Halloween 2016 review round-up - featuring Poundland and HARIBO

The days are getting shorter, the temperature is dropping and the shops are stocked with spooky, seasonal goodies. Yes, it's nearly Halloween, one of my favourite times of the year!  We enjoy celebrating the season and having some family fun with a scary twist.

If you want to enjoy Halloween, but want to keep to a budget, check out Poundland for some great items at just £1 each. From decorations to fancy dress to sweeties to tableware, you will find loads of fabulously themed things to keep the kids happy. We were sent a selection from their range.

This year's designs include a rather cute family of monsters, who appear on everything from paper plates to trick or treat bags. They also feature on the cupcake set that contains cake cases and toppers. Perfect for making some spooky cupcakes.  The tableware is excellent value and makes entertaining easy. Plates come in packs of 20, napkins in a pack of 30 and cups in a pack of 40, so there will be plenty to cater for a Halloween party. You can dress the house with Halloween decorations including character lights and bunting.

Poundland also has some good dressing up accessories, Freddy picked out a Freddy Krueger style bladed glove so he can dress like his namesake this year. Don't forget to stock up on some sweets for Trick or Treaters, which you can hand out from Poundland's Trick or Treat bowl.

HARIBO always do some great seasonal limited edition sweet packs, which are perfect for parties or for handing out to the little monsters who come knocking on Halloween night. Haribo kindly sent us a selection in a spooky package, which we will enjoy distributing to our local Trick or Treaters.

This year, Haribo have a Halloween Duo pumpkin pack, Trick or Treat mini bags, TangfasTricks and Scaremix ready to please the kids and the young at heart grown-ups!

The Duo pack comes in a lidded pumpkin shaped container, which looks great on a table laid with Halloween goodies. Inside the tub is two large bags of Haribo Halloween sweets (Scaremix and TangfasTricks) which can be poured into each of the divided halves of the bowl. It makes a lovely colourful display.

Haribo Scaremix comes in an assortment of spooky designs and flavours: Dracula Rings in Blood Orange & Apple, Apple & Blackcurrant and Blackcurrant & Blueberry; Boo Bears in Cherry, Lime and Blood Orange; Witches' Brew in Blood Orange; Vampire Heart in Blackcurrant & Bubblegum and Monster's Eyeball in Toffee Apple. They come in funky colours too, adding a Halloween twist to some old classics.

The TangfasTricks offer an opportunity for daring sweet eaters to dive in and take a gamble on which sweet they're going to eat! They look normal enough, but not all the sweets are tangy - some of them are super sour and some are HOT! Will the one you choose be a treat or a trick?  It will definitely make for a fun game this Halloween.

I hope they will do a veggie friendly range one day so I too can indulge in the happy world of Haribo!

Back to School with Poundland - great value stationery for students from infants to university

September is fast approaching, which means that the children will soon be heading back to school for the new academic year. It has become a ritual in our household to go shopping the week before school to buy the kids some brand new stationery to start the term, and they enjoy picking out the latest colourful pens, pencils and pencil cases.

Poundland has sent us some of their back to school range to try out. They have products suitable for infant school right through to university. With everything costing just £1, it makes it easy to budget. The range has plenty of appeal, with colourful, vibrant designs adding a fun element to education.

For the older kids there are some excellent Nu branded products including their binder folders, perfect for keeping A4 notes well organised. The range accompanies a free app - Nu Notes allowing you to capture, store and organise handwritten memos. You can scan, save and share notes through a unique interface on Android smartphones and iPhones.  The revision cards are very useful, helping you to memorise those all important facts for exams.

Poundland has some really fun products to inspire younger children including their highlighters which look like cosmetic items. The nail varnish and lipstick styled highlighters are fun and quirky. They also have a really funky neon range to add some brightness to the school day.

There are lots of craft, colouring and sticker sets featuring children's film and TV favourites such as Peppa Pig, Spiderman, Finding Dory, The Lion Guard and The Secret Life of Pets. They are perfect for keeping little ones entertained, and are great as the summer holidays come to an end to keep children busy.

For budding artists, Poundland has lots of crafty products including a range of ready mixed paints. The metallic paints come in handy resealable pouches and are ready to use to create some lovely shiny pictures.

