Interior decorating can be so expensive. Even if you’re just doing a little spruce up to a designated room in your home, you could easily end up spending way more than you budgeted for if you’re not careful. Which is where the dollar store comes in! Whenever we’re craving a small upgrade, we always see what the neighbourhood dollar stores have to offer. In this case, we went on a mission for kitchen items that would provide some sprucing. If you’ve grown bored of your kitchen, head over to your local dollar store and see what you can find!
Here’s what we found:
Kitchen Towels
Swapping out your old and ratty kitchen towels for fresh ones, maybe with a lively print, can do wonders for your kitchen ambiance! The dollar store had plenty of options, from fruit-themed to flowers to simple stripes, so you’re sure to find a set that matches your vibe.
Glass Jars
A super easy way to elevate and spruce up your kitchen is to put any ingredients you have out in the open into nice glass jars! It makes your counter top look so much fancier with minimal effort and spending.
Glass Dispensers
In the same thought, the dollar store also had all kinds of glass dispensers. If your vegetable oil container is a bit of an eye sore, replace it with a dispenser. The same goes for salt and pepper!
Dishware
We were pleasantly surprised by the dishes the dollar store had to offer! Nothing makes a kitchen feel more fresh than some new dishes. Some were even large enough to be used as chic fruit bowls.
Shelving/Racks
Create some extra counter or cabinet space with some shelving. Never underestimate the power some simple organization can do! The dollar store had a decent variety of options, from dish racks to cupboard shelfs.
Drying Mat
If you’re in need of a new dish drying mat, this one felt super high-quality and sleek. However, we will note our annoyance that the dollar store now carries items that are priced at $5.
Vases
Lastly, as we were heading out, we spotted some cute vases, which would work to house larger kitchen utensils in a fun and decorative way! When saving money, it’s all about being creative.
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Decorating for the holidays can become an expensive task quickly, so finding deals whenever possible is essential if you want to save some money this holiday season. And who doesn’t? The dollar store – specifically Dollarama in this case, actually has a ton of cute holiday decor items to spice up your space for the holidays! For me, the key was mixing dollar store decor with decor from elsewhere, in an attempt of the dollar store decor not looking overly “cheap” (even though it is). I picked up a few holiday decor items at the dollar store and then went home and to style what I found.
Here’s how shopping for holiday decor at the Dollar Store turned out!
Firstly, I needed a new stocking. To my surprise, there was an abundance to choose from. I ended up picking out a red sequin one and hung it on my living room mirror off of some holiday garland.
Next, in the ornament section, which was packed full. I spotted these 2 cute little cupcake ornaments and had to take them home and put them on my tree. They mix in perfectly with the ornaments that were already there.
I also had a tree skirt on my list. I’ve been looking for one, but have yet to find one I liked at a reasonable price. Enter – The dollar store! I found this fluffy red one, and I know it isn’t groundbreaking or anything, but it does the job! Plus, my cat approves.
I have a floor vase in my doorway that needed a touch of holiday in it for the season. No matter where you decide to purchase artificial foliage/branches, I feel like it all looks relatively the same. So, the dollar store it is! However, I’m not going to lie. This project humbled me. Apparently, I’m not talented at bouquet arrangements, but it’ll do.
I came across this reindeer that looks like it’s made of ice (even though it is, indeed, just plastic), and had to bring it home with me. I ended up placing it with my pink Santa decoration and some vases that I have out all year long. I love incorporating holiday decor with the decor I already have.
The last piece I picked up was a small table runner to put my existing holiday centrepieces on top of. I like how it really pulled it all together in an organized yet festive way!
Now, for some great holiday decor options from the dollar that I didn’t bring home with me (but I kind of wish I had).
How adorable is this snow globe with a puppy in it? It actually felt quite high-quality, too. A great holiday decor piece for any dog lover!
These sparkly pine trees would make wherever you place them feel festive and fun! They’re giving Whoville vibes.
If you need some Christmas-tree bulbs, the dollar store has you covered! I wish I had seen these before I bought mine.
It doesn’t get any cuter than this reindeer bulb with a light-up red nose!
Overall, I would say shopping for holiday decor at the dollar store was a success! I added some new pieces that I love to my home for the holiday season and spent about $35.
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I don’t know about you, but quite honestly, my bathroom was the one room in my apartment that I put the least effort into decorating. I have a pretty small bathroom and I didn’t really know what to do with it. Recently, I’ve been revamping my apartment and I’ve been constantly stalking decor Instagram pages and Pinterest boards. When I started living in an apartment and not in my childhood home, I quickly realized how expensive the little things are, so anything I can save money on, I do which is why I hit up dollarama for my bathroom update.
Of course, the dollar store isn’t the best for the more substantial type of updates – which you’ll see as you keep reading, but, it is a great place to find little accents that have the power to change the whole appearance! To update my bathroom, my goal was to make it more sleek and put-together looking, and quite frankly, a little less boring.
The Plan: Spend just $50 at dollarama to update my bathroom.
This is my sink portion of the bathroom before I updated it with my dollar store finds. Pretty blah if you ask me. I even have my face wash and other essentials sitting in a box-lid from a purchase made ages ago.
Although we all love a good recycling moment, this set up just wasn’t working for me anymore.
While I was at the dollar store I didn’t have too many ideas in mind. I just knew I wanted to snag some cute decor pieces, as well as some things that would be good for storage. I came across these really pretty glass jars that I thought would be perfect for cotton swabs and cotton pads, so I bought two of them.
