Dollar General is a little different than most retailers. Because they have the word “dollar” in their name they often get confused as a dollar store, which they clearly aren’t. Think of Dollar General as a cross between a dollar store and a discount department store. To help you save the most money on your next trip, I’ve put together the top 22 products to buy at your local Dollar General, some of which will shock you with their low price. Hope this article helps you save some money.

Toys

If you need a few toys as stocking stuffers, party favors, or cool little gift ideas, the Dollar General is a great stop.

Not only do they always have a wide selection of toys with a $1 price tag, but they also have many quality toys priced under $4 that are terrific bargains.

DVD Movies

Dollar General has a very good selection of DVD movies priced right around $3 each. Look for both kid and family titles as well as drama and action flicks for the rest of us.

Surprisingly they have DVD movies that you’ve actually heard of too, many of which you’ll have to pay $7-$12 for at Walmart.

See Also: Here are the 14 Cheapest Grocery Stores Near You

Greeting Cards

Why would you ever pay $6 for a Hallmark card again if you have a Dollar General in your town? They have an excellent selection of high-quality greeting cards for $1 each.

Party Supplies

The next time you’re planning a birthday party, you’d be crazy to not stop by Dollar General first.

Buy all your party staples like napkins, plates, cups, and party decorations for a buck each then use the money you saved to buy a gift.

Seriously, you can save a lot of money by buying party supplies at Dollar General and staying out of the big-box stores.

Air Fresheners

My truck use to flat-out stink inside. With three kids playing sports and doing dance classes, I can usually find a dirty sock or two in the backseat, or nasty French fries between the seats stinking up the joint.

I always stock-up on air fresheners at Dollar General and pay 20-30% less than Walmart and Target.

My truck has never smelled better, until the air fresheners wears off anyways…

See Also: How to Essentially Get a $60 Costco Membership for Free

Wrapping Paper

Aside from stocking up on wrapping paper on December 26th, the single best way to save money is by shopping at Dollar General.

They carry quality paper for just a buck a roll, and the rolls are pretty darn big too.

Hand Tools

The tools at Dollar General are much better quality than the cheap stuff you’ll find at the Dollar Store.

They have a slew of quality wrenches, pliers, and screwdrivers for $2 each and even bigger hand tools like saws, hammers, and drill bit sets for $5 or under.

Coloring Books

If you have any rug rats running around the house who love to color, be sure to stock-up on coloring books from Dollar General.

At a $1 each, you can’t beat the price and the big selection of high-quality coloring books.

Dryer Sheets

Buy your dryer sheets from Dollar General and pay less than Walmart, Target, and Rite Aid. Look for them in the clearance section too to save even more money.

See Also: Dollar General Return Policy: Time to Muddle Through the Confusion

Curtains

Were you even aware that Dollar General sold curtains? If you’re like most, probably not.

But they surely do, and they’re a screaming deal.

You can get 40″ x 80″ curtain panels for $8.50, and 5-piece sets for less than $15. The brands are high-quality and include Comfort Bay and TrueLiving.

Lampshades

Until recently, the last place I would look for a new lampshade was at Dollar General.

Boy, was I wrong. In actuality, you can get a quality TrueLiving lampshade for a sweet and easy $5. No-brainer.

Wall Art

If you’re looking to spruce up the walls of your home, consider staying out of expensive art galleries and print shops, and shop at Dollar General instead.

For under $10, and often for under $8, you can score some very nice framed prints and wall art.

Paper Supplies

When you’re low on envelopes, stationery, computer paper, plain notebook paper, and even construction paper, head to your nearest Dollar General.

As a general rule, you’ll pay about a 1/3 less on paper products when compared to office supply stores.

Cheaper than Walmart too in most cases.

Spray Paint

Have you ever noticed that the “in-house brand” spray paint at Home Depot and Lowe’s sells for about $4 a can?

Opt instead to stock-up at Dollar General for $2 a can. The quality and coverage of their Miracal brand spray paint is excellent.

And at $2 or less per can, the price is hard to beat.

See Also: Save Money at Dollar Tree – 20 Hacks to Make It Happen

Dried Fruit and Nuts

Nuts like cashews, almonds, and roasted peanuts can be quite expensive at grocery stores.

The same can be said for dried fruit. But not at Dollar General as it’s a great place to fill-up the pantry on the cheap.

To give you some perspective, you can typically buy nuts and dried fruits for 50% less than traditional grocery stores.

Picture Frames

If you’ve shopped recently at Michaels, you know just how expensive picture frames are these days.

So consider buying your picture frames from Dollar General and save a nice chunk of change.

