Actually lead containing products have been found at many stores off and on through the years, including Dollar General and Wal-Mart. I know the staff at my local Dollar Tree, and they do pull items immediately when they are notified one is unsafe or has some other issue.
I love the Archway gingersnaps as well. They also carry many of the name brand candies from "long ago" such as Necco, Whoppers Malt Balls, Airheads, Sugar Daddies and Sugar Babies, etc. If you will look at your package labels from any grocery store, many of our food products are being manufactured overseas or using ingrediants from overseas and face the same concerns.
I like their selection of toys, when my children were younger, they loved to spend their allowances at Dollar Tree. They have a good deal on the light up sticks for instant. We once went to a community function where these same "glo-sticks were sold for $3 each-the same ones found at Dollar Tree in packages 2 for $1.00.
Actually, this is my "decision tree" when shopping for household items:
1. Check Dollar Tree
2. Check Big Lots
3. If Grocery Item, check Sav-a-lot
4. As a last resort, check Wal-Mart
Unfortunately I do not have a nearby Costco, but they would be on the same place on the list as Wal-Mart.
OK, as a yurt freak, I am LOVING the doggie yurt from chopsticks at the dollar store crafts blog. . . It's just a unique project. The stuffed animal from a glove also looks like a great idea for a homemade dog toy.
I love dollar stores, but you do have to be a thoughtful shopper at these places.and not all dollar stores are created equal, you have to really be creative. but if you put in some effort and learn your basic prices there are real gems to be had in almost every category.
i love this blog for ideas (not mine) http://dollarstorecrafts.com/
The only place where luck really comes into play is your health. It's good to win the gene lottery. After that, it's all choices.
I'm 'lucky' to have a nice salary for my age and area because I went to school for CompSci instead of Music. I'm 'lucky' to not have more student loans then I do because I worked 1-3 jobs all during school and worked my butt off to do well. I'm lucky that I make the choices I make is what I am!
Some of the beauty supplies found at the dollar tree are amazing deals. While the Dollar Tree in my neighborhood often times stocks discontinued drugstore items (Revlon, Covergirl, etc.), they also have some decent quality off brands. In particular, the LA colors eyeshadows (with mixing medium, they can rival MAC shadows!) and the Aziza foundation. I even ran into a dollar store that once stocked discontinued L'Oreal Feria haircolor!
There's also some good health deals. I used to buy those big generic bottles of Tylenol PM there, in lieu of Lunesta. Also, as I'm sure many of you already know, the dollar store pregnancy tests are a perfect equivalent of the $13 dollar ones you buy at Target.
My local dollar tree also has a frozen food and cooler section. Pay close attention to the expiration dates, and realize that these items are usually better deals if you're single (whereas I could buy a 24 pack of eggs cheaper somewhere else, the $1 four pack of LOCAL eggs I can buy at the dollar tree is a fantastic deal if you're a college student). I also found the coffee filters and the occasional snack to be a great deal as well.
I survived off dollar stores (but mostly the dollar tree) throughout my first two years of college. Although I did run into credit card troubles due to tuition and rent, I could not of survived buying basic necessities anywhere else.
I believe the reasons payday loans(and car title loans, refund anticipation loans, and finance companies like rent-to-own and Cashcall) exist, is because we don't know how or don't care about spending less than what we earn or get, controlling our spending and gambling habits. People should learn or make it a habit to save 10, 15, 20, or if possible 50 percent of thier weekly/biweekly/or monthly net income or monthly Social security benifits for a emergency, rainyday fund, vacation, or big ticket item.
Credit cards are better than payday loans, but we should beware of some credit card companies that take advantage of low income people with a lack of credit history or credit problems, who are struggling to make ends meet.
If you have no credit history or cleaned up your bad credit(and learned your lesson of course), Captial One(and tiny fraction of all credit unions)have unsecured major credit cards with a very low or no annual fee. The credit limits are low such as $250 or $300, which is good.
I believe payday lenders are finding some of thier stores's business phunging because people are learning to live within thier means, and competition from banks like Capital One and a tiny fraction of all credit union.
