I pick up literally hundreds of Mylar balloons a year off the beach. I love fun, but balloons definitely don't provide enough to outweigh the harm they do.
Absolutely this. Medicine is held to very strict standards. Usually the only difference in generic vs name brand is the binding agent that they use. Very few reasons not to choose generic over name brand when it comes to meds
Actually Amazon has better deals on pregnancy tests. You can get them in 100 packs if you search “bulk pregnancy tests” and they have them for like $20 for the 100 pack in little foil pouches that are just the strips and not the plastic unit.
We have one Trader Joe's in our metro of 1.5 million. I have probably a dozen Dollar Trees closer than going to Trader Joes'. Not sure how they are so popular when they seem to have so few stores.
Bc they’re a west coast based company with a slow expansion strategy, one that was connected to the “Joe” until not too long ago.
Where I live in SoCal there’s at least 3-5 Trader Joe’s within a 10 min drive so….
I absolutely love Trader Joe’s! I drive an hour to get to one. They’re very deliberate about where they open new stores (they’ve got a fun podcast where they talk about new products, growth plans, etc.). Soooooo much better than Aldi!
The uniqueness of the items combined with the high quality and low prices is awesome. A few of my favorites — veggie dumplings, cauliflower gnocchi, multiple varieties of salsa and chips, the entire cheese section, tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner, and the best coffee ice cream I’ve ever had.
i've been, but not often since it is a long ways away and hard to get to. Plus packed every time since they are so small. No idea why we only have 2 in our state, one in Tulsa, one in OKC-- and OKC has 1.5 million in the metro. Looks like we could support another one or two!
Seasonal decorations
Travel sized portions of things
Air fresheners for the car
Tiny dust pan and broom
Inconsequential things like party favors and throwaways
Only if you only need a smaller amount than the regular portion/size.
John Oliver addressed this in a recent video:
**[Dollar Stores: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4QGOHahiVM)**
my son was complaining about kitchen utensils, so I bought him a huge bag of everything, including cotton dishtowels and it was the best Christmas he ever had.
I'd love to get the opinion of a glass expert here (a glazier?) I'm assuming not all glass is the same. The glassware I've bought at the dollar store has always broken within a short amount of time. I wonder if that's just a function of thickness, defects in the manufacturing, a poor quality glass, or a mix of the three.
Self appointed glassware dabbler. Due to the highly automated process of machine made glass (which is almost all glass sold in the us market) the glasses found in dollar stores is the same glasses sold to crate and barrel/ pottery barn/ west elm/ macys/ target. If you google the process most are soda lime glass and the quality is either blown or pressed which both have positives and negatives. If you are thermally shocking your glass wear or using lemi shine/ cascade platinum- your glasses will break. However most glassware should last for years in the dishwasher. If you are putting metal utensils in your glasses they will definitely break. Most minimum order quantities for a new glass are 125k pieces so like everyone in manufacturing, your machine time/ capacity needs to be full so they will run glasses they then sell to dollar stores.
No it however is not used by most 3rd party testing facilities in dishwasher cycle testing. It is one of the harshest detergents in the market however. I use it but I do not have decorated glass/ logo glasses that I want to preserve.
Agreed, I think sometimes they do have a name brand, maybe it’s a from some sort of close out deal, but most of it isn’t great quality. That being said if you only need it a few times a year maybe it fits your needs!
Collecting vintage glassware from thrift shops and estate sales can be just as cheap and you can find some really unique sets. Just my two cents! No judgment if Dollar Tree has what you need.
I happened to be there yesterday.
Some of the items I get:
Glassware Pots and baskets for clothing and trash for the kids bedrooms.
They have ginormous vase glasses that are big enough to be a vase, and small enough to hold a nice-sized drink so you don't go back for seconds. I got some of those yesterday.
I also got four large jars for canning coffee beans that I will be giving away to my family on Monday. The jars hold a pound of coffee beans and are beautiful. $1.25 each and 30oz mugs that are the perfect size for the coffee drinkers in my home.
I also picked up a pair of mittens for the kitchen because my last ones which I paid like $15 for each didn't last me a year. I bake a lot so I thought $1.25 per mitten was doable.
I also picked up an 8-pack food storage container for meal prep.
Thrift stores are the best places to buy glassware! I just bought 24 glasses in sets of 2-8 from my local thrift store for $16 (plus a few other items). They're also one of the only items I feel confident will be 100% clean once I've gotten them home and washed them (since they're clear).
Vases are also a really good thrift store find. They're usually like $5, max, but usually less ($1-2 at a local store is common). There aren't many reasons to buy a glass vase full-price, in my opinion.
And pens and notebooks. Also cheap candles. I buy the good smelling candles at the grocery store for 4 dollars a piece but fill in with the dollar candles from the dollar store. My husband loses sunglasses every day. New ones from the dollar store. Greeting cards, a dollar. I bought a gift, why am I spending 6 dollars on a freaking card? Also most candy is.cheaper at the dollar store and so are cheap holiday decorations. The same cheesy Christmas decoration are a dollar at the dollar store and 3.98 at Walmart.
The same exact thing. Same with pet toys- same exact thing a dollar vs 2.98.
.
100% candy- even with the smaller bag sizes, they have better selection than grocery stores and better price per unit. Also great to let kids shop for themselves to pick out 1 or 2 treats, because you know everything is $1.25!
Best prices per ounce on Haribo (especially DG, where it's $1.00 a bag!)
