A local’s guide to the best things to buy at Poundland in London and in the UK; the best items for home decor, beauty, stationery, arts and crafts and more!
Poundland’s been around since 1990, and it was one of the first ever budget shops I visited in London back in 2014.
I became a regular customer as soon as I got to know about Poundland, and when my favorite pound shop, Poundworld, Poundland’s competitor, shut down, Poundland became my go-to for just about anything I need.
They’ve just got it all, and the quality of the items keep improving year after year, especially Poundland’s brands like Makeup Gallery for cosmetics or Pepco for home decor and other stationery bits.
What to Buy at Poundland: 9 Top Items for Home, Beauty & Art
When you first visit London, it can be a bit confusing to know where to actually go shopping in London, and what to shop for – that’s what this guide is for.
Poundland offers thousands of everyday items, from nail polish to chocolate bars, clothing bits and seasonal decor.
If you’re planning to live in London, you’ll quickly find that Poundland is one of the best options for just about anything you might need at home, and even quick snacks for when you’re walking around.
My favorite Poundland shops in London are the ones on Portobello Road in Notting Hill and the one on Camden High Street in North London.
If you’re looking for cheap things to buy in London, that’s definitely a brandname to know – and both these shops are located really close to some of the city’s best charity shops, too!
Without further ado, here are all the things I like to buy at Poundland when I need them, or even when I have a few spare pounds and want to treat myself on the cheap 🙂
All photos courtesy of Poundland.
Best Things to Buy at Poundland: Pepco Homeware and Home Decor
Pepco is one of Poundland’s own brands, and they have anything from homeware to home decor, and even clothing.
The homeware section is really great, with some cute cups and plates that just make you want to collect them and turn your house into a cottage-style home.
The home decor is also usually really beautiful, with the likes of gift boxes at Valentine’s Day, Christmas garlands, or of course, spooky Halloween decor, too.
What to Buy at Poundland: Beauty Staples and Makeup Gallery Products
Poundland’s also great to do beauty shopping on a budget; shower gels, solid shampoos and conditioners, cottons… All kinds of everyday staples.
These items usually retail for one to three pounds, with fragrances and brands you don’t usually find at Superdrug or Boots.
I’ve found a few new brands at Poundland in terms of haircare that I love; one, notably, is XHC, which offers vegan formulas and delicious scents like banana, papaya and coconut.
Also, you’re living in London on a budget, and even Superdrug or Boots seem a tad expensive for your wallet, just know that Makeup Gallery, Poundland’s own makeup brand, has some really good hidden gems.
The Makeup Gallery nail polishes, which retail for 1 pound, are some of my favorite nail polishes, with really good pigmentation and a lasting formula I certainly didn’t expect when I picked up my first bottle.
The Makeup Gallery lip liners and lipsticks with city names are amazing as well, and help you create a satin pout that lasts for hours.
There are a few other beauty products from this brand that are quite good, although the nail polishes, lipsticks and lip liners are the best – the eyebrow pencils, for instance, are a great little everyday product.
What to Buy at Poundland: Notebooks and Stationery
One of my favorite sections to browse at Poundland is the notebooks and stationery aisle – they have so much stuff in there!
From glitter pens to Sharpies, girly notebooks, stickers and whatnot, I always find something cute to treat myself to when I visit a Poundland store.
My favorite notebooks to get in London might be the WH Smith chunky notebooks, but the Poundland ones are so much cheaper, and since my notebooks tend to become life-size drafts, they’re definitely something to buy while in there.
Best Things to Buy at Poundland: Kids Toys
There are lots of amazing kids toys you can get from Poundland, too.
Whether you’re visiting London or the UK with kids or just trying to find affordable little trinkets for birthdays, you can find pretty much anything to make kids happy there.
Tiny cars, really soft plush toys (not Jellycat plushies, but still!), dart guns, bubble fans, for instance, all retail for a few pounds tops, which means you don’t need to break the bank to make little ones happy.
Best Things to Buy at Poundland: Cooking Staples
One thing I always buy when I live in London and summer’s coming round, is Instant BBQ boxes – they retail for a little handful of pounds, and are incredibly easy to use.
Cooking staples and baking goods, found in the homeware and food sections, are also quite good at Poundland and you can get really cute molds, spoons and whatnot at a cheap price.
Still, I can’t stress enough just how cool the Instant BBQs are – do wait until the fire has died down to cook on the embers so the meat cooks evenly as they tend to get hot fast and can burn the meat.
What to Buy at Poundland: Seasonal Home Decor
I mentioned seasonal home decor earlier in this guide, and truly, Poundland is one of the best places to buy anything for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day – all kinds of celebrations.
In addition to small pumpkins and Halloween costumes, you can also find themed homeware; mugs, plates, sturdy gift boxes that can double as souvenir boxes later on, too.
Poundland usually displays their seasonal home decor and accessories in separate aisles, to make shopping easier, and you can also often find themed makeup sets for adults and kids in said aisles.
Best Things to Buy at Poundland: Chocolate, Biscuits and Other Treats
One of the cheapest things to buy in London and the UK are chocolate, biscuits and various treats, like Walker’s Nonsuch toffees, for instance.
Go to Poundland, and for one to two pounds, you can get Cadbury, Hersheys, Turkish Delight Bars… All kinds of sweets and chocolates to bring back home on the cheap.
I usually try to find my Double Decker Duo or Boost bars, both produces by Cadbury; from the texture to the quantity, these are great value and some of my favorite chocolate bars to get in the UK.
What to Buy at Poundland: DIY Items (Paint, Glue, etc)
Poundland is also amazing when it comes to DIY items, and I’ve found this store actually carries pretty much anything you’d need for arts and crafts projects.
There’s another shop I love for arts and crafts; Hobbycraft, but they’re located further out in the suburbs, like Greenwich or Wimbledon.
Poundland is cheaper, anyway, but although they have a smaller selection of DIY items, you can still find lots, like glitter pens, pom poms, stickers, or sponges and dabbers.
What to Buy at Poundland: Phone Chargers
In addition to homeware, beauty, and DIY, Poundland is great to get phone chargers and various cords, headsets, mouses, mousepads, and quite anything you need to charge your devices and work on the go.
I’ve been a full-time blogger ever since I lived in London for the last time, while being an au-pair, and Poundland has saved me more times than I can recall when I forgot or broke my charging cords.
Their electronics section is affordable, although many of the accessories retail for more than a pound – still quite long lasting and great value when you really need chargers or even adapters.
What to Buy at Poundland: 9 Top Items for Home, Beauty & Art
Thus finishes this guide to the best things to buy at Poundland; you’ll hopefully have found here a couple of new things to treat yourself to!
Whether you’re into cute home decor, makeup products or arts and crafts, or even baking!, there’s always something new to try from Poundland.
Then, if you’re really trying to live life on a budget, these are a few other guides I can recommend you read: