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Wondering what to buy at Dollar Tree? Discover the top must-have items at Dollar Tree—from beauty essentials to holiday décor—that offer unbeatable value for savvy shoppers.
Best Things to Buy at Dollar Tree in 2025
Ever find yourself wandering the aisles of Dollar Tree, wondering which items are true steals and which ones might not be worth the $1.25 price tag…or more? You're not alone! With prices creeping up and the introduction of Dollar Tree Plus, it's more important than ever to shop smart.
Don't worry—I’ve got your back! After countless trips and plenty of trial and error, I've compiled a list of Dollar Tree items that consistently deliver great value. Whether you're stocking up on essentials or hunting for hidden gems, this guide will help you make the most of every dollar (and a quarter).
🎈 Party Supplies: Celebrate for Less!
One of my favorite things to grab at Dollar Tree are party supplies, especially tissue paper, gift bags, wrapping paper, and balloons that end up in the trash after the party is over anyways. Don't splurge if you don't have to!
Gift Bags & Wrapping Supplies: Find a wide selection of festive gift bags, wrapping paper, tissue paper, bows, and other options for any occasion.
Greeting Cards: Look for those 2 for $1 cards – but if your store doesn't carry them, they have a plethora of other cards that are fantastic quality.
Balloons & Decorations: Add flair to any event with affordable balloons and decor items. Prices range from $1.25 for plain balloons, $2 for premium balloons, and $5 for large number balloons.
Tableware Essentials: Stock up on disposable plates, cups, and utensils without overspending.
🍽️ Kitchen & Pantry: Delicious Deals
Stock your kitchen with these budget-friendly grocery finds (just be sure to check expiration dates):
Breakfast Cereals: Dollar Tree often carries full-size boxes of name-brand cereals for just $1.25. If you see them – grab a few while you can as they don't usually last long!
Bread: Find name-brand breads such as Sara Lee and Ballpark Hamburger Buns at select Dollar Tree locations, often priced significantly lower than at traditional grocery stores.
Canned Goods & Dry Beans: Protein-rich staples like chickpeas and kidney beans are versatile and affordable.
✏️ Office & School Supplies: Budget-Friendly Basics
Not all office supplies at Dollar Tree are worth snagging, but there are a few gems we grab at DT before hitting the office supplies store! Great for keeping your workspace stocked without breaking the bank:
Poster Board & Presentation Boards: Great for those last minute school projects.
Envelopes & Post-It Notes: Essential for the home or office, these supplies are usually significantly cheaper than at big-box stores.
Dry Erase Markers & Sharpies: Perfect for classrooms or home offices, offering good quality without the high price tag.
Books & Coloring Books: Engage kids with a variety of educational and fun books at unbeatable prices. Just be sure to dig as there are often some hidden gems in the book aisle!
🍽️ Dinnerware: Stylish Settings for Less
Dollar Tree releases new dinnerware collections based on the season – think pumpkins for fall, florals for spring, lemons for summer, and more. Great way to elevate your dining experience without the hefty price tag:
Ceramic Plates & Bowls: Discover a variety of designs, including trendy lemon prints and classic white stoneware, all for just $1.25 each.
Mugs: Enjoy your favorite beverages in stylish mugs that rival those from high-end retailers.
Glassware: From iced tea glasses to etched tumblers and even barware, they have a nice selection.
Melamine Serveware: Find a festive selection of plates, serveware, bowls, and more – great for parties, barbecues, or daily use.
🎨 Craft Supplies: Unleash Your Creativity
Dive into all your DIY projects with Dollar Tree's extensive crafting selection! They've got a nice selection to choose from so you don't have to pay more for your projects:
Acrylic Paints & Brushes: Perfect for artists of all levels.
Wooden Crates & Letters: Ideal for personalized home décor projects.
Ribbons & Raffia: Add the finishing touch to any craft or gift – they have some of the best options!
💄 Beauty & Makeup: Glam on a Budget
Achieve a flawless look without breaking the bank with these standout beauty products from Dollar Tree! Many of them are praised for their quality and performance, often compared to higher-end brands.
L.A. Eyeshadow: Look for the palettes or sticks in various colors, ideal for creating versatile eye looks.
Beauty Intuition Lip Gloss: Provides a glossy finish with a hint of color, available in various shades.
Sassy & Chic Makeup Brushes: Affordable and functional brushes suitable for both beginners and makeup enthusiasts.
e.l.f. Cosmetics: Be on the lookout for this brand (the facial primer is a must!).
🏕️ Camping Supplies: Adventure on a Budget
We rounded up 40 of our favorite Dollar Tree camping supplies, but below are a few of our favorite must-haves. Prepare for the great outdoors with these affordable camping essentials:
Solar Lights: Illuminate your campsite (great to put near your tent for easy finding in the dark!), without draining your wallet.
