Top 5 at £5 or under

Yes, Nero sells some top-end stuff, but there are also bargains to be had. Here are my top 5 that are £5 or less.

Papio Press (£3.50 for 2 notebooks)

Okay, these are in the sale, but even full price they were only £5. I love these notebooks. In fact, I waxed lyrical about them ages ago.

There are two sets of designs on the site (though hurry, there aren't many): tigers, and hippogriffs (though the hippogriffs may well be gone...).

Why do I love these notebooks? Well they have absolutely gorgeous covers, they're made from recycled paper, and the paper is beautiful. Recycled paper is often horrible to use a fountain pen with as it can be like blotting paper, but these are just splendid.

Life A5 notebook (£5)

Life do fabulous notebooks with wonderful paper. Here is an A5 book with 5mm acid-free grid paper, that will handle fountain pens, rollerballs, ballpoints, or pencils equally well. Again, stock is low, so don't hang about...

Viking wooden ruler (£5)

Made from beechwood, with a steel insert, this is a beautiful, 20cm ruler that's environmentally friendly and both looks and feel amazing. Why have a ruler made from plastic, when you could have one of these beauties?

Viking greeting cards (£3)

There's a range of greetings cards by Viking on the site, featuring images from the Jelling stones - a series of massive carved runestones dating back to the tenth century, found in Jelling, Denmark. The cards are 15.5cm x 15.5cm and printed on 300gsm card, with silk paper lined envelopes. They are blank inside so could be used for any occasion or just to write a letter to a friend.

Nero's Notes sticker (£1)

Cheer up any notebook with one of these fabulous stickers featuring Nero. They're 3" x 3" (~7.5cm x 7.5cm) and will make you smile every time you see them.