Poundland is great value all year round and is the place to shop for lots of back to school essentials. Whatever age your child is, from infants through to university students, Poundland can supply their stationery needs.

                   

My Easter Haul from Poundland

This Easter, you can stock up on everything you need from Poundland. There are craft sets, Easter cards, Easter eggs, tableware, cuddly toys, decorations and baking goodies that can help make your Easter special. At just £1 each, Poundland products make it easy to budget and can save you money.

Easter egg hunts are a lot of fun for little ones. Poundland have a range of mini eggs from big brands such as Kinder and Cadbury's and have cute buckets and baskets for collecting them. Packs of plastic eggs are great to use for hiding clues or mini eggs around the house or garden. Poundland also sell a kit making hosting an egg hunt really easy. It includes signs, arrows and baskets.

For home bakers, Poundland have a 24 piece cup cake set that includes cake cases and toppers. There are some lovely presentation bags and ties, which are great for packaging up cakes or confectionery. The Jane Asher home baking range has some really lovely bits for the kitchen and includes some edible cake decorations such as wafer daisies, perfect for spring themed cup cakes.

Poundland has some super cute decorative chicks, bunnies, sheep, eggs and nests, which are great for making Easter bonnets. They are so much cheaper than similar products found in craft shops.

I love the little Easter crackers that will make a nice themed place setting for the table on Easter Sunday.

The craft sets will keep the kids busy in the Easter holidays. They can make Easter characters, cards, toys or even an Easter bonnet using the kits that include easy to use pre-cut shapes.

Poundland also stock a selection of Easter eggs for £1 each, including brands such as M&M's, Dairy Milk, Milky Bar and character eggs such as Frozen, Star Wars, Marvel and Minions.

All these Easter goodies are available in store, but you can also shop at Poundland online with free delivery for orders over £50. Delivery is within 3 - 5 working days.

Cutting the Cost of Christmas with Poundland

We all know how expensive Christmas can be, so it's always good to find ways to keep down costs. Using discount stores is always a good way to find a few bargains, especially as they often sell branded goods at reduced prices. So to test this, Poundland armed me with vouchers and challenged me to 'do' Christmas for just £30 - to include enough decorations, gifts, cards and food to stretch my festive budget. 

In Poundland, £30 equates to thirty items which equates to a whole lot of goodies purchased for Christmas!  I was very impressed with my haul, getting a great range of festive items at just £1 each! It's so easy to keep track of your spending in Poundland, making keeping within your budget a breeze!

Branded Confectionery

Christmas isn't Christmas without sweets and chocolates and if you are looking for confectionery from Cadbury, Thornton's, Haribo or Nestle, Poundland sells loads at just £1. This can make your money go much further. Take for example the Smarties Santa and Friends 3 pack which is on sale today in one of the big supermarkets for £2. Butterfinger Bites are also £2 for a box, again making Poundland's price a real bargain buy.

American Hamper

American candy hampers are a great gift to give to a loved one, but they can be very expensive to buy online costing upwards of around £20. With Poundland you can create your own hamper using some of the range of US branded goodies alongside some other American style goodies. Just package them up in a pretty basket or even a box covered in gift wrap and you have a great gift for a fraction of the price of ordering a hamper online. Kellogg's Pop Tarts can cost up to £3.50 a box, so buying them for £1 is a great saving. Reese's and Butterfinger products are excellent additions to an American food hamper and cost half of what they do in supermarkets. Bubblegum Bottles from Haribo, dry roasted peanuts and bbq pretzels complete the contents. This is such a good present idea allowing you to buy favourite products at just £1 each and creating a bespoke hamper without going over budget. Poundland also stock Nerds, Hershey's, jelly beans, Reese's Cups, Chupa Chups and Maom - all great for a cut price US style hamper.

Books

Christmas books are a lovely way to build excitement and count down the days to Christmas by sharing a story with the kids every night at bedtime. Poundland has a range of both reading books and activity books with a festive theme to keep kids happy until the big day. I love the Disney Christmas books (RRP £3.99) featuring favourite characters in seasonal stories and The Christmas Surprise is a colourful, pop-up board book with a reassuring story about Santa being able to find you wherever you are on Christmas Eve. They are great if you are making a book advent this year (where you wrap up 24 Christmas books and unwrap one each day of December until Christmas Day).

