Who says you always have to go to the supermarket or drugstore to buy your favorite items? The dollar store offers great prices on a variety of supplies ranging from party decorations to stationery sets. The key is to know what you want to buy before entering the store and seek out the best bargains there.
Dollar store toys are not worth the price
In many dollar stores, it is best to steer clear of many of the toys because they are not too appealing and since kids get bored with new toys easily, you could save money and buy more important items. However, some toys at the dollar store are okay to buy and these include bubbles, beach balls, and plastic buckets for water games.
Arts and crafts supplies are of good quality at the dollar store
If you are looking for inexpensive crafts supplies, the dollar store is a great place to shop. Supplies such as glue, glitter, scrapbooks, picture frames, markers, crayons, construction paper and yarn can all be bought at decent prices. Teachers and homeschooling parents would especially benefit from a shopping trip here.
Buying healthy food at the dollar store
The dollar store also has several kinds of healthy food to choose from. One example is canned fruits and vegetables. If you have a baby you can buy a few cans of produce, puree them and feed the produce to the baby. Most dollar stores also sell water, tea and milk at decent prices. Other healthy foods you can find here include nuts, dried fruits, wheat bread and canned fish.
In need of greeting cards? Try the dollar stores
Generally I buy greeting cards from drugstores but because I am on a tight budget these days, I now buy them from the dollar store. The design and messages inside the cards are beautiful, and there are sets of blank cards you can buy for a decent price.
Toiletries
When my family and I want to save money on toiletries, we buy them at the dollar store. Some toiletries we buy name brand while others we buy generic. Many of the name brand toiletries there do not cost a lot and I can buy in bulk when those products go on sale. It saves me a trip to the big box stores where there are often very long lines.
Storage bins
Storage bins are great for decluttering your home and the dollar store has them in various sizes at affordable prices. You can buy five to six of these and they can be reused for the next few months. You can choose from the colored bins or the clear plastic ones.
Advantages of dollar store shopping
One advantage of shopping at the dollar store besides the good prices is the adventure. One day I found some retro candies such as Bit-o-honeys, Chick a Sticks and Mike and Ikes that are hard to find at regular stores. Another benefit is the friendly staff there.