Best Dollar Store Investment Buys

Sometimes you need to buy top-of-the-line household items and sometimes you can settle for good enough for its intended purpose. That's where dollar stores come in!  

For fun I'll share five $1 articles so surprisingly durable -- i.e. I've gotten years of unexpected use out of them -- that each one deserves to fall under the heading of Great $1 Investments: 

1) Microwave anti-splatter cover - There's no need to shop elsewhere where microwave food covers cost more money. The dollar store offers the same quality and it's as durable as any I've encountered. I only need one cover and don't know why more than one is needed, but hey for $1, who can quibble about the expense?

2) Shower comb with huge teeth - I bought a total of 3 combs for 2 teenagers and one for me to hang in my shower. I use it every day to untangle my freshly shampooed and conditioned hair. Also, I like taking it on overnight trips so I can style my hair by combing it through as I blowdryer it -- leaving my hairbrush and straightener at home. It works beautifully!

3) I found these flat stainless steel measuring spoons at an Odd Lot Trading store. 99 cents stores and Walmart also sell them. They are thin and compact, taking up little space in a kitchen drawer. They'll easily bend if abused but will last forever to measure spices, vanilla, and baking powder. They are cheap, but get the job done, so why replace them with a bulky expensive set? Heavier metal doesn't measure more accurately.

4) I needed a shoehorn and was unsure how long plastic would last but was sold on the 24-inch length so I don't have to bend so far down to slide into a pair of shoes! Turns out the plastic is super durable. I've used the shoehorn for years now and especially like the practical loop for hanging ... a feature I didn't even know I needed!

5) I like the flat, multi-sink stopper shown below👇. It's become the only type I buy for a kitchen sink, bathroom sink, and bathroom tub. I have one that stays in the kitchen and another for the bathroom. They fit all-size holes and the rubber is thick and flexible. At $1 each a true bargain!

Sometimes the best things in life aren't exactly free, but from a dollar store, they come very close! $5 well spent for 5 lasting buys!

Have you bought anything for $1 and still using it years later?

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A Boost of Peppermint

Photo: Shutterstock

Peppermint is a member of the Lamiaceae family. A hybrid mint, it's a cross between watermint and spearmint. It has been used in a myriad of ways for centuries.

My mom made me drink peppermint (also chamomile) tea whenever I stayed home from school with the flu. She said, "I bet you don't know I'm a doctor, do you? Listen to me!" When I felt sooo very baddd, she had the advantage, so I drank up.

As it turns out, peppermint tea does have proprieties that give it a few medical benefits: It seems to soothe an upset stomach, nausea, irritable bowel and bloating. Some studies (lead by Dr. Mark Moss, Robert Jones and Lucy Moss from Northumbria University in the U.K.) also suggest drinking peppermint tea boosts alertness and long term memory.*

Peppermint oil kills bacteria and fungus and can be mixed with a carrier oil (like grapeseed, almond, olive or avocado for skin); or diluted with water to kill germs on household surfaces.

Photo: thepositivespirit.com

Peppermint's high menthol, menthone and menthyl acetate chemical constituents are responsible for its cooling and anti-flammatory powers. Externally, peppermint oil has been used to relieve muscle and nerve pain. Apply it (diluted) to your temples and forehead to treat a tension headache.

Peppermint is also popular as a flavor in toothpaste, mouthwash and chewing gum. Peppermint oil is often an ingredient in shampoo, soap and skin products. It makes your scalp and skin tingle. A few drops in your shampoo can be used to treat dandruff. 

Not only is peppermint a refreshing tea, it is the oldest known flavor of candy: peppermints. Furthermore, it is a popular ice cream favor; can be added to hot chocolate and mixed drinks; and the fresh leaves can be tossed into green or fruit salads to kick up the flavor.

Peppermint is easy to grow indoors in pots, but like any mint, it will take over a garden, so even outdoors, you may want to pot it. Reportedly, insects are repelled by pots of peppermint. They don't like the scent.

Growing peppermint in a windowsill is very doable! You will have a room with pretty green leaves that smell fresh and clean to humans!

*(source) The Epoch Times, September 23-29, 2016

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Introducing The Hair Bungee

surgebeauty.com

Unlike ordinary hair elastics that are shaped like a ring, a hair bungee is a single piece of silicone with hooks on both ends. Hook one end of the cord into your hair, wrap around the ponytail as snug as you like, then fasten with the other hook.

This new hair tie, designed by a hairstylist in Australia to meet the professional demands of high fashion, has taken runway shows around the world by storm. 

