Dollar Stores

I Rediscovered The Dollar Tree

Brandy — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:31:37 GMT

I occassionally shopped at The Dollar Tree for gifts or small household items. I saw that there was one in the same shopping center as the grocery store I do most of my shopping in. I had not dropped in yet to check out the differences and now I am sorry I waited so long!

I am now near to one of those larger Dollar Trees that some of you have mentioned. It doesn't have daiy or fresh produce but it does have a cold foods section and it has more aisles and useful things than the one I shopped at previously.

I was missing out on some discount shopping! I plan to go back and see what good finds there might be to add some decorative touches to the house and yard. There are also some great educational supplies. The bargains I walked out with when I did go in was snack foods and soap so I'll likely stop in there for these items.

New Ideas For Gift Giving

Marlene Alexander — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:51:06 GMT

In Canada, the Christmas season shifts into high gear as soon as Halloween is over. Here are a few gift basket ideas from the dollar store, each one under ten dollars.

Christmas basket with two wine glasses, set of coasters, a candle and candle holder, package of fancy cookies, tin of fruit candies and metal wine bottle stopper. $9.00

Kid's gift with three disney books, board game, lantern flashlight with batteries, 3 tins of Pay Doh and a stuffed animal. $9.00

New baby gift with two pairs different booties, two bibs, two baby bottles, a teether, a rattle and a baby board book. $9.00

Men's gift - small metal pail (ice bucket) with two beer glasses, ceramic coasters (in appropriate pattern like playing cards) and a bag of Planter's peanuts. $5.00

These are just four ideas. Look at the gift baskets you see made up in department stores and see if you can duplicate them with similar items from the dollar store. It's easy and fun, too.

Kid's Party Loot Bags

Marlene Alexander — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 17:03:34 GMT

We've been discussing, in various places in the forums, alternatives to wrapping paper for the upcoming Christmas season and that got me thinking about the different kinds of fabric tote bags you can get at the dollar store. While I was looking at the tote bags, I saw some really cute totes, purses and fanny packs for kids and that got me thinking.... instead of the traditional loot bag, why not put the take home treats in one of these? That way, the loot bag is one of the treats.

What do you buy at the Dollar Store?

Carmina — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:36:08 GMT

Let us know about your favorite items. I like the prices but sometimes I don't buy a lot there because I'm afraid of quality. DH dislikes generics and I can disguise some items.

Share with us what you like and think are the best deals!

Carmina

Ten Useful Things For A Buck

Marlene Alexander — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:07:00 GMT

Dollar stores are good for more than just party favors, cards and cheap toys. Here's my list of ten useful items you can get for a dollar each.

1. A wide variety of candles, from gift sets to pillars to tea lights, there's something for every purpose.

2. A great selection of sturdy glassware.

3. Stationary for home and school.

4.Loads of scrapbook and other craft supplies.

5. Attractive frames.

6. Kitchen and bath accessories and necessities like shower curtain liners, tea towels, kitchen gadgets and freezer bags.

7. Plastic storage like drawer organizers, shoe boxes and kitchen containers.

8. Health and beauty items like emery boards, nail polish remover and cotton balls. On ocassion, I have even seen Herbal Essence shampoo and Biore mud mask for a dollar, but they are not regularly stocked.

9. Good looking, well-written greeting cards along with gift wrap and bows.

10. Great seasonal supplies, especially summer and Christmas. My dollar store regularly stocks plastic fencing, plant hangers and a variety of planters for the spring and summer season and last Christmas I bought ornaments that rivaled their more expensive counterparts for a dollar each.

What are your favorite things to buy at the dollar store?

Yep, I came across some more of those incredible shrinking packaging...

mum2four — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 06:41:40 GMT

at the 99 Cents Only Store. Shasta soda is no longer 3 litres, but now 2 1/2 and that 6 pack of soda is now a 4 pack.

On a positive note, I did find 16 ounce packages of pasta and 28 ounce cans of Hunts whole tomatoes w/basil for $ .99 ea. Also 3 dish cloths and 16 peat pots for $ .99. Those were good finds. Lately all I have been able to find is smaller packages of pasta there.

What new shrinking packages have you come across?

Yarn Bargain

donna england — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:46:53 GMT

The Dollar Tree has a nice selection of T L C Essentials yarn by Red Heart. They also had some of the Baby Clouds and other type yarn like that. I got 6 skeins of red plum 6 oz. Thats a pretty good deal for 1.00 each.I have a easy crochet pattern for an afghan that I'm going to use it for.

Donna

Did You Know About This ?

