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

Lizzie Tyner | RSS | Sun, Nov 29 2009 | 1 Comment

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.

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Tags: dollar tree store, dollar store, throwing a party

Dollar General plans its IPO

Jennifer McClelland | RSS | Mon, Aug 24 2009 | 2 Comments

The discount retailer Dollar General is planning its initial public offering in an attempt to raise up to $750 million in a preliminary filing. However, it is unclear how the proceeds will be spent. What many investors do know is that a large portion of the money will be used to pay down the company’s debt.

There will also be a $200 million dividend paid to the existing shareholders.

Dollar General has been doing particularly well in the current recession due to the fact that many consumers have been looking for a way to save money and make their dollars stretch a bit further. Dollar General isn’t like actual dollar stores like the Dollar Tree. Dollar General sells name brand goods like Clorox, Herbal Essence, and Huggies. The stores feature prices that are sometimes cheaper and the stores are small so that shopping is quicker and more manageable to shop in.

Sales have grown 13% in the last quarter for the discount retailer. The growth means that Dollar General has become one of the big guys in the retail game. Wal-Mart sales have declined 1.2% in the most recent quarter and even CostCo’s sales were down 8%.

Unfortunately for Dollar General, the debt the company owes is something that keeps investors at bay. The company’s debt stood at $4.1 billion as of May 1st. The company’s lease obligations aren’t even factored into the total debt. Of the 8,577 stores that the company runs, most of them are leased.

The amount of debt and lease obligations could be something that holds back some investors from putting their money into the company, regardless of the amount of profits and sales the company has realized in the past year.

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Tags: investors, recession, clorox

The Future of the Dollar Store.

Jennifer McClelland | RSS | Wed, Sep 10 2008 | 0 Comments

There are plenty of stories floating around about the economy, rising costs of goods and even shrinking items at the grocery store. Many fast food places are even turning their dollar menu into a value menu. I was at Wendys to get a baked potato a couple weeks ago and the price has gone up from $1 to $1.39. I’m not going to fight over $.39, but I noticed.

Anyway, I am thinking, where does this leave the dollar store? I have always gone into the dollar store and found gems as well as junk. Sometimes I can’t believe what you can actually get at the dollar store for..well…a dollar, but if you were to buy the same item in Wal-Mart it could be over $3.

At the end of August, the Dollar Tree (DLTR) posted 2nd quarter profits were 15 percent higher than the same quarter 2007. As far as profits, they’re doing well only because everything else is getting more expensive, everyone is looking for a way to cut back.

As for now, the Dollar Tree is going to remain with the Everything’s $1.00 theme. We’ll just have to wait a while and see what happens in the future.

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Tags: quarter profits, dollar store, couple