My new-found love of the dollar store

[tcherjen]

My sister-in-law is an OBGYN. She encourages her patients to get pregnancy tests at the dollar store - says they are perfectly fine!

I used one lol, to find out I was pregnant with youngest dd. They do work and only a buck too. I love Dollar tree, I buy quite a few little trinkets and things for dd for our trips to Disney.

 

[pampam]

I love the red silicone Betty Crocker mats to put on cookie sheets to make them non stick. Now, I have invented other ideas with them. I cut them to fit my dehydrator trays for making fruit leathers etc. With the scraps left over from that, I line the bottom my glass loaf pans so my banana bread simply falls out when the pan is turned upside down. (of course I run a knife around the edges first.) I see at our dollaramma store that the price has gone up to $3.00 each, but it is still much better than paying the $23.00 other stores want.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I love the red silicone Betty Crocker mats to put on cookie sheets to make them non stick. Now, I have invented other ideas with them. I cut them to fit my dehydrator trays for making fruit leathers etc. With the scraps left over from that, I line the bottom my glass loaf pans so my banana bread simply falls out when the pan is turned upside down. (of course I run a knife around the edges first.) I see at our dollaramma store that the price has gone up to $3.00 each, but it is still much better than paying the $23.00 other stores want.

That's a great idea! I never thought about cutting the mats down for other uses!

I was in Winners yesterday (not sure if you have those in the US, basically a discount store) and saw clear plastic fridge containers very similar to ones I found at Dollarama. They were $9.99 each! I paid $1.25. Big difference!

TP

 

[JenniBugInPink]

I live out in the country. We just got a Dollar General, and it's the first time we've ever had a store of any kind, other than a gas station/market (expensive!) out near us. How are the prices at Dollar General stores? I haven't been to visit it yet.

 

[Glenn]

Last Sunday in the Dollar Tree add they listed Campbell Chicken or Tomatoe Soup, large size cans for $1. The ad says the cans are 30% to 35% larger than the regular cans! Ill have to get over there tonight to stock up.

 

[North of Mouse]

I'm just going to share this here and hope nobody laughs at me.

I never used to go into the dollar store. I don't exactly know why, but I thought all the stuff in there must be horrible and probably toxic.

Then I was wanting to get my house more organized so I started watching some videos on youtube about household organization. I was stunned to see how many of the people used containers bought at various dollar stores. So I thought I'd check them out, and I was very pleasantly surprised!

I've been able to get most of my drawers and shelves organized while spending very little money, and I've been amazed at the other nice things I've found. For just one little example, I needed a new case for my glasses. The cheapest I'd seen in regular stores was $6. Not outrageous, but I saw one at Dollarama for $1. Nothing fancy, but I didn't need fancy - and I saved myself $5.

Went out this morning to Dollar Tree and spent $13 getting some items to decorate for Thanksgiving. I tend not to decorate much for holidays because it all seems so expensive - but I was able to get some cute things for the table by the front door and the two tables we'll be dining at. And my daughter-in-law who was visiting was quite impressed by how nice it looks.

Anyway, just thought I would share this. I suspect I am the last person ever to discover this, but it's made shopping a lot more fun for me!

TP

Love our Dollar Trees for lots of items - children's b'day cards, gift bags, paper plates, trim, lighters for candles, other misc. things. I will not buy food, snack items, vitamins, any type meds, ointments, or toothpastes, plus some other items. Yes, I know they have brand names on them, but have heard from more than one source that they are 'packaged' just for them (packaged in different countries,etc.) and I'm just a very leery person. And I really don't trust the ones with their own brands on them. I'll just stick with some of the large discount stores that we've used for ages.

Lots of people use them, but before you say I'm ridiculous for feeling this way - maybe so, but it's just my personal feelings, and for myself, I will not change.

 

[North of Mouse]

I live out in the country. We just got a Dollar General, and it's the first time we've ever had a store of any kind, other than a gas station/market (expensive!) out near us. How are the prices at Dollar General stores? I haven't been to visit it yet.

I don't do a lot of shopping at Dollar General, although they may be comparative to Walmart in some things. They are nothing IMO like the Dollar Tree stores where everything is $1. My ds worked there several years ago and she said lots of things are 'packaged' just for them - quality of some items are definitely not the same.

 

[disneylove69]

That's a great idea! I never thought about cutting the mats down for other uses!

I was in Winners yesterday (not sure if you have those in the US, basically a discount store) and saw clear plastic fridge containers very similar to ones I found at Dollarama. They were $9.99 each! I paid $1.25. Big difference!

TP

Winners is the company that owns Marshalls and Tjmaxx in the states. They are similar. You also have HomeSense which is HomeGoods here. Great prices.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

My mom loves the cheap pans that can be used for things like Frito pie (while I love the cheap candy bars/snacks).

 

[Jedana]

Things we've bought at Dollar Tree over the last year or two:

Foil pans, paper plates, silverware, cups, napkins, tablecloths
cards, gift boxes/bags, tissue paper, bows
name brand candy---pop rocks, Werther's, etc.
name brand handsoap, mini tissues for the boys to take hiking/camping

Disney branded stockings! The one by my old house had them in 3 sizes, and with either Mickey Mouse or Princesses on them (red and pink). We used the small ones to hold DH's gift to his Scouts (an emergency kit for hiking--whistle, compass, flint in one, on a string), and got some to put in the Christmas boxes (to send overseas). We have them for decorations too.

Small gifts to put in to those Christmas boxes (hit Michael's and Target $1 aisles also---managed to fill 5 of those shoeboxes for less than $30). Puzzles, checkers games, etc.

Tiny 5" orange traffic cones and racing related decorations (for Pinewood Derby)

Decoration stuff for all sorts of events, like Easter, Christmas, Halloween, Blue & Gold Banquet, etc

Stuff for my daycamp:
pencils, pencil sharpeners, sharpies, markers, stickers, plastic boxes to hold all that stuff, yarn, poster board, Foil
hand soap, sanitizer, tissues (little packages for the leaders to carry)
Craft stuff for the "tot lot"---foam stickers and pieces, suncatchers, etc.
coloring books, sudoku books for the leaders


DS likes to go in and look at the toy stuff, but has now realized that most of the toys are cheap junk, and is learning to not buy just to buy, kwim?

ETA: the last couple years, after Christmas, I pop in to the same store. They always have a ton of wrapping paper and tags left, and sell them $1 for 4! I bought a ton of Disney branded stuff--Frozen, Mickey, Princesses, Donald, Goofy, etc.

I still have 2 rolls left from my massive stock up spree back in 2002 (the grocery store had wrapping paper, tags and bows on clearance for .05-.10 each---mid-January and they found cases of Christmas stuff in the warehouse--so sold it real cheap to get it out of the way! I spent about $30--DH was in a bit of shock with the amount of stuff I carried in! I donated a bunch of paper, tags and bows when DH's old company did an "adopt a family" event), plus I gave some to DS's pack the last few years, to wrap the Scout's "Santa" gift from the pack, and to the kids schools for the kids Christmas shopping events.

 

[tcherjen]

Love these stores and find so many cute things there. I always find unique Disney items for dd and our trips. I even bought Bree- her AG doll a duffle bag from there. Mind you it was a polka dotted makeup carrier, but it works perfectly as an AG duffle bag. We find lots of things for her to play with her AG doll there.