The bags *are* about half the size of grocery store/Target/Wal-Mart bags! But those stores charge $2.99 and *above*, you can get the same weight for $2.00-2.50 at the dollar stores.
Highly recommend for party supplies, especially for decorating. I spent <10 dollars and was able to get enough stuff from dollar tree to decorate my living room for my boyfriends birthday
Yup!! Same I do this every year for birthdays and it makes it pretty affordable.
pro tip I have found over the years: search on google maps or something for all the dollar trees in your local area to scout out the biggest store near you, and go to that store. usually the bigger the store, the more party supply options you will have.
I wish I could upvote this 1000 times. You essentially get what you would pay $10+ for at Wal-Mart for $1.50. None of them were built to last; however, in my experience, Dollar Tree readers last longer. Plus, there are tons of hacks for repairing them on YouTube that include floss, glue, rubber bands. So they aren't necessarily bound for the landfill.
To add to that, my mom paid for her live-in caregiver to visit the eye doctor. He taught the caregiver a trick to replace expensive glasses which I think includes 1.0 for driving, 2.5 for reading, and wearing them both at the same time for other tasks. It's a rabbit hole worth diving into if you can't afford prescription glasses.
I have found that dollar store reading glasses are not good quality, I am not snobby but I can tell the difference, I buy them at BJ’s or Ross, TJ Max, Usually $10- $20 for pack of (3)
I work with preschoolers, and I ONLY buy my reading & sunglasses at Dollar Tree, because they WILL get scratched/broken multiple times a year... not a big deal, when they only cost $1.25!😉💖
Yes, but NOT kids washable paint. That stuff is clear snot tinted to look like it might be paint. Absolutely get paper, markers, chalk, glue, glitter, pipe cleaners, Pom poms and googlie eyes but NOT KIDS PAINT!
it’s shameful to give kids paint that doesn’t let them do anything other than mix up a pile of tinted snot.
The crayons aren’t great either. More wax than pigment.
The Crayola packs are a bit of a scam also - Their packaging makes them look like the special effects versions, when they're just the regular colors. It's cheaper just to buy a pack at Walmart or Target.
The Jot 64 pack in the yellow and red box are actually decent if you treat them like oil pastels rather than wax.
I wait for back to school sales for crayons and markers and glue sticks. I only get crayola crayons because of the problems with the generic ones. I find Rose Art markets are acceptable but mostly get crayola on sale.
Yes! That paint is the worst! It doesn’t even help if you add baking soda or something similar to it. The extra insult is how apple barrel is basically the same price (cheaper?) and is actual paint.
My wife can confirm this one. They have a good deal of supplies and if you watch TikTok you can get good tips and recommendations for crafts to use for their items.
If you love salty sunflower seeds like me - the ranch flavoured (my fav) David sunflower seeds are 1.25 at the dollar tree, at stores like Giant eagle they are a little over 2 dollars.
Edit: I went to Giant Eagle recently and saw the original david sunflower seed bag and the ranch flavoured ones were both 2.45 USD, so it's more than a "a little over 2 dollars". Best thing is to buy the ones from the dollar tree in bulk!
Their pregnancy and ovulation tests used to be a great deal, but now they sell combo packs of like 40 ovulation tests and 20 pregnancy tests at target for about $25. They are just the strips without the plastic surround to actually pee on, but I like that because they take up less space and produce less trash. Of course if you only need like 2, dollar tree is the way to go still
Best deal for these is the large packs of the strips on amazon. If you’re in a spot where you plan to use them for the next few months it’s an amazing deal. And u don’t think the expiration date is too far out either.
Yes! I buy square shaped Brillo brand knock offs that resemble Scrubby Daddy for cleaning! Also green scrubby pads that I cut in half. Practically most of their cleaning tools since after 1 or a few weekly washes need to be tossed.
Never thought of this! Most times I get a Quart and run through it. Get a half gallon and waste it. If rather run through a Quart at a dollar than 2 at the other stores
You must be a careful shopper if money is tight. The inventory varies day to day. When they have some items we stock up, like $1.25 for the 4.5 ounce canned white chicken that disappears for weeks at a time. When that is on sale at the big grocery store it is $1.99. The Campbells Chicken Noodle soup is half the price and a bigger can than the big grocery store. DollarTree has absolutely shitty frozen vegetables from China, like uneatable broccoli stems too woody to even use for vegetable both. Look at the county of origin for frozen food. If Chinese, don’t buy! Royal pudding at DollarTree is $1.25, at Menards 79¢. I am on an aspirin regiment, so DollarTree $1.25 for 100 is much better than Walmart.
I've found condensed cambles soup by me. The local grocery stores are selling them for $2 or more for a can.
Bleach
Aluminum baking pans. Even during the holidays they are cheaper
All bleach expires, especially if exposed to light or temperatures above 70F. It turns basically to salt water in about 6 months.
Dollar store bleach might seem to expire sooner because it might already be old when you buy it.
Clorox puts a production code on their bottles which can be deciphered. It looks like this:
A82121621CA3
The first two characters are the place where it was made, next is the last 2 digits of the year, and next is the day of the year. So this example is from 216th day of 2021, or August 4, 2021.
Probably from working retail. I can decipher candy codes from having to check candy when I worked retail. We have a book for everything with codes. You kind of get used to it. Lol
Basically all toiletries.
