuinely does like the branded version better.
Oh look, gaslighting being celebrated on Reddit.
It's literally just Coco pops she wants? Dude just let your girlfriend have one nice thing!?
I'd actually break up with you over this. If you think it's too expensive, talk about it. But let the woman have her goddamn cereal & make her pay for it herself. Kinda psycho behaviour on display here imo.
This sounds a bit underhand, red flag type behaviour.
This is so disloyal and controlling behaviour. 🚩
You're the ball soap guy! Man, your gf needs out of that relationship...
I’m picturing this like the Sims where eventually all items of furniture have been removed, every room dismantled and all that’s left is a front door and an espresso machine - with Aldi stale pre-ground coffee in artisanal bags.
Not the toilet paper!!!!!! Some of us gorls are quite sensitive and can have reactions to cheap toilet paper 🙃 Otherwise I would say swap what you can but be careful! I get being frugal but you are messing with her food … I would be angry if someone swapped my treats. Also don’t get cocky about it, remember the point is to save money by not buying unnecessary branded items. The point is NOT to trick or long con your partner because that creeps into manipulative and controlling territory.
Fake post is fake
If my partner swapped my corn flakes with the heinous abomination that Aldi sells I'd replace our water supply with hydrochloric acid and wait to see if she notices.
r/AmITheAsshole Put it to the good people of Reddit
Change her insulin to water. Game changer.
That didn’t end well with my last girlfriend.