Two bits, four bits, six bits a dollar...

I've had a love-hate relationship with the grocery store for as long as I can remember. I'm quite sure it goes back to my days as a child, when all of us piled into the station wagon and descended upon the store....with toddlers and babies packed into multiple grocery carts, traveling as a group, as we weaved our way through each aisle. As a parent of two children, it never ceases to amaze me how my mother accomplished all she had to do each day, surrounded by the six of us. With three little ones in diapers at one time, she kept her life choreographed very much like a military maneuver, whenever we left the house en masse. Although she and my father eventually shared the family shopping chores, I completely understand why years later, she was more than willing to turn the weekly grocery task over to me. By the time I was a teenager, I'd mastered the art of shopping for a family of eight on a stringent budget....of course I'd learned from one of the best. And, I'm pleased to report, I've passed my shopping prowess down to my daughter, who could beat me hands down in the coupon, rebate, discount shopper department. At one time, I was the refunding queen of our family...my redeemable UPC codes were organized right along side of all my coupons and grocery receipts. She has certainly taken up where I left off....just ask her to tell you the story about her unbelievable Rowenta Iron consumer triumph...there is no doubt that she is her mother's daughter.

Back to my early years of solo grocery shopping---on Saturday mornings, because I hadn't learned to drive yet, my father would drop me off at Stop Rite in Groton, with a list and a blank check. Two full grocery carts later, he picked me up and we would head back home to Ledyard. There wasn't a full service grocery store in the town where we lived, so we traveled about 20 minutes to the one that my mother had been shopping at for years. I'd made a deal with my parents, in exchange for taking on the responsibility for doing the family grocery shopping, they were allowing me to pick up the plates and glassware the store was offering at a discount. I was in the process of completing a dinnerware collection for my hope chest and with little money of my own, I had bartered my way into this arrangement. For someone who wasn't very good at math, I'd quickly figured out how to work the system to my benefit. It was a win-win situation for all the parties involved. Of course a few years later when I married and left home at 18, I had to relearn how to grocery shop for only 2 people...and, you should have seen how difficult it was for me to recalculate in my head, the difference between cooking for only 2 instead of a family of 8, but that's another story.

Over the years, I've grocery shopped in a number of different types of stores...from warehouse food distributors to our local commissary when we were still a military family. No matter how much I disliked the chore of shopping, nothing could have prepared me for my first taste of the dollar stores, when they first came on the scene. Roger and the kids always found it a fun pastime to visit the local dollar store in our neighborhood. I hated the place because they would just come home with a bunch of junk. It reminded me of cheaper version of the old Railroad Salvage store in Groton, which was never a place I liked visiting. It must have something to do with those aisles upon never-ending aisles...I see them and just want to turn around a run the other way.

Even after we moved to Florida, Roger could not get me into a dollar store...he and Stacey could spend hours roaming the store finding all kinds of bargains. All of that changed, when we relocated a bit further north and I discovered 99cent Stuff...the dollar store to beat all dollar stores...because they had REAL food, not just the junky stuff in cellophane packages. They sold vegetables, fruit, eggs, cheese and even frozen food...FOR A DOLLAR!!! I was in my glory for the next few years, until sadly they closed their doors...it was horrible and I miss it terribly. My days of buying 10-20 cartons at a time, of fresh berries for $1 each were over. I'd fill the freezer whenever that type of produce was available. I loved the store and it had helped me to overcome my strong dislike of all things grocery store related. It was smaller than the average food store, more like the size of a CVS or Walgreens. I could easily spend an enjoyable hour looking through the junky aisles, on my way to the food section, my years of slogging through superfood chain stores a distant memory.

I've found a lesser exciting, smaller replacement dollar store, just a block over from where my old one used to be...it's not quite the same, but it will do in a pinch. No fresh veggies or fruit, however, the frozen substitutes are available if necessary. I've resigned myself to the fact that I still need to stop at Publix each week to stock up on produce. I continue to enjoy spending 30 minutes leisurely strolling through Dollar Tree, and never leave without my basket full of goodies. Our cupboards and kitchen drawers are full of the proof that you don't nave to spend a lot to meet the everyday needs of the average family. Why pay more when you can get it all for only $1?


Although I prefer to eat mostly fresh foods, we keep the pantry stocked for Roger's lunches and storm hurricane season


Prepackage baking products for muffins, waffles and canned goods for Roger's veggie mixtures he loves to make


We always have a full supply of these

I was the one who turned my nose up at the dollar store, and although my husband and daughter urged me to give it a try, I thought only other people shopped in there. Once I became a convert, and attempted to share the information with my friends, I found they never understood or could grasp the concept, no matter how many times I showed them the hearty healthy meals, I'd packed for my lunches. Although I love going to Whole Foods to shop as much as the next person, this week I brought home all kinds of ingredients for holiday baking from Dollar Tree. You don't have to be on a strict budget to know, it just makes sense to spend less on the extras, around this time of the year.


I rarely bake so most of this is never in the house...around the holidays, I make the effort :)

Even though I was raised in the country, I was actually born in the city like my parents before me. The love of the small, family owned neighborhood grocery store of past generations, is truly in my blood. When my mother was a child growing up during the depression, her father owned such a grocery store, which was located on the first floor of their home on 7th Avenue in Brooklyn. My mother was the youngest of 6 and learned how to stretch a dollar from her parents, so it stands to reason she would pass her lessons of thriftiness on to her own children.

After 5 years of being a dedicated dollar store shopper, unless I find myself in a pinch, I still refuse to pay more than a dollar for any of the following items....

Kleenex
Q-tips
Toothpaste
Hair spray
Dental floss
Package of bars of soap
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Cleaning solution
Zippered baggies
Plastic wrap
Aluminum foil
Knee-hi pantyhose
Socks
Bleach
English muffins
Frozen veggies
Bagels
Chicken breast/thighs
Boxed mixes
Napkins
Paper plates
Gum
Candy
Chips
Crackers
Popcorn
Pretzels
Holiday decorations
Wrapping paper
Gift bags
Helium balloons
Cookies
Pasta
Tuna
Condiments
Combs
Mirrors
Tape
Scissors
Paper pads
Photo frames
Over the counter medications
Chapstick
Spices
Drinking glasses
Coffee mugs
Dishes
Books fiction/non fiction...the list goes on an on....



These are always useful to have around...again...why pay more than a dollar?



Another mainstay for Roger if we don't find the time to stop for the local produce


I'm amazed at the meat that they carry...Roger cooks his meals and loves it


Yes, they have decent cheese there too...you never know what treats will be waiting, so I buy in large quantities whenever possible

I'm no longer a dollar store snob, nor do I care about name brand products. I can recall the age of generic, no-name groceries on the shelves and how they were the first sign that we as consumers finally had a choice to either pay the standing mark-up for a popular well-known manufactures' item, or not. I've chosen the path of least resistance, no coupons, no rebates and no more refunding...just don't take away my dollar stores and I'll be a happy camper into my golden years.


So, the next time you drive by your local dollar store, stop for a few minutes and take a look around. If you are lucky enough to find a great bargain...don't be a snob or ashamed of where you found it.... share your good news with others....just stand up and holler!!!