Writing this particular review took me on a trip down memory lane. Woolworths was always the first store we headed to at Halloween when my step children were younger. We'd pick up cobweb spray (for my step son's costume) and accessories like pitchforks and witch's hats. And bags of sweets to hand out.

That particular shop, at the top of our road, is now gone. Of course. My youngest son called it the 'present shop', and although I'd have thought he was too young to remember Woolworths, he still mourns its passing.

But the retail chain lives on, in cyberspace at least. And it is still selling all that stuff that you really need. Here we received a number of items with a Halloween theme from Woolworths, and I gave them to mum of one, Tracy, to test for us. Here's what she thought.

It’s rare on PlayPennies that we hear a man’s voice, so when it happens it’s rather exciting! When we received a bunch of back to school goodies for a boy, we asked Edward, the five-year old son of Samantha, one of our PlayPennies mums for his feedback.

I must admit, I really miss Woolworths. They were great for browsing odds and ends, and while the online store is great, it just doesn’t feel the same. None the less, we received a back pack and some back to school clothes and thought we’d put them to the test for you.

First up was the Toy Story 'Buzz and Woody' back pack (for £8.99). Apparently, Edward liked them.  “It was easy for me to carry”, he told us, “as it's not too big.” Mum had a different view though, as she felt it wasn’t big enough for a school bag.

“If you wanted to use it as a school bag you might have trouble fitting a lunchbox and other school paraphernalia in it,” she said.

The straps are adjustable and the front Toy Story design is wipe clean - a good thing for boys, said Mum,”… as their bags tend to be unceremoniously dumped in the playground, at the park on the way home from school and then again when they get home.”
Of course, it’s that time of year again where parents with children of school going age are on the prowl for the best bargains on back to school wear, and Woolworths have always had great prices to offer.

For example, starting from £10 - £16 depending on size, the Top Class Pleat Front Black Trousers went down really well with Edward’s Mum, although Edward himself just shrugged and said “They’re trousers.” Can’t get much past that one, can we!

But he’s not too far wrong. What can you really say about black school trousers?

“They're black,” (they do come in grey and navy too) “and have an adjustable waistband” Mum told us.  She did have some useful insights though, saying “this is very handy and, to be honest, we'd be lost without it or would have to do battle with belts; belts and five-year-olds really don't mix well.”

Really, it’s the quality I’d have questions over, because a great price is only a great price if you don’t have to buy two or three times the amount to replace items throughout the year. “The trousers are of a decent quality for the price and they're teflon coated too; again, handy for boys who have scant regard for keeping anything clean and think nothing of clambering up trees with their school uniform on.”

Samantha feels the way most of us do, I’m sure. Why pay a fortune for something short lived?

“I'm happy not to pay a premium for school trousers quite frankly - children of a certain age grow like weeds and why would you pay a massive amount for trousers that they're going to grow out of in the blink of an eye?”

So Samantha’s final words on the trousers  from Woolworths were positive:

“They washed well and dried quickly and if Edward's school trouser colour was black then they'd definitely be added to his school trouser collection.”

Finally, the Top Class Zip-up Jacket also ranges from £10 - £16 depending  on size, but our mum and son pair were less enamoured by it.

“The rain jacket folds ups small, is light weight, looks ok and has a thin reflective strip, but other than that it's plain - Edward really didn't like it!  His first reaction when he saw it was, ‘It's BORING!’”

Thing is, that’s probably what you need for ‘Back to  School’, if you need a jacket to conform to school rules.  While it might not be great for taking on holiday – I saw a kid with a Ben 10 one yesterday and he refused to take it off, even indoors! – it is ideal for school. Especially since it folds up small.

“Short of making Edward stand with the jacket on and pouring water over him from a watering can, I can't vouch for the waterproofness of the jacket and I haven’t been able to convince him to wear it - I was up for that, it sounded quite fun to me, but Edward wasn't so keen!”

Overall Samantha couldn't find fault with any of the things she was sent – she felt  they were good value for money, the coat will conform to most school uniform rules, and the bag, though small, was great for small boys.

Woolworths.co.uk is currently selling 100 play balls for just £2. Whereas they normally cost £8, which is quite expensive, since you can get them at Tesco for r£5, they are now 75% less , which is a serious bargain!

• Fill your ball pit for less at Woolworths.co.uk

I absolutely love the ballpits at our local soft play centre. It’s great for kids and adults. In fact last week I tweeted about how ball pits should be used in marriage counselling – it’s fab, you can throw things without getting hurt and you end up rolling around laughing. It’s great fun.

