I have a love-hate relationship with dollar stores. I love their wide variety of useful things that my wallet won’t feel the sting of buying, but admittedly, the quality of those things is pretty hit-or-miss.
That’s why I love all the hacks and ideas people have shared online. I can get great ideas for my own home without risking money up front.
1. Use a folding mesh hamper for easy beach days.
Sure, you can buy mesh bags in the seasonal section, but why spend the extra money? These hampers are great for keeping all those shovels and buckets contained, and all you need to do is give it a shake to get rid of the extra sand you don’t want following you home.
2. Light up the patio for pennies.
Solar lights can be found for a couple of bucks. Remove the stakes and stick the light into a dollar store vase filled with decorative rocks.
I think this would be even prettier if you used colored marbles or glass beads. They’d sparkle in the light!
3. Got a ton of school books and binders? Dish racks can help.
The wire racks are already made to hold things up straight and the cutlery basket is perfect for small supplies. With some craftiness, you could easily cover them with decorative paper or something to mask the bare rack.
Really, the dollar store is great for back-to-school hacks in general!
4. Don’t get a crick in your neck if your flight has no media screens.
A cheap easel or photo display from the dollar store can be secured to the upright tray table, letting you hang your phone or tablet at eye level while you fly. This also works great for road trips.
5. Keep cables from tangling with a quick trip to the hair products aisle.
For a buck, you can get a bunch of plastic claw hair clips that work great as cable holders. They come in lots of sizes, so you’ll definitely find something perfect for your specific needs.
The easiest lifehacks are always the best, amirite?
6. Make dollar store dishes custom with Sharpies.
Did you know that a quick trip into the oven will make oil-based Sharpie markers permanent on porcelain and other ceramics? It’s a great way to make yourself custom dishes without paying full price for them.
7. Jazz up cork coasters with a bit of paint.
For some reason (*cough* dogs *cough*), my coasters never last long so I’m hesitant to spend much money on them, but plain ones are kind of boring.
This simple trick from Token & Bliss is the perfect solution.
You can get everything from the cork coasters to the tape and the paints from the dollar store. Just mask off some cool shapes with the tape and paint them with whatever colors you desire.
8. Make a family command center.
Command centers are a great way to keep the whole family up to date on appointments, chores, etc., but they don’t need to cost a fortune.
Girl Loves Glam made this one with a stained plywood board and dollar store finds.
Dry erase markers work great on glass. By printing out some lists and calendars and putting them in dollar store frames, she organized things beautifully.
9. Hack yourself a lazy Susan alternative.
It’s not the quietest alternative, but by filling a cake pan with glass beads and placing a second pan on top, you can easily spin the top pan.
10. Keep the car clean with over-the-door organizers.
Just hang them on the chair backs instead! This is particularly helpful if you have young kids and need quick access to things before the mess gets out of control. There isn’t always time to dig through the diaper bag.
11. Keep your baby’s legs warm with altered tube socks.
Just cut the foot part of the sock off and sew up the hem. Kid’s grow so quickly that it’s silly to spend a ton of money on leg warmers. You could also use fabric glue or tape instead of sewing.
12. And don’t waste the leftover scraps.
Those cut footies can be easily turned into simple sock puppets. Or stuff them with fluff and sew the ends to make a simple cat toy. Really, the options are endless.
13. Make a high-end succulent planter from dollar store dishes.
Lucy over at Craftberry Bush made this beautiful three-tiered planter for less than 10 bucks and no one would ever guess.
Using epoxy glue and a couple of glasses from the same dollar store, she stacked a trio of white serving dishes.
Even the decorative rocks are from the dollar store! Just add soil and succulents.
14. Turn a collection of dollar store mirrors into a chic monogram piece for your side table or mantel.
Even if you can’t find mirrors in the color you were hopping for, you can just paint the frames! Head over to The Blue House Crafts for all the crafty details.
15. Makeup compacts can be glued together to create a show-stopping mirror, too.
Karianne of Thistlewood Farms has a great tutorial you can use to make one of these for your home.
16. What was once a boring accordion rack is now a pretty storage solution for your entryway.
Drawn To DIY used marble contact paper to give a dollar store find a stylish, new look.
17. Shannon, the creative mind behind Home Made Lovely, managed to put together these trendy topiaries using materials from her local dollar store.
One of these beauties only cost her $5.00 to make, which is a win in my books!
18. With the help of some contact paper and magnets, Aimee, aka The Crazy Craft Lady, was able to turn a dollar store cookie sheet into a storage board for her bathroom.
Even if you don’t need a storage solution for makeup, this idea can be applied to other types of organization, too!
19. Another great way to upcycle frames from the dollar store is by making pretty lanterns with them.
Hometalkers Rob and Courtney created these beautiful accessories out of picture frames, foam board, and hot glue.
20. You can make cute table signs, which would work perfectly for a wedding or vendor booth, by attaching picture frames to candlesticks.
With the help of some spray paint, Whitney of Polka-Dotty Place was able to complete her dollar store transformation!
21. Why would you buy a decorative accessory at a home goods store when you can make one out of an inexpensive dollar store toy instead?
Let Jenn of Build Basic show you how it’s done.
