What To Buy {And What to Avoid} at the Dollar Stores

 

I LOVE the Dollar Store.  There are somethings to ALWAYS buy there and somethings to avoid always!

Things to Buy:

Helium Balloons: These same balloons run $3.50-$4.50 at the grocery stores and floral shops!

Sunglasses: Some (not all) will have UltraViolet protection so you will need to check them all but I lose my glasses at least once a month- hence I have 4 pairs in rotation.  Between me leaving them in a doctor’s office and the kids stepping on them I go through 6+ pairs a year.  I’d rather lose $6 than $360 ($60 x 6) each year. While these aren’t as a great of a quality as RayBan glasses – for those of us that lose their glasses all the time – it’s a great deal.

Calendars & Day Planners: This is one of my favorite things to buy at the Dollar Stores!  I use separate calendar’s for work, home, kids and mileage (I keep one in my car to track my business miles!) At the beginning of the year there is usually a big selection but by March- there are very few, if any, left.

Wrapping Paper: Unless it’s post Christmas clearance you really aren’t going to find super cheap wrapping paper anywhere except the Dollar Store.  And since it’s going to be torn off and tossed away- you don’t need the highest quality wrapping paper.

Gift Bags: This is another item that you will be hard pressed to find cheaper.  The Dollar Stores carry a big assortment of gift bags of all sizes for all occasions.

Gift Cards: I can’t think of a single other store in my area that has greeting cards 2/$1.  Some stores carry a few cards at 99¢ but not the huge variety that the Dollar Stores carry!  Today when I visited there were over 100 Valentine’s Day cards to choose from and most were national brands like Hallmark or American Greetings!

Glassware: Need a few glasses to replace some that broke?  The Dollar Stores are a great place to find just what you need!  Be cautious some are very thin but I’ve found some very nice pieces!  In fact, I dressed out our Thanksgiving Feast table with plates and bowls from the Dollar Tree!  Need a huge quantity?  You can now order online at the Dollar Tree’s website and pick it up in store!  The bonus is that they will already be packed into boxes and wrapped!

Kitchen Accessories: My favorite peeler is from the Dollar Tree! The stores around me carry the Betty Crocker brand and I’ve found them very well made!  Not all of their accessories are and sometimes it’s a game of roulette to find some that will last.  However, they are great if you rent a house for vacation- if your spatula gets lost or left behind you won’t be as upset to lose this one than you would be if it was a more expensive one.

Bathroom Accessories: My children are hard on hand soap pumps but I love the decorative ones much more than the plastic bottles.  In fact I use one on my kitchen sink (so much prettier than a bottle of Dawn).  A package of clear shower curtain hooks is only $1 there versus $4-$5 at stores like Target.

Hair Supplies: Hair brushes, hair pins and hair ties seem to disappear from my house quickly.  They get lost at school or left on the bus.  I don’t want to spend $4 on hair ties for them to only last a week or so between my three girls.  Buying them at the Dollar Tree is a great way to keep my stash full without breaking the bank!

Coffee Mugs: I love buying coffee mugs at the Dollar Store!  They have some really pretty ones.  Adding some goodies to a holiday themed mug makes a great gift too!

Organization Supplies: The bins and baskets at the Dollar stores are a great way to organize stockpiles and kids’ rooms!  They are inexpensive enough that you can buy multiples and add labels to them.

Disposable Pans: One of my favorite things to do is make double dinners and put half of it in a disposable pan.  Cover tightly with foil and plastic wrap and have a ready made meal for later in the month!  The Dollar Store disposable pans allow me to do that without spending a fortune.  They have a big selection of sizes and shapes too!

Name Brand Products: Recently many Dollar Stores have started carrying a larger selection of National Brands like Kraft, Betty Crocker, Ortega and more!  Some stores even accept coupons making their $1 price even better!  Check carefully, some of the sizes carried at the Dollar Stores are smaller than the ones in regular grocery stores offsetting the lower $1 price.

Other good buys:

Things to Avoid Buying:

Electronics: Ear Buds, Flashlights, charging cords…they are not a good buy at the Dollar Stores unless it’s an emergency.  They do not last very long and are honestly a waste of $1.  It would be better to invest a little bit more and get quality.  However, in a pinch they will do.

Pens: I learned this the hard way.  The pens at the Dollar Stores do not work well (or long).  Better to invest a bit more and get a pen that will work long term! However other office supplies- like mailers, poster board, etc.  are usually a good buy!

Other things to think about before buying:

Cleaners: Often these are not as good as other brands.  However I have found a few gems in the dollar stores!

Toys: Unless you want to spend $1 on 30 minutes of play time- avoid most of the toys in the Dollar Stores.  They are not high quality and break very quickly.

Personal Care Products: With a few exceptions we can usually get brand name deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, body lotion, etc much cheaper with coupons and sales than the Dollar Stores sell them for.  Sometimes we can get a great deal using coupons on these items at the Dollar Stores but their generic variety isn’t that great of a deal unless you need it right now.

What items do you always buy at the Dollar Store and what items do you always avoid?