For example, at Dollar General you can get a TrueLiving 8 x 10″ picture frame for an affordable $3.

Essentially the same frame at Michaels will run you $8, regularly $14.

K-Cups for Keurig

For $5 you can get a 12-pack of Keurig K-Cups, which comes out to $0.42 a serving.

At Costco you’ll pay about $0.62 each and have to buy a box of 160 K-Cups to get that price.

The K-Cups at Dollar General aren’t generics either. They carry brands like Dunkin’ Donuts, McCafe, Folgers, and Maxwell House.

Spices

If you do a lot of cooking, you know just how expensive spices can be.

Dollar General carries spices from name brands like McCormick and Lawry’s, as well as their in-house brand Clover Valley.

Both are cheaper than most grocery stores with name brands often coming in around $2.50 per container and Clover Valley going for a very affordable $1 each.

Wall Clocks

In addition to adding bargain art and prints to your walls, another smart way to spruce up your home is with a cool looking wall clock.

For only $6, you can score a quality Sharp brand wall clock with a floating dial.

See Also: Buyer Beware, the Dollar Tree Return Policy Kinda Sucks

Gift Bags

Gift bags are one of those items that I hate dropping $4-5 bucks on as I know they’ll just be thrown away by most people.

So I always opt to shop at Dollar General and take advantage of their huge selection of gift bags for a $1 each. Another no-brainer if you ask me.

Office Supplies

From now on, stay out of Office Depot and Staples and hit up Dollar General when you’re in need of office supplies.

You’ll save a butt load of money on staples like pens, pencils, staplers, paper, clipboards, steno pads, index cards, and the like.

Prices are easily 50% less than your big-box office supply stores.

Organization and Storage Bins

Storage and organization bins/totes at Dollar General are always a terrific deal.

They carry top-notch brands like Sterilite, Ziploc, and TrueLiving and sell them for 30-40% less than Target and Walmart.

It just may be time to organize your closet, pantry, attic, or home office on the cheap.

Ask the Reader: What products at Dollar General save you the most money? Let me know in the comments section below, thanks!

Happy savings.

By Kyle James

I always like to “Eat Fresh” at Subway and it’s usually a nice substitute to a greasy burger. But sometimes their subs get a little boring and bland and it would be nice to be able to spice things up a little bit. Enter the Subway secret menu. Little-known subs and sandwiches that’ll spark your imagination, not to mention your taste buds. Here’s what we know so far, and I hope to add new Subway secret menu items to my list as I discover them.

1. Subway “Old Cut”

Back in the day, Subway artists would slice their bread a little differently than they do now. Instead of slicing the bread in half, they would cut a v-shaped trench on the top. The result? A sub that was easier to load with meat and veggies and kept them from falling off.

Also, I know for a fact the old cut would hold more veggies than they do now and it would result in a bigger meal for those with a BIG appetite. Order the v-cut and test out my theory for yourself.

Update: According to someone who left a comment, who use to work at Subway, they called this the “u-gouge” and she said it doesn’t hold nearly as much stuff.

2. The Wing Effect

Order your sub with “Wing Effect” and the artist will leave your meat of choice hanging over the side of the bread. This is done by not folding the meat onto itself, but instead laying it flat on the bread.

It allows you to nibble on the meat before taking a big bite out of your sub. Hey, whatever floats your boat, I ain’t judging.

See Also: 8 Fast Food Menu Secrets That’ll Save You Some Serious Cash

3. The Pizza Sub

The Pizza sub is a long time favorite on the Subway secret menu.

Order it and you’ll get a sub with red tomato sauce, pepperoni, cheese, and your choice of bread. Don’t forget to get it toasted, add some parmesan, and you’ll end up with a delicious pizza on a sandwich.

4. Chicken Cordon Bleu Sub

Order this and you’ll get a yummy concoction with your choice of bread along with chicken breast, ham and cheese.

Make sure you get it toasted for the full cordon bleu experience.

5. The Footlong B.M.T.

According to this Reddit thread, you can order a secret sub that’ll feed an army.

Here’s how the conversation with the sandwich artist went down:

Truck Driver: “Son, are you ready to make the biggest baddest sub of your life?”

Subway Employee: “I make big subs all the time.” (Laughing deeply)

Truck Driver: “Oh boy, you’ll never see this again.”

Subway Employee: “Try me.”

Truck Driver: “Give me a footlong B.M.T. (Biggier. Meatier. Tastier. If you ever wondered). I want 8 double meats, 8 double cheese, 9 layers of bacon, more bread and every vegetable. Two forks.”

Subway Employee: “So you want more bread added in between levels of meat?”