There are a few credit unions that are for the underserved population. If someone tells you that all low income people can't manage thier income, then they are telling you the half truth and half lie. Some low income people can skillfully budget thier money. Payday lenders and subprime credit card companies charge high interest and fees, because they wouldn't barely making enough money on a low credit limit or small loan amount.
I wish there where more credit unions like North Community Credit Union in Chicago and Unitus Credit Union in Portland, OR.
On the following link, watch and hear how North Side Credit Union rescued this young lady from the payday trap.
I LOVE THE DOLLAR TREE! They just opened a brand new - and might I add - spacious one close to home.
I wanted to add that in addition to the many items already mentioned - I adore this store for their gardening stuff in the early spring as well as the outdoor decorations like windsocks and yard decorations. You can't beat them for a buck. You can also get cheap seed packages and other stuff that has grown quite expensive- even at walmart.
The only thing is you have to get there early or you will lose out on the good spring stuff...
I will also admit that I bought all of my wedding invitation paper and thank you cards at the dollar tree for a grand total of $18!!! They were beautiful!!
I buy lots of varieties of mailing labels there. They also have bubble wrap envelopes for shipping which I stock up on whenever I am there. I also buy 3M brand scotch tape ( the dollar store brand sucks with regard to tape).
As you said, I tend to stock up on wrapping paper - usually the white tissue paper which can be used all year long inside gifts and gift bags.
Zip-loc bags, trash bags, scrubbies, Brillo, gifts bags, organizers, Luigi's Italian Ice (only place that it is sold here!), kosher salt, and scrapbooking supplies. I am pretty aware of prices so I won't buy the things that are cheaper elsewhere.
The report that I got the info from wasn't official (it came from a op ed column), so forgive me for misleading anyone about not being able to use the forever stamp as combined postage. I appreciate you giving us the heads up, Kerowyn!
I was just at the Dollar Tree today, and bought Christmas wrapping paper at 25 cents a roll (40ft roll, extra long length). Usually the day after any major holiday the stuff is marked down 50% off and then if you wait a week or so it goes to 75% off.
I also am hesitant to buy much food there, but I found gingersnaps there that are better than any other brand that I can find, and their pretzel rods are good too (and make good gifts when you cover them in chocolate and sprinkles).
I love the gift and wine bags. And I agree with what Gdub said, Dollar Tree does have some classier and more useful items than some of the other ones. The one in Tucson used to carry (for a buck a pop - holy cow) the nice wooden bath brushes, loofahs, etc. Very spa-like, non plastic and classy. A great way to treat yourself to some spa atmosphere at home.
Linsey, a forever stamp can be used to mail anything. It's valued at whatever a first class stamp currently costs, so if a first class stamp is 43 cents, and you want to mail something that needs 83 cents postage, you can use two forever stamps to mail that. Unfortunately I can't find the faq at usps.com where I figured out I could do that, but I've mailed small packages with a bunch of old forever stamps with no problem.
We own a farm and have 2 full time employees that we pay health insurance for and also for our own family. It would seem that if we went to a high deduct. health plan and put the savings into individual HSRA's we might actually have money left over in our hsra's at the end of the year that can roll over into the next year and grow each year and if the difference between the insurance that we are paying for now and the high deductable is more than the decutable wouldn't it make sense to switch? Our regular insurance costs us about 12000.00 per family and a hd plan would be about 7900 a year with a deductable of 2500.00 that would actually be a savings of 1600.00 a year. Since we already pay for the health insurance for our employees (they don't contribute anything) wouldn't it make sense to switch. The hd plan pays prescriptions 7.00 for generic 25.00 for level 2 drugs and 50% of level 3 drugs, the current plan we have we pay 10.00 for generic and we pay 100% of level 2 and 3 drugs. That alone would save me about 400.00 a month it just seems like a no brainer to me. Am I missing something
Yes, some of the items do cost more, so it's important to be aware. For example, I've seen certain items at Dollar Tree sell for about 20 percent less at Big Lots across the street. That being said, some items are just a flat out bargain no matter how you look at it. Those are the items I was trying to highlight. Thanks for stopping by, and for sounding off.
