6 Grocery Items You Should Never Pay More Than $4 for, According to Shopping Experts

If you’re celebrating a holiday or birthday, you may be tempted to spend more than you need to. For some, this could be due to the excitement of the upcoming celebration. For others, it could be a desire to get your shopping done more quickly so you can get to the main event.

Oftentimes, people end up spending much more than $4 on individual gifts and party supplies because of the store they’re shopping at. This isn’t surprising considering many retailers mark up their prices for these things, especially around specific national holidays.

But shopping experts suggest keeping costs low here — and perhaps saving your money for the main event or other things.

“Gift and party supplies, like gift bags and wrapping paper, greeting cards, party decorations, and cake decorations…You can pay quite a bit for these kinds of items at grocery stores and other retailers, but dollar stores like Family Dollar often have gift and party supplies of comparable quality for $1 or $2,” said Todd Stearn, founder and CEO of The Money Manual.