Truck Driver: “Yes. If it looks like it needs bread, add more.”

Total cost for this bad buy, $86. And apparently it was so big, it didn’t come close to fitting in the bag. I would’ve enjoyed watching this guy try to eat it, must have been a sight.

See Also: Chipotle Secret Menu: It’s Awesomely Delicious and a Fun Change of Pace

6. Deconstructed Breakfast Taco

This beauty sounds delicious and will take your breakfast to the next level. Order it off the Subway secret menu and you’ll get flatbread loaded with egg whites, steak, guacamole, spinach, red onions, sliced tomatoes and topped with yummy Chipotle sauce.

I’m all over this one like “white on rice” the next I stop at Subway for breakfast.

7. Eggs Florentine Flatbread

This can be ordered any time of day and is loaded with protein. It’s made on soft flatbread and comes with egg whites, red onion, banana pepper, spinach, black olives and topped with a tangy Italian dressing. This sandwich makes for a nice alternative to the boring subs found on their regular menu.

8. Chicken Parmesan Sub

Back in 2010, Subway took this beauty of their regular menu, but never fear, most employees still know how to make it and it’s been secret menu fixture for years.

If they don’t know how, just ask for a sub with roasted chicken, marinara sauce, and Parmesan cheese. I recommend getting it toasted so you get all of the gooey goodness of the melted cheese and toasty bread.

9. Big Philly Cheesesteak

This Subway secret menu item is a favorite among many Subway loyalists. Order it as a footlong and you’ll get a sub with 3 big scoops of steak and twice the cheese as normal.

Don’t forget to get it toasted with onions and peppers to make it a true Philly sub.

10. “The Feast” Sub

This bad boy is made with ham, turkey, roast beef, salami and pepperoni piled high. Cost? Apparently a foot long comes in at about $13. Maybe split one with a friend unless you have a HUGE appetite.

Great FRUGAL tip from Jen, “To make The Feast a cheaper sub, ask for a club (roast beef, turkey, ham), then ask to double the meat using the ingredients for a spicy Italian (salami and pepperoni). Then you get all of the meats without having to pay individually.”

Brilliant Jen, absolutely brilliant.

See Also: 7 Brilliant Ways to Save Money at Subway (and Get More Chow!)

11. The Meat Lover

Also known as “The Carnivore” by many sub enthusiasts, this Subway secret menu sandwich piles on the meat. What meat you ask? How about 4 scoops of steak, 6 slices of bacon, and a handful of pepperoni. Throw on all your favorite fixings and you have a sub made for a hungry lumberjack.

12. The Sunrise Melt

This sounds like a REALLY yummy breakfast treat.

It’s a toasted sandwich that comes with egg, turkey, ham, bacon and your choice of cheese.

13. Chicken Pizziola

This one is buried deep on the secret menu I’m guessing.

If the sandwich artist doesn’t know it by name, it’s roasted chicken breast, ham, and mozzarella cheese, TOASTED. Gotta get it toasted, very important.

14. Breakfast BMT

Get the footlong version and get 2 eggs, 6 slices of pepperoni, 6 slices of salami, and 6 slices of ham.

According to “Subway Guy” in the comments section, it’s da bomb.

15. The Albuquerque Turkey

Also from the “Subway Guy”, the Albuquerque Turkey is made with turkey, add bacon, add green chili, toast it, then add avocado.

OK, I’m not gonna lie, that sounds REALLY good and love the tex-mex feel of it.

See Also: Jersey Mike’s Secret Menu: Try a New Sub on Your Next Lunch Break

16. Chicken Bacon BBQ Flatizza

This yummy concoction (that helps me hang on) is flatbread pizza made with BBQ sauce instead of marinara sauce, chopped chicken strips, bacon, onions and bell peppers then topped with mozzarella cheese.

Ask the Reader: Which one of these Subway secret menu items sparked your interest? Do you have any “secret” subs I should add to my list? Let me know in the comments. Thanks.

By Kyle James

I love the charbroiled burgers from Burger King, always have since I was old enough to wrap my mouth around a Whopper. So when I decided to research the Burger King secret menu, I was giddy with excitement. Go forth and eat happy my friends as their secret menu is chock-full of fun and delicious surprises. Here’s how their secret menu currently breaks down.

Suicide Burger

If you decide to try the Suicide Burger, you just might want to get a paramedic with paddles on stand-by.

This bad boy comes with 4 beef patties, 4 slices of cheese, and of course, bacon.

For it to be a true Suicide burger, you need to add bacon between each layer of patty.

If the BK employee gives you a strange look, most workers know it as a “Quad Stacker”.

