My top ten "Dollar Store" deals and duds

One dolla make ya holla!  I've only briefly mentioned my love for dollar stores in this post, so today I want to expand on my favorite dollar store deals while also deterring you from dollar store duds.

Let's start with my top five fab finds* first, and and then I'll cover a list of five items to avoid.

1. Gift Wrap

One of my dream jobs growing up was to work at a department store gift wrap counter, but once I discovered gift wrapping wasn't exactly a lucrative career, I ultimately had to give that dream up. Boo!

Although I don't get paid to wrap gifts, I still love it and dollar stores are my go-to headquarters for all my gift wrapping needs including cards, which are only 50 cents each.  Their card selection is surprisingly pretty good. 

If I need seasonal wrapping paper during the holidays or something fun and girly for a bestie's birthday, you can find me perusing the gift wrap aisles at my nearby Dollar Tree for the cutest gift bags, bows, ribbon, wrapping paper and tissue.

2. Party Supplies

Last year I got my GTL on with a Jersey Shore themed birthday party (oh, yes I did) and i purchased all of my party supplies at the dollar store. 

If you're throwing a party and need balloons, cups, plates, table cloths or cutlery, you can find it all at dollar stores for cheaper than places like Party City, Wal-Mart and Target.  *insert obligatory fist pump*

3. Cleaning Supplies



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While cleaning my crack den tops the list of my least favorite things to do and I certainly wish I could just turn off my lights, unfortunately, the health department takes issue with adults living in filth.  Dollar stores have some name brand cleaning products, but you'll also find a lot of off brand products that work just as well.

In addiction to cleaning products, I also like to buy disinfectant wipes, gloves, sponges and scrubbers at dollar stores.  Momma's gotta keep a clean house so Neicy Nash doesn't bust in on me for real.

 4. Seasonal & Holiday Items

Goodies from the Dollar Tree I used to make my nephew's Easter basket.  Read deets HERE. 

I got quite a bit of Christmas decor from dollar stores last year, which you can see HERE.  Some of their holiday and seasonal items can be extremely gaudy, but dollar stores do have some really cute stuff too. Obviously just use your discretion when shopping unless tacky decor is your thing, then be my guest.  I'm not going to judge. 

 5. Cooking and Dining Accessories

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Since I'm not Kim Kardashian and I can't ask my friends and fam to buy me things like a $120 serving spoon, I have to slum it by shopping at the dollar store for my every day kitchen utensils. 

You should definitely splurge on items like sharp, durable kitchen knifes, but a lot of cooking accessories can be bought at dollar stores for 50 to 90 percent less than at Target or Wal-Mart.  Take that Kim K.

That concludes my faves, and now let's move onto the top five dollar duds to stay away from:

*Side note: I did read these actually work and some of you already commented that they do.  Just sayin' at first glance I wasn't so sure about dollar store preggers test. 

1. Vitamins - Apparently according to Consumer Reports, vitamins found in dollar stores don't always have the amount of nutrients claimed on the label.  I'm too lazy to take vitamins (I know, I know), but if I did take them, I'd certainly want them to at least be beneficial. 

2. Aspirin & other meds - Aspirin and other medications may be left on the shelf past their expiration dates. I don't know about you, but I'm not really comfortable taking OTC medicine sold for $1.  Call me crazy.

3. Electrical products - Dollar store electronics and extension cords may have fake UL labels and could be unsafe.  I'd prefer not to get electrocuted if I can help it, so I think I'll splurge on electronics elsewhere.  How 'bout you?

4. Toothpaste - In 2007, the FDA warned that many brands of toothpaste found at dollar stores carried a poisonous chemical found in antifreeze. Although recalls were issued, some of these products could still be on shelves, including toothpaste made to look like your favorite brands.  If you're like me and value your teeth, stay away.

5. Batteries - Cheap batteries may be prone to leakage, or most likely won't run as long as name brand batteries. 

And that concludes my dollar store guide, I hope you found some of this information useful.  At the very least, maybe this post stopped you from buying poisonous toothpaste.  And for that, you can thank me.

Can you think of any dollar store deals and duds I left off this list? 

*My all-time favorite thing to buy at dollar stores are bins that I use for organization.  I've already posted about dollar store organization, so I didn't cover them again in this post. If you need to catch-up, go to my "tidy" section by clicking HERE.