Gift Wrap and Cards

With rolls of wrap and assorted sizes of gift bags, Poundland have a wrapping solution for every present. From giant sized gift bags and sacks to bottle bags to multipacks of assorted bags, I love the ease of packing up presents this way. The Poundland ones are a fraction of some found in stationery shops. 

Individual cards for the special people in your life are available in an assortment of designs, alongside bumper boxes of 40 cards.  This makes it easy and cheap to spread good wishes this Christmas.

Christmas Decorations

From dressing the tree to decorating the house, Poundland have a real variety of decorations in a range of styles. From traditional to funky, however you want to express yourself this Christmas, Poundland can help. The cheery inflatable characters will be a hit with little ones, while the wooden pieces add a rustic charm to homes. The packs of baubles are so reasonable when compared to garden centres.

Kitchenware

These ceramic star shaped bowls are an absolute steal at £1 each. Perfect for holding sweets or snacks, they will look great on the table at Christmas. They'd also make lovely gifts if filled with sweets and wrapped in cellophane.

The drink cup I got for Freddy's stocking comes in a fun design and has a curly straw. Perfect for cold drinks on Christmas Day.

Partyware

For tea on Christmas Day, I like to use paper plates to make cleaning up easier and to create a fun, party atmosphere after the formality of Christmas dinner. Poundland has two partyware ranges: Frosty Friends and Red Snowflake, both consisting of packs of 20 plates, cups and napkins plus a tablecover. So for just £4 you have all the tableware you need to host a party for up to twenty people. Most party stuff comes in packs of 8 so getting 20 for £1 is a huge bargain. The quality is good and the design is festive. You can't go wrong.

Toys

The cost of stocking fillers can add up to a lot of money. For just £1 each, Poundland has a range of toys and games that will bulk out the kids' pressie pile. Disney's Frozen merchandise is bound to be popular and there is a lot of it to choose from in store. Poundland also have Block Tech toys, which are compatible with Lego but cost a fraction of the price. There are lots of other bits to choose from including craft sets, puzzles, games and cuddly toys. Poundland is a good place to buy presents for children's friends without spending too much money.

My top 3 favourite pieces from Poundland this Christmas

I love this Merry Christmas sign made of wood and rope, with love, hope and joy written on hearts suspended from it. It's very cute and pretty with a rustic, vintage feel. Something similar could cost in excess of ten times the £1 price tag in a specialist vintage shop or online.

This moose ornament is another rustic piece that looks like it should cost a lot more than the £1 I paid for it. It is crafted from wood and has a string bow around its neck with bronze coloured bells attached. The distressed paint finish makes it look vintage. I love its simplicity and quirkiness.

My last item that has been picked out as a favourite is the coir Merry Christmas door mat. It has three Christmas trees and the Christmas greeting on it in black rubber. It makes a great novelty gift idea or will look great outside your front door throughout December. I was gobsmacked to find one that looks identical to this on Etsy for £12.50! For something that I will be using over Christmas and then disposing of, I know how much I'd rather pay.

As you can see from my Poundland haul, there are lots of genuine bargains to be found in store or online including branded goods. Many of the decorative items are similar to things that can be found in other stores or online that cost so much more!  It's great to be able to make your money go further by shopping in Poundland for some of your Christmas needs.

You can find all these items in store at Poundland or on Poundland online where you can also check out the latest promotions and offers including some Black Friday deals. 

I used mysupermarket.co.uk for price comparisons with supermarkets on branded confectionery.

Have Yourself a Thrifty Little Christmas with Poundland

Yet again, I have shopped for a festive haul of Poundland goodies to supplement the kids' stockings, add to the decorations and provide some Christmassy flair to our tableware.  With everything at just £1 each it is easy to stay within budget and know exactly what you are spending.

With bargains to be had in confectionery, beauty products, kitchenware, partyware, decorations and novelty gifts, there is so much to choose from in store.  Christmas need not cost a fortune!