A hair bungee is perfect for creating smooth ponytails, polished up-dos and "controlling thick, curly or unruly hair,'' says the manufacturer. The cord is easy to put in and remove. With tension, the silicone material locks the hair in place. The tie will not slip out, and it will not pull or tug the hair.

The first hair bungees were made in three colors for blond, brown and black hair. Now they also come in bright rainbow colors.

A ponytail that stays pulled up all day, plus wrapping and unwrapping hair without damaging it is fantastic. Let the hair bungee hook you!

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Plastic Spray Bottles, Yeah!

Sometimes the most basic home accessories make life sweeter. Extra power circuit breaker strips strategically placed throughout your home are an example. Plastic spray bottles are another. 

To make household cleaning efficient and easy, I have 4 plastic spray bottles, the 32-ounce size, which I bought several years ago at Home Depot. I don't recommend going bigger or smaller in size. Smaller, you'll be refilling your bottle every time you turn around, and bigger gets heavy to lift and less nibble to point and spray as you clean.

I fill my 4 spray bottles with (1) white vinegar and water (keeping bottles in both my kitchen and bathroom; (2) ammonia and water (kept in the kitchen to remove sink and countertop stains like coffee); and since the pandemic began, (3) bleach and water (stashed near the front door and bathroom). 

Before the pandemic, I cleaned my kitchen; bathroom; and apartment floors with white vinegar and water only; and my glass and mirrors with ammonia and water (homemade Windex) ... but the pandemic has given me a newfound respect for bleach -- adding 4 tablespoons to 32-ounces of water is an inexpensive Center For Disease Control (CDC) approved disinfectant of the coronavirus. At the beginning of Covid when we were less sure of how the virus spread, I used the breach and water to spray the soles of my shoes and entryway of my apartment. (If you recall, we couldn't buy alcohol or hydrogen peroxide until the supply chain caught up with demand.)

Spray bottles are the perfect tool to disinfect and clean surfaces, big or small, with a powerful fine mist of household cleaners. You get the surface very wet with a cleanser while using less product. There's no waste of the liquid going everywhere else, nor of leaving spots of surface dry. Instead, it's an even saturation of cleaner/disinfectant ... bullseye, right where you need it!

And during COVID, these spray bottles make disinfecting like crazy easy. Who knew when I bought them they'd get such a workout?!

I'm also a fan of putting spray triggers on the tops of alcohol and hydrogen peroxide bottles in my home. I liked the practice so much when cleaning, I transferred the idea over to wound sanitizing. For an even application of disinfectant on boo-boos without waste, I'll point the trigger: Pscht ... bullseye!🎯🙂

Now, let's discuss when to splurge and save on buying plastic spray bottles:

For home cleaning mixtures, I went to Home Depot to select professional plastic bottles with sturdy spray triggers, but for the smaller job of disinfecting abrasions with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, I simply repurpose the spray triggers from personal care items (like hair heat tamers, etc,) for free - screwing them directly onto their new products! (That way you also keep the original alcohol and hydrogen peroxide bottles with warning labels.) Wash and rinse the spray triggers well before repurposing them. Save a few bucks if they fit and do the job.

However, the plastic spray bottles for your household cleaners need to be bigger and better as they get used on bigger surfaces frequently, so invest in professional durable bottles and triggers for these tasks. Simplify your life further by buying bottles for all the areas of the home where you'll use them. At about $2 each, they're cheap; and convenience is worth every penny.

Truly, you'll wonder why you didn't buy plastic spray bottles to do your chores sooner!

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You Could Win This MZ Wallace Tote

MZ Wallace is a New York company based in Soho that makes bags for people who work, travel, exercise, have small children and spend their days running around the city doing errands. The bags have pockets for organization and style to go from day to evening -- so you don't look like a bag lady carrying your stuff around to get all your chores done. Chic, roomy, organized and compact!

The retailer's website shows several available styles of bags. My favorite is the crossover Metro Quatro Tote. Well-designed and durable, with a heavy-duty zipper, yet it's more than I like to spend on a non-leather tote, if I'm being completely honest. It's the cost of supporting a small business, as opposed to, handbag designers who mass produce their goods. Frankly, if you are on a restricted budget, I don't think saving up for this one bag (with leather trim) is the right move. Nonetheless, if you can easily afford it, it's a fabulous, well-thought-out, quality tote.

And for 15 lucky people, here's a link sponsored by the Today Show to enter a contest to win the bag (the deadline for entering is April 25th). Someone's got to win, and it could be you, Savvy Shopper!

Fashion meets function ... and a bag-maker to keep on our radar!

