15 products to buy at Dollar General — and 13 you should skip every time

Dollar General offers low prices on thousands of products, but that doesn't mean everything the franchise sells is a good buy.

It makes sense to buy things like candy, holiday decorations, and cleaning products at the dollar store.

But you're better off avoiding certain perishable goods, as well as items you'd typically want to last a long time, like tools and kitchen utensils.

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Dollar General is one of the most popular budget retailers in the United States.

Since the first Dollar General store opened in 1955, the company has opened more than 15,000 franchises across the US. As of December of last year, there were 15,225 Dollar Generals in America — more locations than McDonald's and Starbucks have.

While Dollar General offers great prices on thousands of products, it's hardly the best place to shop for everything you need in life. In fact, if alternatives are available, there are a number of things you should never buy from Dollar General.

But in other cases, the store's prices simply can't be beat.

Here are 15 things on which you should spend your dollars at Dollar General and 13 where you should shop elsewhere.