Best Deals At The Dollar Store

polka dot kraft paper

 

After a recent trip to a local Dollar Store, I was excited that I got a bag full of fun and useful items, all for $20 (plus tax).  Here is what I came home with after my trip:

7 pair of reading glasses (cute ones, at that!)

2 foam poster boards (for the school closet)

4 packs of various size batteries

3 foil baking pans

3 greeting cards

1 pack of neon index cards

To make sure I was really making savvy purchasing decisions, I decided to do some research on what to buy and not to buy at  a Dollar Store.  In doing my research, I found out that one of my recent Dollar Store purchases was on the “no deal” list. Can you guess which one? To find out, read on…

According to the Kiplinger article, Best and Worst Dollar Store Buys, some things at the Dollar Store are worth buying, and some are not. Below are some of the “deals” and “no deals” mentioned.

Deals:

party supplies (every mom or room mom already knows this!)

greeting cards (absolutely a deal if you can find ones that you like)

cleaning supplies (should perform as well as top brands for basic cleaning tasks)

gift wrap –See photo above of the pink & brown polka dot kraft paper I found. It is great for wrapping gifts or packages for mailing.

cooking and dining accessories— I buy things like extra spoons, plates, and juice glasses, mostly for everyday use.  I also love the simple white coffee cups; they are perfect to keep on hand when serving coffee to a large group of guests.

pregnancy tests-supposededly as accurate as store bought for about 1/8 the cost.

Not Deals:

Batteries– (This is where I made a not-so-savvy purchase!) Dollar Tree batteries may be old, prone to leakage, and contain shorter battery life. I won’t be buying these anymore.

Vitamins-may have fewer nutrients than listed on label and have poor absorption. Better to buy these at a drugstore.

Aspirin, ibuprophen & other meds– some may be left on shelves past expiration date, and place of manufacture may not be listed on label. Again, the drugstore is a better bet.

Food products-better prices and larger packaging can likely be found in grocery stores; some items may be past shelf life and not as fresh.

Some of my favorite deals……

Foil baking pans are one of my favorite Dollar Store purchases. At 1/3 to 1/2 the price found in other stores, these are a steal. When taking a meal to someone, I deliver it in these pans so that they can throw them away after the meal and not have to worry about washing and returning dishes.

Finally, reading glasses top the list as one of my most frequently purchased items at the Dollar Store. It drives Zane and the girls crazy that I buy so many reading glasses, but since I can’t read one thing without them,  I keep them all over-in drawers, in the car, in the bathroom, in my purse, anywhere that I can easily grab them when I need them! I love finding cute readers at Dollar Stores so that I never get caught without them.