What are the Best Things to Buy at the Dollar Store?
If you’ve been around for long, you likely know that I love the Dollar Store. I’ve shopped the Dollar Store for my Office Makeover, my One Hour Organization Challenge, my boys’ LEGO Birthday Party, and my Christmas Wrapping Station.
But not everything is a deal at the Dollar Store. So if you are wondering what are the best things to buy at the Dollar Store, here are my Top 10 Items that I typically buy there and why:
What to Buy at the Dollar Store:
1. Seasonal décor: When it comes to Easter baskets, Christmas decorations, Valentine’s cards and more, the Dollar Store is the first place I stop. The selection of items is typically extensive and you will be hard-pressed to find re-usable baskets and decor for just $1 elsewhere!
2. Gift Bags/Wrapping Paper: I recognize that not all wrapping paper is created the same and sometimes it pays to spend a bit more when it comes to gift wrap. But I have been impressed many times by the quality of paper and gift bags I find at my Dollar Store. You’ll pay upwards of $3 or $4 for the large gift bags elsewhere! Besides – why spend more on something that will soon be ripped up and thrown in the trash?
3. Greeting Cards: Oh, Greeting cards – you are the bane of my existence. Too often, I find myself still searching for the perfect card an hour after just “stopping by” the store to pick one up. I realize that we want to “care enough to send the very best”, but when was the last time you examined a card to determine if it was brand name or not?
Many Dollar Stores carries perfectly good cards for just $0.50 each. Why not stock up for the year and say goodbye to the “Perfect Card Search” once and for all!
4. Party Supplies/Tableware: Whenever it’s time to throw a party (like my boys’ LEGO party), I head straight to the Dollar Store for my plasticware, tablecloths and serving dishes. I love the selection! And you likely won’t find the same deals at your local Party City.
5. Cosmetics: I realize that not all dollar stores are created equal, my local Dollar Tree carries brand name cosmetics like Maybelline, e.l.f., Physician’s Formula and more. (In fact, the last time I was at the Dollar Tree, I was able to snag some Maybelline eye liner for FREE with my $1 off coupon!)
You won’t find all of your cosmetic needs at the Dollar Store, but why spend a fortune when you can get brand name lipstick, eye shadow and more for a buck?!
6. Storage containers: This may be my all-time favorite reason to shop at the Dollar Store. The storage containers I have bought at the Dollar Store are the gift that keeps on giving. Whether they be to solve my wrapping chaos or other problem areas, the Dollar Store has restored order to my life on multiple occasions with their amazing selection of containers.
7. Mugs/glasses: Years ago, my Mom (a.k.a. The Dollar Store Diva) bought me a set of red mugs (seen in my video here). To this day, they are my favorites and likely no one who has used them would have guessed their origin.
8. Sandwich baggies: Not only is there a large selection of perfectly good generic baggies at most Dollar Stores, but the Dollar Tree typically carries Hefty baggies. Often there is a coupon available to make them just $0.50 per box – which is a steal!
9. Hand Towels/Wash Cloths: My boys typically shop at the Dollar Store each year at Christmas for family members. Every year, I cross my fingers that one of them will give me dish cloths. It’s a great excuse to throw the old ones out and start fresh!
10. Office Supplies: Not every office supply item is a great deal (especially if you like to stock up during Back to School sales at other stores), but I like to grab folders, notebooks, pencils, paper clips, colored pencils and other items at the Dollar Store when I am in need. And thankfully, I have a lot of great storage containers for them all. 🙂
How about you? Which items do you like to buy at the Dollar Store?
By the way, did you know that the Dollar Tree accepts coupons? Check out my weekly Dollar Tree Coupon Matchup list and score lots of stuff for FREE!
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I would have to agree with Hartley, my favorite deal/blessing is the Totally awesome 🙂 I have been buying this clothes detergent for 7 months now with no problems 🙂 I used to buy the environmentally friendly & healthy kind but I just can’t afford it and I tried the homemade stuff (with borax) and it literally ate up some of our clothes after a while 🙁 Gonna have to try that spray bottle 😀 haha! Fun post! 🙂
A cleaner found there, “Totally Awesome”, truly lives up to its name. At a dollar general for like $3, you can get the concentrate and add a cap full of it to a spray bottle filled with water, and clean almost anything. I clean the kitchen, bathroom, recently finally got a pet pee stain from my carpet, with this wonderful stuff. At Dollar Tree, it comes already with the water, not concentrated, in a spray bottle. They also have a “Totally Awesome” detergent I recently tried, at Dollar Tree, and it works well.Many detergents make me itch and thus one doesn’t!
