'I went to Greater Manchester's pound shop capital to see what you can actually buy for £1'

In these straitened times in which we are all now living, trying to get as much for your pound as possible is part of everyday life. But with inflation rocketing, it's getting harder and harder to get very much for our pennies it seems.

The nation's pound shops used to be a sure fire way to get a load of bargains for £1 or less, but do they still represent a good place for a bargain amid spiralling costs and inflation across the UK?

With this in mind, I headed down to Greater Manchester's pound shop hotspot of Wythenshawe to see exactly what I could get for a pound. Here, you'll find a whole load of different shops with "pound" in their name - around a Pound, Pound Express Plus, Poundstretcher, Poundland and Pound Bakery - yep, Wythenshawe has got them all.

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But do they all live up to their pound billing? Well, my quest here was simple - to see what items I could buy, priced for either £1 or less in each of the stores.

As a mum-of-two I am always on the lookout for cheap food and drink options that will help to feed the family through the week. Although I'm not averse to picking up a £1 home, beauty or utility bargain when out on my shop as well if one presents itself. Here's how I got on...

I've whizzed past the brilliantly-named Around a Pound shop on the tram many a time and wondered what it was like inside. Well, I need not wonder anymore as I headed inside the shop on Hollyhedge Road.

While this shop boasts a number of items ready-branded up with £1 on the packaging, any massive discounts appeared to be few and far between on my visit. In reality, it was more like a convenience store, with prices