Save money: what to buy and what not to buy from discount stores

Do you love buying stuff from discount stores, like dollar stores, 5 or less stores and penny stores?

I’m sure your answer is yes, since these discount stores really have cheap items that would otherwise make a dent on your budget if you buy them from ordinary supermarkets. But you might be interested to know that not everything you buy from discount stores will really save you money because some items just don’t give you any value for your penny.

Here are some tips:

Greeting cards – Buy!
Greeting cards can cost $3 each at most retailers, but you can find great cards at discount stores for about $.50 each. They are still funny or pretty or sentimental in nature and I never feel like you had to settle for less than what you wanted to say.

Disposable party items – Buy!
Disposable items for a party are a great deal at discount stores. The cost of paper plates, cups, silverware, napkins, invitations, and tablecloths can add up fast. Other party items that can be found for a good price at discount stores are wrapping paper and gift bags.

Gifts

I wouldn’t recommend go to discount stores and buying gifts for your family members or friends, although there are some good items in there. Picture frames at discount stores look just as nice as the frames you can find in major retailers, but I would feel bad giving picture frames from these stores as gifts because they feel so light and plasticky. You can quickly tell that its made from cheap material.

You might be also tempted to buy toys from discount stores as gifts for children, but because children are very hard on toys, they will be very disappointed when the head pops off the doll or the tires fall of the car. Buying such toys from a discount store is not recommended because of quality issues.

But there are plenty of fun children’s toys you can get from a discount store like cards, marbles, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and coloring books. These all make great items for stocking stuffers or even for keeping the children entertained during long drives!

Home decorations
Discount stores are excellent sources of home decorations such as shower curtains, soap dishes and wall hangings for the bathrooms. You couldn’t easily tell that these were from a discount store. Instead of paying $35 for a shower curtain, you could have a decent shower curtain for a couple of dollars at the dollar store!

Office supplies
Office supplies are something most of us use on a regular basis. You can get them for a very good price at discount stores. Notebooks, paper, pens, glue, rulers, scissors, calculators, and envelopes can all be found for a really good price. I have never had any problems with the quality of such items. They are very comparable to those I buy at other retail stores for much more money.

Conclusion
You can really save a lot of money by buying from discount stores, no doubt about if. But knowing the items to buy and not to buy is also important if you want to get the most value out of your money. You shouldn’t buy something just because it’s cheap; it might be only good for a day, and your money goes down the drain. Strike a balance between price and quality. D0n’t expect the highest quality from these discount stores, but if the product fulfills a need without breaking then it’s worth the buy.