Of course, in a home situation most of us don’t have such big ball pits, which at least means you won’t need as many bags to fill up your pool or pit.

And if you don’t have a ball pit, you can still really enjoy these balls though. A friend of ours has a bag full at her home for whenever we visit – my daughter tips it out and spends hours chasing the dogs to get all the balls back in the bag. It’s excellent value for money – especially at £2.

Thanks to chelstar21 at HUKD

Storage space is always a massive problem in our house – not really because we have too much stuff, but rather because we have too few cupboards. If you're in the same situation, these under bed storage boxes could come in handy – especially if there's a new mountain of toys after Christmas!

• Get sorted with under bed storage from Woolworths.co.uk

I must admit, I'd not have paid £99.00 for them – half-cut decorated cardboard boxes will suffice for under the bed, thank you very much, but at £22.00 I'm definitely willing to give them a chance!

There are two reviews for this, and both would recommend them, but also say that you should just check the measurements first and make sure they'll fit under the bed.

The drawers are actually made to go with the Kidspace bed, and suit the single bed, bunk-bed and Trio bunk-bed, but will fit under beds of 25.5cm height.

For some reason, the red four drawer set is still £99.00, and the black and pink are unfortunately out of stock now, but the blue and lilac are still in stock.

Add a £6.95 delivery fee and you should be able to start finding order in your child's room again within 14 days.

Happy New Year folks! Have a good New Year's Eve!

Children's Spot and Alphabet single bed duvet covers are £3.00 at Woolworths.co.uk, and on top of that, buy one and get an identical one free.

• BOGOF at Woolworths.co.uk

The Spot or the Alphabet duvet cover was £12.00 but has been reduced to £3.00. There's not a whole bunch to say about it, really, other than that it's a great deal!

The duvets are 50% cotton and 50% polyester and are bright, vibrant and colourful. They close with buttons rather than poppers, making them a little more secure.

It's annoying that the BOGOF is for the same item, rather than being able to have both which would be great for a bit of occasional change. On the other hand, if you have children that must always have the same of everything in order to prevent fighting, this is ideal.

Next day delivery is £3.95, and a convenient collection point can be chosen if you don't want to sit around all day waiting for a van to arrive. You'll be sent a text message to let you know your item is ready for collection.

Thanks to plymouthgal at HUKD

There's still time to grab a few bargains as Christmas day draws nearer and with up to 50% off on the toy sale at Woolworths.co.uk you can still save a few pounds – much better than running around the hightstreet on Christmas eve!

• Click here to browse the bargains in the Woolworths.co.uk toy sale

When I said there was time to grab a few bargains, I really meant to focus on bargains. For example, the Ben 10 car is reduced from £149.00 to £60.00 – which is actually more than 50% off – and can be found on eBay for £75.00.

Zhu Zhu Pets Ninja hamster is £8.00 compared to £11.00 on Amazon. Some of the other Zhu Zhu Pets also have a pound or two off.

The 24-inch Peppa Pig doll is now £12.50 from £22.00, whereas it is £16.00 at Additions Direct.

There are 680 products in the Woolworths.co.uk toy sale, and although some are really well priced, there are a few that can be found cheaper elsewhere, so if you have the time and the inclination, it may be worth just doing a quick Google comparison before you buy.

Next day delivery costs £3.95, and for an additional £1.00 you can choose your delivery day and time slot.

Thanks to lh77 at HUKD

Woolworths.co.uk currently has a BOGOF and 50% off on selected boardgames. Initially £8.00 each, these games are now £4.00 for two – a combined 75% discount.

• Click over to Woolworths for discounted games

Okay, so these aren't the games at the top of anyone's Christmas list, I'm sure, but there's still plenty of fun to be had with them. I remember playing Snakes & Ladders with my brother and sister, screaming with laughter as one or the other of us went down, down, down again, just moments from then end.

The list of games available are:

• The Sea Battle
• Snakes and Ladders
• Hangman
• Who am I?
• Line Up 4
• Ludo
• Don't Torment Me
• Doctor I am in Trouble

A few of those I've never heard of, but then, at £4.00 it's hard to go wrong.

These games are suitable from around age 3 up. Delivery is £3.95 and should be next day, assuming you've ordered before 6pm.

Great little gifts for children, great stocking fillers, and great for secret Santa.

Thanks to jojo2010 at HUKD