Dollar General, A Real Find!

I love a good deal, now, more than ever! For years I have managed to avoid $.99 stores assuming they were several steps below Walmart the socio-economic ladder. Although, I was partially correct, I didn't realize what I had been missing!

I recently took a bold step and visited my local Dollar General store. For years I mistook this store as a check cashing place similar to Dollar Tree.

I was surprised to find a wide selection of pretty much everything. I immediately headed for the facial tissue and stocked up on several boxes of off-brand tissue for a buck a box. Kleenx has hit $1.99 in Vons and I was keen to give this a shot. I wasn't disappointed with the quality and headed back to the DG when I needed more tissue.

My second visit made me realize DG is like the TJ Maxx of small box stores. The inventory and brand availability is in constant flux. When I returned to my facial tissue isle, this time I found Scott brand tissue where the off-brand had been. Again, I stocked up, but was a little disappointed because these boxes did not have as many tissues as the offbrand.

No trip to the DG is complete without a trip to the candy isle! They have a wide selection of almost all of your childhood favorites. Everlasting Gobstoppers, Runts and Spree usually end up in my basket.

A Costco/Sam's membership will probably save you money over some of the items in DG such as tooth brushes, but if you are not looking for a gross of 12 toothbrushes at a time, DG may be the way to go.

Dollar General Tips:

• Cleaning Products- Bleach, Comet, Rubber Gloves & Sponges
  
• Candy- Halloween candy is a no-brainer
• One-Use Food Containers
• Trash Bags
• Greeting Cards- When was the last time you bought a card for less than $2.50?
• Don't get caught up in the frenzy, I have noticed some food items and other miscellaneous that actually are sold for less than a dollar in other stores.
  
• Try to combine your DG visits with a trip to your favorite grocery store. This will allow you to get everything on your list if you hit the DG first.