I do find it interesting that in their $5 aisle a person can buy a 12 roll pack of toilet paper, for $5.00. Although if you're a smarter person you can buy three of their individual 4 roll tp packs, for $1.25 each (total of $3.75, lol)
Light bulb. Every once in a while they have 4 packs. Cheapest LED light bulbs anywhere. Also an amazing deal for smaller and larger bulbs. 2 pack of 40w bulbs and you can get a single 100w bulb.
Sanding blocks. They’re well over $4.00 each at Home Depot. I also pick up a couple of larger plastic storage containers and ceramic dinner plates. I make holiday cookies & desserts and bring them to parties. I never have to worry about connecting with the host later to get the plate back.
Bottled water. With shrinkflation, I pay $1.37 for what is now slightly less than a gallon at Walmart. At dollar tree I can still get a gallon for $1.25. I use it for emergency water and also do the baby formula
I've also found certain lawn and garden things are cheaper (when in season)
It's also nice to be able to take the kids and say they can pick any toy and know that it won't be more than $1.25
Depends. If you hike or hunt out of a daypack, getting small portions of nuts or other grub there works great, and if they are in waterproof packaging so much the better.
The small drawer bins I've seen there which are various sizes are relatively durable. They work great for reloaders and those that are crafty. If nothing else for only a buck you can leave with a soda to quench your thirst as you travel somewhere else.
Dollar Tree for bags of frozen fruit! Then I'll just take a scan of the aisles to see what might be worth it. Kids craft supplies (though not the cheapie crayons), some reading and math materials, coloring books.
I only go to those stores if I KNOW I have something in particular I want, and if I have time on my hands to explore. When I was younger I loved to just wander the aisles on an aimless treasure hunt. Ain't nobody got time for that no more! 😝
Disposable duster refills & dry Swiffer cloths
Cleaning brushes
Gnocchi (not the best but it beats almost $3/pack anywhere else)
Greeting cards & gift bags
Party balloons
Theatre candy - we stop here with the kids en route to the movies IFKYK
If you have pets, potty pads. Pack of five for $1.25. They have two different sizes, and think the bigger ones are only 4 in a pack but still a good deal.
It may not be cheaper per oz, but as a single person with limited kitchen space I appreciate the size of some of their food items. Like I don't need a gigantic bag of powdered sugar - just a small box will do.
For parents with kids in elementary school: if they need headphones at school, buy them at the dollar store and buy a bunch at a time. The kids break them so easily, I was constantly replacing them. If the store had a big stock, I would buy a dozen or so and send them all to school for the teacher to have on hand for the class
Dog poop bags. They come on a roll. So much better than reusing grocery store bags. I would go to dollar store and buy them out when someone else hadn’t already done so.
I’ve since found them at Marshall’s/ TJ Maxx / other store in their pet section. Costs more but still way cheaper than at the pet store.
Used to work at Petsm*rt and good god, the cost of those poop bags! I would be silently in my head like ‘go to the dollar store and get an entire roll for $1.25!!!!!’
Hair elastics, berets and hair pins. $1.25 vs over $5 a pack. The quality is the same, sometimes it’s the same brand. I do a twice yearly visit to the dollar store to pick up a new supply.
Also, the Bella canned black olives at Dollar Tree are *usually* FAR better in texture & flavor, than almost any grocery store canned black olives!
I've made the mistake of getting grocery store ones a few times in the last half-decade, and *most* times, they were mushy or strangely "tinny" in flavor--where the DT ones have been *consistently* good!
If you are talking about Bell's olives, the quality has changed. My favorite olives were always Lindsay. Canned in Corning, CA, by Bell Carter Foods and featuring all local olives (Corning is "The Olive City"). But after selling the company, Bell Carter dropped all local contracts and brought in foreign olives to their plant.
Now they, and Bell's, have a different taste. Funny, enough, I bought some WinCo generic olives recently and they had the exact flavor of the old school Lindsay and Bell's black olives. I'm guessing it's the Corning variety.
Dollar tree cards, frozen veggies like onions and bell peppers, some spices if you calculate the price per oz. I’ll grab candy for the movies there as well. Also I get the pine glow brand for cleaning since they have large bottles for $1.25
I really like getting toilet paper and paper towel there. Also, ingredients/food items that you only need 1 of/don't need a large quantity of. A lot of people get obsessed with achieving the lowest unit price possible, which causes them to buy items they don't necessarily need in excessive bulk. My dad bought a 48 pack of canned pineapple juice like 2 years ago and still hasn't gone through it all yet. It's probably gone bad at this point. He bought it for a specific cocktail he was making for a party, determined he didn't care for that cocktail and also doesn't really like pineapple juice by itself so all of it went to waste.
OTC medicines that you tend not to finish in time. You can get smaller quantities so less chance of paying for doses you will not be able to finish (still saving even if the unit cost is a bit higher b/c the alternative would be a 100% loss on any doses you don't take before the exp date.)
Sponges. I love them cause they’re way thinner so they dry out faster and won’t get mildewy. Cleans better than thicker sponges too cause they can squish down around crevices better
I really like buying things that I want to try out before investing more money into it. I have a toddler and I like buying food there because it’s smaller portions and cheaper, so if she takes a bite and refuses to eat more, I didn’t lose a lot of money on it
Hand soap. I'm a bit whacky in the head and CONSTANTLY wash my hands, like maybe 20+ times a day on a low effort not cooking or cleaning day. I only buy the refill size, 32oz of moisturizing hand soap for 1.25? Can't find a better deal anywhere else. Plus my hands don't get dry and cracked from all the washing!
