5 Great Gift Ideas from The Dollar Store

By Kelly Turner on November 30th, 2009

• Link to StumbleUpon
• 1 Comment

Broke? Unemployed? Did you make the horrible decision to plan a move across town right smack in the middle of December and are just trying to make it through the holidays with your sanity and bank account intact?  Yeah, that last one is probably just me.

This might just be me, but I LOVE practical gifts.  Last year, my boyfriend got me a toaster oven.  The year before? A Swiffer Wet Jet. Romantic.  I also love cheap- mainly when giving, and not so much while receiving, but if you do it right, no one will be the wiser.

Because of my above loves, I also love The Dollar Store.  Sure, some of the stuff is crap, but you can get a lot of great finds for, you guessed it, a dollar.  Generally, why everything is so cheap is just because they don’t carry name brand items, don’t have fancy packaging or all the bells and whistles.  On their own, the products aren’t much, but if you group them together just right, you can give a whole lot for very little.

This holiday season, head to your local dollar store (or 99 cent store for you super savers) and find cheap, thoughtful gifts for everyone on your list.

The Clean Freak-

Who’s to say your floor cleaner has to have a shiny bald staring at you in order to clean up a mess?  Make a cool little gift basket for your favorite germaphobe.  Get a brightly colored bucket and fill it to the brim.  Include dish scrubbies, rubber gloves, toilet brush, some window, counter and multipurpose cleaner, paper towels, and washcloths and top it off with a little rubber ducky.  Viola! The gift of so-clean-you-can-eat-off-of-it.

The Crafty Kathy-

Oh man, the scrapbookers in your life will have a heart attack.  Get a plain wooden box, or little tote bag and fill it to the brim with stickers, colorful paper, scissors, glue, jewels and gems, picture frames, glitter, paint, confetti- the works.  All the inspiration will get their creative juices flowin’.

The Foodie-

Grab a big ol’ mixing bowl and fill it with every tool your baker or chef could ever need.  The cooking utensils are cheap, but get the job done- and variety at the dollar store is amazing.  You can get everything from knives, forks, whisks, spatulas, peelers, pizza cutters, and wooden spoons to oven timers, thermometers, oven mits and trivets.  You can even give the baskets a theme: pizza, coffee, breakfast, chocolate- anything.  Don’t forget to check out the condiment aisle, and throw in a measuring cup for for good measure. Ha! Sorry.

The Kids-

I did this one for my niece and nephew, who live across the country.  It ships well, because we all know shipping presents is usually more expensive than the gifts themselves and will allow you to give a lot, without paying for it.  Well, you have to pay a little bit- that’s called theft, people.

Pick out a kid friendly receptacle they can reuse- a bag, a basket, a backpack, cool box, etc. and just fill it up.  For girls, try hair accessories, scarves, nail polish, stickers, tiny trinkets, little perfumes, jewelry, and pencils.  Just try and cram as much stuff in their as possible.  For boys, try little cars, cards, water balloons, silly putty, crayons, bouncy balls, and pocket sized games.  The bag will be like Mary Poppins purse- the kids just keep pulling out more and more great things, and you didn’t pay anymore than a few dollars.

The Unique Fashionista-

so many accessories, so little time.  For that special person that always has to add their own personal flare to everything: backpacks, clothes, shoes, purses, a dollar store can be the source of great inspiration.  Pick up a tote bag, and fill it with fun accents.  Try fake flowers, puff paint, glitter, pins, patches, jewels and gems, beads and string.  But don’t forget the basics.  Be sure to pick up some plain flip flops, hats, scarves, and t-shirts, so they have a canvas to work with.

The best gifts are ones that are used over and over again and are the source of fun.  You know what it feels like when you buy your kid the present you think they will love, and they open it, say “cool,” play with it once and then it’s shoved into the back of the closet along with their list of chores.  Generally, those are the most expensive gifts, too.  Give people something to do, and I promise you, that’s the gift they will remember for many holidays to come.