A few years ago I found myself in a bad spot during Christmas, so to get presents I could afford I went to the Dollar tree. It took a good amount of creativity, but there was plenty to work with. This is by far the classiest dollar store around.
Danger from LEAD,
If you check the CPSC web site for Recalls, you will see that the Dollar Tree has frequently sold mdse that does not meet US law for lead. If you buy craft supplies, charms or jewelry, make sure that children don't put items in their mouths. Make sure that people wash their hands after contact, and don't allow food to intermingle. Danger from Contamination
Health and Beauty aids might be exported from another country. They might have been "dumped" by a major retailer because of contaminiation. I think the toothpaste with melamine contamination was sold at Dollar Tree.
...the majority of things in dollar stores are items that no one would normally pay a dollar for elsewhere. That's how they make their money, I'm sure.
Not to say that there aren't deals to be had (Myscha's list is spot on), just keep in mind that things like Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are .88 for a 2-pack at Wal-Mart while the off-brand equivalent at Dollar Tree still costs a buck. I find cleaning supplies in general to be sketchy at Dollar Tree.
Quick and easy goody bags for parties (kids and adults), cleaning supplies, and Halloween, Easter, Valentines and other holiday candy. Last year I did Valentines' goody bags for a class of twenty four first graders for eight dollars and two teacher's gift for four dollars more!
You're right. Even with making your own, depending on how much effort and how many materials you want to put into the project, fifty cents is a pretty slamming price. Thanks for stopping by to share.
Actually lead containing products have been found at many stores off and on through the years, including Dollar General and Wal-Mart. I know the staff at my local Dollar Tree, and they do pull items immediately when they are notified one is unsafe or has some other issue.
I love the Archway gingersnaps as well. They also carry many of the name brand candies from "long ago" such as Necco, Whoppers Malt Balls, Airheads, Sugar Daddies and Sugar Babies, etc. If you will look at your package labels from any grocery store, many of our food products are being manufactured overseas or using ingrediants from overseas and face the same concerns.
I like their selection of toys, when my children were younger, they loved to spend their allowances at Dollar Tree. They have a good deal on the light up sticks for instant. We once went to a community function where these same "glo-sticks were sold for $3 each-the same ones found at Dollar Tree in packages 2 for $1.00.
Actually, this is my "decision tree" when shopping for household items:
1. Check Dollar Tree
2. Check Big Lots
3. If Grocery Item, check Sav-a-lot
4. As a last resort, check Wal-Mart
Unfortunately I do not have a nearby Costco, but they would be on the same place on the list as Wal-Mart.
OK, as a yurt freak, I am LOVING the doggie yurt from chopsticks at the dollar store crafts blog. . . It's just a unique project. The stuffed animal from a glove also looks like a great idea for a homemade dog toy.
I love dollar stores, but you do have to be a thoughtful shopper at these places.and not all dollar stores are created equal, you have to really be creative. but if you put in some effort and learn your basic prices there are real gems to be had in almost every category.
i love this blog for ideas (not mine)
http://dollarstorecrafts.com/
The only place where luck really comes into play is your health. It's good to win the gene lottery. After that, it's all choices.
I'm 'lucky' to have a nice salary for my age and area because I went to school for CompSci instead of Music. I'm 'lucky' to not have more student loans then I do because I worked 1-3 jobs all during school and worked my butt off to do well. I'm lucky that I make the choices I make is what I am!
Some of the beauty supplies found at the dollar tree are amazing deals. While the Dollar Tree in my neighborhood often times stocks discontinued drugstore items (Revlon, Covergirl, etc.), they also have some decent quality off brands. In particular, the LA colors eyeshadows (with mixing medium, they can rival MAC shadows!) and the Aziza foundation. I even ran into a dollar store that once stocked discontinued L'Oreal Feria haircolor!
