28 Sep Dollar Days

You clearly know I love thrift stores, but next to thrifts, I adore dollar stores. They pretty much have everything you could want and a lot of stuff you don’t need. It seems like every time I’m in my neck of the woods in Jersey, I manage to hit up Dollar Tree. This time I went there twice in one weekend! Of course, not all one buck havens are created equal (some have crappy, cheap looking items and others have the annoying practice of selling stuff that costs more than $1) but there are plenty that have a decent selection of goods.
Here are items I tend to buy from these stores:

Cleaning Supplies: From dish detergent to oven cleaners to sponges, dollar stores have it all. Some stores may carry the brands you’re familiar with but even if you have to purchase Mr. Sheen instead of Mr. Clean, what’s the big deal? The ingredients are practically identical anyway!

Party Preparation and Decorations: If you’re having an informal get together or barbeque, you can’t go wrong with the paper plates, cups, cutlery and table clothes. You save money and you don’t have any dishes to worry about afterwards! It’s also a great idea to pick up a few aluminum or plastic containers for your guests to take home a doggy bag at the end of the night (the containers are also great for brown-bagging it to work). And every dollar store I’ve ever come across has an aisle for party decorations (banners, party favors, ballons, etc) if you want to spiff up the decor for the occasion.

Gift Wrap: I’ve never understood why wrapping paper can be so expensive. Yeah, some of them come in cool colors and patterns but it’s still paper that the recipient is going to throw away. These budget shops have rolls upon rolls of wrapping paper, as well as tissue paper and gift bags.

Tchotchkes: Whether you call them tchotchkes, trinkets, knick knacks, or whatever, why spend more than $1 on them? My apartment is accessorized with figurines, candles, candle holders and diffusers mostly from Dollar Tree.

Still not convinced dollar stores have some cool items? Take this quiz, bet you won’t be able to tell which items are $1.