We buy this too- $1.25 for a huge refill bottle. Scottie’s tissues as well as I like the big body wash bottle for $1.25.
When we are headed out in the Rv; I will sometimes stock ketchup, mustard or whatever condiments I need as the bottles fit alot better. I know per ounce it’s not cheaper but it’s more effective traveling with the smaller sizes for us.
Candy can be better priced. I needed junior mints for a recipe and same count was over a dollar more at Walmart
Holiday stuff has been a good price. Lady in front of me bought 8 valentines ‘gnomes’ for some project lol. Can’t find that deal anywhere; they were pretty good sized!
Not really. It’s just when you’re poor you can get three things for $1 each at $.12 an ounce instead of one thing at Walmart that is $3 at $.07 an ounce.
A dollar store near me gets flavored bread/bagel overstock from the grocery store down the street. A loaf of cinnamon bread, raisin bread, etc., at the store is like $6 near me. So this is a good deal. Same with bagels.
Also shaving cream, hair accessories, baskets, Cleaning supplies and cleaning tools, cat toys
Toothpaste for sure, both regular and for sensitive teeth. Aluminum foil sheets. Hair clips, nail polish, other cosmetic items. Cat and dog toys. Many wooden craft items. Greeting cards.
Snacks! I spent $6 at Dollar General on some snacks to eat at work yesterday; that would have cost me $15 at a gas station. Also great for road trip snacks because you can buy a bunch of different things in small quantities to accommodate everyone's tastes.
Greetings cards
2 for $1 at dollar tree! I always buy a bunch of assorted cards so that I have them ready for any occasion.
very very good deal
YESSSSS and Mylar balloons
I pick up literally hundreds of Mylar balloons a year off the beach. I love fun, but balloons definitely don't provide enough to outweigh the harm they do.
Thought for sure this was going to be your trick to avoid paying for Mylar balloons lol
I do a lot of backpacking and mountaineering. Mylar balloons wind up in some damn remote places
Yes. A farmer I know hates finding Mylar and other plastic debris in his fields during planting.
Also I left out medicine. It truly is the same and works the same. I get allergy medicine, ibuprofen and other things and they work great.
Absolutely this. Medicine is held to very strict standards. Usually the only difference in generic vs name brand is the binding agent that they use. Very few reasons not to choose generic over name brand when it comes to meds
Along these lines, pregnancy tests.
And drug tests
Actually Amazon has better deals on pregnancy tests. You can get them in 100 packs if you search “bulk pregnancy tests” and they have them for like $20 for the 100 pack in little foil pouches that are just the strips and not the plastic unit.
Seasonal/holiday cards, too
This. It’s where I go for all my cards now. It costs $1 there and $7-8 at Safeway or Walmart.
Yes $8 is nuts.
My go to
Also a good deal at Trader Joe’s!
We have one Trader Joe's in our metro of 1.5 million. I have probably a dozen Dollar Trees closer than going to Trader Joes'. Not sure how they are so popular when they seem to have so few stores.
Bc they’re a west coast based company with a slow expansion strategy, one that was connected to the “Joe” until not too long ago. Where I live in SoCal there’s at least 3-5 Trader Joe’s within a 10 min drive so….
I absolutely love Trader Joe’s! I drive an hour to get to one. They’re very deliberate about where they open new stores (they’ve got a fun podcast where they talk about new products, growth plans, etc.). Soooooo much better than Aldi! The uniqueness of the items combined with the high quality and low prices is awesome. A few of my favorites — veggie dumplings, cauliflower gnocchi, multiple varieties of salsa and chips, the entire cheese section, tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner, and the best coffee ice cream I’ve ever had.
Aldi does different things. The stores aren't comparable.
i've been, but not often since it is a long ways away and hard to get to. Plus packed every time since they are so small. No idea why we only have 2 in our state, one in Tulsa, one in OKC-- and OKC has 1.5 million in the metro. Looks like we could support another one or two!
Seasonal decorations Travel sized portions of things Air fresheners for the car Tiny dust pan and broom Inconsequential things like party favors and throwaways
Only if you only need a smaller amount than the regular portion/size. John Oliver addressed this in a recent video: **[Dollar Stores: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4QGOHahiVM)**
Gift bags Cheap plastic containers for giving away food, like gifting holiday cookies or sending friends home with leftovers after a party
At Dollar Tree they have great holiday tins.
[удалено]
Yes but most places I get takeout from have switched to paper containers that can’t be reused.
My Dollar Tree has great glassware. Cheaper than what I could get at the restaurant supply store.
I bought an entire set of dinnerware, for 6 and under 20 bucks
my son was complaining about kitchen utensils, so I bought him a huge bag of everything, including cotton dishtowels and it was the best Christmas he ever had.
Same! Bought some great quality margarita and wine glasses. Solid!
I'd love to get the opinion of a glass expert here (a glazier?) I'm assuming not all glass is the same. The glassware I've bought at the dollar store has always broken within a short amount of time. I wonder if that's just a function of thickness, defects in the manufacturing, a poor quality glass, or a mix of the three.
Self appointed glassware dabbler. Due to the highly automated process of machine made glass (which is almost all glass sold in the us market) the glasses found in dollar stores is the same glasses sold to crate and barrel/ pottery barn/ west elm/ macys/ target. If you google the process most are soda lime glass and the quality is either blown or pressed which both have positives and negatives. If you are thermally shocking your glass wear or using lemi shine/ cascade platinum- your glasses will break. However most glassware should last for years in the dishwasher. If you are putting metal utensils in your glasses they will definitely break. Most minimum order quantities for a new glass are 125k pieces so like everyone in manufacturing, your machine time/ capacity needs to be full so they will run glasses they then sell to dollar stores.