There's also some good health deals. I used to buy those big generic bottles of Tylenol PM there, in lieu of Lunesta. Also, as I'm sure many of you already know, the dollar store pregnancy tests are a perfect equivalent of the $13 dollar ones you buy at Target.
My local dollar tree also has a frozen food and cooler section. Pay close attention to the expiration dates, and realize that these items are usually better deals if you're single (whereas I could buy a 24 pack of eggs cheaper somewhere else, the $1 four pack of LOCAL eggs I can buy at the dollar tree is a fantastic deal if you're a college student). I also found the coffee filters and the occasional snack to be a great deal as well.
I survived off dollar stores (but mostly the dollar tree) throughout my first two years of college. Although I did run into credit card troubles due to tuition and rent, I could not of survived buying basic necessities anywhere else.
/end rave
I believe the reasons payday loans(and car title loans, refund anticipation loans, and finance companies like rent-to-own and Cashcall) exist, is because we don't know how or don't care about spending less than what we earn or get, controlling our spending and gambling habits. People should learn or make it a habit to save 10, 15, 20, or if possible 50 percent of thier weekly/biweekly/or monthly net income or monthly Social security benifits for a emergency, rainyday fund, vacation, or big ticket item.
Credit cards are better than payday loans, but we should beware of some credit card companies that take advantage of low income people with a lack of credit history or credit problems, who are struggling to make ends meet.
If you have no credit history or cleaned up your bad credit(and learned your lesson of course), Captial One(and tiny fraction of all credit unions)have unsecured major credit cards with a very low or no annual fee. The credit limits are low such as $250 or $300, which is good.
I believe payday lenders are finding some of thier stores's business phunging because people are learning to live within thier means, and competition from banks like Capital One and a tiny fraction of all credit union.
There are a few credit unions that are for the underserved population. If someone tells you that all low income people can't manage thier income, then they are telling you the half truth and half lie. Some low income people can skillfully budget thier money. Payday lenders and subprime credit card companies charge high interest and fees, because they wouldn't barely making enough money on a low credit limit or small loan amount.
I wish there where more credit unions like North Community Credit Union in Chicago and Unitus Credit Union in Portland, OR.
On the following link, watch and hear how North Side Credit Union rescued this young lady from the payday trap.
http://hffo.cuna.org/10014/video/1856/html
I LOVE THE DOLLAR TREE! They just opened a brand new - and might I add - spacious one close to home.
I wanted to add that in addition to the many items already mentioned - I adore this store for their gardening stuff in the early spring as well as the outdoor decorations like windsocks and yard decorations. You can't beat them for a buck. You can also get cheap seed packages and other stuff that has grown quite expensive- even at walmart.
The only thing is you have to get there early or you will lose out on the good spring stuff...
I will also admit that I bought all of my wedding invitation paper and thank you cards at the dollar tree for a grand total of $18!!! They were beautiful!!
sad about the lead concerns tho...
I buy lots of varieties of mailing labels there. They also have bubble wrap envelopes for shipping which I stock up on whenever I am there. I also buy 3M brand scotch tape ( the dollar store brand sucks with regard to tape).
As you said, I tend to stock up on wrapping paper - usually the white tissue paper which can be used all year long inside gifts and gift bags.
Zip-loc bags, trash bags, scrubbies, Brillo, gifts bags, organizers, Luigi's Italian Ice (only place that it is sold here!), kosher salt, and scrapbooking supplies. I am pretty aware of prices so I won't buy the things that are cheaper elsewhere.
I bought a plunger there when I moved into an apt with sketchy plumbing. It was by far the best buck I spent! :)
The report that I got the info from wasn't official (it came from a op ed column), so forgive me for misleading anyone about not being able to use the forever stamp as combined postage. I appreciate you giving us the heads up, Kerowyn!
Linsey Knerl
I was just at the Dollar Tree today, and bought Christmas wrapping paper at 25 cents a roll (40ft roll, extra long length). Usually the day after any major holiday the stuff is marked down 50% off and then if you wait a week or so it goes to 75% off.
