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Who doesn’t love the Dollar Store? There are so many items to choose from! It can be a nice one-stop shop depending on what you are looking for and the stores are not as overwhelming as the Big Box stores.
While there are many good deals, be sure to check out my list of items I particularly like to grab at the Dollar Store, and which items I typically avoid. What are your Dollar Store favorites?
Things You Should Buy:
Greeting Cards- The dollar store is my go-to for this! No need to pay $5 for a card. There are plenty of great options 2 for $1.
Gift Bags & Wrapping Paper– While you are there for the cards, don’t forget the other gift supplies including the bags, tissue paper, wrapping paper, and ribbon!
Seasonal Decor- Whether it’s Christmas or Easter, the dollar store has all kinds of decor themed items great for decoration or a holiday themed party!
Party Supplies- Don’t miss the table cloths, streamers, paper cups and plates plus the helium filled balloons add a nice touch too. These supplies will be much cheaper than the party store, and they have a pretty good selection too. Keep in mind, the vases and decorative bowls can make great centerpieces.
Pregnancy Tests- These are surprisingly very reliable and the $1 price is nice especially if you test often.
Coloring Books- You can never have too many for car rides, the restaurant, etc.
Movie Theater Candy– When going to the movies, skip the concessions and grab a $1 box verses the $4 box at the theater.
Reading Glasses- You can’t beat these for the price, and you can buy several pairs to keep all around the house.
Hair Supplies– Hair supplies don’t have to cost a fortune. Check out their combs, brushes, hair ties, bobby pins and more.
Baskets & Organizational Bins- They usually have a nice selection of different sized baskets, caddies, and more for your organizational needs. Choose from plastic drawers, sometimes fabric bins, and different sized buckets.
Mason Jars- These are great for using for decor, recipes, cookie jars, gifts and more!
Foil Baking Tins- They offer several sizes of these. They are great to have on hand when taking someone a meal or during the holidays for easy cleanup.
Poster Board- Not only can use grab school supplies like marker and pens, but the poster board is a great deal for school projects, etc and it’s 2 for $1.
What Not To Buy:
Batteries– The idea of paying for cheap batteries sounds nice in theory but you may end up spending more in the long run. Tests have found the Dollar Store batteries had less energy than the name brands so you may end up better in the long run to pay a little extra up front to get the quality. The cheaper ones tend to leak easier too which can end up damaging your electronics if not your not careful. In fact, I would steer clear of electronics at the Dollar Store in general!
Vitamins & Supplements– Testing has shown that some ingredients were substandard, lacking the full amount of nutrients listed on the labels.
Toys– While the toys might be fun for a while, don’t count on these to be long lasting. Be careful because the toys can come apart easily and be a choking hazard. The little toys can be a good option to decorate cakes though! You can often spot name brands toys and these are usually fine. We love the Hot Wheels tracks you can get 2 for $1.
Dog Food– You can use coupons and get deals on Fido’s food for even cheaper at the grocery store plus the quality will probably be better too.
Soda– Often a 1-liter of off-brand soda at the dollar store will cost the same as a 2-liter bottle of a name-brand soda at the grocery store. With sales and coupons, you can easily get soda for 50¢ or less at the grocery store.
Paper Products- The toilet paper is rumored to be thin and lacking quality. In general, it’s best to use coupons to get the name brand.
Beauty Products- When it comes to products used on your face, it isn’t worth the risk of an allergic reaction or rash caused by cheaper ingredients. They do have name brand products like ELF sometimes which I’m personally more familiar with.