Carabiners: Versatile tools for hanging gear or securing items.
Mesh Laundry Bags: Keep your campsite organized and clean.
Rope & Bungee Cords: Great for hanging up tarps, laundry, trash bags, and more.
Hefty Pans: Perfect for cooking over dirty grills or holding a large batch of hot dogs & burgers.
🎄 Holiday Decorations: Celebrate the Season Without Breaking the Bank
Dollar Tree offers a delightful array of holiday decorations that add sparkle and charm to your celebrations—all for just $1.25 each. Here's a curated selection of their top seasonal finds:
Ornaments & Snow Globes: From glittery baubles to whimsical snow globes, Dollar Tree's ornament selection adds a festive touch to any tree.
Decorative Cookie Tins: Perfect for gifting homemade treats, these tins come in festive designs like candy canes, reindeer, and snowflakes.
Holiday Wrapping Supplies: Stock up on gift bags, bows, and wrapping paper to present your gifts beautifully.
Easter Basket Fillers & Stocking Stuffers: Find a variety of plush toys, candies, and small gifts to fill Easter baskets with joy.
Baking Supplies: Easter-themed baking cups and cookie tins make spring baking fun and festive.
Decorative Containers: Use themed containers for gifting or as part of your Easter décor.
From everyday essentials to seasonal finds, Dollar Tree continues to be a haven for shoppers seeking quality products without the hefty price tag. Whether you're organizing your home, sprucing up your beauty routine, or preparing for festive celebrations, Dollar Tree offers value that keeps your budget intact.
So, grab your shopping list and explore the aisles—you'll be amazed at the treasures waiting to be found! (And be sure to come back and let us know what you find at your Dollar Tree store!).
Readers!! For only $1, I buy a pair to match my outfit of the day! I wear bifocals, but need trifocals. But I’ve never heard anyone who liked trifocals. So I just carry a pair of readers with me to wear when I’m shopping. I also have several pair at home in different rooms.
Dollar Tree has started carrying pre-made tissue pompoms, mini pom garlands and tassel garlands, in numerous bright colors (you do have to unfold and pouf yourself), with scalloped edges. I’ve followed DIY tutorials online for these (and cut my own scallops), but what a timesaver the DT packs are!
I find makeup remover wipes, several different kinds. Much less expensive than even store brands. They come in pkgs. of 25 or 30. Collagen and vitamin E, Retinol, Lavender and Citrus and more.
Also some Elf cosmetics, lipsticks, eyeliners, mascara, lip gloss, brow pencils, concealers, blushes, bronzers, individual shadows. All $1.
these are just a few thing I purchase on a regular basis at Dollar Tree , ground black pepper I mean have you seen the price of a small can of pepper at Wal-Mart? $3.99 DT $1, dill pickles , olives, green, & black, sliced, pimentos. Bounce dryer sheets. tooth paste what ever coupon I have at the time and it is usually free! bath soap sometimes I have coupons and this is free, also get coupons on shampoo and body wash so these items are free also..
Kitchen utensils & tools!! They have a huge variety that are surprisingly good quality.
I buy many items at the dollar tree but recently found Prego spaghetti sauce in an 18.5 oz can, two of them are still cheaper than the 24 oz jar.
You ladies are so helpful thank you for all you do. I love the ideas for dollar tree never thought about spices until now.
I always buy the stuffed olives….compared to $4 dollars at Walmart, I stock up.
Facial Tissues (Scotties, Kleenex, Puff Tissue), Purse size tissue(comes in packs)Napkins,
Brown Paper Lunchbags, Carefree (brand)pantyliners
Thank you for your tips! they’re great!
Some of the best buys I’ve found are the long fire starter lighters and plastic dome cake platters. They’re perfect for bake sales.
Great tips Anita – thanks so much for sharing!
I buy the hand wipes in the individual packets for your purse and the larger packs, hand sanitizer individual and pump bottles, laundry and cleaning products, vitamins, cold and cough medicine. I have a huge weakness for all the colorful organizing items and baskets. So many things I buy on a regular basis that we keep a dollar tree list. One real great bargain I’ve found is the pads for swifter mops. They normally cost around 50 cents each, at dollar tree there are 4 in the package for $1!!! When you find them grab enough to last a while, they’re hard to catch in stock. Light bulbs are another item we purchase there, they’re very expensive these days.
I’ll never buy gift bags (especially Christmas) anywhere else. Everyone else is a rip-off.
I really like the scented 4 gallon trash bags we use them for pooh bags to pick up dog poop and then put it in the diaper pail and they cut down on the smell
They have an “off” brand of the powdered OxyClean that works just as well, I always get the orange scented, and every once in a while they have the dustpans with the long handles so you don’t have to bend over when you use it, lol, and they last for a long time.
Canned fruit, peaches, apple, pineapple.
