To ask what the best £1 you've spent on your kids has been?

[MrsAukerman]

I'll start with mine (DH's actually to give him his dues) - a ball from the pound shop - hours of hands-free parenting both of in the park and our small back yard.
Yours?

[DramaInPyjamas]

Pavement chalks from the pound shop.

[NoTractorsAtTheTable]

Bubbles. Every time.

[CrazyDuchess]

Mini tubes of bubbles

[CrazyDuchess]

Snap tractor

[winchester1]

Bubbles

The best nothing I've spent (much better than the bubbles) was learning to make a paper car/hat/plane/ boat - great when travelling with a car obsessed toddler.

[Sgtmajormummy]

A packet of crisps that also had a kite in it!
Basically a square plastic sail and some thick thread on a spindle.
We had a picnic on the beach and they played for hours.

[CigarsofthePharoahs]

It's between the winter coat I got at a charity shop and a toy from the same place. The coat has been worn by both children between the ages of 1 and 2, is lovely and fluffy and has those button on mittens that don't get lost.
The toy I found for £1 is a small version of the things you get in Dr surgeries with the wiggly wire frame that you shuffle beads about on. Ds2 was having a spectacularly bad day when he spotted it and it kept him calm for ages. Still does occasionally!

[NeedACleverNN]

Stacking cups off the car boot

Both kids love them (3 and 1)

[sunnyoutside]

Chalks, bubbles or water pistols from the pound shop.

I can still remember mine as a child. For Christmas i was given some lovely presents but my favourite was a doll about 4 inches high in a pink night gown and night cap. Bloody loved that doll. Mum told me years later it had cost her a couple of pounds from Woolworths that she bought at the last minute as an extra stocking present. She had also saved for months and months to buy me a 3 storey Sindy house - which I also liked! But not as much as i loved that doll :)

[Buzzardbird]

I have just bought DD a skipping rope from the pound shop that counts how many skips you have done...backwards!

She is thrilled that she can do 990 skips in a few seconds.

[GingerAndTheBiscuits]

Whoppee cushion

[Wannabestepfordwife]

Baby massage course! The only thing that would make dd sleep as a baby and still chills her out now, when she's nearly 4

[MrsJayy]

Etch a sketch doodah with stylus from poundstretchers she played with it for hours on a car journey

[anyoldname76]

pavement chalks here, bubbles last about 5 minutes as they always spill them

[FlouncyMcFlounceFace]

When I was a single parent my elder two were in the equivalent of nursery and infants as a special treat we'd get a box meal at McDonalds. They then had a choice of £1 for the carboot, a McDonalds icecream or to go to the supermarket next door and use the £1 to get a bag of donuts or pack of ten icelollies that'd last a good few days. I remember their agony of deliberation - the treat they could see others around them enjoying, going just across the road for even more or waiting for the weekend for a toy.

They're really sensible with money now at 10 and 12 and whilst money isn't as tight as it was then they really understand the concept of waiting for a better deal and saving for the right thing. My youngest is just five and going through that so important learning curve of you can only spend each pound once. I don't need to do the teaching the DS's sell the concept better than I ever could.

[winchester1]

flouncy that a great idea I'm stealing that for in a few yrs time.
(I'm good with money but have no idea how I learnt as my parents weren't and my siblings find it hard going at times.)

[seeyounearertime]

Pack of balloons. Endless fun, till they pop, then blow up another.

[Lovepancakes]

Aqua beads, very cheap on eBay and these tiny little balls that when you soak in water turn into big marble-sized things that the DC find fascinating

[ineedamoreadultieradult]

DS bought a blue bear from Pound land when he was 3 and has slept with it every night since he is now 6. He has countless more expensive soft toys he doesn't give the time of day.

[IdaShaggim]

Rainbow coloured ribbon with a plastic stick on one end... DD spent hours and hours and hours twirling it around and running around the house with it.

[ohtheholidays]

A bag of marbles,I bought one bag from a poundshop,they had loads of marbles in the bag.
I made a circle with some string and my 5DC played marbles with me in the garden for a good couple of hours,they loved it.

[LetThereBeCupcakes]

Playmobil zoo from the charity shop. Quite a few bits missing but plenty to play with.

Ended up costing far more though as it sparked an obsession in me.

[lovebeingmum]

A spud gun