New Appreciation

As I get older, and subsequently more poor, I have found a new appreciation for generic brand and Dollar Tree/Family Dollar/whatever you call it: dollar store foods. This might seem obvious to some people that you have to buy non-name brand food and other items if you want to save money, but for whatever reason {snobbishness, pride, I'm unsure}, this is news to me.

My Mom and I, thanks to lack of funds, have started patronizing the Dollar Tree every time we go grocery shopping. Now, you can't get everything there, and some places don't have freezers, but the amount you can get is actually surprising. We have bought the following from the Dollar Tree:

-Shampoo and conditioner
-Bread
-Paper towels
-Ramen
-Italian ices
-Michelina's frozen dinners {smaller portion sizes and less sodium for yummy food}
-Soap
-Razors
-Granola bars...damn good ones, too
-Pudding
-Banquet Pot Pies {filling and still with less sodium than the frozen dinners}
-Sandals {these I got for the pool and they've held up extremely well}
-Ibuprofen/Advil

Once we got a lot of these things at once, and the total was still under $40. Compared to about $45 or more the same amount at a grocery store.

Admittedly, with some generic brands, the food isn't always the best. The cereals at the Dollar Tree are....eh. I prefer the generic brands at Giant {still a lot cheaper than Frosted Flakes or Cheerios would be}.

The next time you're in a money crisis, think twice before you don't go into the dollar store down the street/close by. You won't be sorry.

Food Quote: "Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."—– Ernestine Ulmer