The items that I bought are:

So...? Eau de Toilette 

pack of 20 festive paper plates

20 festive cellophane bags with ties

6 individual festive cupcake boxes

advent Christmas countdown chalkboard 

3 tartan tree decorations

3 pack foil platters

tinsel wreath

Pin the Nose on Rudolph game

reindeer antler headband

novelty Santa glass with spiral straw

box of Nerds

box of Reeses Pieces

McVities Gingerbread Men

Fruit Factory Fruit Strings

gift bow and ribbon set

present sack

It is definitely worth taking a look in your local Poundland, there are always some genuine bargains to be found especially in cleaning products, groceries and toiletries.  The seasonal products are always a lot of fun with novelty gifts that are great for Secret Santa gifts or for the kids to give to their school friends.

See the full range, including the new Frozen merchandise at www.poundland.co.uk.

My Favourite Halloween Things - including Wingflatables from Asda!

The half term holidays have begun and we are looking forward to an action packed week, culminating in some Halloween family fun!  To get us in the mood for some spooky fun and games, I've been checking out what is on offer in the shops this year.

Asda are selling one of my favourite items this Halloween and they are wingtastic!  Asda's exclusive Wingflatables are unique, novel and something completely different this year.

The self-inflatable Halloween bat wings look really impressive.  They are battery operated and quick and easy to inflate with the flick of a switch on the power pack which can clip to a pocket or waistband.  The wings are lightweight and easy to wear and make a fancy dress costume come alive!

Freddy thought they were "cool" and "the best thing ever".  They looked brilliant on him and he could use them independently, popping them up and down for maximum effect!  He loved them because they stay up and hold their shape, unlike the usual floppy wings on the market. The silver spider webbed pattern on the inside of the wings looks really good and will go with a whole host of outfits for both boys and girls.  The fan makes a bit of a noise as they inflate, but it won't be too noticeable at a Halloween party, disco or while out trick and treating.

The Wingflatable Bat Wings are available at Asda in store or online for £8.00.  They are definitely a great buy.  The adult ones are £10.00 and there are various styles and colours available.

Check out asda.com for further details.

Poundland is always a great place to pick up bargains with everything from tableware to decorations to fancy dress accessories, all at just £1 each.  Trick or Treaters will be kept happy with Poundland's range of top brand Halloween sweets from Maom, Haribo and Swizzels.  They even have DVDs and books to keep your little monsters entertained all day long.

Poundland is a great one stop shop making it easy to budget for your Halloween celebrations.  You can make an awesome looking party table centrepiece complete with a cauldron full of sweeties, spider's webs, spooky lights, Halloween tinsel and creepy lace table cloth all for less than a tenner. The kids will love it (and your purse will too!)

Check out what's on offer at poundland.co.uk and get some inspiration for seasonal ideas!


Freddy is absolutely loving this Halloween Activity Book from Buster Books.  It is packed with puzzles, activities and other creepy things to do this Halloween.  There are blood, guts, gore, brains and severed limbs aplenty throughout the fully illustrated book that little monsters will adore.  The creepy creatures featured are more cute than scary and Freddy loves them all, but especially the zombies.  Anything that gets him interested in books or reading gets a big thumbs up from me.

At £5.99 it is great value and will provide hours of top quality Halloween fun this half term.

Face painting is an activity that 12 year old Kizzy is really getting into...and she is very good at it.  So I bought a pack of Snazaroo facepaints from Wilkos for £10, to unleash her creative side.  This is one of her creepy Halloween creations, a scary doll!

Scary dolls are something that freak me out a bit since watching The Conjuring and its spin off film Annabelle!  I love a good horror film and thoroughly enjoyed both of these movies.  Ian and I did a day time date while the kids were at school to watch Annabelle at the cinema.  There was just us and an old couple who sat there without removing their coats and with packets of boiled sweets on their laps at the 10.30am showing.  It was a bit surreal!

We did enjoy Annabelle although it wasn't as scary as its predecessor The Conjuring (which remains the scariest horror film I've ever seen!)  The scary doll thing is really making a resurgence.  I am looking over my shoulder whenever I go in the kids' rooms, just in case any of their toys get any funny ideas this Halloween!

Poundland Mother's Day Treats

Whether you are looking for some great value gifts for Mother's Day or if the kids are looking at buying something for mum with their pocket money, make sure you check out Poundland.  This year they have a great range of gifts all priced at their super value £1 price tag.  We were sent some to take a look at, ahead of the big day, which this year falls on March 30th.

