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6 best dollar store buys

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Image Credit: Flickr/mike krzeszak

Clark Howard | April 14th, 2016

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If you haven’t been to one of the dollar stores lately, you’d be amazed at what you can get for only $1!

Items like gift wrap, ribbons, bows, wrapping paper and tape are all no-brainers at dollar stores—particularly â€œtrueâ€ dollar store chains like Dollar Tree and 99-Cent Only chains, where everything is $1 or less, no exceptions! (By contrast, Family Dollar and Dollar General are dollar stores in name only; they have a variety of price points beyond just a buck.)

But dig a little deeper and you’ll find even more outside-the-box kind of savings — on season items as well as everyday products!

Here are 6 of the best buys at the dollar store

Greeting cards. Forget about paying upwards of $6 or $8 for a fancy card! The dollar store has a fabulous selection of greeting cards that are cute and don’t break the bank. These cards are often priced 2 for $1.

Gift wrapping. You can get a big variety of gift wrapping supplies, including paper, ribbons, boxes and more at the dollar stores. Here are a few options available at Dollar Tree.

Craft supplies. You’ll save up to an estimated 50% on markers, crayons, pens and pencils. The discounts will sometimes be more than 50%, and only very rarely less—though it will always be a savings.

Kitchen gadgets. The dollar store is also an excellent place to stock up on affordable glassware, economic kitchen accessories and zipper storage bags.

Paperware and party supplies: Anything that you would normally get at a big party store can be a real steal at dollar stores.

$1 steaks! Who says entertaining and dining has to be expensive? Dollar Tree now sells ribeye steaks for $1 each. The frozen, boneless beef steaks come pre-seasoned in a brine. The meat is from the brand Stampede, which is available in other major stores. The Dollar Tree steaks are just a smaller portion size!

Read more: 10 best drugstore bargains

But you might think twice about buying these things at dollar stores!

Consumer Reports recently took a close look at dollar stores in their Money Adviser publication and identified some sketchy products in dollar stores that you might want to stay away from. Here’s their list:

Jewelry (too much lead content)
Electrical products (possibly fake UL labels)
Medication (their research turned up expired products, though this may vary greatly from store to store);
Vitamins (not from reputable sellers)

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6 best dollar store buys

Here are 6 of the best buys at the dollar store

But you might think twice about buying these things at dollar stores!

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