The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Life has gotten outrageously expensive lately, and since it doesn't seem to be going down anytime soon, I find myself increasingly relying on products from Dollarama to save myself quite a bit when shopping for my home.
Food and rent in Toronto are expensive, but you know what isn't? Cute products from the dollar store that yes, cost more than a dollar, but are much cheaper than shopping elsewhere and don't actually sacrifice on quality.
Here are some of the best home products that you should only buy at Dollarama rather than shopping elsewhere because it's just not worth it to buy elsewhere.
Wire organizer baskets
Wire basket organizers.
These wire basket organizers are a staple in my house and I have them in basically all my rooms (seriously, I actually own nine of these). They're so pretty, and they've made my previously scary-looking utility closet look organized and not nearly as chaotic as it used to be.
I personally prefer the rose gold colour as it suits my aesthetic, but the gold and silver are equally as pretty. A product like this at Michael's costs about $20, so given that they only cost $4 at Dollarama, you can buy about five of these for that same cost — a win in my books!
They also have baskets that come with handles that cost a little bit more, if that suits your needs better.
Price: $4.00
Faux fur shaggy rugs
A shaggy rug.
A throw rug is a must for cold winters in Canada, because there's nothing more unpleasant than putting your feet down on cold hardwood floor when you get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night before you can find your slippers.
This cute shaggy item is just $4.50 which is a wild deal in comparison to the fact that it'll cost you about double at Walmart, or even quadruple that at Wayfair.
Price: $4.50
Velvet pants hangers
A pants hanger.
I've been a convert to velvet hangers as they keep your clothes from slipping off, and since I live in a tiny Toronto apartment with basically no closet space, maximizing how I use what space I do have is important.
Instead of my boyfriend hanging each of his pants up individually, he hangs four pairs up on one hanger. For myself, I have about a dozen scarves hanging up on one of these, and it genuinely frees up so much space for our other belongings. Compared to about $10 at Walmart, $1.75 for this feels like a steal.
Price: $1.75
A power strip
A power bar.
I own multiple of these power strips from Dollarama and I've never had an issue with them, which is particularly impressive given that my building is over 100 years old.
One of these costs about $10 at Home Depot, and while you can likely find them on sale at somewhere like Canadian Tire for less, you can't beat Dollarama's price of $4.75.
Price: $4.75
Planters
A planter.
My partner has a plant problem, and since he's got a green thumb, we always seem to be propagating new sprouts of our plant children every few weeks, which of course requires new vases for them to live in.
Dollarama has some surprisingly very cute vases (and a large variety of them, too!) and I refuse to buy vases anywhere else, because they almost always cost much more. For instance, a similar ceramic planter at Canadian Tire costs $10 — and the Dollarama one is cuter, in my opinion!
Price: $4.00
A shoe rack
A shoe rack.
A shoe rack is a must to keep your front entrance tidy, but there's no need to shell out $20 or more for one of them. This rack from Dollarama is one of the first things I bought when I moved into a new apartment over a year ago, and it's stood up throughout two winters worth of abuse and hasn't shown any signs of giving up as yet.
Price: $5.00
Felt protectors.
If you're nervous about your furniture leaving scratch marks on your hard wood floor, absolutely do not buy felt protectors from anywhere other than Dollarama. At other stores like Canadian Tire, pads of felt cost anywhere from $3 up to $10 and do the exact same thing as the dollar store product.
In fact, a professional who helped us during our last move told us to only buy the protectors from Dollarama, and I'm glad I listened — why spend more?
Price: $1.25
Command strips.
Like the felt protectors, professionals have also told me it's not worth buying Command hanging products at any store other than Dollarama, and the proof is in the numbers: at Home Depot, Canadian Tire and Walmart, the strips all cost at least $1 more if not a few dollars more.
Price: $3.00
Cute art pieces
An art print.
Everyone needs some pretty things in their life and while you might not expect it of them, Dollarama has some unexpectedly cute (if cliche) art pieces that look very pretty on my walls.
They're nothing groundbreaking or special, but it's cheap and cheerful, and similar pieces will set you back $20+ at HomeSense or Winners.
Price: $4.50
Picture frames
A picture frame.
Another home product that should only ever be purchased at Dollarama is picture frames. Although I've recently opened up my wallet to buy some higher quality prints, I absolutely refuse to pay over $10 for a product that does the exact same thing as the dollar store item.
I've been using Dollarama frames for years and they've never let me down thus far.
Price: $2.50
A garbage can
Garbage cans.
Something that irrationally irks me is having to spend big bucks on an item that's meant to house my trash, so these $3 containers at Dollarama are perfect. I like that they have a bit of texture to them to give them an interesting look, and I have multiple of these in my house.
They're not that much more expensive at Walmart, but you'll still save yourself a dollar or two by shopping at the dollar store.
Price: $3.00
Shop smarter, not harder, folks — it all adds up in the long run!
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
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