This is a brilliantly named shop for the sort of items it sells - cheap and cheerful household…read moreessentials. Need loo roll? Toothpaste? Shampoo? They've got it! And at a fraction of the supermarket price. The most handy item I've bought here is 8 Litre storage boxes at just £4 each which were an absolute lifesaver when I moved house. The shop itself is messy and unorganised but you can't have everything!

So your looking for that infamous orange handled brush, or a selection of vaious different sized…read morered storage containers, or that dog chew toy that will keep the mut entertained for hours... but wait... you only have £5.74 i your pocket and you lef your wallet at home, surely there is no where that will stock all those things for that price, think again! ok so it might be a little exageration but it is a multi purpose cheap store, that does as the pack man style logo suggest help you beat the credit crunch. I am a fan of stores like this, more so of the smaller versions, but with each one you walk inside with that sense of the unknown, you could come accross anything within 4 seconds of stepping inside... what an adventure!

Makro is an excellent cash and carry store - you can only shop there if you have a store card, but…read moreyou can get one of these if you work for a company that uses the store, or even know someone who is willing to get you a card on their account! It doesn't cost anything to join. Makro sells a bit of everything, really. Most things are in bulk, but they do have individual items too. If you need to buy things like washing powder, nappies, cooking items etc, then Makro is a good place to go as you will definitely save money. The main thing to remember is that you have to add 17.5% VAT to everything except food and kids clothes!

Costco has almost everything your could ever want and stuff you didn't know you needed! If there is…read morea Costco close, there is a good chance my family will visit it. This Costco is quite nice. The food court has good food at decent prices, and there is good selection throughout the store. Five stars because as an American, the chocolate and tea aisles are amazing! The US needs real Cadbury's.

In order to access this store you need to have a Makro card - usually given out to self employed…read morepeople. This sells a lot of items in bulk which often makes the price cheaper in the long run. Items have their prices on display exclusive of v.a.t though so you need to do some calculating to ensure you are making a saving. There are many offers starting on a wednesday which they advertise through their magazine - these are Makromail items and are often snapped up quickly - so get in quick to avoid dissapointment. This store always has an abundance of helpful staff to help reach items located high up or, on one occassion, pushed my trolley round for me as I was in difficulty! They sell a selection of pretty much anything household - from food to towels to bedding to toiletries and much more and if thirsty or peckish, they have a happy friendly cafe for very cheap priced coffee, snacks and meals. They do not have any bags so make sure you bring plenty or you will need to load your purchases directly into the car - lots of carparking spaces directly outside and within easy reach of junction 9 off the M27.

For those of you who like a bargain or three, The 99p Stores should not be missed. Situated at the…read moreheart of Broadwalk Shopping Centre, this shop is a popular local haunt, and boasts a wide range of products, from shampoo to picture frames to multi-packs of cheap sweets and nibbles, not forgetting garden items and stationary. The 99p Stores certainly stocks a variety of goods. Many popular brand items -especially of the food and cosmetics variety - are on sale here at discount prices. So if the credit crunch is weighing heavily upon you, but you still want the good(ish) stuff, you know where to go...

I love that you can follow the progression of this Bristol store by old shop signs at increasingly…read morebigger stores up Stapleton Road, up to its current destination in Fishponds Trading Estate. It is difficult to describe - basically a homeware shop with a bunch of oddities on top - think pictures of Jesus standing beneath holographic waterfalls. Apart from the sheer fun of going round here, during the heatwave five years ago this was the only shop in Bristol still to stock fans. Genius.

Rajanis is the stuff of legend for the cheap and cheerful. Only if you're prepared to trawl through…read morea warehouse of junk, tat and odds and ends to find what you're after. And if what you're after is a job lot of chairs, or a mop or a big bag of mixed sweets. I'm doing it an injustice. Wholesale is the right name for it (despite selling to the average person off the street too). They stock a whole host, floor-to-ceiling - gifts, cards, stationary, candles, ornaments, mirrors, luggage, beauty and cleaning products, household goods, crockery, catering supplies, DIY products, pet supplies, gardening goods and furniture, curtains, towels, cushions, blinds, bedding, toys and electrical goods. All at warehouse discount, bargain basement, super-duper low prices. The Xmas decoration section itself is breath-taking - you could decorate an entire village with what they have here - tinsel, baubels, trees and lights a go-go. Rajanis also has a café on site, a cashpoint, delivery service and pensioner discounts on a Thursday. Phew... it's like an entire new city of stuff.