When was the last time you went to the Dollar Store?
Holy cow do they have a boatload of crap available for a buck! Some of it is better than others of course, and practically everything comes from China, but some of the stuff isn’t half bad if you were already planning on buying the same thing at Walmart or Target in the first place.
Plastic Easter Eggs… 1 dollar!
Egg Coloring Kits… 1 dollar – Did you do these as a kid? I did, and I looked forward to it every year.
Egg Shaped Chalk … 1 dollar!
Crappy Garden Tools that will break after 3 days… 1 dollar!
Now hold the phone. Biodegradable bamboo pots that will break down after 3-4 years, these are cool. And guess what? They are only 1 dollar!
And in case your garden does not have enough bugs, you can grow your own for, you guessed it, 1 dollar!
Okay, so these are a good deal. Notebooks, drawing pads and construction paper… all 1 dollar!
Look at all the crap I bought for 14 dollars. Where else can you find raffle tickets, toothbrushes, boot laces, Krazy Glue {now that was a freakin’ deal} 10 million combs, ring pops and glass candlestick holders all for 1 dollar each?
Cool beans if you ask me.
Have YOU ever been to the Dollar Store before? If so, what is the coolest thing you have ever found for 1 dollar?
~Mavis
Michelle says
Love the Dollar Store!! I get the basket bags for the basket raffle I chair at my kids’ school. 2 bags in a pack… just a dollar! Craft stores have the same thing for 2-4 times as much!! Just beware though… you can’t return things to the Dollar Tree, only exchange! Learned that the hard way and I have more than enough bags for next year’s raffle!!
We sometimes find nice PEZ dispensers for a buck, too 🙂
Sakura says
I buy Abba Zabba’s at the dollar store, it’s the only place I can find them here.
Mavis says
I always look for Mary Jane’s when I go. They didn’t have any this time. It’s fun to see the old candy brands there.
Lisa says
My husband goes in regularly to buy dental flossers and Bit of Honey. Just those 2 items, lol.
We also get the kids shampoos, bubble soap and detangler. And those little book lights that my toddlers use as night lights.
Jamie says
11 years ago? I found a ton of American Girl books there before they became the rage they are today. Now the same books are 5.95.
Cecily says
Gift bags, cause I’m cheap and don’t want to pay $5 for somthing that is just gonna get thrown away!
Kary says
Go to the dollar store all of the time. Find many items we can use. One time though my husband found refill ink for printer cartridges. He drilled a hole in our old cartridge and filled it with the ink, worked great! What a savings.
Linda says
I love the Dollar Store. I buy my baskets, kitchen sponges and bath scrubbies there.
Carol says
I shop our Family Dollar for several items. As you stated, Mavis, if you are going to buy the stuff anyway and can find it there for less, why not???
When I fine the same brand in health care items there I pick them up. I can buy household ammonia there for a dollar and I always look through the stationary section. My neices and nephews are still young enough to love coloring books and crayons and so I pick those up for family get togethers….happy times!
I’m going to look for those bamboo pots….!
Jennifer says
I actually bought that little shovel you took a picture of and it lasted well beyond 3 days. Going on a year now and its still holding up lol! I have 2 small raised beds so it gets the job done. I have also bought some seeds there (for a quarter!) hat are doing well. I agree with the person above me… I get all my gift bags/gift wrap and greeting cards there! I also buy 99% of the toys that my niece and nephew play with at my house there since they just break everything anyways. Their little bag of pistachios is my fav!
Tera says
Five years ago or so I found “The Wiggles” kids toothbrushes. I bought about twenty of them to sell on ebay. Some of them went at auction for like $20.00 I kid you not!!! For a toothbrush!!! I went back and bought every single one they had in their store. It was crazy awesome 🙂
Mavis says
That is CRAZY! I cannot imagine paying $20 for a Wiggles toothbrush. Hilarious.
Carol says
Oh, and take a look at their greeting cards. I finally did a couple of weeks ago and was happily astounded. My husband and I send lots of cards out, but we want them to be made in America. Do you have any idea how hard that is to find at Hallmark stores now? Especially Christmas cards…..so much is made in China, at Hallmark? We protest. So, I picked up a card off the rack at Family Dollar and….made in USA. So I picked up more and they were all from USA! Now granted, they weren’t the overly sparkly and the graphics weren’t so high tech, but the price and the made in USA were great. Watch out, Hallmark, I will be checking FD before heading to your store from now on.
Holly H says
My girls and I love the dollar store. However, we call it the “twenty dollar store”! We always end up spending about $20!
Mavis says
Ha HA Ha!
Ann T. says
It is neat that they now take a few coupons a visit, hope you used one on them toothbrushes. 😉 Surprisedly the black kithcen shears that my kids got me years ago is still working great.
Susan says
I buy all my greeting cards at the Dollar Store. Krazy Glue,too!
I like to buy glass serving bowls when they have them, and they have a set of 4 small (as in for dipping sauces or spices whne you are preparing a recipe) bowls.
They are like Costco as far as if you see something you like…get it NOW! Their merchandise changes constantly.
