27 things you can get for £1 or less!

Make your pound go further with this bumper crop of bargains!
This series of 'get it for less articles' started with the hugely popular 20 things you can get free!. Hot on its heels came Szu Ping Chan's bumper bargain guide - 50 things you can get for under £5.
Now for the third part in the trilogy: '27 things you can get for under £1.' I've picked all the items here because I think they represent unusual or exceptional value for money.
Just remember, many of these deals and offers won't be around for long - so stock up on the bargains while you can!
99p value
RIP Woolies... but hats off to the 99p Store that's replaced it on my high street! I've had a good rummage through its aisles in recent weeks, and have come up with all sorts of little gems.
For my garden alone, I've bought rose bushes, fruit trees, hyacinths and hanging baskets - all for 99p each. For that price you can also get a 20-pack of gladioli bulbs or a bumper kitchen garden set (containing six different varieties of veg seeds). And yes - they've all started to grow!
This den of bargains isn't just for the green-fingered. For 99p you could also get a bikini set, eight Panasonic AA batteries, some flip-flops or a frying pan. And that's just for starters. Hoorah!
Find your nearest store here, or check out rival discounter Poundland.
Travel around the UK
Megabus and its sister service Megatrain operate budget coach and train services all over the UK. Long-distance tickets start at just £1, and the earlier you book (up to 45 days in advance), the more likely you are to bag the lowest price.
The 50p booking fee sends the whole package a smidge over budget, but I thought I'd include them anyway as it really is an incredibly cheap way to get around.
National Express has also entered the bargain market, and is now offering £1 spring coach fares on over 180 routes around the UK. Again, book as early as you can for the best deals.
Fight back against hay fever
For a few years now, pharmacies and supermarkets have been selling own-brand and 'value' painkillers for well under £1. Why splash out £3 on a package of Nurofen when you can buy generic painkillers for as little as 16p?
And good news for hay fever sufferers everywhere: You can now get a box of non-drowsy antihistamines for 96p from Boots, and for a similar price in several supermarkets. Roll on summer...
Library bargains
Many libraries sell off old books for less than £1 each (I once picked up a box of books for £1!). Just ask your local librarian where the 'for sale' section is.
And if you'd prefer to listen to music, most public libraries also rent out CDs for around £1, which you can then keep for up to two weeks. For more moneysaving library tips, read this article.
Ink cartridges
I recently bought a cheap £20 printer from Argos. It does the job perfectly, but I was shocked to find that it would set me back another £20 to refill it with branded ink cartridges bought on the high street.
Thankfully, generic cartridges are a fraction of the price, and haven't given me any problems so far. Check out RefreshCartridges, which is currently selling Epson and Canon compatible cartridges for just 97p each.
Sainsbury's goes bargain crazy
I'm not always the biggest fan of Sainsbury's pricing (read this article to find out why). However, its latest price slashing stunt is definitely worth a look.
The supermarket has cut the price of hundreds of items by a whopping 50%. To take a look at the list of deals, log in and click on the Half Price Offers tag on the Sainsbury's website. Bargains include Robinson's squash for 63p, eight Butcher's Choice sausages for 99p, and packs of Jaffa Cakes for just 49p.
Most exciting of all, all Sainsbury's Easter eggs are now half-price, with several costing £1 or less. As you can imagine, they'll be flying off the shelves - so for a cheap chocolate fix get down there today!
Fruit and veg war
Finally, make the most of the fruit and veg war going on between deep discounters Aldi and Lidl. Lidl's special deals currently include 39p mangoes, 99p strawberries and 49p cauliflower.
And at Aldi at the moment you'll pay just 49p for a kiwi six-pack, an apple seven-pack or 1kg of salad potatoes.
Happy bargain hunting!
More: How to squeeze extra cash from your salary | Cheap breaks in May
Most Recent
Comments
-
The Lidl fruit and veg always seems to be a lot fresher than the big supermarkets,probably because of the sheer volume they sell. It does not stay on the shelf long enough to go "off". Regarding inkjet cartridges, I find the worst are Tescos own brand. I have lost count of the amount of times I have had to return a cartridge to Tescos because the printer tells me "wrong cartridge inserted".
REPORT This comment has been reported. -
[b]Ruthless Investor-I purchased a couple of ink cartridges from ebay about 2/3 years ago & ended up with a county court jugement for my trouble! After paying for the goods via ebay, I then had to pay again via the court as they were claimed to be stolen property. Over 100 others were in the same boat in the same case. So, bargains on ebay may not be what they seem![/b] [b]As for refilled compatables, I have only had one pair go wrong & they just refused to work. It was a while after I had purchased them, couldn't recall where from so could not return them. Overall, I have found them OK. Not as good as originals, but OK. [/b]
REPORT This comment has been reported. -
I refill my ink cartidges myself. Only problem is that the printer keeps telling me I'm running out of ink. Otherwise saves a fortune.
REPORT This comment has been reported.
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature
21 April 2009