Virginia Needlewoman — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:21:43 GMT

You can sign up for sales alerts on the Dollar General website ?

I found out about it while I was tracking down Dollar Generals in another county near my house.

Wedding Accessories

Marlene Alexander — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:38:12 GMT

Know someone planning a wedding this year? Besides wedding favors like candles and frames, some dollar stores stock even more, including cake decorating accessories, toppers, lacy trim, flower holders, etc. Anybody got any wedding stories about how they saved money on wedding needs?

Dollar store make-up

TizzyLizzy — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 19:33:11 GMT

In trying to cut my budget everyplace possible, I'm looking into make-up.

I see both Family Dollar and Dollar General carry CoverGirl; FD is cheaper than Wal-Mart, but higher than DG, whose CoverGirl foundation is $3.50. They both carry a house brand, L.A. Color, for $1.50 for the bottle. Has anyone tried it? How about their powder or eye make-up?

I didn't price Dollar Tree yet - any runaway bargains in their make-up department? TIA, Liz

Dollar General

Virginia Needlewoman — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:08:35 GMT

Dollar General opened up a new store earlier this fall and I got 2-$5 coupons to use at that location. That location is over 12 miles from my house & I seldom go in that direction.

I got some other Dollar General coupons in the mail that can be used at the stores nearer my house.

I do not know how they got my name, but I love getting coupons that I can use.

I have always paid with cash at Dollar General in the past.

99-cent only stores grand openings

Marlene Alexander — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:54:38 GMT

Anybody live near a 99-cent Only Store? They have two grand openings coming up on the 19th. The first nine customers at each of the two new stores will be able to buy an i-Pod Nano for only .99! and the next 99 customers will be able to buy a scooter for .99. Check out store locations at the 99-cent Only Stores website: http://www.99only.com/stores/openings.htm. I see that they have added three new grand opening dates for the 26th, as well.

Ideas for shoebox giving

Marlene Alexander — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:52:33 GMT

Dollar Tree Direct has some great ideas for packing shoeboxes for various causes this Christmas including ones for needy children, personal care items for the homeless or women's shelters, disaster relief boxes with cleaning supplies and support our troops boxes with personal care items, toilet paper, foam footballs and the like. All great ideas. You can get this stuff at any dollar store if you don't live near a Dollar Tree but you can still check out www.dollartreedirect.com for ideas and examples. The link is kind of hard to see but it's on the right-hand side of the page opposite the picture at the top of the page.

Top health and beauty care items

Marlene Alexander — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:45:27 GMT

Here are my picks for the best health and beauty items from the dollar store.

three bars ivory hand soap for $1
off-brand band-aids, package of 60 for $1
package of 100 cotton balls for $1
Oral B or Colgate toothbrushes, $1 each or
2-pack of off-brand toothbrushes for $1
package of 5 off-brand razor blades for $1
Tame shampoo, 13.5 fl. oz., $1
Lavoris floss, 100 yards for $1

What are some of your favorite finds?

Southern Louisiana Style

KMac — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:29:33 GMT

My husband is from Baton Rouge so I am looking to do our master in a southern Louisiana style. I have a few things but not alot. We were there last month and I say these pictures that were place on what looked like a thin piece of slate, does anyone know were I can find something like that on line? Any help would be great in the style. Not looking to do bold but settle colors, help.

Cookie Taste Test

Marlene Alexander — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:48:17 GMT

I dont have any kids at home any more, so I don't buy a lot of cookies. But recently, I bought three varieties of cookies from the local dollar store to see how good or not-so-good they are. The first was a maple cream cookie from Manning Cookie Shop. The filling was kind of spilling out from between the two cookie pieces but they were fresh and tasty. The second was a no-name brand of fig newtons. They weren't stale, but there wasn't as much filling in them as other fig newtons, so they weren't as tasty. (I still managed to finish off the box!) The last was a small box of fancy milk chocolate covered biscuits - the ones with a picture embossed on the chocolate and a scalloped cookie edge. They were fresh and tasted rich and chocolatey to my relief because I like to put a box of these in gift baskets at Christmas time.

My conclusion, from this highly unscientific experiment is this: For a buck, it can't hurt to try a package of dollar store cookies. Look for the best before date on the bag or box to ensure you are getting fresh cookies.