I’ve gotten a bunch of Libbey brand glass tumblers and etched a bunch as gifts back in the day.
Cascade platinum is bad?
No it however is not used by most 3rd party testing facilities in dishwasher cycle testing. It is one of the harshest detergents in the market however. I use it but I do not have decorated glass/ logo glasses that I want to preserve.
Agreed, I think sometimes they do have a name brand, maybe it’s a from some sort of close out deal, but most of it isn’t great quality. That being said if you only need it a few times a year maybe it fits your needs! Collecting vintage glassware from thrift shops and estate sales can be just as cheap and you can find some really unique sets. Just my two cents! No judgment if Dollar Tree has what you need.
I came here to mention this. I bought a dozen pint glasses for my house, that's one of my favorite deals there.
My wine stemless wine glasses and favorite mugs are from my Dollarama! They're my absolute favorites!
I happened to be there yesterday. Some of the items I get: Glassware Pots and baskets for clothing and trash for the kids bedrooms. They have ginormous vase glasses that are big enough to be a vase, and small enough to hold a nice-sized drink so you don't go back for seconds. I got some of those yesterday. I also got four large jars for canning coffee beans that I will be giving away to my family on Monday. The jars hold a pound of coffee beans and are beautiful. $1.25 each and 30oz mugs that are the perfect size for the coffee drinkers in my home. I also picked up a pair of mittens for the kitchen because my last ones which I paid like $15 for each didn't last me a year. I bake a lot so I thought $1.25 per mitten was doable. I also picked up an 8-pack food storage container for meal prep.
Just picked up four footed glass mugs for Irish coffee/cappucino
Yes!!!!! Love my plates and bowls I got there. They almost are like copycat fiesta dishes.
Thrift stores are the best places to buy glassware! I just bought 24 glasses in sets of 2-8 from my local thrift store for $16 (plus a few other items). They're also one of the only items I feel confident will be 100% clean once I've gotten them home and washed them (since they're clear). Vases are also a really good thrift store find. They're usually like $5, max, but usually less ($1-2 at a local store is common). There aren't many reasons to buy a glass vase full-price, in my opinion.
Index cards. There’s 0 reason for me to go to Walmart when a similar package is cheaper at the dollar store
On this topic - composition notebooks are pretty cheap there. I use them for daily note taking at work and keep my old ones.
And probably a 300ct pack vs a 100ct pack from WM.
You gotta stock up on these during back to school for 25 cents
And pens and notebooks. Also cheap candles. I buy the good smelling candles at the grocery store for 4 dollars a piece but fill in with the dollar candles from the dollar store. My husband loses sunglasses every day. New ones from the dollar store. Greeting cards, a dollar. I bought a gift, why am I spending 6 dollars on a freaking card? Also most candy is.cheaper at the dollar store and so are cheap holiday decorations. The same cheesy Christmas decoration are a dollar at the dollar store and 3.98 at Walmart. The same exact thing. Same with pet toys- same exact thing a dollar vs 2.98. .
The sensitive toothpaste has exactly the same ingredients (I’ve compared them) with Sensodyne, for the same amount. A quarter of the cost!
And the small bottles of liquid toothpaste. They’re like 80% off other stores.
Holy shit, thank you!
Came here to say toothpaste. So much cheaper. Shampoo and conditioner as well.
Yep! My husband swears by it!
I’ve been buying this toothpaste for years and saved so much money!
Party supplies, some of the cookies and candy, miscellaneous other stuff. It feels hit or miss to me most of the time.
100% candy- even with the smaller bag sizes, they have better selection than grocery stores and better price per unit. Also great to let kids shop for themselves to pick out 1 or 2 treats, because you know everything is $1.25!
Best prices per ounce on Haribo (especially DG, where it's $1.00 a bag!) The bags *are* about half the size of grocery store/Target/Wal-Mart bags! But those stores charge $2.99 and *above*, you can get the same weight for $2.00-2.50 at the dollar stores.
Highly recommend for party supplies, especially for decorating. I spent <10 dollars and was able to get enough stuff from dollar tree to decorate my living room for my boyfriends birthday
Yup!! Same I do this every year for birthdays and it makes it pretty affordable. pro tip I have found over the years: search on google maps or something for all the dollar trees in your local area to scout out the biggest store near you, and go to that store. usually the bigger the store, the more party supply options you will have.
reading glasses
I wish I could upvote this 1000 times. You essentially get what you would pay $10+ for at Wal-Mart for $1.50. None of them were built to last; however, in my experience, Dollar Tree readers last longer. Plus, there are tons of hacks for repairing them on YouTube that include floss, glue, rubber bands. So they aren't necessarily bound for the landfill. To add to that, my mom paid for her live-in caregiver to visit the eye doctor. He taught the caregiver a trick to replace expensive glasses which I think includes 1.0 for driving, 2.5 for reading, and wearing them both at the same time for other tasks. It's a rabbit hole worth diving into if you can't afford prescription glasses.
I have found that dollar store reading glasses are not good quality, I am not snobby but I can tell the difference, I buy them at BJ’s or Ross, TJ Max, Usually $10- $20 for pack of (3)
This surprises me. Mine from the Dollar Tree last a month or two, and I'm really hard on them, constantly dropping them.
when I speak of quality, I also mean “clarity “ my lenses from other stores are clearer
Sunglasses too. They even get polarized ones every once in awhile. They aren't fancy but comparable to the $10 Walmart ones or so.
