Photo: Getty Images/EricFerguson
Everyone is always trying to save a few bucks. TJ recently got in trouble with his wife because she asked him to go to their Target to pick up some make-up for her. So he thought to save time and money that he would go to a dollar store. His wife isn't happy, and it brought up the question....what's a good buy at the dollar story and what should you avoid??
Things you should buy:
Greeting cards
Party bags
Balloons
Teacher Rewards stickers
Glow sticks and silly string
anything for gift wrapping
Organizing products
So what should you avoid? Cheapism.com came up with a list of things to avoid.
Atsushi Hirao/shutterstock
Anything With A Plug:
While dollar-store extension cords or USB cables may seem like a deal, they could be putting your electronics, as well as your home, at risk. Cords, plugs, and power strips sold at dollar stores are often flimsy and can fall apart easily. All it takes is one loose connection to spark a fire. Dollar stores have recalled extension cords and decorative lights for potential fire hazards, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
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Batteries:
If your kids play with lots of battery-operated toys (and inevitably leave them powered on), loading up on packs of generic batteries at the dollar store may seem like a swell idea. The problem, as Wired showed through a series of experiments, is that the batteries are packed withless energy than name brands. They may be adequate for something like a flashlight that is used infrequently; for heavy use, it's dollar-wise over the long haul to save the hassle of replacing power cells constantly by spending more upfront on higher-quality batteries. Moreover, cheap batteries are known to leak, which can damage electronics.
Another way to tell if dollar-store batteries are a good buy: Check the label. If the batteries contain carbon zinc, be sure to pass. This component is inferior to the lithium used by name brands.
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Vitamins And Herbal Supplements
For something as important as your health, besthead to the pharmacy. Consumer Reports hastested dollar-store multivitamins and found that some were substandard, lacking the full amount of nutrients listed on the labels. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that labels be accurate, supplements are not subjected to the same rigorous review and approval process as medications.
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Kinves
For anything with a sharp blade, going cheap is just asking for trouble. Knives are dangerous by definition, so you want one that is sturdy and well-made to minimize any chance of an accident. More than 200,000 dollar store utility knives had to be recalled some years ago because theblade could slide out right past its support — so it's not just kitchen knives to beware at super low costs.
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Tools
Tools are meant to be durable. For $1, you aren't getting the highest-quality materials, which means the tools won't last as long. A hammer for $1 will likely give $1 worth of durability. If you have to replace your tools frequently, you aren't saving anything at all. Splurge on a good hammer from the hardware store andnever have to worry about replacing it again.
Andrii Oleksiienko/shutterstock
Wedding Decor
While weddings can be expensive, decor is probably notthe best place to skimp. For example, it may be tempting to buy 300 fabric rose petals for $1, but they probably won't give you the look you want. The same goes for the 48-pack of plastic "silverware" — it's flimsy and will likely cause more trouble than it's worth. Sometimes it's better to skip something altogether rather than spend even a dollar.
Suzy J./Yelp
Paper Supplies
You get what you pay for. While four rolls of one-ply toilet paper will be low-cost, the quality is cheap — there's more sheer product for the lower price, but you'll end up using exponentially more toilet paper from a dollar store than bypaying a little more for a better product from another store.
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Plastic Tubs
Recent studies indicate there are harmful chemicals inpoor-quality dollar store containers, meaning they may not be safe for food products. For containers to store food in, look elsewhere; using the containers for non-food items doesn't pose the same risks.
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Windshield Washing Fluid
A gallon of off-brand windshield washer fluid can cost just $1, half that as for a name-brand fluid elsewhere. Read the label on washer fluid found at a Dollar Tree, though, and see if it says the solution is noteffective in winter weather. The name brands often guarantee protection in weather as low as 28 degrees below zero.
Karen N./Yelp
Soda
Watch the amount of soda you buy at the dollar store. Often a 1-liter of off-brand soda at the dollar store will cost the same as a 2-liter bottle of a name-brand soda at the grocery store. The same is true for most cans and smaller bottles of soda. Consumers claim the quality is subpar as well.
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Stuff For The Baby
With 2019 seeing dollar store recalls of baby "gripe water" (an herbal supplement billed as having organic ginger and fennel extract) and cough syrup in February and March, it seems wiser than ever to remember that babies are too fragile to risk on inferior products. Though these recalls involved an undissolved ingredient and possible bacterial contamination that could cause illness, the principle is the same for anything you put on or near a baby: Why risk it?
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Baking Soda
Baking soda is good for several kinds of cleaning around the house, whether it's for odors in the refrigerator or to make your town toothpaste. One thing it is not is expensive — and chances are that the baking soda you can buy outside the dollar store will be cheaper at any useful quantity than the baking soda you can buy in the dollar store.
Dollar Hut/Yelp
Chips and Cereal
Look closely as you walk the aisles of a dollar store and you'll see lots of products at odd sizes and weights — because instead of charging more, they can just sell less at a time. If you're not paying attention, though, it can be shocking to start snacking from an opaque bag of chips or pouring from a cardboard box of cereal and realize just how little product was inside. It might be better to get a reasonable number of servings out of a more expensive bag or box than try to enjoy how much air you're getting for your effort at the dollar store.
Related:30 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Favorite Childhood Cereals