The Dollar Store Boxed Essentials You Need To Stock Up On

If you're on a tight budget, shopping at the Dollar Tree for necessities like toiletries and cleaning products can save you a lot of money. Paying $1 for shampoo or toothpaste sure beats spending $5 to $10 at a grocery store or pharmacy for the same exact product. Okay maybe it's $1.25 now and not a dollar, but you get the point. Dollar Tree is still cheaper than almost anywhere for certain items.

You may not think about food when you picture Dollar Tree, but they do have a section of the store dedicated to groceries. Sure, if you're seeking out fresh produce and gourmet meals you need to look elsewhere, but if you just want some cupboard staples such as pasta and rice, Dollar Tree can be a good fit for your pantry and your wallet. These boxed essentials can be the foundation of many a meal, and you can find a bevy of packaged pasta and grain varieties at Dollar Tree.

When it comes to pasta, you can also buy the accompaniments such as sauce and parmesan cheese at Dollar Tree to complete your checklist for a quick and easy spaghetti dinner. They carry a limited selection of herbs and spices as well so you can tack on some oregano or Italian seasoning that costs significantly less than what you would purchase in a supermarket. Or you can grab some mac and cheese, which is always a winner. While you're not going to find the finest meats and cheeses in all the land at Dollar Tree, if you want to buy something to pair with that rice you can get canned beans to make a filling rice and beans combo.

If you've ever wondered how the Dollar Store keeps their prices so low, part of the company's strategy is building stores in low-income parts of a city or in rural areas. They also often use their own store brands rather than the bigger corporate brands to further cut costs. And their products often come in smaller sizes. But that business approach did allow them to charge a dollar for most items up until 2022. While pasta and rice are safe bets to stock up on here, there are certain Dollar Tree foods you should never buy, no matter how inexpensive they might be compared to the competition. It seems some things aren't even worth a dollar. Excuse us, a $1.25.