# Dollar Store Treasures?



## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Hey Everyone, I am sure people use the dollar store for some great supplies BUT what was the best find you EVER found at the dollar store for prepping??


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Hydrogen peroxide and cheap Ramen noodles. Boring, I know.


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## jro1 (Mar 3, 2014)

shitty 5.11 tactical gloves for $5, $2 sour worms...


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

almost all the dollar stores have first aid supplies and OTC meds at a bargain $$$$ .... load up on the tubes of ointments - usually it's 1/3 the price compared to Walgreens & CVS and even Wally World ....

another great item to pick up is in the infant section of the store .... package of medicine graduated dosing spoon and eye dropper for preparing your pool shock/chlorine formulation ....


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## screwedby (Oct 21, 2015)

Dollar Tree

Reading glasses.

Instead of one pair for $20 I get 20 pair.
I put 1 pair in each room, 1 pair in each car, and 1 pair in each jacket.

When they break, I toss them.


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## jro1 (Mar 3, 2014)

screwedby said:


> Dollar Tree
> 
> Reading glasses.
> 
> ...


Grandad, is that you? Grandad does the same thing! Lmao!!


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## Targetshooter (Dec 4, 2015)

everything that is used daily and then some ,, when on a fixed income dollar store is your best friend ..


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

I bought things of marginal use but it allowed me to store extras and then some

1. Cooking utensils in particular stainless steel and wood 
2. Can openers. 
3. Candles most common is tea lights that came in sealable glass jars. Those jars are used for dry goods in the kitchen. 
4. Surprisingly really good bandaids. Top up med kits in all places with extras and alcohol wipes - the most used things in my kits. 
5. Peroxide. 
6. Rubbing alcohol
7. Quinoa. $2 for 100 grams in sealed bags. Perfect for emergency bags it's a super food. If you don't know about it google it. 
8. Other crap that's slipping my mind. They have these little wooden boxes that I sand and finish up really nice that I keep gun cleaning kits in. 
9. 100% cotton bandannas.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Sterno cans, one dollar each. I will not repeat some of the finds that were previously mentioned.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Illini Warrior said:


> almost all the dollar stores have first aid supplies and OTC meds at a bargain $$$$ .... load up on the tubes of ointments - usually it's 1/3 the price compared to Walgreens & CVS and even Wally World ....


It has been my experience that they contain about 1/3 the product too.
I used an antibiotic cream for a scrape on my son, and I squeezed out about half a tube of air before anything came out.
I was not impressed. Hopefully that was just a bad example.


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## Grim Reality (Mar 19, 2014)

I too have paid many visits to my local dollar store...typically for...

Toothpaste & Brushes, Floss, matches, some canned goods, Ink Pens (You have a large supply of pens & paper for 
notes, don't you?), Body powders, Foot powder, hard Candies (they store very well), Cleansers, Shampoos, Soaps 
Deodorants, Lotions, the list is quite loooooong!

I too buy the prescription reading glasses, but more for trading purposes in the future...they will be difficult to
recreate in the immediate aftermath...and MANY people will need them to be able to read. My prediction is that
their value will escalate dramatically in the future. Who doesn't appreciate being able to SEE? I have a large 
amount of books...technical, survival, educational, novels, comedy, reference, even a set of encyclopedias.

I believe having books will keep at least some information from being lost. They are a prep of a differing type.

Grim


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

My best dollartree find was the big water gun. It is about two feet long, a plunger type, like a big syringe. 
When a toilet is stopped up, I grab a bucket and the toy, syphoning out the excess, untill I get to a working level. 
Will try the quinoa.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Camel923 said:


> Sterno cans, one dollar each. I will not repeat some of the finds that were previously mentioned.


I bought some cans of Sterno for a small Sterno stove. Three years later when I wanted to use it, 
the Sterno appeared to have evaporated. How long have you stored it and found it still ok?


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## Plumbum (Feb 1, 2016)

Very interesting! There is a Dollarstore not far from where my parents live but Ive never set a foot in there as I assumed it was just useless crap,


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

Plumbum said:


> Very interesting! There is a Dollarstore not far from where my parents live but Ive never set a foot in there as I assumed it was just useless crap,


it really depends greatly on the "Dollar Store" chain ... some of the merchandise is overpriced for the quality or quantity .... some of the chains have really abandoned the "Everything a Dollar" policy and are now offering a full line of general usage buys including refrigerated foods .... one chain is opening 100s of new stores every year - even the smallest crossroads towns will have one soon .....


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## txmarine6531 (Nov 18, 2015)

Plumbum said:


> Very interesting! There is a Dollarstore not far from where my parents live but Ive never set a foot in there as I assumed it was just useless crap,


We have:
Dollar General
Family Dollar
99 Cent Only Store
Dollar Tree

I think Dollar General is better than the others overall. I've mostly bought bleach at the dollar store. Haven't looked at much else.


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## Slippy's-Attorney (Sep 23, 2015)

small cans of chicken
spices
hormel products


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## Quip (Nov 8, 2012)

Picked some smallish wire baskets for collecting/sorting brass. The dirt falls thru but, not the casings.