Everything you need from gift wrap, gift bags and presents are available to buy in store for £1 each.  I particularly liked the 'World's Best Mum' wine glass, which would go brilliantly well with a bottle of mum's favourite wine. If your mum prefers a nice cup of tea to wine, then there is a boxed floral gift mug that could be given along with some homemade cards stating 'I promise to make the bearer of this token a cup of tea!'. There is a really cute glass photo frame which would look lovely if you popped in a photo of yourself with your mum. The porcelain tea light holder has holes in it to shine out the word 'mum' in candlelight.  Perfect for a scented tealight.

I love how the Poundland gift ranges make it so easy to buy gifts for Mother's Day. Paying just £1 for a gift means no one has to overspend or blow their budget in order to treat their mum. I like to add a couple of Poundland gifts to go alongside the other things I buy, so my mum gets lets of goodies to open on the day. The quality of the gifts is all very good and the large gift bag is very sturdy and just right for popping in your pressies for mum.  Other gifts available include oven gloves, tea towels, notebooks, teddies and charm keyrings.  There is also a special Mother's Day cupcake set which includes cases and picks, so you could treat your mum to some home made cupcakes especially for her!

Christmas at Poundland

Poundland is once again offering shoppers some fantastic bargains to help make their money go further.  At this time of year, this is definitely a most useful thing!  With a fabulous range of Christmas goodies, you can get stocking fillers, decorations, gifts, sweets, selection boxes, cards and wrapping paper all for just £1 each.

I was given a £20 budget to shop for Christmas essentials and I was really impressed with the haul I managed to get.

My top purchase was the Dorling Kindersley Merry Christmas Activity Book with '50 ways to make your spirits bright'.  Inside there are craft ideas and recipes to keep the kids entertained over the Christmas holidays.  It has an RRP of £5.99.  It is a perfect stocking filler, great to give out at parties or to give your child's friends as a gift.

The selection boxes containing Milky Way or Cadbury's Treat Size chocolates are an absolute bargain at 3 for £2.  Another great idea for stockings or little gifts.  

There is a massive selection of gift wrap and gift bags to make presents look really great.  I was very impressed with the packs of three gift bags with tags for just £1.  Great for popping in little gifts for a quick and easy packaging solution.  The big plastic Disney gift bags are really lovely and are excellent quality.  The 10 metre rolls of gift wrap will wrap up loads of pressies for just £1.

I love the sackcloth-look present bags with a drawstring top.  They are printed with an Express Elf Mail logo and a message to deliver on the 25th December.  It's a really nice bag that can be used year after year.  It will make a lovely alternative to a traditional stocking.

There are lots of cards on sale from individual cards to boxed sets.  I bought a set of mini cards for friends and the teacher containing 31 cards in four designs.  It is a great value way to let your kids give cards to all their classmates plus the teacher for just £1. The little cards feature a cute design and would double up as really nice gift tags.

For anyone who enjoys baking, there are loads of great products including cake cases and cup cake stands.  I really liked the cup cake boxes which hold individual cakes or four cakes.  Filling a box with cupcakes is a  great gift idea for keen bakers to give to friends and family.  Home baked goodies are such a thoughtful gift idea!  Poundland also stock cellophane bags perfect for cookies, confectionery or cakes, which come with a ribbon to tie them up.  Another lovely way to present homemade goodies making a great and economical gift.

The tubes of sweets make a great stocking filler.  Poundland has lots of choice from Cadbury's Fingers to Freddo Faces to Drumsticks to Kinder Chocolates to Jelly Tots.  For just £1 they are excellent value. I always stock up a few of these tubes to give out as impromptu gifts if we have visitors with children.

The Reindeer Antlers are just one of the novelty products that will inject a bit of fun into Christmas parties.  You could also get Santa hats, Elf Hats or Santa beards for dressing up.  Kizzy loves wearing something Christmassy to school during the last week of term and these antlers with jingly bells are perfect for that. 

Poundland also have lots of decorations for the tree and the home, as well as craft activities, stickers, presents, tableware and tonnes of other festive goodies.  It's easy to stay on budget when every is £1 so there's no nasty surprises at the till.