Nothing freshens up a bathroom like some new hand towels so of course I had to pick up some. The dollar store is great for grabbing white washcloths and hand towels in particular because you won’t be afraid of actually using them. Plus, if you happen to accidentally stain one, they’re super cheap to replace.
I updated my sink area by first by switching out the hand towel I had with the white ones from the dollar store. I stacked two on top of each other to give it have more volume and look more expensive.
I also bought a plain white soap dispenser and decanted my favourite soap into it, just to give it a more sleek look. Then, I transferred the tray that had my soap in it to now hold my essentials that were in the box-lid. Still with me? I kept my toothbrushes in a glass but I switched it to a dark blue glass for a cute pop of colour.
While all of this definitely helped, what I think really vamped up this area were the decorative flowers.
When I saw this jar with the rope around it, I instantly put it in my cart. Even though I wasn’t sure what I wanted to use it for, I knew I needed it! I ended up putting fake flowers in it, which I also grabbed while I was there.
I ended up adding some white pebbles and fake white flowers, all bought while I was there. I tested out a few different options for fake flowers from what they had, and I settled with the white ones because they gave my space the clean and simple vibe I was looking for.
While I was in the fake flower section I noticed these cute tiny succulents and I had to grab one because it perfectly matched my DIY project!
Like I said before, my bathroom is small, so there isn’t a lot to work with but I added a basket to hold toilet paper rolls and a scented candle. Then I put a square candle, one in black and one in white, on either side of the basket, just for some added flare. I also switched out my old bath mat for a plain white one that I snagged from the dollar store that’s super soft and the works perfectly.
Although most of the things I bought were a success, I did have a fail.
A problem with my bathroom is that I have pretty much no shelf space. So, when I saw this cute shelf-set at the dollar store, I had to grab it. I knew this could be an iffy situation, but I tried to give it a go anyway. Basically, long story short, I got one into my wall but I couldn’t get it to stay straight at all. It was kind of just hanging there, unable to hold anything so I gave up and now I have multiple holes in the wall.
So, the shelving unit will have to be a project for another day, and maybe not from the dollar store.
Last but not least, I had to grab some storage essentials while I was at the dollar store! In case you’re unaware, the dollar store is the perfect place to find some organizational items. I bought two white baskets to keep under my sink to help organize the mess of my way-too-many essentials.
Overall, I would recommend the dollar store for decor and storage items, but keep in mind you may be better off buying certain things, like shelving units, elsewhere.
Here is the sink portion of my bathroom after the update!
Quite honestly, this little challenge made me wonder why it took me so long to buy these items in the first place — It was so easy and cost no more than $50!
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I’d been to Japanese dollar store Oomomo a few times, but I hadn’t bought much, other than a few craft supplies and treats. I was excited to see how far my $50 would go here to update my kitchen, and to my surprise, and excitement, most of the products in the store are only $2. There are some products priced upwards of $20 as well, so just make sure you’re looking for the price tag before you cash out.
After taking a walk through Oomomo, I knew that I would get the most bang for my buck by updating my kitchen.
There was what seemed like an endless supply of kitchen gadgets, plates, and bowls, and other random kitchen accessories. I love cooking and baking, so I was stoked to get started!
One of the first things I gravitated towards was a canvas pop-up basket that I immediately wanted to put a plant in. However, my mom recently told me how she keeps all her baking supplies in a basket so that she can easily put things away.
That little tidbit had me heading over to the baking aisle to see what I could find!
I love making cookies, so I picked up a couple of different rolling pins and a stamping device so I can put little words into the dough. I also grabbed a scraper, which is great for cutting cookie bars and a candy thermometer because I’ve burnt caramel one too many times.
Caramel isn’t the only thing that I’ve overcooked on occasion — my partner and I have been talking about the need for a meat thermometer for a while now. We’ve recently done a lot of BBq-ing, and there’s nothing worse than tearing your chicken apart to see if it’s cooked. We also love to host friends and make charcuterie and cheese boards, so I picked up this cute wooden board as well.
So far, everything I had picked up was $2, so I was barely halfway to the end goal! This was a major score after shopping at more expensive dollar stores for so long.
My partner and I were huge fans of bento boxes in Japan and I’d always wanted to own one, so I did not hesitate to grab two adorable bento boxes from Oomomo’s large selection. I also grabbed some silicone muffin holders for putting snacks inside the box, or separating other types of food.
I’ve seen a trend online in using different types of boxes for snacks and also as bento boxes and there were a ton of them around the store that could also work for this sort of thing! Pro tip: I’ve also heard they’re great for keeping kids entertained on long flights.
Finally, I had just a few more things on my list.
We’ve had this really cute tea pot for a long time, but no teacups to match. I wanted to find something that complemented the stone look, but wasn’t too matchy. I grabbed two really beautiful stone cups so we can have tea all the time! I also grabbed two bowls that I may end up DIYing later.
Also, what’s a trip to a Japanese dollar store without grabbing a treat? I put some chocolates in one of the bowls for our guests to enjoy next time they are over. But, if I’m going to be completely honest with you, those chocolates are loooong gone.
Can you believe I got all this for less than $50?
That’s right. I came UNDER budget. Not too shabby considering I got some pretty sweet stuff. With so many more international dollar stores opening, I can’t wait to see what the other dollar stores have to offer!
All Images: StyleDemocracy
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