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## homegrownrose (Mar 24, 2016)

Dollar Tree is my favorite store for good deals. Everything in the store is $1. You have to be conscious of whether or not the item is really worth $1, but some things are worth plenty more than that. They have a tools section, though again you have to watch for quality. Simple things like twine, rope, work gloves, etc make their way home with us on a regular basis. Their cooking utensils are of decent quality (spatulas, spoons, etc). Glass containers are inexpensive as well.


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

txmarine6531 said:


> We have:
> Dollar General
> Family Dollar
> 99 Cent Only Store
> ...


Dollar Tree bought out Family Dollar - most likely changes coming for those stores


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## PCH5150 (Jun 15, 2015)

They are good for OTC meds like Benadryl, etc. That's important to have on hand for allergic reactions (bee stings, etc). Spare tooth brushes, note pads, etc.


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

Lighters. Fire starters - paper and wood pulp mixed with wax. 

I think it's important to note that I would never buy food from such a place. But the quinoa is hard to pass on. 

Good call on the wire baskets for brass. Gotta get a few if the one near here has em.


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## SittingElf (Feb 9, 2016)

This is a good thread. Informative.

I'll start one soon regarding another gold mine chain that has a lot of cheap Prepper items. Stay tuned


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

As for food at dollar tree, I guarantee you, their little single servings of cheesecake and pie could be served at a fine dining establishment. 
We often stop by dollar tree on the way to movies, and let the kids get two things each. 
Oh, the pepperoni prepackaged little bags are good to. 
The frozen fruit is good, and the frozen bags of frenchfries are good. 
I saw a lady get two cases of wine glasses and call her caterer and cancel the ten dollar each wine glasses. 
If your not willing to spend a dollar to try something new, something is wrong with you.


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## chocks141 (Nov 21, 2015)

our's has the best selection of canned meats in town.
Wife buys all of our personal hygiene and cleaning products there.
Just like wally worlds great value stuff, you have to look at unit cost.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Don't dis the $1 food. Bottle of Hunt's Ketchup at the grocery, $2.35. Same size bottle, same manufacturer. Candy bars $.55 vs $1.50. Lots of deals on cleaning products, greeting cards, tableware too.

I've not found a whole lot of preps at the dollar store, but hey, save money there, then spend it on preps elsewhere.


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## homegrownrose (Mar 24, 2016)

Something I haven't seen mentioned yet is sunglasses. They are VERY important for keeping your eyes protected in sunny areas, especially in summer. TONS of styles and at $1 each from Dollar Tree you can't beat the price. I usually buy about 20 pair each summer - some for wearing that I love, some for back-ups (I scratch mine a lot), and some for back-ups on my back-ups (long-term store).


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## homegrownrose (Mar 24, 2016)

Also ziplock-style bags, both sandwich and gallon sized, are a good deal if you get the off brand from Dollar Tree!


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## turbo6 (Jun 27, 2014)

Zapps Voodoo potato chips.

Seriously they are awesome. Like a mix of bbq and salt and vinegar on a crispy kettle chip.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Brimms chips have a psalm on every bag.


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## Ikean (Jan 4, 2016)

My wife works at dollar general, they have a lot of stuff. There are websites that say when things are discontinued....they sell a lot for a penny. There are people that go from store to store buying stuff like that. The employees are supposed to remove stuff like that periodically, but sometimes things pop up. My wife calls me when she sees stuff like that. Pillows for a penny before, dog toys, canned food. Can't beat a penny.
I wanted to do a magazine article on survival stuff you could find, but they don't like people taking pics in the store . Some stuff is packaged for these different chains and is a smaller portion, or different packaging. Smaller bags of chips sometimes, cans of Vienna sausage with no middle sausage. Still a pretty good deal on some stuff.
We live in a tiny town with the only stores for 50 miles, the small grocery store is high so everyone shops at dollar general or family dollar.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Not at all this is some great finds


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Great Finds!!!


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## screwedby (Oct 21, 2015)

Deebo said:


> My best dollartree find was the big water gun. It is about two feet long, a plunger type, like a big syringe.
> When a toilet is stopped up, I grab a bucket and the toy, syphoning out the excess, untill I get to a working level.
> Will try the quinoa.


Do you then use it to shoot the person that stopped up the toilet?


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

turbo6 said:


> Zapps Voodoo potato chips.
> 
> Seriously they are awesome. Like a mix of bbq and salt and vinegar on a crispy kettle chip.


Our local dollar chips are "Utz". Excellent.


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## Moonshinedave (Mar 28, 2013)

These "value" stores are great, but like everything else buyer beware. Example dollar tree, everything in the store one price, a dollar. Sounds great, well it is, unless of course you pay a dollar for that can of peas that you can pick up anywhere else for .65. 
I love deals as much as anyone, just be careful and know the price of what you are buying.


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## turbo6 (Jun 27, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> Our local dollar chips are "Utz". Excellent.


Utz are awesome too. Love their crab chips. Most of our dollar stores have a pretty impressive selection of snacks, not many treasures but a few useful things here and there.

Last time I was there I found some Nivea men's shave cream for a buck. Beats the cheap brands for sure.


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