Burger King already has the Triple Stacker on the regular menu, so this is just one more patty and slice of cheese. Bon appetit.

COFFEE SECRET MENU ITEM

I had a BK employee tell me to try a “Chocolate Mocha Shake” and on a whim I said “sure why not”. He quickly whipped it up for me and I’m glad he did as it was AMAZING. It’s simply a regular chocolate milkshake then add iced coffee to it and the result rivals anything you’ll ever get at Starbucks.

Quintuple Suicide Whopper

This is a Whopper, add four beef patties, four slices of cheese, and five orders of bacon.

Of course, don’t forget the lettuce, onion, and tomatoes as you don’t want the burger to be too unhealthy.

If you need to tell the employee how to make it, just order a “triple Whopper, add 2 beef patties, 5 slices of cheese, and 5 orders of bacon.”

See Also: McDonald’s Secret Menu: Take the Big Mac to a New Level

Burger King BLT

The BLT (Bacon, lettuce, and tomato) is pretty darn simple to order and darn yummy.

It’s simply a Whopper or Whopper Jr. with bacon added.

Kinda goes back to the saying that everything is better with bacon. Fried hog is hard to beat.

Quad Whopper

Take a Double Whopper…then double it.

You now have the infamous Quad Whopper and it’s not for the faint of heart. Add cheese and bacon if you like.

This will satisfy even the hungriest of appetites, especially if you’re a meat lover.

A BK EMPLOYEE FAVORITE

Employees tend to make the best secret menu items when they’re bored. I found this Reddit thread where an employee made a burger he called the “Bacon Border Double Whopper” – it’s a Double Whopper with cheese, bacon, and ham. He puts the ham under the patties and the bacon on top of the cheese and claims it’s a delicious burger. Sounds pretty darn good to me.

Veggie Whopper

Did you know that Burger King offers a veggie patty instead of the beef variety? I had no idea.

But it’s absolutely true. You can either order a Veggie Whopper with the veggie patty, or a Veggie Whopper with no patty at all.

In either case, it’s pretty darn healthy and a nice alternative if you’re looking for something on the light side.

See Also: The 5 Guys Secret Menu Will Change Your Worldview

BK Club

I love a good club sandwich and now I can get one off the Burger King secret menu.

Order a BK club and you’ll get a chicken sandwich with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Sounds really dang good.

Grilled Cheese

Order a grilled cheese at Burger King and you’ll get pure deliciousness.

Ask them to flip the bun and grill the soft inside and add cheese to the middle.

You can also add fresh veggies and bacon if you like and enjoy the creation.

BK Ham & Cheese

Order a “Ham & Cheese” and you’ll get sliced ham and cheese on a sesame seed bun.

Apparently a sandwich like this was on the BK regular menu many moons ago, but now you have to request it.

Mustard Whopper

Not being a fan of mayonnaise, I actually ordered this one the other day and now I’m a huge fan.

To make it happen, all you have to do is order a Whopper and add mustard, hold the mayo.

I actually held the ketchup on mine too, but you can do whatever you want.

The mustard gave it a nice zip and really added a lot for me.

If you’re a mustard fan, or like the Animal Style burger at In-N-Out which is actually friend in mustard, give it a try.

GET CREATIVE WITH MOZZARELLA FRIES

These are basically deep fried mozzarella sticks. I had a BK employee tell me that they’re delicious on any burger, especially if you add a little marinara sauce. You’ll have to order them separately and add them to your burger yourself. Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried mozzarella fries on a burger.

Extra Long “Double” Cheeseburger

Order this sucker and you’ll get a meal fit for a man.

You’ll end up with Burger King’s Extra Long Cheeseburger, but instead of two beef patties, you’ll get four.

The burger comes on the long bun that you’re used to seeing on the old BK chicken sandwich.

Yes please, where do I sign-up?

Burger King “Frings”

For those days when your brain is telling you french fries, but your heart is yelling “ONION RINGS” – just go with an order of “Frings”.

Yep, you guessed it, you’ll get a tasty combination of both french fries and onion rings.

Employees might not know it by name so might have to ask for “half fries/half onion rings”.

See Also: The Whataburger Secret Menu Is Here and It’s Amazing

Rodeo Burger

The Rodeo Burger used to be my favorite thing to order from the Burger King regular menu. Then they took it off the menu for some absurd reason.

But the good news is that you can still order it. It’s a regular cheeseburger, add onion rings and BBQ sauce.

It’s crunch, savory, and down-right delicious.

Ask the Reader: What say you? Have you ever ordered any “secret” items from the Burger King menu? If so, would you do it again or will you stick to their “regular” burgers.

By Kyle James