Poundland is a perfect place to go for cheap and cheerful Secret Santa gifts, stocking fillers and little things that will make Christmas all the more fun!  At the moment if you spend £15 you can get a teddy bear for worth £4.99 for £1.  A lovely little present to pop in a little one's stocking.

poundland.co.uk

Celebrating Halloween on a Budget with Poundland

Yet again the shelves in Poundland are being turned over to the seasonal products celebrating Halloween.  A fantastic array of spooky goodies from tableware, fancy dress, decorations, confectionery and bakeware are available and all for the bargain price of just £1!  This makes it so easy to budget and keep tabs on how much you are spending, while ensuring you get everything you need to make your Halloween party frightfully good fun! 

We were challenged to see what we could buy with £20 and I was very impressed with our haul.  I love the BOOO! themed tableware that they have this year.  The spooky ghost can be found on cups, plates, napkins, tableclothes and bowls to set the scene for a fantastic Halloween party.  The bowls and plates come in packs of 20 which is excellent value for just a £1, and the cups come in a pack of 40.  Plenty to go round.  The black plastic cutlery set is a very useful addition to the party table and the novelty pumpkin straws are a lot of fun and come in packs of 8 in either orange or purple.

The BOOO! theme continues with the cupcake stand and cupcake decorating set.  These are some of my favourite items this year.  The stand is made of sturdy card and the decoration set includes cake cases and toppers to make some easy Halloween themed cupcakes.  The stand filled with cakes makes a real show stopper table decoration!

The jelly moulds that I picked up are absolutely genius.  There is a brain and a severed hand mould which will be used to make some scary jelly.  Kids love jelly...they will love a green Frankenstein's hand jelly and a pink brain jelly even more so!

The cookie cutter set is a great addition to the kitchen at Halloween, perfect for making biscuits or cutting out little sandwiches.  The set includes a church, a cat, a ghost, a bat, a pumpkin and a gravestone.  You could also use them to make fondant icing shapes to decorate a Halloween cake.

Spooky balloons are always a hit with kids and the pack of orange and black ones are great value at just £1 for 18. I resent paying more than that for something that is probably going to end up being popped by the end of the night.  Why pay more?!  They can really help make a room look the part when strung up in bunches.  Poundland have heaps of other ornaments, window stickers, lights, toys and decorations to transform your home into a haunted house.

The Inflatable Kids' Seat was a great find.  It's like a black rubber ring with a bottom decorated with skulls. It will give Freddy somewhere fun to sit while he watches some spooky cartoons on TV!

I love the Halloween costume accessories.  I bought a two pack of Masquerade masks.  They are handy to have for impromptu dressing up and are good to have at a Halloween party for the guests to wear if they aren't in fancy dress.  Masks add an element of mystery and intrigue and are perfect for Halloween.  Other fancy dress accessories include hats, tights, special effects make-up, plastic weapons, glow stick jewellery, wings, deeny boppers, false nails and eyelashes.

The confectionery range at Poundland represents superb choice and value.  With brands such as Swizzels Matlow, Maom, Fruitella, Chupa Chups and HARIBO you know you are getting good quality.  Other confectionery items include Voodoo Candy Charms, Gummy Eye Balls, Spooky Popping Candy and Skull Sucker Lollies. I loved the Flying Sorcerors in orange and black.  Perfect for Trick or Treaters.  Other top brands of snacks such as Oreo, Cadbury, Fruit Factory, Mr Kipling, Pom Bear and Walkers offer alternatives to sweets and are great fayre for a party.

Take a look online to see the full Halloween range available at Poundland:  www.poundland.co.uk.

Back To School with Poundland

And so the new school year begins today.  I've stocked up with everything the kids need as they return to school and college.  With three school age children to cater for, this can be quite expensive. Thankfully, Poundland has helped lighten our financial load with their extensive range of products that are all just £1 each.

Stationery

There is a huge range of stationery products in Poundland, from the practical Home & Office range to top branded products to licenced products featuring Disney characters, Bin Weevils and other kids' favourites. With everything costing just £1 it is easy to send the children off to school with a pencil case filled with new pens, pencils and geometry sets that they will be proud to use.

