By Vicki Little
What’s not to love about dollar stores? You can stretch five dollars pretty far in a dollar store. But not everything is worth the dollar you might spend. I know to steer clear of the hair ties since they pull too hard on my daughter’s hair. The dollar kitchen utensils break or melt within a week! But there are some items that I would only buy at the dollar store because it is just a waste of money to buy them elsewhere.
1) Shower Curtain Liners. This item can have many uses. It keeps water in the tub, paint off the table, and makes an excellent drop cloth for crafts. The dollar store shower liner is similar in quality to other liners, so pick a few up!
2) Batteries. If you are looking for batteries with a long shelf life, then you may want to skip this. However, if you are looking to buy in bulk for all the toys that get played with daily, the dollar store variety is your best bet.
3) Electronics cleansers. Just as good as any other brand, and much cheaper, too!
4) Helium Balloons. Tried and true, I have now purchased helium balloons for the past four birthdays in our household. The Dollar Tree balloons last much longer than the ones from the local party store. They are not as huge, but they are just as cute.
5) Greeting Cards. I am not quite sure when the price of cards turned them into part of a gift rather than an add-on, but they have gotten expensive! The dollar store typically has cards at two for one dollar, and it has a huge variety for every occasion.
6) Gift Bags and Tissue Paper. Like greeting cards, these are items that are overpriced everywhere except the dollar store.
7) Summer Stuff For Kids. I don’t know what it is about this particular season and the dollar stores, but they always have great goggles, beach balls and floaties, sand buckets and shovels, bug-catching kits and a lot more!
8) Toothbrushes and Toothpaste. I rarely see an off-brand of toothpaste at dollar stores, and they have some of the cutest kid’s toothbrushes as well. They also have a ton of travel brushes for all ages.
9) Trophies and Awards. You have to use your imagination for this, but the dollar stores will save you a ton of money on trophies for all the kids on your team! Use a little gold spray paint on a wine glass turned upside down, put a matchbox car on top and you have a pinewood derby trophy. Or keep the glass upright with gold paint and put a baseball on top. The possibilities are endless!
10) Storage Containers. You can find every shape, size and type of storage bins. Food storage, wastebaskets, toy sorting, car food trays and many more uses can be found with these containers.
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Vicki Little is a work-at-home mom with two young kids. A Colorado native, she is the Publisher and Editor of Macaroni Kid Aurora and Downtown Denver. When she isn’t writing or trying to keep up with her kids she can be found volunteering, reading, or enjoying a bottle of wine with friends.
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Angela R
April 24, 2015 @ 11:21 am
Pregnancy tests! Same technology, just a bit more cumbersome to use.