Dollar Store Disappointments

Honestly....I am one of the first ones to sing the praises of the dollar store. There will forever be a special place in my heart for the Dollar Tree (or whatever variation you have near you) and their bounty of glorious goodies. I think that the wonderful thing about dollar stores is that it is really hard to be disappointed. If something doesn't quite work out like you wanted or breaks easily, it's easy to be like...eh....it was only a dollar. Plus....they can be a crafters paradise. So many different supplies and trinkets.....I can get inspired while in there.

The most that I have ever spent at a dollar store was around 60-70 dollars, which is almost embarrassing/shameful. That is a hell of a lot of stuff. I spent that much when the boy and I went to the dollar store in Richmond, VA when we first moved there and didn't have ANYTHING. We had packed up a rental car and moved across the country in three days. We bought groceries, cooking gear and basic necessities like soap/toothbrushes there. It was pretty pitiful but that is all we could spend for a few weeks until our first paychecks from our new jobs.

Thankfully, we aren't that impoverished anymore, but still the dollar store continues to be a beacon of light for our modest paychecks. But sadly....I have been disappointed by the dollar store. I decided to be frugal and purchase quite a bit of our needed cleaning supplies from the dollar store a while ago, and each week when I clean I try to convince myself that everything is clean, looks good and is hopefully sanitary (fingers crossed).

Tonight though, I think I need to step out of the denial. The blue colored water that the dollar tree markets as 'toilet bowl cleaner' has actually stained my toilet bowl blue from whatever dye they put in it, and I highly doubt it sanitizes. The imitation Clorox wipes don't have any sort of absorbancy or gripping power, so I just wipe dirt and germs all around, but actually can't pick any of it up. And don't even get me started on my Windex imitation and paper towls. My mirrors were fuzzier than a teenage boys' upper lip.

There comes a point in everyone's life when their hero falls, and tonight.....I heard the crash. Sob.

P.S. Something cheap that actually does work....I use Dryel to dry clean my own clothes since dry cleaning is so darn expensive. The Target near me doesn't ever seem to carry the refill kits, but if you wet a dryer sheet and throw it in the Dryel bag, it works like a charm. Steams and freshens. Yippee!