I make dump cakes, fruit pies and throw in salads.
Larger cans and money savings. Just bought Orchard Blend cranberry juice 64 ounces.
Pretzel sticks and JIF peanut butter individual size. 3 pack.
Beware of their cheese and cream cheese; neither has any “real” ingredients!
Ear buds for a dollar !! My son, a teacher, asked me to buy these and donate them for his class.T here are other cell phone accessories . I also buy the sugar free Wyler’s drink mix just like Crystal Light, love the lemonade and orange. I always buy several boxes.
I love that Rose – great tip! 🙂
Reading glasses! If you buy the OTC ones anyway you might as well buy them for $1 each. They also have sunglasses. And kits for repairing glasses, and other items like cases to carry them in.
I’m sure there are lots of people reading this who are grateful for you sharing what you know about the pregnancy tests. I know I’ve noticed them before and wondered about the quality. Thanks for the info.
GREAT reminder Belinda – thanks for the tip on glasses! 🙂
I buy all my laundry items at the dollar store. I don’t need fancy laundry items, I NEED clean clothes. I have been buying them at the dollar store for years. They work just fine, I swear by them. Also Betty Crocker kitchen items. Books…they sometimes have a great selection. My tip for getting the good books is if you shop at the Dollar Store, 99 Cent store, etc. and they sell book take a mental note of when the section is looking empty. Normally within 2 weeks they will receive a new shipment with a load of different tiltes. You never know what to expect but I have found books that at regualr price would sell for $25.
Sometimes you can find bowl covers(kind of look like shower caps) where aluminum foil and such items are.
MYLAR BALLOONS….they have been known to last three months in my house! Best you can find and only a buck! Do bring your own weight or you can buy one there. Tie it to your bag if you forgot until you get home.
We bought 6 huge wine goblets at the Dollar Store and used them to dye Easter eggs. They each held an egg perfectly, and we could see the egg through the clear glass to sort of guess at the level of tint. Now we use them around the house as sort of a joke to drink ice water in the hot summer. =-)
I love the batteries and the zip top bags!
cheap spices are actually known to be filled with chemical fillers. It’s better to spend a little more to know what u r actually injesting. 😉
I buy all my tissue paper (the kind you stuff in those awesome $1 gift bags!) at Dollar Tree. Plain white I think is 35-40 sheets, glittered 20 sheets, and colored 20-25 sheets. Also, rolls of wrapping paper – especially at Christmas, and the jumbo plastic gift bags that you can fit those oversized toys and things in. Sesame Street/Disney board books for my baby grandson, super hero coloring books and crayons for my little neighbor.
Another “hidden surprise” is their frozen food section. Seven cheese sticks for a buck? Heck yeah! Jimmy Dean, Marie Callender individual size breakfast items, half a dozen eggs (fridge section) are a good deal since they’ve been running $2.29/dozen or more at Publix. Oh – and scissors! I’m forever losing them, but at $1 I keep a pair in every room lol!
Great tips Kathy – goodness, my favorite is the scissors because I always seem to lose those too!
I found reusable K-cup filters here and they work better than the ones I bought on Amazon!
I had no idea – that’s so good to know Jaime!
I recently broke my mop and needed a new one. At other stores the cheapest I could find was $5. I decided to check at DT and sure enough, I purchased TWO mops, different styles and after using the first one I don’t think my floors have been cleaner!! …except for when I scrubbed them on my hands and knees!!
That’s fantastic Meredith – I would never have thought to look for mops there but that’s a HUGE savings! 🙂
Sam’s Club beats Dollar Tree on:
Sharpies
Post It Notes $.47+ per pad vs $.50
Sharpies $.62+ vs $1.00
Dry Erase Sam’s over $1
i always find great deals on whole wheat bread at DT. My store
Consistently has Natures Own brand for a buck!! A steal compared to the $3+ at the grocery store!
I love when I find Nature’s Own bread there – great suggestion Sherri!
I picked up 2 bar packages of Dial and Zest soap for a dollar.Those ate usually much more than that.
Great find Kathy – thanks so much for sharing!
Keep your eye out for homemade “uncrustables” maker. I bought a wonder bread one at my Dollar Tree and it works great! Also tons of Disney items at Dollar Tree. These are great for parties or cheap souvenirs.
This reminds me it has been way too long since I’ve visited a DT. Thanks for posting! I need to look for one of those school poster board displays! 🙂
Hi Mary – just saw those at the Dollar Tree in Lewis Center a few weeks ago! I never thought about the Disney items and forgot bread ~ great tips! 🙂
The 2/$1 and $1 and all manufactured and stocked by American Greetings. There is little difference between a $1 card and a $5 card other than the weight of the paper. Often they use the same design on both types of cards. Dollar a General also has a better selection of cards, especially during holidays.
Thanks for sharing – I have seen great prices on cards at Dollar General too!