These days most items found at dollar stores cost more than one dollar, strange but true.  Retail outlets like Deals, Dollar General and others might have a few bargains in the store but they have strayed away from the true essence of what a dollar store should be.  Prices of just about everything have gone up exponentially over the past decade making true dollar stores hard to find, that is until today.  A tip lead me to a dollar store 20 minutes from my house, and I was shocked to find that truly everything in the store was $1.00 or less.  Sure you had your share of crappy items (do I really want to trust a tool kit that costs $1) but for other SHTF necessities this place was a boon.  You could do some serious damage in this place on the cheap.

I focused mainly on hygiene products, picked up some cleaning supplies, and grabbed a few other miscellaneous items which could come in handy.  My total bill was $89, which I suspect would have been more like $300 had I gone to a regular supermarket or even Walmart.  To give you an idea of the price discrepancies which existed between this place and your everyday store, I picked up a case of 12 name brand energy shot drinks for $12.  These things go for $3 to $3.50 in most gas stations.  The savings were truly unbelievable when considering what these items cost normally and the fact that I was buying in bulk.  When I was checking out the store clerk asked if I was buying all of these items so that I could donate them.  Sure, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Quite a bit of hygiene products were purchased in order to supplement my current hygiene stash.  If you read my other posts you would know that I feel that these items are severely underrated, much of the research that I have done on prepping reveals that people tend to focus on the big 3: food/water/weapons.  Those people should try going a few weeks without brushing their teeth, or washing with soap.  What about the ramifications of not having a way to cleanse your hands after pooping or working with dead animals.  Some soap and water or hand sanitizer could go a long way to prevent disease or an upset stomach.   For the women out there, I’m sure they would not want to be on their period without having pads (or whatever it is they use) to help keep them sanitary.  The examples can go on forever but the bottom line is hygiene products are absolutely essential and I was really excited to be able to pick up quite a bit for really great prices at this store.

In addition to the hygiene items I picked up various lengths of bungee cords, tubes of Krazy glue, matches, duct tape, zip-loc bags, aluminum foil, a few batteries (I already have a decent stash) and some thin razors.  Most of those items speak for themselves as far as what they could be used for, but I like the bungee cords especially for helping to create shelters while in the woods or to tie items down in the back of my trailer.  Krazy glue has a million uses, one of them being to mend wounds when you have no other means available.

Overall today was a great success.  I don’t see myself going back to the store anytime soon, maybe every few months just to check for anything new.   I am glad I was able to pick up all of these items at once and for a great price, they are a truly great supplement to my SHTF stash.  Even if I or my family were not able to use all of these items they could come in very handy in a barter type situation, that’s for damn sure.

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”