Michele says
Yup….all my greeting cards and gift wrap supplies. We have also purchased TONS of our emergency supplies at Dollar Tree….toothbrushes, toothpaste, bandaids, salves and creams (watch for expiration dates), gloves (cotton and latex) small games for children,…..all kinds of 72-hour kit supplies. Our family also used to travel to Mexico to complete Humanitarian Missions and we always stocked up on needed supplies before we went, to pass out while there. The ppl were SO appreciative of the smallest things…things we all just take for granted….
Lisa says
I go there weekly. It’s right next to the post office, which is handy. I get so many things there: saran wrap, foil, baggies, gift wrap, gift bags, movie candy, tape, envelopes, qtips, nail polish remover, cotton balls, toothbrushes, dish soap, shampoo, pencil led, soap, bandaids, matches, packing tape, balloons, napkins, etc!
Kendra says
One of my favorite things to get at the dollar store are their glasses. I bought some last year and etched them (I did a post about it at: http://www.bkdarr.com/2012/09/glass-etching-dollar-store-glasses.html ) Their glasses are actually the Libby brand; just have to check for air bubbles in the glass before buying!
Mavis says
Looks cool Kendra!
Lynne says
Love my Dollar Stores – you never know what you’ll find, and you can get a big bag of STUFF for $20. They have nice planning calendars ($1 beats the $12 you’d pay at Staples!) and all sorts of paper goods and toiletries. My favorite finds: kitchen towels in red & white, which I used at Christmas in wrapping jars of homemade jam as gifts, and I love the glass mixing bowls. My most unusual finds: several pairs of black Gold Toe socks a few years ago, and a half dozen skeins of mohair yarn. A few years ago, I decorated a garden-themed Christmas tree largely from the dollar store’s garden supplies, including those trowels, gloves, nozzles for hoses, and old seed packets.
darlene says
Well sure, we’ve ALL been to the dollar store and bought lots of crap =) Just curious about the ring pops and raffle tickets. What in the world are you going to use those for?
darlene says
Oh, and you know they take coupons now!
Mrs. Fisher says
Have to agree with everyone who has commented so far. I LOVE BUYING SEEDS there! Last month I went there and got 8 packets for under $2!!
Sheila M. says
We try to get creative when wrapping birthday gifts, so we look for unusual containers to give it a twist. If I’m sending a package in the mail, I don’t like to get stuck without packaging tape and hate the thought of paying post office prices, so I’ll swing by on my way. I like to make ‘college survival’ kits for graduation gifts. so I buy things like the sewing kits and a plastic shoe boxes to put it all in as well as tissue paper. I also pick up serving utensils for potlucks so I don’t have to worry about losing it (I bring extras for those that don’t think about how someone will be scooping the lasagna out of their dish.) Red vines for a snack on my way out the door.
Cherri says
I recently bought a couple of those biodegradable pots. I drilled drainage holes in them and helped my 6 yr. old twin granddaughters plant crocus bulbs in them. The crocus are now up and the girls are very excited about the flowers they are growing. A very inexpensive and quick gardening lesson. They loved it and it was so fun to see their excitement!
Crystal says
Specifically, this would be the Dollar Tree. There are a ton of generic dollar stores that have a ton of products for way more than a dollar. The Dollar Tree never charges more than a dollar for any product. And WAY more of their products are made in the US than you would think.
Becka says
I love the gift bags, cellophane treat bags, colored paper napkins, and those little tiny brushes for flossing your teeth.
Random Person Named Melissa says
Humm now that you pointed them out I wonder if those little eggs would make decent seed starter minipots. all you would need is a hole in them (I think most have them anyways now to keep kids from sufficating) and a egg carton or egg flat. Just take off the top I guess…
I’ll have to try that… walmart was selling those seed trays for something like 11 dollars. Might save me some money 8)
Jules says
We love the dollar store. This is where the kids want to go to get gifts for others – which usually works out ok.
And I looked all over town for just the right kind of hairbrush for my daughter’s curly hair – and found it at the dollar store. Hasn’t broken yet, and we bought it a couple of years ago.
Sandi says
Shampoo, body wash, bthroom cleaners, zip lock bags, foil, the list goes on. Granted, some of it is pretty cheap quality, but when you are poor, who cares. Toothpaste, dental floss, scrubbers, my word, I have become a dollar store shopper. Frowny face.
Linda says
Went yesterday…. Loved it …. Spent 53$
Stephanie says
Man, my dollar store is a rip off! I bought those bamboo pots last year and they were like $3 or $4 each!! I guess it’s the exchange rate being Canadian… lol
Mavis says
Stephanie, what do they call dollar stores in Canada if stuff costs more than $1?
Bible Babe says
We have a Family Dollar store in our small town, and a Dollar General. I shop both for may things I need for my household. The main thing I LOVE about DG is that I can find many of the really cheesy movies in boxed sets. What can I say, I’m addicted to goofy movies like GINGERDEAD MAN, SUBSPECIES, AND PUPPET MASTER. Hey, at least I get them cheap! lol.