Latest posts by Kumiko Ehrmantraut (see all)
- How to Budget Moving Out for the First Time - February 25, 2020
The Dollar Store used to be the place to go for cheap party supplies and $1 cards, but the more you look around you start to realize they are turning into one stop shops. You can find food items, baby clothes and accessories, kitchen towels and utensils, rugs, and the list goes on and on. When I walk into Target to find an affordable toy for my son or to pick up a few cans of soup, I always fail to realize that the items I am usually looking for are right across the street at the Dollar Store. So the next time you go out for a quick shopping trip, look around for a Dollar Store and save some money.
Name Brand Items
The Dollar Store carries a ton of name brand products. I will not list them all here, but here are some brands you might be surprised to find.
•Hunt's Canned Spaghetti Sauce
•Progresso Soup
•Welch’s Grape Jelly
•Old El Paso Refried Beans
•Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
•Marie Callender’s All Natural Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix, Blueberry Muffin Mix, and Corn Bread Mix
•Progresso Bread Crumbs
•Air Wick Candles and Fresheners
•Cascade Dishwasher Detergent Cubes With Dawn
•Kleenex Facial Tissues
Here is a great example of why you might want try the Dollar Store. The Progresso Plain Bread Crumbs you buy at the Dollar Store come in a 15oz container and cost $1. If you were to walk into a Walmart and try to find a 15oz container of Progresso Plain Bread Crumbs you would find that it comes in a pack of 6. You will spend $15.59 for the case of 6 15oz containers. If you divide the $15.59 by 6, you will see that you are spending $2.59 per 15oz container. You would save $1.59/ per container if you bought it at the Dollar Store.
Kitchen Dishes & Décor
Have you ever gone to a department store in search of a beautiful dinner set you wanted to use for a one time get together with friends? Or go looking for a matching kitchen towel set for a one time holiday party? You might be surprised with the Dollar Store selection of kitchen dishes and accessories. The great thing about the Dollar Store is that they always carry holiday/seasonal kitchen décor and dishes. They have something for every season and usually carry multiple color options to match any occasion. Here are some of the beautiful selections you can find at the Dollar Store.
A dinner set consisting of a dinner plate, a dessert plate, and a soup bowl would only cost you $3. If you were sitting 6 people, that is only $18! They also have a huge selection of kid’s dinnerware. The Dollar Store options are endless and their low cost kitchen décor allows us to decorate our kitchen to our heart's content.
Children's Coloring Books
I will not shop anywhere else for my son's coloring books. The jumbo size coloring books, and the kid's activity books are amazing. They have the best selection and always have the superhero books that my son loves. My son is only 3, so he tends to rip the pages in half, color all over the place and ruin the books in about a month. So only spending a dollar to replace them really works out. Similar coloring books at Walmart or Target run anywhere from $2.50 – $5.00. You are sure to find a coloring book your child will love. Here are just a few of the coloring and activity books you can find at The Dollar Store:
•Strawberry Shortcake
•Sesame Street
•Disney
•Spiderman
•Care Bears
I used to be embarrassed to shop at the Dollar Store, but I have found out people can't really tell the difference. I get compliments all the time on my kitchen dishes, and I only spent about $20 on them!