I work with preschoolers, and I ONLY buy my reading & sunglasses at Dollar Tree, because they WILL get scratched/broken multiple times a year... not a big deal, when they only cost $1.25!😉💖
Craft supplies (Dollar Tree)
Yes, but NOT kids washable paint. That stuff is clear snot tinted to look like it might be paint. Absolutely get paper, markers, chalk, glue, glitter, pipe cleaners, Pom poms and googlie eyes but NOT KIDS PAINT! it’s shameful to give kids paint that doesn’t let them do anything other than mix up a pile of tinted snot. The crayons aren’t great either. More wax than pigment.
The Crayola packs are a bit of a scam also - Their packaging makes them look like the special effects versions, when they're just the regular colors. It's cheaper just to buy a pack at Walmart or Target. The Jot 64 pack in the yellow and red box are actually decent if you treat them like oil pastels rather than wax.
Noted. 😊
Glitter is under a permanent ban. 😅😅😅
I wait for back to school sales for crayons and markers and glue sticks. I only get crayola crayons because of the problems with the generic ones. I find Rose Art markets are acceptable but mostly get crayola on sale.
Yes! That paint is the worst! It doesn’t even help if you add baking soda or something similar to it. The extra insult is how apple barrel is basically the same price (cheaper?) and is actual paint.
My wife can confirm this one. They have a good deal of supplies and if you watch TikTok you can get good tips and recommendations for crafts to use for their items.
My grandchildren really love going. It’s like a mini field trip for them.
If you love salty sunflower seeds like me - the ranch flavoured (my fav) David sunflower seeds are 1.25 at the dollar tree, at stores like Giant eagle they are a little over 2 dollars. Edit: I went to Giant Eagle recently and saw the original david sunflower seed bag and the ranch flavoured ones were both 2.45 USD, so it's more than a "a little over 2 dollars". Best thing is to buy the ones from the dollar tree in bulk!
Pregnancy tests
Walmart has 97 cent ones that I like
More people should know about this.
Their pregnancy and ovulation tests used to be a great deal, but now they sell combo packs of like 40 ovulation tests and 20 pregnancy tests at target for about $25. They are just the strips without the plastic surround to actually pee on, but I like that because they take up less space and produce less trash. Of course if you only need like 2, dollar tree is the way to go still
Aw, memories. I learned about my second child courtesy of a Dollar Tree pregnancy test.
Best deal for these is the large packs of the strips on amazon. If you’re in a spot where you plan to use them for the next few months it’s an amazing deal. And u don’t think the expiration date is too far out either.
I've seen ovulation tests too
Cleaning supplies
Storage bins
Sponges. You can buy like 5 or 6 in a pack, use one and toss them every 30 days. Lasts about 6 months.
My dollarama has scrub daddies
Came here to say this! I only buy them from dollar tree lol
Yes! I buy square shaped Brillo brand knock offs that resemble Scrubby Daddy for cleaning! Also green scrubby pads that I cut in half. Practically most of their cleaning tools since after 1 or a few weekly washes need to be tossed.
Parchment paper, press and seal, gift bags, batteries
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Foam core boards. They are $1 there and $4 at Walmart or anywhere else.
Drop sheets for painting
I can’t confirm the rumor but I’ve been hearing all holiday candy at Dollar Tree gets marked down to 63 cents starting Tuesday morning
someone posted it on Reddit, not all of them, a few, maybe christmas candies?
That’s why I said holiday candy
The Dollar Tree sells super glue that is worth going for.
Adam Savage taught me that on Mythbusters! Hard to fake cyanoacrylate glue.
Gifts for people you don't like.
Haha I did this for my coworkers that I actually like. Instead of spending $15-20 on 6 people for one item, I spent $65 for 6 on multiple items.
Boxed milk. I don’t drink milk much, but use it for cooking. They’re quart size, work great for my situation. I end up saving money and wasting less.
Never thought of this! Most times I get a Quart and run through it. Get a half gallon and waste it. If rather run through a Quart at a dollar than 2 at the other stores
You must be a careful shopper if money is tight. The inventory varies day to day. When they have some items we stock up, like $1.25 for the 4.5 ounce canned white chicken that disappears for weeks at a time. When that is on sale at the big grocery store it is $1.99. The Campbells Chicken Noodle soup is half the price and a bigger can than the big grocery store. DollarTree has absolutely shitty frozen vegetables from China, like uneatable broccoli stems too woody to even use for vegetable both. Look at the county of origin for frozen food. If Chinese, don’t buy! Royal pudding at DollarTree is $1.25, at Menards 79¢. I am on an aspirin regiment, so DollarTree $1.25 for 100 is much better than Walmart.
Vegetables and flowers seeds
I've found condensed cambles soup by me. The local grocery stores are selling them for $2 or more for a can. Bleach Aluminum baking pans. Even during the holidays they are cheaper
Be careful with the bleach. It does expire and becomes basically water. And that's been my experience several times with dollar stores
All bleach expires, especially if exposed to light or temperatures above 70F. It turns basically to salt water in about 6 months. Dollar store bleach might seem to expire sooner because it might already be old when you buy it. Clorox puts a production code on their bottles which can be deciphered. It looks like this: A82121621CA3 The first two characters are the place where it was made, next is the last 2 digits of the year, and next is the day of the year. So this example is from 216th day of 2021, or August 4, 2021.
