Is Shopping at a Dollar Store worth it?

If you are on a tight budget, it's tempting to shop at a dollar stores.  With prices fixed at just a dollar an item, it's easy to stay within a budget.  However, we've begun to question the values we get at our local dollar stores.

Dollar Store at Landmark Mall - photo by Ser Amantio di Nicolao [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

Are we getting the most for our money at dollar stores?  Often the answer seems to be no.  Cheap toilet paper may do in a pinch, but when you are working with what appear to be half-sized rolls of toilet paper, you run out a lot.  If you use super cheap batteries, they run out of power faster.  If you buy cheap dollar store shampoo and it makes your scalp red and itchy that isn't much of a bargain.  You have to consider the quality and the cost per unit of things you buy at a dollar store.

Generally, you get more of a product for the money when you buy a product at a grocery store or big box retailer than at a dollar store.  However, in some cases, when you don't need as much of a product or its just an occasional purchase, a dollar store makes more sense.  The key thing to think about is whether you are getting a good value for your dollar no matter where it is spent.

We find dollar stores a great place to purchase gift bags, greeting cards, seasonal decorations, some office supplies, tooth brushes, and toothpaste. 

Big Savings From Our Dollar Tree Haul

We're kicking off the new year by talking about our most recent Dollar Tree haul.  There are three ways to save money when buying merchandise.  First, you can save money at conventional stores by shopping sales and using coupons.  Second, you can save money by buying in bulk and paying a lower unit price per item.  Third, you can buy minimal quantities that you'll actually use at predictable prices that fit into a tight budget.  Dollar Tree fulfills this third path to saving money splendidly.

A $55 Dollar Tree Haul

On our most recent Dollar Tree run, we spent an astonishing $55.  But, we bought necessities and snacks that will save us even more money over the course of a pay period.  For example. on the way home, we munched on a $1 batch of European cookies.  Consequently, we were able to breeze right by Starbucks, McDonalds, and gas station convenience stores where we might have bought a snack.  Having that $1 roll of cookies allowed us to avoid $4 to $12 in fast food snacks.

Bread for Less Bread: $1 a Loaf

Need to make lunch for the week?  No bread in the pantry?  Hardly any bread in the wallet or purse?  Don't worry!  Dollar Tree has you covered.  They have loaves of bread for only $1.  Yup, you can get some bread for only a dollar!

I generally buy whole wheat Nature's Own Bread there.  It has no high fructose corn syrup.  However, the also usually have Nature's Own white wheat bread and honey wheat bread among other things.  You'll also find some other brands of bread.  They won't be as good as these artisan breads, but you'll be able to make a sandwich!

Photo by Peggy Greb, USDA ARS [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Now, you do have to use a little caution.  Usually, the best buy date on Dollar Tree bread is only a day or two after you buy it.  I usually get one loaf and use it immediately.  Otherwise, I will freeze a loaf in the freezer and thaw it out the night before I need it.

Another place to buy bread cheap is a bakery outlet store.  Most big cities have one. However, they are not always convenient. To be honest, it's been awhile since I've been in one.  The other place I get bread cheap is Publix.  They often have buy one, get one free sales on bread.  If I'm lucky, I can get bread for $2.00 a loaf at Publix.

Of course, if you have the time, you can always save money by baking your own bread at home.

Saving Money Around Your Home: Saving Money Behind The Scenes

You can save a lot of money behind the scenes at your home. All you have to do is distinguish between public facing household expenditures and private facing household expenditures.

• Have you ever noticed how the landscaping around your apartment complex is nicest at the entrance and near the demo units? 
• Have you noticed how the buildings often have a brick facade in the front, but cheap vinyl siding around back? 

It's not surprising. Businesses want to put their best foot forward towards potential customers. However, they control costs by saving money behind the scenes in less visible areas. In your life, you can do the exact same thing.
When you examine your personal spending, you can also spend more money to put your best foot forward and less money on private facing behind the scenes expenses. When it comes to spending money on your home, it makes sense to buy nice comfortable furniture. You'll use it every day and guests will see it. However. no rational person will ever judge you by the brand of toilet cleaner you use. That is one reason that I like to buy basic cleaning supplies and cleaners at dollar stores like Dollar Tree. There is only one caveat: each product has to work.

No one can see and no one would care that we use a wide variety of Dollar Tree toilet cleaners, glass cleaners, multi-surface cleaners, and dish washing soaps. We also like Dollar store scrub brushes and sponges. If we use a national brand name product, we use it because it has proven itself to work better on an important function than any generic substitute. For example, when funds are tight, we will use Sunlight brand dish washing detergent from Dollar Tree. But, when funds are available, we prefer to use Cascade because the results are visibly better. Similarly, we've tried various store brand laundry detergents, but we usually return to Tide.

Behind the scenes in our home, we use Ajax dish washing soap from Dollar Tree on the few pots and pans that need to be hand washed. For kitchen counter and table surfaces, Dollar Tree offers Spic and Span Multi-Surface cleaner. In the bathrooms, we use Dollar Tree's Jonny Fresh toilet bowl cleaner and Home Store Bathroom Cleaner. The Home Store Bathroom Cleaner is a close substitute for Scrubbing Bubbles. We even use Dollar Tree toilet paper. When we are done, we use SoftSoap hand soap from Dollar Tree. If it is allergy season, we use Scott brand tissues from our Dollar Tree, too. Unless they read this article or snoop beneath the counters, people visiting our apartment won't know what brands of cleaners we use or where we got them. However, my wife and I can predict our budget for cleaning products because everything is $1.


Dollar Tree is great for controlling your cash flow with predictable pricing. However, if you have more storage space or a larger family, you may achieve better savings on a cost-per-unit basis by making bulk purchases from a warehouse store. The key is to minimize your spending on basic behind-the-scenes household supplies that aren't visible to the public. Even when you go out in public, no one will know that you used Barbasol shaving cream from Dollar Tree.