Shopping on a Budget: What To Buy at Dollar Tree

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"We can get that at Dollar Tree!"

This is a phrase that my children and my husband hear from me ALL the time. Probably to an annoying level if I were to be entirely honest. But seriously, I love me some Dollar Tree.. why spend more when I can buy things for JUST $1, right? I only wish I could buy EVERYTHING at the Dollar Tree... but here are a few things that I do, and would highly recommend:

• Organization Items. Dollar Tree has a great selection of storage items that are GREAT for keeping you organized--- little bins to be used for small toys or under the sink storage, etc. These can add up other places, so I love grabbing them here. 
• Spices & Other Grocery Items. Did you know that Dollar Tree has limited groceries? Now, to be honest, I have found *some* of their grocery items to be hit and miss quality wise (hint: their 'cheese'... not recommended), and some items I can usually find cheaper on sale at my local grocery story (bread, eggs, etc...), but I love getting what I can there. Spices is one that I've found is always cheaper AND the quality seems just the same as we'd find for $2-3 more! I've also purchased flour and sugar... the staples with good luck, although you do sometimes have to check sizes to make sure you ARE in fact getting a better deal. Check your local store to see what kind of selection they carry! 
• Make-Up/Nail Polishes. Now again, depending on your skin especially, this can be hit or miss on if the items they carry work well for you, but you CAN find a pretty decent selection of make-up available at Dollar Tree and even name brands at time too. My favorite beauty item to pick up at Dollar Tree is nail polish. They often have two packs which means each color is just 50 cents each. (Hint: Dollar Tree DOES accept manufacturer coupons, so watch out for those!)
• Dishes. Dishes at Dollar Tree? Who would have thought!? But seriously, they have some cute dish options available that are actually nice quality too! Now, you might not have quite the variety as you'd find elsewhere, but if you're on a budget, they'll be perfect!
• Wrapping Paper and Party Supplies. If I'm not able to stock up during after holiday clearances, Dollar Tree is my go to for wrapping paper. They have a wide variety of cute prints, including some favorite kids characters. Why pay more for something that's just getting tossed out anyway. Same goes for gift bags. You can even find party supplies too, which can be a huge savings. I usually buy what I can at Dollar Tree and head to a party store to get a small selection of character pieces to go with our theme!
• Shipping Materials. Now, if you ship a lot of packages, I would actually advise against Dollar Tree and suggest buying in bulk (ebay or Amazon) for lower costs, but if you're just the casual shipper, you can get everything you need here--- bubble mailers, envelopes, tape, even Sharpies brand permanent markers. 
• Decor. We've gotten a lot of great holiday decor items from Dollar Tree, but they also have some great every day decor items too. Vases, picture frames, candles... this can be a great place to save a little bit of money. You can even take these basics they offer and make them more your own with a little spray paint and DIY know-how. 
• Health/Beauty Items. Cotton Swabs, Band Aids, pregnancy tests, baby wipes, even medications... all of these can be found at Dollar Tree. Some might have name brands in smaller amounts, others off brand, but if they do the job... why pay more? They do offer shampoos and body wash too, but personally I do not find the quality to be that great and prefer to spend more elsewhere. 
• Batteries... sometimes. If you're looking for batteries for something that drains quickly, you might have to bite the bullet and pay the higher prices elsewhere, but for things like remote controls and even some toys, we have found that Dollar Tree batteries work out just fine for us. 
• Paper products. I always seem to grab paper towels and kleenexes at each trip to the Dollar Tree. They often have name brand of both too. Sandwich bags, foil, etc are also good ones to pick up. Toilet paper can be a little iffy, but they do often carry four packs of Angel Soft which work well... and if you're on a tight budget... hey, even cheap TP is better than none, am I right? I've gotten trash bags in a pinch too, and while they would not be my preferred pick, again... in a pinch, they're $1!
• SOME Basic Toys. Now honestly, when it comes to toys at the Dollar Tree, I've found more often than not, you get what you pay for. They often don't seem to last too long, unfortunately. (Our Dollar Tree hula hoop fell apart in just a day!) Still, for things like bubbles and sidewalk chalk... we've had very good luck. We also like to grab coloring books there too!
• Cleaning Supplies. Dollar Tree usually has a pretty great selection of cleaning supplies. They probably have everything you would need in theory, but I cannot speak for how well many of them might work. But they have basic bleach, various spray cleaners, dish soap, etc. For me, they are my go to for brooms. Yes, a broom for just $1! They're certainly nothing fancy, but they sweep well so I cannot complain! They also carry 'magic erasers' that work just as well as the name brand (although I've found baking soda and water works for this too--- even cheaper).

As you can see, there really is a LOT that you can get at Dollar Tree to save you money. Is everything going to be as high a quality as you might find elsewhere? Maybe not, though much of it is still very good for the price! But when you're on a budget and need to cut some costs, it can be a great resource to check out! 

Are you a Dollar Tree shopper? What are your 'must buys' and 'absolutely do not' buys?