Friday, December 4, 2015

Saving Money At The 'Dollar Tree'




Ok, maybe the subtitle “Bargins abound, but buyer beware.” is a little harsh, but I wanted to get your attention. As you know shopping on a budget requires a little work if you want to successfully stretch your food dollars. This is especially true if you are just starting out and trying to stock your pantry with the bare essentials, what we call here 'the minimalist pantry'.

One of the great resources for stocking your minimalist pantry is your local 'Dollar Tree' store. Now I realize not everyone reading this article has a local Dollar Tree, but if you have a '$0.99' or dollar store in your neighboorhood, the same princples apply. With more than 13,500 stores here in the lower 48 states and in Canada many of you have most likely seen a Dollar Tree at one time or another. Like their name implies eveything in the store is $1.00 (sometimes a few items can be found for less, but rarely). This can lead to some great buys, but care must be taken because sometime items are cheaper at your local Walmart, our other grocery store chain.


Minimalist Pantry 'Best Buys'

So let's look at some of the items in which you can save a substantial amount of money on by buying them at the Dollar Tree versus your local grocer or Walmart. I use Walmart for comparison as theyare the largest grocery type retailer in the United States, usually have the most competitive prices, and it is the primary grocery store chain in our area. This listing of products is not all-inclusive, there are many things that you might find at the Dollar Tree that I do not use or vice versa, but this will give you a good indication of the savings you can find.

Dried Black Beans 1lb bag ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $1.72 at Walmart), a 42% savings.
Dried Pinto Beans 2lb bag ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $1.64 at Walmart), a 61% savings.
Dried Red beans 12oz bag ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, 1lb bag $1.22 at Walmart), a 5% loss.
Kosher Salt 16oz ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $1.64 at Walmart), a 61% savings.
Lemon Juice 32oz ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $2.48 at Walmart), a 60% savings.
Long Grain Rice 2lbs ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, $1.18 at Walmart), a 15% savings.
Molasses 8oz ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, 12oz $2.88 at Walmart), a 48% savings.

These items cost us a total of $7.00, had we purchased similar items at Walmart we would have spent $12.76. On this quick shopping trip we saved $5.76 or 45% by shopping at the Dollar Tree as opposed to going into our local Walmart. Now that is a way to stretch you food dollars! One tip we use to stretch our food budget is that we keep an updated list of the things we purchase at Dollar Tree and compare them with Walmart. Knowing which items we use on a regular basis and which store is the cheapest helps to stretch our food dollars and it only takes a minute to check out or list when we get ready to go shopping. 



Some items we did not purchase on this trip but keep in the pantry include: Butterfield canned chunk chicken 6oz can ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, 12.5oz $2.38 at Walmart), a 16% savings, Corina tomato sauce 29oz can ($1.00 at Dollar Tree, 12.5oz $1.29 at Walmart), a 22% savings. These are just a few of the canned goods we buy at Dollar Tree. We have found however, canned goods are usually cheaper at your local grocer or Walmart, so keep your eyes open, as there are always exceptions.



Buyer Beware (Comparing Apples to Apples)

Something to think about when shopping at the Dollar Tree is that each location is a little different. I have seen 'La Rosa' black beans in 1lb bags at one location and 'Iberia' black beans in 12oz bags at a different location both for $1.00. The black beans at my local Dollar Tree when I made these purchases were sold in a 1lb bag, but the same 'La Rosa' brand of red beans were in 12oz bags. Now here is what I mean about buyer beware. While the red beans at the Dollar Tree were $1.00 each, the bag was actually only 12oz making them $0.08 per ounce, while the 1lb bag at Walmart are $1.22 making them $0.06 per ounce. The red beans are actually cheaper at Walmart than the Dollar Tree. Because the black beans were sitting on the same shelf next to the red beans, I just grabbed a couple of bags of red beans without looking at the size of the bag assuming they were 1lb bags. While my mistake only cost me a few pennies, it is a simple reminder that you have to look at the size of or the weight of each container when comparing prices.


Conclusion

Not everything is cheaper at your local $0.99 or Dollar Tree store, but stop in and take a quick look around next time you are near one. This will give you an idea of which items the store carries that you use everyday making nurticious meals for your family. Knowing which items are available for $1.00 or less will help you to stretch your food budget and stock your minimalist pantry without breaking the bank. Just remember to check the labels and compare prices ounce per ounce when making buying decisions to maximize your food purchasing power. 

On this quick stop at our local Dollar Tree we saved we saved $5.76 or 45% compared to comparable items found at our local Walmart, and buying more with less is always a good thing! As always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.


Other Money Saving Articles On Our Blog:







The Minimalist Pantry Series On Our Blog:






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