What to Buy at the Dollar Store (and What to Avoid!)

Dollar stores are well known to smart shoppers. These are places where everything they sell costs $1.00 and, if you know a few secrets, you can get some good deals. The flip side is true too - if you don't know some secrets, you can buy some pretty useless junk. Here's what SmartMoney says are the best buys at the dollar store:

1. Cleaning Supplies - sponges, detergent, window cleaner, etc. According to the Good Housekeeping Institute, the stuff for sale at the dollar store is made up of the exact same ingredients as the expensive grocery store stuff - it's just been diluted a little bit. They have to find a way to make it cost a dollar! So - unless you need super cleaning power, the dollar store variety should work just fine.

2. Gift Wrap - sells for up to 80% off of what you'd pay at Target or Wal-Mart. My luck has been hit or miss with dollar store gift wrap - sometimes it's pretty flimsy (and see through - which bugs me). I'm also not a good wrapper so that could be part of the problem.

3. Snacks - peanuts, chocolate bars, twinkies, potato chips, etc. If you're stocking up on junk food for a party, you can rack up big savings. Don't make a special trip if you're only buying a couple of things - the savings aren't that huge since the grocery store varieties aren't super expensive.

4. Shampoo - Paula Begoun, author of "Don't Go Shopping for Hair Care Products Without Me" (a book that I've read cover to cover multiple times), says that shampoo is shampoo is shampoo. It's all the same ingredients and it all goes down the drain. The real product to splurge on in hair care products is conditioner! So - buy shampoo at the dollar store and save big time.

5. Kitchen Accessories - save up to 90% buying things like measuring cups, spatulas, cutting boards, etc. at the dollar store. Honestly - is that Williams Sonoma measuring cup any more effective than a cheap $1.00 version? I'll answer for you. No.

Now - that said, there are things to avoid buying at the dollar store. Here's what Shop Smart magazine said should be avoided:

1. Vitamins - In their independent lab tests, some of the multi-vitamins were missing ingredients that were shown on the label. Others did not break down properly and would not have been absorbed by the body. Stick to the drugstore for these.

2. Electrical Products - These things are cheap because they don't go through the inspection process that more expensive products do. Look for the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) safety sticker on electrical products (you likely won't find these at the dollar store!).

3. Toys for Kids Under 3 - Super cheap toys are often mislabeled, have really small parts, and might even contain lead paint. Buy toys with large parts (so large they don't fit through a toilet paper tube) and buy them from somewhere other than the dollar store.

4. Soundalike Brands - Those Dinacell batteries that look like Duracell batteries - don't buy them. Fake goods are often cheap (really cheap) imitations of the real thing and are designed to lure people into buying crappy merchandise. Don't be that guy.

5. Soft Vinyl Lunch Boxes - If you're getting a lunch box for a dollar, something's wrong with it. Often times they have high lead content. You don't want your food stuck inside one of these!

So...now you know what should and should not be bought at the dollar store. Does it bother anybody else that there are stores with dollar in the title that aren't actual dollar stores? What's the deal with places like Family Dollar and Dollar General? Don't put the word 'Dollar' in your title if you're not a dollar store. That's my new decree. Oh well. Enough from me - enjoy your savings.