Daily Essentials at the Dollar Tree

Do you shop at the Dollar Tree?  I go about once every other month to stock up on our daily essential things we need around the house. I realized about 15 years ago that the Dollar Tree carries a lot of stuff that is used on a daily basis at a much cheaper price. 

I buy all the ziplock type baggies at the Dollar Tree. There have been times I have purchased them at Target or Costco. When I compare the prices it is so much cheaper to just go to the Dollar Tree. I normally buy the off brands of baggies, but they were out this last time. Pandemic hoarders shelves must be overflowing lol

On my trip to the Dollar Tree here are some of the items I get:

1. Snack baggies - 1
2. Sandwich baggies - 3
3. Quart baggies - 1 
4. Gallon baggies - 3
5. Rubber gloves - 2
6. Sponges - 3 
7. Flossers - 2 
8. Napkins - 3
9. Paper towels - 2
10. Parchment paper - 2 

I usually have to go to the Dollar Tree because we need more baggies. We haven't been going through as many now that G isn't in school. For the most part I try not to send a lot of baggies in lunches. It is usually cheaper to buy things in bulk and put them in a baggy. I also freeze a lot of food, so I use baggies to freeze stuff. 

The only time we use paper towels is when the cleaning lady comes, so 2 rolls last us 2 months or more. We use cloth towels instead of paper towels. I have probably 20 towels that last me a week. We use them to dry our hands, clean up messes and wipe up any water. I didn't grow up with paper towels, so it feels wasteful to me to use paper towels. 

I wash dishes in rubber gloves otherwise my hands get so dry. I like the pink ones! One pair will last me awhile! I just like to have a second pair in case I get a hole in them. I don't always buy these. If I have a second pair under the sink I don't buy anymore. 

I use sponges to wash dishes, clean the stove, and wipe off counters. I know some people hate sponges. I like them. You might like paper towels and I don't. So let's just agree to disagree on the sponge situation ok. lol

I keep flossers all over the place. I got into the habit of flossing my teeth and now I need to do it a few times a day. I keep them in my car, purse, kitchen drawer and bathroom. I don't want to be running all over the place to take care of my teeth lol
The dentist told me on my last visit they haven't seen teeth this clean. I said well it's because of the preschool pick up line! They were puzzled. I said I floss my teeth every day while I am picking up G from school. 

I also like to buy all our party supplies - plates, napkins, utensils, decorations, gift bags, cards. These things are just as good as buying them from Target, but the price is so much less. There are times I will order specific themed decor for the boys birthdays from Amazon, but for regular colored decor I buy it from the Dollar Tree. 

I try to stock up, so I only go every 2-3 months. It saves me time and money. I tell the kids they can pick out 1 item while we are there. They can pick ANYTHING in the store they want. This of course makes G VERY happy! lol One day Cash was insistent on 2 balls...not 1 he picked 2 favorite balls. At first I was like no, you need to pick just one. Then I thought come on Becky it's $1 LOL

Check out your local Dollar Tree the next time you are near one for your daily essentials! 

Curious George 1st Birthday Party

I started planning George birthday probably when he was a couple months old. I was pinning things on Pinterest for months. I decided on Curious George right away! It was a perfect theme for our little Curious George!

I made the majority of the decorations, signs and banners. I had a lot of fun planning it until 2 days before then I started stressing. I now understand why people rent jumpy houses and order pizza. lol

Guest Book Table

I had a Curious George Birthday book for everyone to sign as the guest book. We have this large crate I covered with a table cloth on the sides and yellow wrapping paper over the top. I bought the clips and G from the $ section of Target & Michael's.

Birthday Cake Throne

I made the I Am One sign that wrapped around G's high chair. I bought the balloon on Amazon.

Dessert Table

I made the OOH AAH OOH AAH banner. My friend Krystal made the banana hanging in the middle. She also made the monkey face with the mustache.

The table I covered the sides with a table cloth, covered the top with yellow & white polka dot wrapping paper. We served cupcakes and banana splits. I made G's smash cake.

Chalk Board

Our chalk board in the kitchen I drew Go Banana's. I am no artist let me tell you! I probably redid it a couple times before the party.

Drink Area

I collected straws from the dollar section of Target and Michael's for a few months. Picture up some red solo cups from the dollar store. The yellow bucket is from the clearance section of Michael's. My nanny helped me cup all the tissue pom poms. They were pretty easy to make once we cut them all out. I was soooo grateful she helped me with things.

Front Yard

We had some leftover wood from the deck project. My father in law cut out the 1 and painted it a solid color. I painted the polka dots all over it.

Back Yard Photo Prop

I found a picture on Pinterest the above photo prop. I printed it out and asked my father in law to draw it out for me. I told him I would paint it if he could just draw it. Well my father in law not only drew it out, but he painted it. I was soooo happy! He did such an amazing job!

I painted the confetti and party hat.

George LOVES the monkey still. It is still in our backyard. He loves to go put his head through it and laughs away.

I didn't get a picture of the food table! I set up a taco bar. Ground beef, shredded chicken, pinto beans, all the fixing for tacos, tortilla chips and salsa. Oh it was delicious! I take after my great grandma and mom. I cooked for an entire army. We had 5 pounds of ground beef left over and probably 2 pounds of beans. lol Good things those things freeze well.

The party turned out perfect! It was a lot of work, but so worth it. It was such a fun afternoon spending time with our family and friends celebrating our little boy 1st year. He was worn out after the party and took a long nap.