15 Items You Should Always Buy at a Dollar Store

When you bake cinnamon rolls for a friend or a turkey for family Thanksgiving, an inexpensive single use aluminum pan means no worries about retrieving or storing a dish. These can run up to $8 at places like Walmart, but you can get the same quality pan for $1 at a bargain store. We promise, no one is going to care (or notice) if you show up to the potluck with a bargain basement aluminum pan! 

These cleaning pads grab food, scrub it off your pan, and eventually go in the trash. You'll find familiar brands with a smaller price tag at your local dollar store.

The key to an effectively functioning trash bag is thickness. Check the thickness of your favorite brand, then match it in a less expensive dollar store product.

Cheap paper towels work well on spills, but be sure to compare thickness, frequency of perforation, and length of roll to your preferences before making a dollar store choice.

Refill your hand soap dispensers with soap in a scent you like. You'll get to keep your favorite container while saving a few bucks!

While you'll find fewer die-cut cards, there are plenty of pleasing designs and appropriate sentiments available at a cost of 50¢ or $1 per card with envelope. You can stock up and be prepared for those last-minute celebrations that are sure to pop up.

Gift bags in many sizes, shapes, colors, patterns, and themes fill the racks at most dollar stores. Be prepared by keeping some on hand at home and at the office.

Top your gift bag with bright colored tissue paper from the party supply aisle or head to the seasonal section where additional colors and patterns appear throughout the year.

Most of us throw away our plastic bags after one use, so why not save a few bucks by purchasing a cheaper brand that may be a little less durable? 

With UV protection just like more expensive brands, you can rest easy at the pool or ballpark when your kids wear dollar store sunglasses. If they get broken or lost? No worries, they were only a dollar! 

Keep the family entertained on a budget with multiple versions of alphabet, word search, crossword puzzle, sudoku, maze, and coloring books. It will also hurt a lot less when you have to run to the store to buy a replacement for your child's favorite book because it got left at the park. 

A fresh shower curtain liner will make you feel clean before you even hop in, and replacing this item more often just became doable with liners from the dollar store.

What could be more cheerful than sharing cut flowers from your garden in a clear glass vase filled with colorful glass gems? Not having to break the bank to do so.

Whether you use them for fun or safety, there's no need to pay more for an item that lasts only 12 hours. Choose from bracelets, necklaces, wands, and more. You name it, the dollar store has it!

If you need a small bag for washing delicates, a pop-up hamper for college, or a bag to take to the laundromat, you can find it at a dollar store. These items never last long, no matter where you buy them, so you might as well get the cheap one. It will save you money on replacements later.