3 Little-Known Perks of Shopping at Dollar Stores

It pays to give them your business.

As someone who's always been frugally minded, I've long been a fan of dollar stores -- even before inflation started driving living costs up. But these days, more consumers are turning to dollar stores in an effort to stretch their paychecks.

Now as a mom of school-aged children, I can tell you firsthand that dollar stores are a lifeline. Need supplies for a craft or project? You can spend just a few dollars rather than rack up a credit card tab that's three times as high. Need goodies for a classroom party? Your dollar store has you covered.

If you're not too familiar with dollar stores, you may want to give your closest one a try. Here are three lesser-known perks you might appreciate when shopping there.

1. You can buy household essentials and groceries

People who aren't familiar with dollar stores may not realize that a lot of the items you commonly see on supermarket shelves are available at dollar stores, too -- only at a fraction of the cost. I commonly buy things like hand soap (which we go through a lot of in my household), paper products, and candy (which, ahem, we also go through a lot of) at my local dollar store. And sometimes, that saves me a trip to the grocery store.

2. You can load up on different purchases with a single trip

One of the reasons so many people love big-box stores like Target and Walmart is that you can find a range of products under the same roof. Well, dollar stores are similar in that regard. At my local store, you can buy everything from birthday cards to art supplies to pans and baking tools. As a busy working mom who's perpetually pressed for time, that's an important thing.

3. You can avoid crowds

For me, one of the most frustrating things about going food shopping is battling crowds at my local grocery store and having to wait in long lines to check out. That's never been my experience at the dollar town in town. 

Granted, it could be that I'm just going at the right times. But I tend to do all of my errands at the same time -- in the morning after dropping my kids off at school. And while that often means shopping at a crowded supermarket, I've never had to wait more than a couple of minutes to check out at the dollar store.

What can your local dollar store do for you?

As a mom, I can say with certainty that having access to a local dollar store has saved me a fair amount of money since having kids. But you don't need to be a parent to benefit from shopping at dollar stores. So if you have one in town, it pays to check it out -- especially these days.

A lot of people are having a hard time covering their expenses thanks to rampant inflation. And we could be in for many more months of it. So if you'd rather eke out some savings in the course of your shopping, it pays to visit your local dollar store and see what deals you can find.