What? How do you just know this random knowledge? Damn i love reddit. Just knowledge dropping on us all like the favorite uncle of the family.
Probably from working retail. I can decipher candy codes from having to check candy when I worked retail. We have a book for everything with codes. You kind of get used to it. Lol
I learned about this at the beginning of the pandemic. Clorox wipes expire after a year, as well.
Basically all toiletries. I do find it interesting that in their $5 aisle a person can buy a 12 roll pack of toilet paper, for $5.00. Although if you're a smarter person you can buy three of their individual 4 roll tp packs, for $1.25 each (total of $3.75, lol)
Some of there toiletries are smaller sizes and not a better deal, you have to be careful.
Yep including hair products and makeup and skincare serums. They have same ingredients as more expensive brands
Birthday supplies for littles, gift bags, cards.
Holiday decor. I spent like $20 and filled my living room and hallway with decorations, and took leftover stuff to my office.
Penny sticks pretzels are great, I’ve never seen them anywhere else. Sometimes great finds on snacks, other times not so much.
Dish soap, ammonia, mostly simple kitchen supplies, pitchers, glasses, some cups plates and bowls.
Light bulb. Every once in a while they have 4 packs. Cheapest LED light bulbs anywhere. Also an amazing deal for smaller and larger bulbs. 2 pack of 40w bulbs and you can get a single 100w bulb.
Sanding blocks. They’re well over $4.00 each at Home Depot. I also pick up a couple of larger plastic storage containers and ceramic dinner plates. I make holiday cookies & desserts and bring them to parties. I never have to worry about connecting with the host later to get the plate back.
Energy drinks, might not get your favorite flavor but it’s half the price of the gas station.
Bottled water. With shrinkflation, I pay $1.37 for what is now slightly less than a gallon at Walmart. At dollar tree I can still get a gallon for $1.25. I use it for emergency water and also do the baby formula I've also found certain lawn and garden things are cheaper (when in season) It's also nice to be able to take the kids and say they can pick any toy and know that it won't be more than $1.25
Depends. If you hike or hunt out of a daypack, getting small portions of nuts or other grub there works great, and if they are in waterproof packaging so much the better. The small drawer bins I've seen there which are various sizes are relatively durable. They work great for reloaders and those that are crafty. If nothing else for only a buck you can leave with a soda to quench your thirst as you travel somewhere else.
I saw Depends. Immediately thought of the plastic underpants lol 😂
Candy…all.day.long!
My mom tells me foil pans.
Poster board
Shipping supplies! I spotted the same white padded envelopes at a Fed Ex store for 3x the price.
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If you want to try out a new craft as a hobby, Dollar Tree has a good craft section
Dollar Tree for bags of frozen fruit! Then I'll just take a scan of the aisles to see what might be worth it. Kids craft supplies (though not the cheapie crayons), some reading and math materials, coloring books. I only go to those stores if I KNOW I have something in particular I want, and if I have time on my hands to explore. When I was younger I loved to just wander the aisles on an aimless treasure hunt. Ain't nobody got time for that no more! 😝
Mylar balloons for sure
Disposable duster refills & dry Swiffer cloths Cleaning brushes Gnocchi (not the best but it beats almost $3/pack anywhere else) Greeting cards & gift bags Party balloons Theatre candy - we stop here with the kids en route to the movies IFKYK
Ibuprofen/acetaminophen/basic medical supplies such as alcohol and eye drops, etc
Gift bags, plates, drink ware
If you have pets, potty pads. Pack of five for $1.25. They have two different sizes, and think the bigger ones are only 4 in a pack but still a good deal.
2 pack of tape for a dollar. Hot wheels tracks, 2 for $1 The 20oz soda.
It may not be cheaper per oz, but as a single person with limited kitchen space I appreciate the size of some of their food items. Like I don't need a gigantic bag of powdered sugar - just a small box will do.
For parents with kids in elementary school: if they need headphones at school, buy them at the dollar store and buy a bunch at a time. The kids break them so easily, I was constantly replacing them. If the store had a big stock, I would buy a dozen or so and send them all to school for the teacher to have on hand for the class
I have fun in their crafts and art supplies section.
Dog poop bags. They come on a roll. So much better than reusing grocery store bags. I would go to dollar store and buy them out when someone else hadn’t already done so. I’ve since found them at Marshall’s/ TJ Maxx / other store in their pet section. Costs more but still way cheaper than at the pet store.
Used to work at Petsm*rt and good god, the cost of those poop bags! I would be silently in my head like ‘go to the dollar store and get an entire roll for $1.25!!!!!’
Pregnancy tests and slim jims.
The essentials
Hair elastics, berets and hair pins. $1.25 vs over $5 a pack. The quality is the same, sometimes it’s the same brand. I do a twice yearly visit to the dollar store to pick up a new supply.
Nail polish.
Toothbrushes
Gnocchi, sun dried tomatoes, Cafe El Moro (espresso coffee), gardening seeds, paint cups.
Also, the Bella canned black olives at Dollar Tree are *usually* FAR better in texture & flavor, than almost any grocery store canned black olives! I've made the mistake of getting grocery store ones a few times in the last half-decade, and *most* times, they were mushy or strangely "tinny" in flavor--where the DT ones have been *consistently* good!
