22 Best Prepper Items from the Dollar Store

We all love the dollar store. While the dollar store may not have everything we need or want for preparedness, it can supply us with a lot of great options.

While not everything at the dollar store is super high quality, a lot of it does the job just as good as ‘name brand’ items. In fact, I always tend to buy off brand in regular stores anyway as they’re cheaper but work the exact same.

Here are 22 of the best items from the dollar store that I buy on a regular basis.

1. First aid supplies – Their first aid is just as good as any other medical supplies. In fact, I’ve found some gems there such as tape and alcohol pads, which I feel would normally be more expensive elsewhere. I have heard that even their medications are just as effective as name brand.
2. Hygiene – They have a good selection of hygiene products such as soaps, shampoos, hand sanitizer, etc.
3. Toilet paper – While maybe not the highest quality toilet paper, it’s great for emergencies. The biggest pack I’ve seen is a 4 pack, but that’s not bad for just $1.
4. Ziploc bags – Lots of great ziploc bags, great for storage!
5. Garbage bags – Garbage bags aren’t just good for garbage so always good to stock up on these.
6. Candles – Lots of great candles. I like the unscented kind for emergencies.
7. Office supplies – Pens, pads, pencils and everything else.
8. Nonperishable food – Every dollar store will be different when it comes to what types of nonperishable foods they have, but I’ve been able to find vinegar, rice, mac & cheese, noodles, cereals, etc.
9. Bags – Sometimes they have some nice cosmetic bags that can be used as storage options.
10. Storage bins – Speaking of storage, they seem to always have some sort of storage bins that are durable and effective for their intended purposes.
11. Kids toys/games – I like to get toys and games from the dollar store and put them in an emergency box to take out during any sort of emergency or disaster to keep us all entertained.
12. Jute twine – Their jute twine is actually good quality.
13. Tape – While the tape that they carry are usually small, it never hurts to stock up on tape for just $1.
14. Pet toys – Call me a snob, but I won’t buy the pet food or treats from the dollar store, but they do have some pet toys, collars and such that aren’t of the greatest quality, but will do the job.
15. Seasonal – They’re always doing something seasonal for every holiday. They might have some good stuff for preparedness purposes. I tend to get some of my gardening stuff from there (not seeds, but things like gloves and other stuff).
16. Sewing kit – I have gotten a few sewing kits from here for a variety of kits and have actually used them, they work great!
17. Eyeglass repair kit – I have gotten a couple of these eyeglass repair kits, along with some of their other eyeglass stuff such as wipes and they all work great.
18. Lighters – Many people say that the dollar store lighters don’t work, but I’ve used them quite a bit and have never had an issue. Though I don’t use them everyday, the times that I have used them, they’ve never failed.
19. Matches – They have big boxes of matches.
20. Super glue – They have a pack of 3 or 4 individual super glues that are so useful to have around.
21. Cosmetic items – I like to get cotton balls, cotton swabs and cotton rounds from the dollar store to be used for cleaning and fire starters.
22. Chapstick and vaseline – Great for chapped lips/skin and for fire starters.

This isn’t a complete list of what can be purchased from the dollar store, but these are things that I purchase and have tested from there on a fairly regular basis and store away. And every dollar store will be different. They’ll even carry different things occasionally, so I like to go in frequently to see what’s new and to stock up.

Head out, keep your eyes open and see what can be utilized for preparedness and even everyday purposes.

What are some other items that you get from the dollar store?