Bird Girl Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 We have a Japanese dollar-type store near us, and I have bought some things there. I try to buy things that are made in Japan, rather than those made in China. One thing that I've gotten there that's made a huge dent in our shampoo/conditioner usage is a large pump bottle shaped like a little seal. The kids' stuff goes in it and they get ONE PUMP for each bath. Nothing saves on shampoo quite like limiting the amount that goes down the drain! In general, I find it's cheaper to avoid buying the kind of stuff they tend to sell in dollar stores than it is to buy the stuff there. When I want to have some retail therapy, I go to the thrift store--lower prices, higher quality, and the re-use factor is "green," right?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairie rose Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 We have a Japanese dollar-type store near us, and I have bought some things there. I try to buy things that are made in Japan, rather than those made in China. One thing that I've gotten there that's made a huge dent in our shampoo/conditioner usage is a large pump bottle shaped like a little seal. The kids' stuff goes in it and they get ONE PUMP for each bath. Nothing saves on shampoo quite like limiting the amount that goes down the drain! In general, I find it's cheaper to avoid buying the kind of stuff they tend to sell in dollar stores than it is to buy the stuff there. When I want to have some retail therapy, I go to the thrift store--lower prices, higher quality, and the re-use factor is "green," right?!? Oh I LOVED going to the 100 Yen Store when we lived in Japan! SO much better than the American dollar stores and so much neat stuff! We had a particularly large one about 10 minutes away from our house when we lived in Okinawa. My kids loved parking on the roof of the store and taking the elevator down. :lol: I really miss 100 Yen Stores :( I'm not a big fan of American dollar stores either I have noticed that not all dollar stores, even ones with the same name but different locations, are created equal. The one about 15 minutes north of me is you stereo-typical nasty dollar store. But the one by the same name 15 minutes west of me, is clean and inviting and has many things the other one does not carry. I love my plastic measuring cups and spoons from the Dollar Tree. Found some really neat books as Christmas Eve pressies for my one kid that prefers non-fiction to novels. I've found little bags of tumbled glass and stones and pebbles for decorating (I feel much better changing my mind about how it looks when it only cost a dollar and I don't freak out when my toddler decides his dump truck needed a few and the dish or container slowly empties of the filler...) I don't go often but I get odds and ends there some times. I agree with the others, you can very often find better deals elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassicCole Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 We are blessed with a great Dollar Tree. Have been in some not so great ones. My parents always look forward to visiting us so they can take a trip to the one in our town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykdsmomy Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Thank you to everyone for responding! I don't buy food from there unless it's a name that I recognize and trust. I bought some garlic pretzel chips there the other day because they are the same brand that the regular grocery store sells. I'll also occasionally buy candy or gum there. Mostly I stick to: craft supplies school supplies workbooks for ds6 cleaning tools such as scrub brushes/Brillo pads greeting cards hair brushes/scrunchies White Rain hair spray and sometimes the shampoo kitchen gadgets (depending on what they're made out of) some cleaning supplies...although I'll never buy that orange cleaner again :( batteries Sara Lee bread and drum roll please............................bras! :blushing: they are thin but they do the job! I won't buy paper towels, toilet paper or trash bags there because they seem to come in less quantities and work out to be more expensive for us. We only use Scott tissue because it seems to last the longest for us. I am realizing we go through products faster than most families....a 24oz container of body wash lasts us about a week. A 24 oz bottle of shampoo/conditioner lasts maybe a week and a half! We use a roll of toilet paper a day and do at least two loads of laundry a day. There are 6 of us and compared to other families, it just seems like a lot. I feel like I'm always running to Target for something.....I honestly don't buy tons of extra stuff. It just seems like the day to day stuff adds up so fast! Maybe that's a whole other thread though :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamma Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 For discount-y sort of stuff I try and hit liquidation sort of places. Good prices on brands I recognize. Food is usually close to out dated, but I have never had anything off. My local Deals Only has things like 4 Kraft dressings for $1, or cereal for 79 cents. Tonnes of shampoo, deodorant etc. for a fraction of the reg prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 For name brands at a discount, you might try looking for salvage grocery stores in your area. I've bought Ghirardelli chocolate bars for 25 cents (the large bars which are ~$3 in stores), Seattle's Best coffee for $2 (and many other $$ brands for the same price or even $1 a bag, large jars of natural peanut butter for $1, pasta for 25 cents (name brands), and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilymax Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 For name brands at a discount, you might try looking for salvage grocery stores in your area. I've bought Ghirardelli chocolate bars for 25 cents (the large bars which are ~$3 in stores), Seattle's Best coffee for $2 (and many other $$ brands for the same price or even $1 a bag, large jars of natural peanut butter for $1, pasta for 25 cents (name brands), and so on. We used to live near one of those and I got a few good deals. But I'll never buy anything fresh/frozen from one of those places again. I got sick as a dog after eating a Healthy Choice entree from the salvage store, and heard other people had gotten sick after eating frozen food from there. Actually, I haven't been back since...even though the other stuff was fine. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) I agree with those who said the stuff isn't necessarily cheaper. That is very true. I just like browsing the junk. ;) As with anywhere else, you have to shop carefully to get useful items that aren't just junk. I do find that Dollar Tree is a GREAT place for party supplies. That's where we bought all the decorations (mylar balloons, plastic tablecloths, crepe paper, banner, etc.) for EK's 16th birthday bash, and spent a fraction of what we would've spent elsewhere. Other items I buy there are batteries (when they have the name brand kind), bendy drinking straws, Christmas decorations, decorative serving platters, kitchen gadgets (several years ago I bought a package of metal strainers for the kitchen sink drain & they're still in use), stocking stuffers (name brand candy, mini sewing kits, etc.), coloring books, dice, and other math manipulatives. A few years ago, they had some really good quality pattern block sets and I bought several of those for my math class. And one time, they had a bunch of Christian music CD's and I bought a stack of them for my dh for Christmas, to go with the stereo I bought him at Sam's. I also like Dollar General, but my favorite discount store is Big Lots. Neither of those is an "everything's a dollar" store, but I find some great bargains, especially at Big Lots. Edited January 7, 2011 by ereks mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 This may sound weird, but pregnancy tests. The ones from Dollar Tree (I forget the brand name at the moment) are just as effective as the pricey ones. Nope, not weird at all! Why in the world would you pay $10-$15 for a test when the $1 tests are accurate? Even if you have to take a few of them to feel sure. You can find them cheaper online, but if you weren't exactly planning the need for one and don't want to wait for shipping, dollar store is the way to go. (Not that I have any experience in this matter...) I occasionally find other actual worthwhile stuff at dollar stores. Shortly before DS's 6th birthday, I found those plaster dinosaur eggs that you chip apart to dig out a dinosaur skeleton. We get workbooks sometimes, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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