Graduation Open House Deals

rolo — Sun, 18 May 2008 11:49:43 GMT

Total spent so far: $68.55

Purchased:

24 plastic table cloths--Navy blue and White, school colors

500 paper napkins

300 foam dinner plates

250 small dessert plates

8 9x13 disposable pans

4 "lasagna" disposable pans with lids

2 boxes of aluminum foil

package of White balloons

spool of dark blue curling ribbon

Crepe paper: dark blue and white

6 large bags of assorted Doritos

Food Quality

Marlene Alexander — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:30:09 GMT

I recently read that you should be careful about the food you buy at dollar stores, which would imply that they stock things that are past their "best before" dates. I have bought things from convenience stores in the past that were stale (I avoid convenience stores except when everything else is closed) but I haven't noticed anything like that in dollar stores in my neck of the woods. They sell a lot of canned items along with things like apple sauce, cookies, cake mixes cookies and pasta. Any comments?

Quality at the Dollar Store

Marlene Alexander — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:37:53 GMT

While not everything you buy at the dollar store is built to last, here are a few items that I've bought for a buck that are at least above-average in quality.Some of them may surprise you.

Tools - small metal hammers for small nailing jobs, screwdrivers, pliers and more; all made of sturdy metals.

Electronics - earphones; brandname batteries; clip-on book lights, hand held brick game toy and more.

Silicone kitchen tools - spatulas, spoons, trivets, tongs, spoon rests, etc.

What have you bought for a dollar that surprised you with its quality?

Dollar Stores

Darlene — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:42:23 GMT

Just out of curiousity, how many different dollars stores are there? In our (USA) mid-west community (pop. 20,000) we have a Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, and Dollar General. I've never heard of some listed in this forum such as Dollarama. Are there some dollar stores located only in specific regions? While we're on the subject, I often hear about the warehouse Costco stores, are they only in the west part of the US? We have many of the Aldi food stores here, but this store apparently isn't located in some states. Is Fred's a dollar store? (Don't know of any in our region) Anyone know of a web site that might give a location list of bargain stores for us thrifty shoppers?

Family Dollar

rolo — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:34:56 GMT

I love my local Family Dollar store!

I have been searching at many stores and online for a sheer white cafe curtain for my kitchen window. I started out six months ago! on what I thought would be a quick find and buy mission. WRONG. I could find long panels, swags, valances, toppers, or heavier fabric but not a sheer white cafe curtain. FINALLY, at Family Dollar just yesterday, I found what I was looking for and as a bonus, the cafe curtain has some pretty caramel color embroidery trim--the same color as my kitchen walls! Of course, the cafe curtain came with a nice swag type valance as well--not sure where/if I can use that--will freecycle it if need be.

Easter Goodies

Marlene Alexander — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:53:10 GMT

I recently found some cute bunny and egg-shaped candles that come in packages of three for a buck and they have boxed chocolate treats featuring cartoon characters like Shrek. I bought my 1-year-old niece a small stuffed duckling that quacks when you press it's tummy. They actually have some really nice stuffed toys where I shop. What are your favorite dollar store finds for Easter?

Giant Baggies

Marlene Alexander — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:20:58 GMT

The other day I found the most interesting storage containers at Dollarama - giant zipper seal bags. There are two 20-inch square bags in a package, made of sturdy plastic and they have handles. You can store clothes, toys, Christmas decorations, whathaveyou in them and I thought "what a neat idea!" I'm going to use them to store some Christmas decorations in, to start, instead of the large plastic shopping bags they're in now. Being able to seal the bag will keep moisture and dust out where stuff is stored in the basement.

Be My Frugal Valentine

Marlene Alexander — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 01:25:07 GMT

Valentine's Day can be difficult for us ladies. We want something nice from hubby to show he's thinking about us but he is often of the mindset that, if he can't buy a dozen roses, he can't do anything. I think this is one ocassion when it really is the thought that counts. Even a dollar store vase with a small bouquet of spring flowers would do the trick for me. Or how about a chocolate rose left of the pillow?

Any thoughts?

How To Shop At The Dollar Store

Marlene Alexander — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:21:23 GMT

FOUR TIPS ON HOW TO SHOP AT THE DOLLAR STORE

1. For convenience, choose a dollar store chain that is large, neat and stocked like a mini department store. You'll save time by always knowing which aisle to look in for a notebook or a picture hanging kit.

2. When you have the time, don't discount the smaller, less orgainized stores entirely. They may take a little longer to find but treasures can be found anywhere.

3. I find it best to buy an item I like when I see it. If you think it's pretty/useful/decorative, chances are others will too and you may not be able to find it again when you come back the following week or even the next day. This is especially true of seasonal merchandise.

4. Tastes vary and any store can be guilty of tacky merchandise but, as a guide, look for items that are similar to those you might find in a larger department store or your favourite decorating magazine and that are made of sturdy materials.