There were some great value stationery bits for Ella who is back at college for her final year.  She gets through so much A4 paper, so the 160 page pads are extremely useful.  The Home & Office in-tray will help her organise her homework, keeping it all together and in order.  The biros, highlighters and marker pens are great value and good quality. Many products include extra items for free.  For example the permanent coloured markers (like own brand coloured Sharpies) are 12 for the price of 10, and the highlighters are 6 for the price of 5.

Out of twenty products purchased, the only disappointing one was the Brights Memo Board which is a wipe clean whiteboard with a rubber trim. Unfortunately the trim came away and snapped when the shrink wrapped plastic was removed.

The My First JCB colouring pencils are lovely and perfect for Freddy to encourage him to practice his writing and drawing.  The products featuring characters are lovely for party gifts.  With favourites such as Minnie Mouse, Monster's University, The Muppets and Furby, there is something for everyone.

Some of the stationery products were 3 for £1.  The Added Value range includes all the essentials but with no frills.  It provides excellent value for money, perfect if the budget is tight.


Lunchboxes

With my children all taking packed lunches to school, I am always on the look out for tasty, filling snacks to put into their lunchboxes. If I can get healthier options, so much the better.  I am so impressed by Poundland's food aisle which stocks loads of top brand products.  At £1 each everyday, they are always cheaper than the supermarkets, saving me money on my weekly shop.  I bought Walker's Hoops and Crosses, Soreen cereal bars, The Fruit Factory Fruit Gummies, Fruit Bowl Yogurt Coated Strawberry Flakes, Sun Maid organic raisins, Cadbury's Brunch Bars and a bag of sweet almonds.

Having these in my cupboard will keep the kids in lunchbox snacks for the next few weeks and allow me to rotate what they get so they don't get bored.  It is great to be
 able to get the healthier options such as the fruit flakes, organic raisin boxes and Soreen.

The money saved is such a bonus. Just look at the everyday supermarket prices of these items:

Fruit Flakes 5 x 25g                     £2.00
Organic Raisins x 9                      £2.43
Walkers Hoops and Crosses        £1.79
Brunch Bars                                 £1.99
Soreen Go Bars                           £2.15
Fruit Gummies                              £1.99

TOTAL COST                            £12.35
POUNDLAND PRICE               £6.00

I saved £6.35 on these six items alone!

The sweet almonds are part of a new range of dried fruit and nuts which is brilliant and so much cheaper than the cost of shopping in a health food shop or supermarket.  They are great for healthy snacking or for using in recipes.  I will definitely be buying a whole load of nuts for my Christmas Nut Loaf this year.  It'll save me an absolute fortune!

Breakfast

It is important to start the day with a hearty breakfast!  The instant porridge sachets are excellent value at just £1 and are every bit as good as the top brand ones which cost over twice as much!  The instant porridge snack pots are really handy as Ella can take them to college and make them up with hot water in the common room.  £1 for two pots is a good price.

Laundry

With the kids back at school, the washing of the extra school uniform laundry load will once again resume. Poundland sell the Esscents Laundry Gel which comes in a big 1 litre 28 wash bottle for just £1, which is about five times cheaper than the big brand laundry gels available in supermarkets.  I have heard some very positive feedback about this product and I am looking forward to testing it out.  It is so much cheaper than the washing detergent I use that I could save pounds by switching.  Definitely worth giving it a try!

Yet again I have been very impressed by the extensive product range found in store at Poundland.  The mix of top branded products and Poundland's own products gives so much choice and the pricing ensures there are no nasty surprises at the till.

STOP PRESS **Whilst we were shopping for back to school items at Poundland, we also spotted some fabulous make-up items from brands such as Max Factor, Collection 2000, Revlon, Rimmel and CK.  A few may have found their way into our shopping basket.  Check out Poundland for some excellent beauty bargains! Don't forget to pop into Poundland when shopping on the high street, you will be surprised at what you might find! **

http://www.poundland.co.uk

As a Poundland Ambassador I received a voucher to help cover the cost of the review items.

Father's Day Gift Ideas for the Man In Your Life

This year, June the 16th is Father's Day.  A day where we are encouraged to celebrate the men in our lives.  Now, although in our household we are always letting Ian know how much we love and appreciate him, we still enjoy the excuse to celebrate with the masses and enjoy spoiling him that little bit extra on Father's Day.  Plus it's a good reason to indulge in some cake - how about a deliciously grown-up and indulgent Chocolate and Whisky Layer Cake - and buy some fun pressies that Ian will love.