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What Can You Do For Earth Day?

Photo: Playbuzz

An old American spiritual says,"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands,'' and what an interconnected world it is. We, humans, are here to enjoy and take care of our planet. Today on Earth Day, is an excellent time to remember our responsibilities as stewards and ask ourselves can we do anything better to care for Mother Earth?

It turns out that "environmental plastic is a growing disaster." Most plastics are made from "non-renewable resources" of petroleum or natural gas, "extracted and processed by destroying fragile ecosystems." Think about it the next time you buy bottled water! And getting rid of plastic causes other problems. It isn't biodegradable, so plastic bags and bottles pervade landfills and our oceans. Producing and burning plastic pollutes everything on earth: air, land and water.

The concern is so great that New York City plans to ditch plastic grocery bags, bottles (sold in parks), drinking straws and plastic utensils. I use my plastic grocery bags as garbage bags and drinking straws to save my teeth from acids and stains, so the ban will be inconvenient, but a necessary one I'm willing to accept. "Every year 28-billion pounds of plastic ends up in our ocean," and it kills marine life. We can do better!

1) We can switch from plastic to paper straws and wooden utensils to cut down on waste. I need to look for reusable silicon straws to use (and wash) at home.

2) It is time to grab those reusable bags and bottles. Buy one of each today if you don't own them.

Mother Earth is so worth it. What other changes can we make?

3) Recycle electronics and batteries - BestBuy stores have drop off bins for each; Bed, Bath &Beyond accepts old batteries also.

4) Get creative and repurpose things you already own. YouTube tutorials can teach you how. You feel very clever doing so!

5) Enlighten yourself - Learn the ingredients, life cycles and eco-costs of everything you buy. 

Be a Savvy Shopper ... make a change today with Mother Earth in mind!


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An Organized Purse

Although I've never been a slob, recently my organization gene kicked into high gear. Everything I own must have a home, including the things I keep in my purse.

So when the zipper on my crossover bag broke, I bought 2 new crossover bags from Foley & Corinna, a retailer previously featured on THE SAVVY SHOPPER. I selected their man made "liberated" leather, which feels like full-grain leather and endures through rain, show or shine. But perhaps what I like most are the pockets inside and out. There's a place for all my stuff from phone, wallet, makeup and odds and ends. Everything stays put and organized because it has a compartment. A home.

I got the 2 bags on sale, which is the reason I bought 2. Plus the crossovers are the exact size I need, with the same interiors, including the pockets. I plan to use one and save one for later. Occasionally, I do the same when finding a fabulous pair of walking shoes at a sale price.

If you own beautiful bags and desire to keep your contents organized, you can buy purse orgainizers to fit inside of your purses or totes. They cost between $19 - $30 depending on size, but are well worth the price to keep life orderly.

Every year I resolve to make an improvement. This year I hope to get rid of all the things I never use, that either hide behind other things in closets; or I keep just in case I might need them. Moreover, I know: I'll donate an item, then need it the very next week. So what, if I have to buy it again? I still want to hold unto less!


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Buy Used Books

While it's impossible to eliminate all waste we can be kinder to Mother Nature by being mindful; recycling; and embracing minimalism. Let's consider some eco-friendly ways to buy and read books.

As much as possible I try to borrow books from the library. But sometimes libraries comb their shelves of out-of-print history books, so I buy 2nd hand books and have ordered a few e-books (for recent publications) to read on my iPad. Absolutely I understand how thumbing through the pages of a book is favored, yet equally great is taking your ebooks with you anywhere to read. So consider buying a few ebooks.

Buying 2nd hand books saves trees! And, the books I received are in very good condition, often in like-new condition, costing only a few bucks compared to the $25 - $30 for new books.

Two outstanding websites to get used books from are: Discoverybooks and Thriftybooks. I've ordered hardbacks and paperbacks from each place, and you can't go wrong! I hope after I let the cat out of the bag, there will still be good books left for me to buy!🙂

The money raised by Discoverybooks and Thriftybooks goes to support good causes. Another advantage is you can often find hard-to-get out-of-print books on both websites. Moreover, when you must declutter your home, you've only spent a few dollars on the books you are ready to donate to other readers.

Another great place to buy used books, of course, is on Amazon, as the mega retailer also offers used books from various sellers, including far-away libraries (who are combing their shelves.) And speaking of libraries, my local branch accepts book donations, as well as, sells old books. So be sure to check with your branch libaries.

Buying used books is a win, win and THE SAVVY SHOPPER thing to do! Please add any other substainable ways to read books under comments.📚


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