POUNDLAND is a fan favourite among bargain hunters, but not everything on sale at the discount store is a good buy.
Social media is packed with reels of shoppers gleefully sharing their Poundland hauls.
Money-saving expert Katie Watkins has revealed the best and worst Poundland buys Katie runs the KatieSaves.com blog and shares her tips on Instagram @KatieSavesYet if you really want to save money you need to be careful what you put in your basket.
We spoke to bargain shopping expert Katie Watkins to help you sort the best buys from the duds.
The 36 year-old accounts assistant runs the KatieSaves.com blog and shares her money-saving tips on Instagram as @KatieSaves.
Katie, who lives with her husband and two daughters aged four and seven in South Wales, told The Sun: “As a busy mum on a budget Poundland is one of my favourite places to shop.
“It’s brilliant for buying certain items, but don’t assume that everything is a steal.
“There are some things that you’re better off getting at the supermarket.”
Here are Katie’s top five items that you should always buy at Poundland, plus five you should buy elsewhere.
Party supplies
As a mum to two girls, the cost of birthday parties can quickly add up for Katie.
But she finds Poundland is a great place to stock up.
“It has a brilliant selection of colourful and patterned partyware.
“It’s where I go for balloons, disposable cups, plates, napkins and decorations.
You can pick up an eight-pack of confetti-filled balloons for £1 and there are paper party cups for the same price.
Seasonal decorations and gifts
Poundland is a great place to go when you want cheap decorations at different times of the year.
“I love to go there at Easter, Halloween and Christmas as they have lots of cheap and cheerful homewares for less than the supermarkets,” said Katie.
“It’s ideal for buying presents on a budget, from end-of-term teacher gifts, to Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, secret santa ideas and stocking fillers – Poundland has always got it covered.”
“Plus it’s a good place to go when I’ve got to find birthday gifts for my daughters’ friends.”
Stationery
As a blogger, Katie likes to take notes of bargains she spots when out and about or ideas that she has when she’s on the go.
“You can’t go wrong with Poundland’s selection of notebooks, coloured gel and ball-point pens.
“I am a pen and paper gal who makes loads of lists so I’m always stocking up.”
The shop sells basic A4 notebooks for £3, while at some stationery shops these cost more than a fiver.
Poundland has smaller A5 books for £2.
Meanwhile a pack of three black or blue gel pens is 75p.
Plus it has lots of diaries and planners, which are perfect for jotting down when your bills are due and managing your budget.
Beauty basics and dupes of posh brands
Poundland is a great place to shop for a low-cost glow-up, according to Katie and many other fans.
She said: “The make-up range has had some great reviews from beauty experts with claims that lots of items are just as good as some high-end brands.
“My favourite is the setting powder, which is such a bargain – it’s just as good as my usual £16.50 one from Lily Lolo.”
Poundland’s Make Up Gallery Smoothly Does It pressed powder costs £1, saving Katie £15.50 every time she needs to stock up.
The shop’s £1 lip liners have won the approval of beauty experts like TikTok vlogger @emmoonz who described them as “buttery” with plenty of pigment.
The store’s Charlotte Tilbury dupes under its Body Stories range in pink packaging have been a sell-out hit with shoppers.
It includes the £1 Revitalise Face Cream (50ml) which is a copycat for Charlotte Tilbury’s £79 Magic Cream.
Much of the range is sold out online but you might get lucky in your local branch.
Perfume
The discount shop has become well known for some of its perfume dupes and Katie feels they live up to the hype.
“There are some great dupes of well-known expensive fragrances.
“They are not quite as potent or long-lasting as the real thing, but excellent value for a fraction of the price.
“My favourite is Dark Aura, which is very similar to Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium.”
You can get a 100ml bottle of the copycat scent for £1 at Poundland.
If you want to buy the real thing a 30ml bottle of the designer fragrance costs £46 at Parfume Dreams.
An ex employee on Poundland's prices
Holly Laing, 22, from Northampton, has revealed she used to work in Poundland and often heard customers say the same annoying thing.
Holly claimed she worked for Poundland in 2015 for three months as a Christmas temp.
She said that customers would get annoyed when products cost more than £1 individually.
In a comical video, Holly acted out a scenario that often occurred on her shift at the bargain store, where customers were always baffled and irritated that items could cost over £1.
Holly uploaded her video with the caption “I heard this a lot” as she said: “POV: Not everything’s £1 in Poundland”.
Holly explained that customers would often say to her: “But this is the pound shop, is it not?”
“That’s very misleading, I’ll only pay for that if it’s a pound.”
“Disgusting, what a rip off.”
WHAT TO AVOID
Over the years, Katie has learned by experience that certain items on sale at Poundland are not worth putting in your shopping basket.
That could be because they’re cheaper elsewhere or they’re not good quality.
Here are the four things she never buys there:
Batteries
Poundland sells some low-cost batteries and it’s tempting to pick them up to use for kids’ toys and remote controls.
Kodak batteries are the cheapest in its range with a pack of eight AAAs for £1.
But Katie feels they’re a false economy.
“I’ve found them to have a short life span compared to more expensive brands.”
The shop also sells top brand Duracell’s Simply range but you can sometimes find these cheaper elsewhere or get its extra-long life Plus range for a similar price at other shops.
Books
Katie doesn’t stop in the books aisle when she’s doing her Poundland shop.
“Places like The Works have better deals and a wider range,” she said.
Paints and felt-tip pens
While Katie likes some of the kids’ craft supplies like stickers, coloured paper and fun accessories like pom-poms and wooden letters, other items don’t work well or don’t last.
“I avoid buying paints which can be watery and the felt-tip pens as they dry out quickly.”
Fridge food
You can buy cheese, milk, meat, desserts, ready meals and snacks at some Poundland branches.
But Katie doesn’t.
“I find that the supermarkets, particularly Aldi and Lidl, normally have better deals on fridge food,” she said.
Branded toiletries
“Branded items always used to be cheap to buy at Poundland, but recently I’ve found better value from the supermarkets.
“Poundland toiletries tend to be smaller-sized packaging so you might think you’re getting better value, but you’re actually not.
“It’s worth checking.
“For example Poundland has a 250ml bottle of Aussie shampoo for £3, but at the moment you can get a 300ml bottle for £2.98 in Asda.”
How to save money on your food shop
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes – plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury’s also sells £2 “Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me” fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps – food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go’s app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains – yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains – sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they’ve found on the cheap, including food finds.
“Downshift” – you will almost always save money going for a supermarket’s own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as “downshifting” and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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