Here is a round up of some present ideas that will be perfect for dads on Father's Day whatever their taste and whatever your budget.

If you want to treat your dad this Father's Day without spending too much money, you can show you care by giving a gift that costs just £1 at Poundland.  From snazzy gift bags and cards to presents that will make dad's day, Poundland has it covered.  An official Family Guy beer glass or insulated bottle jacket make a great gift (especially if given along with a bottle of dad's favourite beer!)  Or how about a Grow Your Own Football Pitch or a wooden cube puzzle for a good novelty present?  Cuddly toys are always a much loved gift idea and Poundland always has a great selection!  All these things and more can be purchased in store at a Poundland near you, for the budget-busting price of just £1 each!  Find out more at www.poundland.co.uk/top-tips/fathers-day/

If you have a bigger budget you could treat your dad to an experience day he will never forget. There are a great range of exciting experiences available online to suit any dad.  From a short break to beer tasting to a tour of a football stadium to a bungee jump, there is a whole host of things to pick from.  My favourite experience on the Buyagift website, and the thing that Ian would love the most is the Zombie Experience at an Abandoned Manor House in Manchester.  This adrenaline pumping zombie survival experience for two, lets you live and breathe the horror of a zombie apocolypse.  How awesome would that be!  Perfect for the horror film loving dad.  It costs £214 for two for a 3 hour experience and comes with excellent reviews from satisfied customers. One day we will do this together!

If films are more your thing, the brilliant film Wreck it Ralph has just been released.  We adore this latest Disney feel good offering and it would make the ideal movie for a Father's Day family film afternoon served with popcorn and nachos!  If your dad is more like my Ian, then Texas Chainsaw is out now on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D.  It's a real gore-fest for fans of the franchise, seeing the return of Leather Face and his trusty power tool.

If your dad likes a little tipple, how about a bottle of Single Malt Scotch Whisky.  Morrison's currrently have 70cl bottles of Glenfiddich whisky down from £33.99 to just £20!  Small bottles are just £10.

If your dad has a sweet tooth, there is a range of Guiness confectionery that he might enjoy including truffles and little chocolate pints for just £2.99, available at Morrison's.  There are lots of other choccie treats too, marketed especially for Father's Day.

Whatever you decide to do for your dad this Father's Day, I hope you all enjoy celebrating the men in your life!

'Grow Your Own' with Poundland

If you like the idea of growing your own produce or getting out in the garden, but don't want to spend a fortune, then Poundland has the ideal range for you.  They stock a variety of seeds, pots, fertiliser, garden ornaments, bulbs, gloves, tools, solar lights, hanging baskets and compost all at just £1 each giving every green fingered gardener a selection of great items at bargain prices.

We were sent an assortment of the items to try out and were particularly excited about the idea of growing our own potatoes using the canvas potato planter, the Organic Potato Fertilser, the potting soil and the Maris Piper seed potatoes.  We don't have any room for a vegetable plot in our garden so growing things in tubs and planters works really well for us.  I really hope hope we get a good crop of spuds later this year so the children can get to eat the produce they have planted up themselves.  We also planted up Rocket, Herbs and Strawberries, as well as Sunflowers and Dahlias.  Fingers crossed for a bumper harvest!!

Kizzy and Freddy enjoyed helping their dad in the garden during the glorious Bank Holiday weekend.  Gardening with kids is a great outdoor activity where they can learn about science and nature and get their hands dirty!

I was really impressed with some of the sets of seeds such as the Nice and Spicy Collection that included four types of chilli, pepper, coriander, basil. mustard greens and oriental spicy leaf seeds.  Excellent value at just £1 and an amazing collection of spicy ingredients to use in the kitchen.  The 10 litres of potting soil comes in a small pack which becomes reconstituted to its original volume by the addition of water.  This makes it easy to buy in store and carry home.  The herb seed discs make it very easy to grow your own herbs such as Parsley, Basil and Chives in pots. 

Check out the gardening range in store at your local Poundland and you could be growing your own for just a few quid!!