Even though everything for a dollar sounds like an incredible deal, the purchase at such a store does not necessarily make it a good buy.
Here is what is A DEAL:
- Party Supplies - paper goods, decor, invites, party favors and helium balloons with the helium included.
- Seasonal or Holiday items - paper goods, decorations inexpensive secret santa or gift exchange items.
- Greeting Cards - Birthday, Anniversary, Graduation, New Baby, Retirement or you name it. Nothing beats a $1.00 greeting card! Sometimes they are even less than a dollar and the sentiments and quality are comparable to the much more expensive cards.
- Cleaning Supplies - Even though they might not be the brand names that you are familiar with, read the contents and you will probably find that they have the same ingredients as the more expensive brands. They will suit your basic cleaning needs just fine and don't forget to pick up a few sponges and gloves!
- Gift Wrap - I love to buy beautiful or cute gift bags at the dollar store. They have so many sizes and colors available that you are bound to find the perfect one for your gift. I also love to pick up tissue paper to compliment the bags. If you like to wrap your gifts, they usually have a good selection of wrapping paper, tape, bows and ribbons.
- Cooking and Dining - if you are in the market for some inexpensive but reliable utensils, specialty gadgets, plates or glasses you are sure to find some here to suit your needs. It is especially helpful if you know someone just starting out that needs to furnish their first kitchen. You can get what you need without breaking the bank. Dollar stores are also a great place to buy lunch bags, plastic storage containers, baggies and bowls.
- Beauty Supplies - combs, brushes, hairspray, nail polish, emory boards and other nail care items are a great bargain. I would probably stick to name brands, however, on shampoo and conditioners.
- Medications - such as aspirin, ibuprofen or other pain medications may be expired or may not list the source of manufacture. Look for coupons in your local paper and then price match them with sales at Target, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart or your local pharmacy. The same applies to vitamins.
- Canned foods and other food items - you can probably get better prices by buying store brands or by making your purchase at Target or Walmart. You might also want to note expiration dates for freshness. Sometimes movie candy can be a bargain, but be careful of the sizes. Some companies package smaller sizes especially for this market.
- Cake and baking mixes - for a true price comparison you would have to check the per unit pricing as some of the box mixes are packaged in smaller sizes.
- School supplies - pricing here is pretty comparable to prices at Target or Walmart, where the prices are even better during back to school sales July through September. It is a good place to find coloring books for those long road trips.
- Toys - the toys are usually low quality and the safety is questionable. I don't think that I would trust the origin of manufacture to have the same safety standards that we have here in the USA.
- Electronics - Dollar store electronics and extension cords may have fake UL labels and could be unsafe. It's better to spend a little extra for quality and safety. Also, cheap batteries may be prone to leakage and may not last as long. Some stores sell carbon-zinc batteries which are less efficient than the alkaline variety
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Ta Ta for now...
