With the ever-increasing and pretty unreasonable prices at the market I've had to alter my shopping strategies, so I thought I'd share what's working for me. Today I'd like to show you why I'm making regular trips to our local dollar store. Technically it's $1.25 store now that they've raised their prices, but you can still find some low-cost alternatives to pricier products you use all the time.
Here are two lighters we use around the house and out at the fire pit in the yard. The Scripto lighter on the right is one I paid $2.99 for at Publix; the unbranded lighter on the left was $1.25 at Dollar Tree (difference: $1.74). There is no difference between them except that the unbranded lighter doesn't have a safety lock on it. Since it's becoming hard for me to use locking lighters with my arthrits the unbranded is the superior product for me.
I've been making our hand soap for 2+ years because it was impossible to find anywhere, but now it's back on the shelves. The Mrs. Meyers Clean Day handsoap was $4.89 at Target (I bought this for Katherine 3 years ago); the Bath & Beauty handsoap was $1.25 at Dollar Tree (difference: $3.64). Now, there is 1.25 more ounces of product in the Mrs. Meyers handsoap, and it is liquid handsoap rather than foaming like the Bath & Beauty, but since we prefer foaming handsoap it's no contest. Also, the Bath & Beauty has a lighter fragrance, and has a green/pear-scented variety that's nice for the kitchen.
My guy still uses bar soap for showering, but I prefer body wash. The Dial Lavender & Jasmine body wash was $7.69 at Target when I bought it for Katherine last December; the Silkience body wash was $1.25 at Dollar Tree (difference: $6.44). Again there's a size difference (Dial is 32 oz.; Silkience is 24 oz.) and the Silkience is not as thick as the Dial. Still, for the price I can buy six bottles of the Silkience for what I pay for one bottle of Dial, and I actually prefer the scent of the Silkience.
I do not often venture into the food aisles at Dollar Tree as I'm still a little leery of the quality of those products. Yet on my last trip I came across a real bargain on Suddenly Pasta Salad. The one on the right was $2.99 at Publix; the one on the left was $1.25 at Dollar Tree (difference $1.74). They are the same product, just different sizes. Here's the problem it solves: my guy and I can never finish the larger size pricier pasta salad, and I usually end up tossing the leftovers, so a smaller size is better for us. Also, if I want to make a larger batch I can just make two boxes, which would still be cheaper than the big box.
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We were at our neighbors' annual potluck get-togethers and I noticed she had pinwheels in her garden to ward off birds. She said she'd had good luck with them so I picked up a couple at the Dollar store to see if they'll help my garden. If it works I'll pick up some more.