As caregivers, we all love a great deal, especially in this tight economy. Shopping at one of the various dollar stores (The Dollar Store, The Dollar Tree, The 99 Cent Store, etc.) can shave quite a bit off your monthly household and care giving budget.
It is essential to help keep in mind when you shop at these discount stores is they are certainly not held for the high standards that the food markets are. So you has to be careful what you purchase.
The Do Buys:
Cleaning items are said to be a good value on the dollar stores. And if you come across an identity brand that you trust, proceed to purchase it. It’s safe.
In most cases, bleach is bleach is bleach and many of other cleaning products have the same ingredients since the name brands. (Veronica Bright of Hub Pages states she found a wonderful cleaner called Mean Green in the dollar store locations near me which she says is amazing!) Sponges are typically a good buy, as well.
Greeting cards are a good dollar store find. Name brand cards can cost just as much as $5.00 a piece and at the dollar store, you can find nicely made cards for less than fifty cents a piece. I stock up on the “homemade scrapbook-like” cards to ensure that I’m never minus the perfect card. I’ve also found some very pretty and well made Gift bags as well as paper shred. The ribbon didn’t appear to be a good deal of bargain.
Food storage containers, are less expensive and from my experience, hold up as well because the supermarket brands. I get the aluminum foil type casserole pans to use for pot lucks and delivered church meals. I’ve also seen tortilla warmers for any dollar.
School Supplies can be found cheaper at stores like Target and Wallmart during back-to-school sales but when you discover that you need poster board in January, it’s significantly better to cover a dollar compared to $3.79 it might cost at other stores. Two sets of tabbed dividers are $1.00 in comparison with $2.50 – $3.00 at office supply stores.
Movie Night Candies can be expensive particularly when purchased at the theatre. The dollar stores carry name brand candies in “movie-sized” containers. Although most sugars don’t deteriorate quickly, it’s still smart to check the experation date.
Children’s shoes are actually a great buy as their feet grow so quickly. Summer sandals and flip flops are an especially good bargain and can be considered a fun gift for that grandchildren.
Picture frames can be rather costly in department shops. If you’re lucky, you can find some decent ones now and then in the dollar store.
Wine goblets are a good find. For just a dollar, you can purchase big (we detest those tiny 4 oz glasses that don’t enable the wine to breath or even be swirled) sturdy glasses for red and white wines. Now I’m not advocating hvcxft you serve your care recipient giant servings of wine but long into his 80s, my father loved wine but still had a great palate. There shouldn’t be lead in these, but I might conduct a bit of research about that.
In accordance with Jeff Yeager, author of “The Cheapskate Nearby”, Spices are a great purchase. I would personally go along with that if you’re not super picky. It’s hard to mess up pepper or parsley but there are other spices that need better quality. Remember to check expiration dates.
Books and specialty CDs are a couple of the best finds. I’ve found some terrific current reads plus some lovely inspirational books for just a dollar each – excellent gifts. CDs with relaxing music for mediatation or bubble baths can regularly be found in addition to holiday CDs – just don’t expect well-known artists.