I think Goodwill is the best store for value. This month I got four pairs of pants -two slacks and two jeans- and a belt for just $15 total! And the pants look great. For everyday stuff, however, I think Dollar General or Dollar Tree are great values.
I agree, I love our Goodwill store. We also have a few other really nice thrift stores in my area that I check out regularly. I can't beat the clothing prices or quality. I also like the Dollar Tree, it just depends on what you are shopping for there. As someone else mentioned some products are a definite miss, but that's true at most any store. I've bought lotion at the Dollar Tree that turned out to be terrible - way too watery, but I've also bought really nice lotion there that I would compare to Bath & Body. After trying that particular lotion and knowing it was great I bought a lot of it for my daughters and I and to give in gift baskets. The stationary/office supplies some of it is a definite money saver, other stuff - composition notebooks, folders, I got a much better deal on stocking up when the school supplies at Target and Walmart were put on clearance. As long as you don't go in there and get carried away "oh everything is just a dollar" and don't stock up without trying a product first, then the Dollar Tree is a great place. Also the poster that mentioned the Dollarama, yes! I've been in a few times and was completely disappointed.
I know this might not sound like the best place to stretch your dollars, but Amazon is one of my favorites. I use them to buy groceries and all kinds of household items. They are often cheaper than Walmart, and using the subscribe and save program adds a little extra bonus. Of course, there are those items Amazon will never be able to beat price wise that a local dollar store can offer. And I use my Dollar General Store for those. I like going through the store often and get excited when I find a new bargain. I love to save money!
As mentioned above, Goodwill and Dollar Tree are where it's at. But with Dollar Tree, it all depends on what you're buying. If you aren't careful, you may actually end up spending more money on the product at the dollar store than at the regular stores. But as far as clothing, furniture and antiques go, Goodwill has always been my best bet. They just built a Goodwill store right by my house not too long ago and they always have a wide selection of things to sell every time I go there.
I have a Dollar General in my hometown. They just built it about 3 months ago and that is my main shopping center. The prices are just unbelievable there.
The only thing I don't purchase at the Dollar Tree is food. The times I have its been stale but everything else is great! I do most of my seasonal decorative shopping here and its also great for pop up events like baby showers or birthday parties.
I recently started going to Dollar Tree and they do have a lot there that you can save money on. It's fun to see what all they have, there is a pretty big selection. Especially with my son just getting into coloring, stickers, crafts, etc. its a nice place to go to for that type of thing. Other than that, I shop at Target and WalMart to find cheap stuff. I like Target better. I have a Super Target close and their food looks fresher and the prices are comparable to WalMart. WalMart does have a little more though. But the other thing I like about Target is that I actually like some of the non food items and they will have sales on them.
WalMart and Save A Lot for groceries. Hands down. Dollar Tree and Dollar General, also Dollar Store (everything is one dollar there) are great too, but Wal Mart and Save A Lot help me to stretch my grocer's budget through into the next week.
In the UK I would suggest Iceland for your food and Poundland for almost everything else, you will rarely need to visit another store.
I definitely think it's a good place to stretch your dollar. It's easy to get a little carried away in a store where everything costs one dollar, but you can certainly buy a lot more there with $20 than you can at some other places. Some locations have frozen foods as well, but I only buy non perishable stuff when I shop there. I also have to drive a little ways to get to the closest one.