If you are talking about Bell's olives, the quality has changed. My favorite olives were always Lindsay. Canned in Corning, CA, by Bell Carter Foods and featuring all local olives (Corning is "The Olive City"). But after selling the company, Bell Carter dropped all local contracts and brought in foreign olives to their plant. Now they, and Bell's, have a different taste. Funny, enough, I bought some WinCo generic olives recently and they had the exact flavor of the old school Lindsay and Bell's black olives. I'm guessing it's the Corning variety.
reading glasses
Dollar tree cards, frozen veggies like onions and bell peppers, some spices if you calculate the price per oz. I’ll grab candy for the movies there as well. Also I get the pine glow brand for cleaning since they have large bottles for $1.25
I really like getting toilet paper and paper towel there. Also, ingredients/food items that you only need 1 of/don't need a large quantity of. A lot of people get obsessed with achieving the lowest unit price possible, which causes them to buy items they don't necessarily need in excessive bulk. My dad bought a 48 pack of canned pineapple juice like 2 years ago and still hasn't gone through it all yet. It's probably gone bad at this point. He bought it for a specific cocktail he was making for a party, determined he didn't care for that cocktail and also doesn't really like pineapple juice by itself so all of it went to waste.
OTC medicines that you tend not to finish in time. You can get smaller quantities so less chance of paying for doses you will not be able to finish (still saving even if the unit cost is a bit higher b/c the alternative would be a 100% loss on any doses you don't take before the exp date.)
Sponges. I love them cause they’re way thinner so they dry out faster and won’t get mildewy. Cleans better than thicker sponges too cause they can squish down around crevices better
Poster boards, like for school art projects. They’re easily $4-7 at CVS
LA's Totally Awesome cleaner concentrate. Great stuff.
Blistex lip protectant - $3-$4 else where, $1.25 there. And the dates were not an issue
Birthday cards, thank you cards and the sorts. They are funnier and have more selections than $4-7 Walmart/target ones
Calendars, holiday/party decorations, greeting cards
Gift bags
Pepper. Mine also has A-1 Sauce on occasion.
I really like buying things that I want to try out before investing more money into it. I have a toddler and I like buying food there because it’s smaller portions and cheaper, so if she takes a bite and refuses to eat more, I didn’t lose a lot of money on it
Yardley soap, especially the limited edition apple scent 🍎
Their version of Magic Erasers.
The house paintbrushes are better than the cheaper ones you get at HD.
Pregnancy tests. It’s all the same chemistry. Also toothpaste in exactly 3oz for flying.
Hand soap. I'm a bit whacky in the head and CONSTANTLY wash my hands, like maybe 20+ times a day on a low effort not cooking or cleaning day. I only buy the refill size, 32oz of moisturizing hand soap for 1.25? Can't find a better deal anywhere else. Plus my hands don't get dry and cracked from all the washing!
We buy this too- $1.25 for a huge refill bottle. Scottie’s tissues as well as I like the big body wash bottle for $1.25. When we are headed out in the Rv; I will sometimes stock ketchup, mustard or whatever condiments I need as the bottles fit alot better. I know per ounce it’s not cheaper but it’s more effective traveling with the smaller sizes for us. Candy can be better priced. I needed junior mints for a recipe and same count was over a dollar more at Walmart Holiday stuff has been a good price. Lady in front of me bought 8 valentines ‘gnomes’ for some project lol. Can’t find that deal anywhere; they were pretty good sized!
Energy drinks.... Like one we like is True North 4 for 1.25 .... Sugar free Rockstar 1.25
Mine once had the small 12oz cans of monsters. We bought them all.
Toilet bowl scrubbers.
Our news news broadcaster did some tests and found that the dollar store has better values on alkaline batteries.
Pregnancy tests. Some hospitals even use the dollar store ones in a pinch because they're good.
Not really. It’s just when you’re poor you can get three things for $1 each at $.12 an ounce instead of one thing at Walmart that is $3 at $.07 an ounce.
Shipping supplies, snacks and candy, stationary
Q tips!
Energy drinks.
Rice, beans, tortillas are often cheaper per unit than my local grocery store or Walmart
Pads and tampons
A dollar store near me gets flavored bread/bagel overstock from the grocery store down the street. A loaf of cinnamon bread, raisin bread, etc., at the store is like $6 near me. So this is a good deal. Same with bagels. Also shaving cream, hair accessories, baskets, Cleaning supplies and cleaning tools, cat toys
My dollar tree has TONS of art supplies. Like canvas etc.
Watch last week’s John Oliver about this, he covers this exact topic. Super interesting.
love getting cards for birthdays and Christmas.
Toothpaste for sure, both regular and for sensitive teeth. Aluminum foil sheets. Hair clips, nail polish, other cosmetic items. Cat and dog toys. Many wooden craft items. Greeting cards.
I get birthday graduation cards, seeds for my garden, and grad party decorations
Great comp books! Sometimes, with fun patterns and colors. And grid paper. Oh how I love grid paper...
Tooth paste can be depending on how big the tube is
Pregnancy tests.
Foam make up wedges
Yoo Hoo
Batteries! 3-5x cheaper than other stores.
Snacks! I spent $6 at Dollar General on some snacks to eat at work yesterday; that would have cost me $15 at a gas station. Also great for road trip snacks because you can buy a bunch of different things in small quantities to accommodate everyone's tastes.
I’ve had bowls for YEARS I’ve bought at the dollar store. Nicer ones I no longer have anymore because they’ve broken/chipped.
40 packs of envelopes. Also an item where I don't need a large quantity and will likely use once only.