Awesome cleaner is the best. When my kids were teens they and their cousins spilled grape juice on our light carpet. They snuck around with the Awesome cleaner and some old towels, cleaned the mess and never told us until a year or two later. We never knew. Awesome saved my kids..
I buy the 8 pack of shower caps and use them for plate and bowl covers for my leftovers in the kitchen. Also good toothpaste for $1.00
My nieces and nephews don’t really eat candy so I get a few things from the dollar tree every year for their Easter basket. I usually spend about $5 a kid. I can break up some items, like the 3 pack of bubbles and small balls. I also like getting them toothbrushes for their basket and they always have a great kids selection.
I get a lot of things from the dollar store and used to even buy makeup there until I saw this 20/20 story…
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/06/to-catch-a-fake-on-2020/
Fair point. But a lot of the name-brand items at Dollar Tree stores are there because they were discontinued. The color, the line, changed the packaging, anything that makes it different from those currently being manufactured.
I buy all sorts of things from pretty much every department. I have a three different dollar store chains in my area. The one I work part time at has awesome paper craft items that are name brand.
LOVE the Dollar Tree I buy all of these thing plus makeup wedges (big bag for $1!) and first aid stuff (ankle wrap, icy/hot, etc). Also – $1 calendar planners in different colors. Great for small businesses who can’t spend $10/employee.
I agree that plastic ware is awesome for parties! I did my son’s Cub Scot Blue & Gold Banquet and bought all the faux plastic serving dishes there and everyone loved the way it looked. Also, the cans of fuel for under chaffing dishes worked wonderfully and at only $1 it was an unbeatable price! We also love their Mylar balloons! You can’t but them anywhere else for the price!! I also bought all my blue paper plates and napkins for the dessert table – they looked awesome and everyone loved the party!
I stock up on cough drops for the cold season. My Dollar Tree has Smith Brothers cough drops in a flavor called warm apple pie which is my favorite and Halls. I also buy foil baking pans for potlucks. Some name brand cleaning supplies like Murphy’s oil soap. Hair bands, clips and bobby pins which are always getting lost or “borrowed”.
faux silver metal serving trays…they are decorative AND magnetic.
I often for to the One Dollar store before I head over to the regular grocery store for items like: mustard, sugar free water flavoring , makeup, coffee creamer and other condiments too!
Great finds in the baby section. My favorite
Would be a 6 pack of disposable bibs!
They are sold for 4-5 dollars elsewhere.
I love to pick them up as extras for shower gifts. Something most new moms didn’t know they needed/wanted til they are trying to find some place in the diaper bag to put a nasty, food covered bib!
I LOVE dollar tree! I buy office supplies there (pens and sticky notes). Also the few days after christmas, when they are marking their Christmas packaging down to 50-75% off, I love buying gift wrap and gift bags for super super cheap! I was able to get bags that I will use for next year (I have 5 brother in laws and 3 sister in laws, and 6 nephews!). I also was able to score some of the paper they had that they considered Christmas but it just had avengers on one, little mermaid on another, and ninja turtles and I have used it for birthday gifts!
2 of the best bargains are: helium-filled balloons and two-year calendars – best selection and the least expensive anywhere!
Coloring books!! They have a GREAT selection that includes awesome ones such as Disney and my all-time favorite–Precious Moments! I love to buy these for children I know, or sometimes myself. 🙂
I buy amonia… if you have clothes that are mildewed and you add it with your laundry detergent, it takes the mildew smell away.
You and I would make such good friends! I too am obsessed with Dollar store finds. I have probably over 50 gifts bags that I have a hard time parting with cause they are so cute. I even have some framed as art in my craft room!
One more thing: do the mugs and glass dishes microwave well? I have never bought them because I was afraid of cheap ware heating to scalding temps while the food stayed cold, or lukewarm.
It’s a problem I’ve had with cheap dishes from elsewhere 🙂
Thank you for the post!
Good question, Julie. I’m actually not sure I’ve ever microwaved with them. I’ll have to give it a try and see how it goes!
I have all dollar tree solid white dishes and mine have lasted longer than the expensive ones. I microwave them all the time.
Thanks Chelle and Kaley!
Betty Crocker kitchen shears
Betty Crocker little cuttings boards
Vanilla extract (imitation)
Wrist wrap (for wrist injuries, my husband bought wraps at lots of stores, but it was the dollar tree one he kept)
Foam shoe inserts
Set of 3 bowls, each 3/4 cup for $1.
Off brand Zyrtec and Allegra (I save 75%) for hayfever
Frozen Italian Ice cups are SO GOOD. And 4 in a package.
Ok, why have I not thought of this?! Haha. Great post!