Thanks to Charlie from Three Thrifty Guys with some great advice on the elusive dollar bins!
I hate the dollar bin! I don’t like to use the word hate too often, but to me the dollar bin at Walmart, Target, or any other department store is big culprit of our increasing landfills. In the disposable economy we live in it seems that dollar bin purchases are the norm and are becoming increasing popular. They are the quick fix to a “sudden need” or realization that “oh, I need a pair of gardening gloves” or “my son/daughter needs a new plastic toy made from China”.
Does it ever seem strange that when you go into a store with a list that you never have any dollar bin items on your list, but strangely you walk away with 2 or 3 items from it? It’s the store’s way of tempting you as soon as you get in the door on something you supposedly need. Like Aaron’s (a ThreeThriftyGuy) Grandma talked about in her interview… “stop going to the store to buy stuff.”
Despite my strong opinion, I thought it might be good to lay out some positive, negatives and alternatives for many of the Saving Cents with Sense readers.
Positives
- Cheap
- Disposable – low buy in costs means that it’s easily replaceable
- Quick solution or fix
- New toys for kids (helps excite them about something new)
Negatives
- Cheap
- Doesn’t last long
- Made in China (typically not made in America)
- Doesn’t support American made products
- Usually breaks within a few weeks
- Ends up in our land fill within a few years
- Adds to the clutter in our home – something I strive not to do (tips to unclutter)
Alternatives
- Craigslist – see if you can find a slightly used version of what you are looking for
- Ebay
- Antique store – I love going to antique stores and finding older products that are used and can be easily repair that will last for years. Strange thing is most of these products we produced in America years ago. Hmm…coincidence?
- Repair old items – like Jacob from EarlyRetirementExtreme wrote in his interview – “Don’t look to Walmart for your solution.” By trying to repair items you’ll help out our landfills and learn a thing or two about being thrifty with existing items
I hope by logically laying out differing points of view that this will give you some ways to be thrifty, reuse products and help out our landfills at the same time.
Are you a sucker for the dollar bin?
Three Thrifty Guys are here to help you keep a few more bucks in your pocket. Please visit us at www.threethriftyguys.com! We’d love to hear from you.
Don’t forget to Download the Saving Cents with Sense Toolbar. Have a smart phone – Get the iPhone App or Android App to keep all the deals at your fingertips!
