I've Already Saved Almost $100 This Year by Shopping at Dollar Stores. Here's How

Picking up craft supplies and party favors has helped this writer save big time.

There's been a dollar store in my neighborhood for as long as I can remember. But I didn't actually start shopping there until a few years ago, when a friend suggested that I do so for things like crafting supplies.

The good thing about dollar stores is that they tend to be abundant. Consumer Reports found that about 75% of U.S. consumers live within five miles of a Dollar General, compared to about 60% of people living that close to a hospital. Not only that, but 88% of Americans shop at dollar stores at least on occasion.

I will say that shopping at dollar stores can sometimes be a frustrating experience. That's because these stores don't always have the widest selection of items, especially when it comes to groceries. That's why I typically count on a combination of Costco, Aldi, ShopRite, and Trader Joe's for food, and not my local dollar store.

But there are certain items I frequently head to my local dollar store for. In addition to crafting supplies, which my children often need for school projects, I tend to load up on things like gift bags, birthday cards, party bag fillers, and classroom handouts at my dollar store. And so far this year, that practice has saved me about $100 by my estimate.

The numbers make sense

While I do the overwhelming majority of my food shopping in person, I tend to buy most other things online. I don't tend to have a lot of time to run to different stores between work and helping to run my household. As such, whenever I need something along the lines of crafting supplies or small items to hand out to my kids' classmates, I tend to turn to Amazon.

But often, buying these items on Amazon will result in a larger credit card tab than buying them at the dollar store. And based on the comparison shopping I did, I've saved about $100 this year by purchasing the following items at my local dollar store instead of Amazon:

• Crafting supplies for school projects
• Party bag supplies for my daughters' most recent birthday party
• Valentine's Day non-food goodies for my daughters' classes, along with Valentine's Day cards
• Gift bags and birthday cards for the parties my kids have attended since the start of the year
• Paper bags

As one example, Amazon sells 100 paper bags for about $7.50. I get a 30-pack at my dollar store for $1.25, so I can get 90 for $3.75 and 120 for $5, which is way less than Amazon's price. And I actually stock up on paper bags in bulk once a month because I need them for a fundraiser I'm in charge of at my kids' school.

Now, this isn't to say that your local dollar store will always have a lower price than Amazon. And in some cases, Amazon might be the better choice, especially if you're buying in bulk. But it's worth checking.

It pays to see what your dollar store has in stock

As mentioned earlier, you might run into supply issues when you shop at dollar stores. So if you have very specific needs (say, there's a particular type of party bag filler you're looking for), then you can't count on being able to address them at a dollar store price point. But if you're trying to spend less and grow your savings account balance, it might be worth it to see how much of a discount your local dollar store has to offer.