Save some time and money by shopping at a dollar store.

The local Dollar Tree store may not be the first thing that comes to mind when I say “the place to be,” but it has really become a favorite spot of mine (and some of my frugal friends) when we’re looking for something that is inexpensive and we need it in a hurry.

The dollar store can typically save time and money for those on a budget, and for a lot of us even when we have money, time isn’t necessarily something we have to spare. I say that because it will only take five minutes to run into the “everything’s a dollar store” to get something that would take you at least half an hour to get from Target or Wal-Mart.

I personally think that the best time to go to the Dollar store over another store is when you are throwing a party like a wedding or baby shower.

Recently, I wanted to throw a friend of mine a baby shower. All the decorations for the shower came from the dollar store. It might sound like a “cheap” thing for a friend to do, but when it comes to streamers, balloons, and other cheap novelties, is there really a difference between what you will get at the dollar store for a buck and what you will get from Target for three? For $30 I was able to decorate my house, wrap her gifts from us, and also buy the ingredients to make the food (I didn’t buy the cake mix and stuff at the dollar store though). The best part is that everything turned out great.

I have found some pretty interesting things at the dollar store like name brand makeup, glass picture frames, drinking glasses, and dog toys. I think I’ve purchased all the cutting boards in my house from the dollar store.

I would really suggest for anyone trying to save here and there to check it out if you haven’t already. The stores really do have a lot more than plastic bins and off brand toothpaste. They have actual items that you can use.

Again, the key to being frugal here is to make sure that you actually use these items instead of just deciding that you need it while you’re there. Even a list for things that you need at the Dollar Tree can actually help you save a couple of dollars here and there.