In addition to writing my own content, I contribute to money-saving articles written by top talent in the smart shopping, beauty, and personal finance space. The post below from Kiplingers is the latest!
Written by Bob Niedt
If you want to save a few bucks preparing for the holidays this year, learn to cut corners at the dollar store. It’s a boots-on-the-ground savings tactic many large families learned out of necessity long ago. Good thing, too, since Americans expect to spend an average $1,007.24 shopping for the holidays in 2018, up 4.1% from 2017, according to a National Retail Federation survey. The majority of the spending ($637.67) will go toward gifts, naturally. But a big chunk ($369.57) will be devoted to decorations, greeting cards, flowers, food, and other non-gift purchases.
Holiday Decorations
Sure, you probably have boxes and boxes of holiday decorations you’ve accumulated over the years. But if you have some gaps to fill in, some updating to do, or if you’re just starting out, you can stock up at bargain prices at the dollar store.
“Festive décor is typically a good deal at the dollar store as long as you stick to disposable items, like tinsel, fake snow, and streamers,” says Trae Bodge, smart shopping expert at True Trae. “Avoid anything electronic, like lights or animatronic figurines.”
At Dollar Tree, we found a 9-foot tinsel garland, Christmas stockings, decorative bows and a plastic tube with 12 globe ornaments, all for $1 each. Prices were considerably higher at Target.
…
Cleaning Supplies
Guests are nice, but try as they might, they’re messy. You have to clean before they arrive and after they leave.
“Cleaning supplies can be a good deal at the dollar store, but make sure you are buying name brands, or the quality could be lacking,” says Bodge. “I would suggest leaning toward items like Brillo pads, Scotch sponges and Comet, as those items have an unlimited shelf life. Liquid cleaning products can lose their efficacy over time, and there’s no telling how long the items have been sitting there.”
At Dollar Tree, we scoped out a 12-ounce bottle of Dawn Simply Clean dish soap, Comet (25-ounces) or Ajax (28-ounces) cleanser, and Comet Classic (24-ounces) toilet bowl cleaner, all for $1.
Click here to read the full post on Kiplinger.com
