Ahh…the dollar store, let me count the ways - one…one…one, etc. I don’t frequent the dollar stores on a weekly basis but the savings there are immeasurable. The only cons I could come up with for shopping at dollar stores are you may have to do some extra driving after you have already gone to the grocery store, I wouldn’t recommend buying a lot of food at the dollar store although I have found that candy is always great from there, you may not find the exact name brand of an item if that is your desire. Now, for the pros I will dedicate the rest of this page to the power that lies within the dollar store.

First, I will tell you that there are differences with dollar stores, the “true” dollar stores are the ones in which everything in the store is $1. The other dollar stores have discounted items which are definitely still cheaper than buying at retail cost at the grocery store. The items I like to buy at the “true” dollar store are gift bags, wrapping paper, birthday and occasional cards, body wash, candy, magazines, baby powder, cleaning supplies and cat toys. It is always a good idea to have a few extra gift bags, paper and some cute but ambiguous birthday cards for the unexpected office co-worker birthday. There are always notebooks, stationary and inexpensive toys at the dollar store that would be great as gifts for kids especially if you are a teacher and have a gift grab bag in your classroom.

Cleaning supplies are sometimes a trial and error experience but a lot of times you can find the brand that works just as well as the name brand items and sometimes they have the actual name brands there for $1. These are my favorite stores when I do not have much money and want to buy something new, although (caveat emptor), you may leave the store spending $30-40 because everything’s just $1 and you may get carried away. The other dollar stores are where I like to buy batteries, soap, shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, aspirin, cold medicine, curtains, tablecloths and storage supplies. These items will cost you more than $1 but they are at a deeper discount than at the grocery store and you can typically find your favored brand here.

Sometimes I might stock up on certain things so that they are always on hand at home so that I won’t be stuck paying a higher price for the same items at the grocery store. These items are soap, deodorant, gift bags, cards, paper, tape, and toothpaste. Another thing that dollar stores are really good for are if you like to craft, scrapbook or simply like to make things. There is usually a section in the store that has stickers, decorator rocks, faux flowers and they are cheap enough if you make a mistake - oh well, try, try again. I have yet another challenge for you - look at your next grocery bill and take it with you to a dollar store to compare what you might have saved or vice versa, take the dollar store bill to the grocery and see who finishes first…