May 21, 2007
Five Of The Best Deals You Can Get At Your Local Dollar Store
By Dana Joseph
I’ve written a lot about the great deals I find at the dollar store in my area. I recently received a comment from a reader who wondered about the quality of some of the items. I’ve found many items for sale in the dollar store that are exactly the same quality (and sometimes even the same brand) as other discount stores such as Target or Walmart. It really depends on the dollar store that you visit. I checked out all the dollar stores in my area to get an idea of the merchandise they carried, and then decided which dollar store I would visit most often. I’ve found the best bargains at The Dollar Tree store. From my past experience shopping there, here are five items I’ve found that are essentially the same quality but at a much lower price:
1. Gift wrap. Year round you can find a great selection of rolled gift wrap at $1 per roll. On occasion I’ve found cute theme based paper (such as for a birthday or a baby gift) but I can always find a nice selection of solid color wrap that is perfect for any occasion. Similar rolls of wrap at discount stores are priced anywhere from $2.99 to $3.99. The gift wrap choices are even better during Christmas when all sorts of themed paper come out including wrap with popular characters.
2. Gift bags. You can find a large selection of gift bags for any occasion and all are only $1. Some of the smaller bags are 2 for $1. This is a great deal as compared to the gift bags in discount stores which can run from $1.99 for a small bag all the way up to $4.99 for a large bag. Again, at Christmas time I’ve found really decorative gift bags with a variety of Christmas themes.
3. Party supplies such as plastic table covers, plates, forks, and solid color napkins. A package of colored napkins or plates will cost you between $2.99 and $3.99 at Target or Walmart. You can definitely save a lot when shopping at the dollar store versus a party supply store! I wrote a while back that when I throw a birthday party, I purchase the majority of the party supplies at the dollar store and then get one or two themed items from a local party store.
4. Kid’s Coloring Books. At $1 per book, you can’t really go wrong here. I’ve found all the popular character books including My Little Pony, Disney Princess, John Deere, etc. These coloring books are $2.99 and up at the local discount stores.
5. Mylar balloons. My local store has mylar balloons for all occasions including birthdays, new baby, and seasonal balloons for graduation, July 4, and Memorial Day and other holidays. Can’t beat a buck for a mylar balloon!
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Topics: Frugal, Personal Finance, Saving Money |
6 Responses to “Five Of The Best Deals You Can Get At Your Local Dollar Store”
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May 22nd, 2007 at 9:31 am
[...] Five Of The Best Deals You Can Get At Your Local Dollar Store Much of the stuff found at the local dollar store near here is terrible, but every once in a while you can find an amazing deal on a staple, occasionally even name brand stuff. I once bought 24 bars of Lever 2000 soap there for pennies per bar and we’re still using them. (@ not made of money) [...]
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:20 am
Sure… these products are a value at The Dollar Tree, but there is so much more there that we’ve found (at good quality), as well! Just to name a few: brand-name make-up, shampoo and conditioner, hair styling products, Q-tips and cotton balls, toothpaste, hair accessories (pony holders, barettes, etc.), men’s dress socks, kitty treats and toys, storage containers (plastic shoe boxes, storage bins, baskets, etc.), cleaning products, food items, decorative items (posters, pictures, photo frames, candles, incense, glass jars and bottles, gift items, etc., etc., etc.), toys, games, puzzles, school supplies, shipping materials (envelopes, tape, boxes, etc.)… the list is endless! This is usually the first place I go for items- unless, of course, I know they’re on sale or at a better price somewhere else=) Thanks for the article!
May 24th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Pregnancy tests. Seriously.
The various online communities for women trying to conceive all know that The Dollar Tree has high-quality pregnancy tests…for $1 each. Waaaay cheaper than any other retail store, and mostly cheaper than buying in bulk online.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
All the stuff at Dollar Tree is from China. So if you want to continue to support the Chinese military, rather than try to find something made in the US, go ahead.I usually shop the the close out stores like Ollies where there are overruns and buyouts rather than things made especially created for the dollar store by knocking of some craftperson’s design. Maybe I’m a curmudgeon but the buck has to stop somewhere.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:48 pm
A comment on BarbM’s comment. All gas comes from the Middle East, but it doesn’t stop us from buying it. In today’s economy we have to find ways to cut corners. So my motivation for shopping at Dollar Tree is that I can get sometimes the exact same item less than I would by shopping else where.
Also Barb, who knows where the things we are buying is made at these overrun and buyout stores. I’m sure if we kept a record sooner or later we would end up buying something from them that is made in China also
June 4th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Um…not all gas comes from the Middle East.
Here is a quote from the Energy Information Administration of the United States:
In 2007 U.S. refineries produced 90 percent of the gasoline used in the United States. Although the United States is the world’s third largest crude oil producer, less than 35 percent of the crude oil used by U.S. refineries was produced in the United States. Net petroleum imports (imports minus exports) accounted for 58 percent of our total petroleum consumption. About 48 percent of our net petroleum imports were from countries in the Western Hemisphere, 18 percent from the Persian Gulf, 22 percent from Africa, and 12 percent from other regions.
Taken from http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/gasoline/index.html