Members of our counseling staff aren’t just looking for tips to give others. They’re also shoppers themselves, and they are always looking for deals to make their own dollars stretch as far as possible. With that in mind, the counseling staff was polled for a list of their favorite non-food items to get bargains on at dollar stores. The responses had to be something that the staff member had bought and that had stood the test of time.

Here are the top responses:

• Greeting cards
• Gift bags and wrapping paper
• Birthday balloons
• Cleaning liquids – kitchen/bath/carpet/all-purpose
• Plastic wrap
• Tin foil
• Parchment paper
• Office/school supplies
• Mailing envelopes
• Dish towels
• Scrubbing brushes/sponges
• Mugs/drinking glasses
• Tupperware
• Sandwich bags
• Bungee cords
• Sunday newspaper with coupons
• Napkins
• Organizing containers
  

Respondents reported that they had seen many of these items for up to 5-6 times as much at large chain retailers. If you have a dollar store near you, swinging by to pick up these items instead of buying them at other stores can save you a bunch.