Favorite Dollar Store Items for My Family

I love the dollar store. I have vivid memories of going to my first one while visiting my grandmother as a young girl. We didn’t have one where we lived at the time so we’d have to wait until we paid a visit to my grandparents to partake in the dollar store shopping shenanigans. Since my first visit many years ago, I’ve developed a deep love for my local dollar store, especially now that I have a family.

Having a family to care for has many different costs involved so when there is savings to be found, I jump on them. Here are a few of my go-to’s when it comes to shopping at my local dollar store.

Kitchen Supplies: I buy my cling wrap at Costco and that likely won’t change (I bought one roll 5 years ago and it’s still going strong!), but tin foil, parchment paper and Ziploc baggies almost always come from the dollar store. I love to bake using parchment paper and my local dollar store sells it in flat folded sheets which is much easier than fighting with a curled up roll!

Craft Stuff: We go through a ton of paper, stickers, markers, crayons and paint brushes… with a busy toddler we’re always creating something and the dollar store helps. If I was to rely even on WalMart for the stuff it would be super expensive but for $5.00 every few months we have a well-maintained art container. This will continue when kiddo is in school and working on projects too.

Party Supplies: We like to host get-togethers and the dollar store is our go-to for anything we may need. Depending on the occasion it varies but we’ll always check the dollar store before checking any specialty store. Balloons, gift wrap, paper plates are almost always from the dollar store. I’ve even found decent platters and bowls that I’ve required and been able to get a few uses out of.

Seasonal Decorations: Other than Christmas and maybe Halloween, I’ve never really decorated for any other occasion but having a kid has me doing all kinds of strange things, like put up Valentine’s day decorations in my house. I don’t know about your kids but my daughter has a ton of fun changing out a few decorations and the dollar store allows it. Not only do some of the stores have really nice things, they’re affordable.

Greeting Cards: I know they’re a waste of money, even at $1.00, but I enjoy getting and receiving cards so I buy them. A gift doesn’t seem complete without a little note in a card. However, other than a wedding (where I will dish out more than $1.00 for a keepsake card), I love the dollar store for all my greeting card needs.

The dollar store isn’t ideal for everything, sometimes you really do need to spend a little more money for quality, but at lease for these items its money well spent.

What are your favorite dollar store items?

Photo Credit: (c) Can Stock Photo

Catherine

Catherine is a first time momma to a rambunctious toddler. When she isn’t soaking up all that motherhood has to offer, you can find her blogging over at Plunged in Debt where she chronicles her and her husbands journey out of debt. You can also follow her on Twitter.