I also am hesitant to buy much food there, but I found gingersnaps there that are better than any other brand that I can find, and their pretzel rods are good too (and make good gifts when you cover them in chocolate and sprinkles).
I am reading this book to write a review on and I completely agree with you. Very light and entertaining but can't be looked at as a finance book.
I love the gift and wine bags. And I agree with what Gdub said, Dollar Tree does have some classier and more useful items than some of the other ones. The one in Tucson used to carry (for a buck a pop - holy cow) the nice wooden bath brushes, loofahs, etc. Very spa-like, non plastic and classy. A great way to treat yourself to some spa atmosphere at home.
Linsey, a forever stamp can be used to mail anything. It's valued at whatever a first class stamp currently costs, so if a first class stamp is 43 cents, and you want to mail something that needs 83 cents postage, you can use two forever stamps to mail that. Unfortunately I can't find the faq at usps.com where I figured out I could do that, but I've mailed small packages with a bunch of old forever stamps with no problem.
Love the Dollar Tree! I was particularly impressed by their collection of very cute Christmas gift bags this year--all sizes, and sometimes 2/$1.
We own a farm and have 2 full time employees that we pay health insurance for and also for our own family. It would seem that if we went to a high deduct. health plan and put the savings into individual HSRA's we might actually have money left over in our hsra's at the end of the year that can roll over into the next year and grow each year and if the difference between the insurance that we are paying for now and the high deductable is more than the decutable wouldn't it make sense to switch? Our regular insurance costs us about 12000.00 per family and a hd plan would be about 7900 a year with a deductable of 2500.00 that would actually be a savings of 1600.00 a year. Since we already pay for the health insurance for our employees (they don't contribute anything) wouldn't it make sense to switch. The hd plan pays prescriptions 7.00 for generic 25.00 for level 2 drugs and 50% of level 3 drugs, the current plan we have we pay 10.00 for generic and we pay 100% of level 2 and 3 drugs. That alone would save me about 400.00 a month it just seems like a no brainer to me. Am I missing something
Yes, some of the items do cost more, so it's important to be aware. For example, I've seen certain items at Dollar Tree sell for about 20 percent less at Big Lots across the street. That being said, some items are just a flat out bargain no matter how you look at it. Those are the items I was trying to highlight. Thanks for stopping by, and for sounding off.
A few years ago I found myself in a bad spot during Christmas, so to get presents I could afford I went to the Dollar tree. It took a good amount of creativity, but there was plenty to work with. This is by far the classiest dollar store around.
Danger from LEAD,
If you check the CPSC web site for Recalls, you will see that the Dollar Tree has frequently sold mdse that does not meet US law for lead. If you buy craft supplies, charms or jewelry, make sure that children don't put items in their mouths. Make sure that people wash their hands after contact, and don't allow food to intermingle.
Danger from Contamination
Health and Beauty aids might be exported from another country. They might have been "dumped" by a major retailer because of contaminiation. I think the toothpaste with melamine contamination was sold at Dollar Tree.
...the majority of things in dollar stores are items that no one would normally pay a dollar for elsewhere. That's how they make their money, I'm sure.
Not to say that there aren't deals to be had (Myscha's list is spot on), just keep in mind that things like Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are .88 for a 2-pack at Wal-Mart while the off-brand equivalent at Dollar Tree still costs a buck. I find cleaning supplies in general to be sketchy at Dollar Tree.
To save money, you can also go to Costco, Sam's, etc. and split up food and costs with some neighbors.
Wow. That's mighty impressive, if I do say so myself. Great job on the price watching.
Quick and easy goody bags for parties (kids and adults), cleaning supplies, and Halloween, Easter, Valentines and other holiday candy. Last year I did Valentines' goody bags for a class of twenty four first graders for eight dollars and two teacher's gift for four dollars more!
You're right. Even with making your own, depending on how much effort and how many materials you want to put into the project, fifty cents is a pretty slamming price. Thanks for stopping by to share.