<div class="block">Shopping at dollar stores can be a great way to save money but you need a bit of finesse to know what products are optimal to purchase there. Sara Stanich, founder of Cultivating Wealth Management, joined &#39;Stretching Your Dollar&#39; to share some tips on navigating dollar store shopping.</div>

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Stretching Your Dollar: What to Know About Dollar Store Shopping

Dollar stores have thousands of locations across the country and for many they've become the go to for inexpensive fines. But are you really saving a lot of money? And what things should you actually buy? Helping us break down the dues? And don't of dollar store shopping is a certified financial planner and founder of cultivating wealth. It's great to have you on the show. And I know you say shop early shop often. Why is that? Well, if you've ever worked in retail, you know that in the morning everything is restocked and looks good, but by afternoon everything's been picked over and it's kind of a mess. So, if you want the best selection earlier, the better. Yeah. Well, we know not everything in the dollar store actually costs a dollar. And so are we still saving when things cost more? Definitely. Um, they have, um, bulk pricing and get some really good deals even if it is more than a dollar. What are some items that we should be buying from the dollar store? There's a few things that you buy once in a while, you can get really good deals on there. Things like, um, uh, party supplies, decorations, um, spices have a big markup. So when they're at the Dollar Store you can get a good deal. Um, and, and some cleaning supplies, um, hand soap, things like that, some basic. And then, um, you know, it's funny actually milk and eggs. They, they lower those prices to get people into the store and it's the same, you know, milk and eggs that you buy at your regular grocery store. So, talk to us about items we should be avoiding from the Dollar Store. I would avoid toys. A lot of people don't realize that. But, but toys could, um, there's safety issues with toys for young kids, especially on a similar note, pet food vitamins. Um, those are things that I, I wouldn't buy at the Dollar Store. Um, and then also some things that sound like a good idea but never work out batteries, um, charging cables, USB cords, the, the cheaper ones are at lower quality and they actually just don't work as well. So I know that you warn shoppers against unnecessary purchases. What have you, have you found in that department? I just, I just think that people, it's a time of year when people tend to go overboard, they can really, they can really go overboard and actually fewer gifts is often better. Um, and you know, your kids and your family, you know, can appreciate it more with fewer gifts. So, what about coupons? Are those something that you can use in dollar stores. You can, but you have to have the coupon for the thing that's actually at the, at the Dollar store. So if you see a good coupon, I would say, you know, keep it with you in your, in your, your wallet, your pocketbook, whatever. And, and if you, if you, you see it there, you seize the opportunity and any other tips that our viewers should know, especially around the holidays. Um, I just another tip that I have, uh, you know, again, going back to fewer gifts if you have a family that gets, gets together and everybody exchanges gifts, adults often don't need or want all that stuff. And so doing a gift exchange or a secret Santa type situation, instead, it just reduces the number of gifts and just as fun for everybody. Ok, talk to us about the e commerce presence, whether that is something that people can take advantage of at the dollar store, knowing that if you have to drive to a physical location, you've got to factor in the cost of gas as well. I mean, it just kind of really depends on your location for a lot of people. The dollar stores is actually very convenient. They have many, many locations these days. So it's, it's really a individual situation. Ok. Um, any ideas in terms of how people can stretch their dollar when perhaps trying to decorate for the holidays, even maybe stock up on snacks and goodies at their local dollar store. They, they do, the, um, the stock is changing every day and so they often do get, you know, some surprising things that are, you know, fun and, and tasty. So there are, um, there are definitely lots of possibilities. You just kind of need to get in and out to check out what's, what's available. All right, Sarah Stich. Uh, thank you so much for joining. We appreciate it.