101 Prepping Items You Can Get At The Dollar Store

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101 Prepping Items You Can Get At The Dollar Store

When you think about where to shop for survival supplies, the dollar store might not be the first place that comes to mind. But you'd be surprised at the treasure trove of useful items you can find there. From tools to help you in an emergency to everyday items that can be repurposed, the dollar store offers a ton of affordable options.

Some of the most useful survival items are the ones you can grab for a dollar or two at your local dollar store. Whether you're just starting out or you're a seasoned prepper looking to stretch your budget further, making regular dollar store runs is one of the smartest habits you can develop.

It's also worth pointing out that dollar stores carry a rotating stock of items, and availability varies by location. The key is to shop often and grab things when you see them, rather than waiting until you need them. Build the habit of scanning the aisles every time you go in, because you never know what useful prepping supplies might show up between visits.

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In this post, we'll explore 101 invaluable items you can pick up that could make a big difference in your survival strategy. These essentials aren't only cost-effective but also incredibly versatile.

Note: Although it's not exactly the same, the list below was inspired by a video by Canadian Prepper.

Backpacks – Essential for creating portable emergency kits, allowing you to carry supplies hands-free. A basic backpack from the dollar store works great as a dedicated bug-out bag for a child or as a grab-and-go bag for a secondary vehicle.
Baking Soda – Useful for cleaning, deodorizing, and even fire extinguishing. It can also be used as a toothpaste substitute, a mild antacid, and a leavening agent in baking when you don't have access to commercial baking powder.
Baking Tins – Can be used to cook or bake over open fires or makeshift stoves. They're also handy for organizing small items like screws, nails, or seeds in your storage area.
Bandanas – Serve multiple purposes: from headgear to emergency bandages or water filters. You can also use them as a sling for an injured arm, a dust mask, a signaling flag, or a way to bundle and carry small items.
Barbecue Lighters – Reliable tool for starting fires safely, even in windy conditions. The extended reach makes them safer and easier to use than standard lighters when lighting candles, camp stoves, or tinder.
Batteries – Power sources for flashlights, radios, and other essential gear. Stock up on multiple sizes, particularly AA and AAA, and store them in a cool, dry place to maximize shelf life.
Bleach – For water purification and disinfection, crucial in avoiding illness. Unscented bleach can be used to purify drinking water in an emergency by adding approximately 8 drops per gallon of clear water.
Body Cleansing Wipes – Helps maintain hygiene when water is scarce. These are especially valuable after physical labor or in a situation where bathing isn't possible for several days, helping to prevent skin infections and rashes.
Boxcutter – Versatile cutting tool for everything from opening packages to emergency situations. Keep one in your bug-out bag and one in your vehicle for quick access.
Bungee Cords – Great for securing gear or makeshift shelter components. You can use them to strap items to a backpack, hold a tarp in place, secure a load in a truck bed, or even improvise a clothesline.
Can Opener – Crucial for accessing food in canned goods. Pick up several of these, since they're cheap, easy to lose, and you don't want to be without one when you need to open dinner.
Candies – Quick energy sources and morale boosters. Hard candies in particular are great for keeping spirits up, especially for children, and they store well for a long time.
Candles – Provide light and heat in power outages. Taper candles and tea lights are both commonly found at dollar stores and can provide hours of light. Group several together for more significant warmth in a small space during cold weather.
Canned Foods – Ready-to-eat meals that require no refrigeration. Look for high-calorie, protein-rich options like beans, tuna, chicken, and soups. Even dollar store brand canned goods have a shelf life of several years when stored properly.
Canning Jars – Ideal for storing food, water, or medical supplies safely. They're also useful for storing dry goods like rice, beans, and pasta to keep pests out.
Carabiners – Useful for attaching gear together or to a pack. They can also be used to hang food bags from tree branches, clip a water bottle to a bag, or organize tools on a workbench.
Cast Iron Pan – Durable cooking tool that can be used on various heat sources, including open flames, wood stoves, and camp stoves. Cast iron retains heat exceptionally well and, with proper care, will last a lifetime.
Cheese Cloth – Useful for straining liquids or making herbal extracts. It also works well as a pre-filter for water before further purification, or as a cover for fermenting crocks to keep out debris while allowing airflow.
Clothes Pins – Not just for hanging clothes, but also for hanging items to dry or seal packages. In a grid-down situation, air-drying laundry becomes necessary, and you'll wish you had more of these than you thought you needed.
Coffee Filters – Can filter particulates from water before boiling or chemical treatment, removing sediment and making purification more effective. They can also be used as improvised bandages or as fire starters.
Compressed Towels – Compact and expand with water, useful for hygiene or as a compress. They take up almost no space in a bug-out bag and are surprisingly absorbent when fully expanded.
Contractor Bags – Sturdy enough for waste disposal or as emergency rain gear. They can also be used to collect rainwater, create a temporary shelter, line a backpack to waterproof it, or seal off windows and doors in a contamination emergency.
Cooking Fuel – Essential for heating food when traditional power sources fail. Canned cooking fuel like Sterno is a common dollar store find and is safe to use indoors with proper ventilation.
Cotton Balls – Useful for fire starting when soaked in petroleum jelly, which turns them into long-burning fire starters that light easily even in damp conditions. They're also useful for medical applications and applying ointments.
Cutting Board – Provides a clean surface for food preparation. In a survival situation, food safety matters more than ever, and having a dedicated cutting surface helps prevent cross-contamination.
Disposable Plates – Minimize the need for water to wash dishes, which is critical when water is being rationed. Stock a large supply so you can conserve your water for drinking and cooking.
Disposable Silverware – Convenient when sanitation services are disrupted. Pair with disposable plates to eliminate the need for dishwashing water entirely.
Drawing Board – Useful for mapping, planning, or as a hard writing surface. Having a rigid surface to write on can be helpful when you're outside or working in a makeshift shelter without a table.
Dried Food – Lightweight, nutritious, and long-lasting food options. Dollar stores often carry dried fruit, jerky, and instant oatmeal packets that are great additions to an emergency food supply.
Duct Tape – Fixes practically anything, crucial for emergency repairs. Use it to patch a leaky tarp, repair a broken tent pole, seal a cracked water container, reinforce a worn-out shoe, or even close a wound in a pinch.
Dummy Security Cameras – Deterrent against potential looters or trespassers. In a crisis situation, the appearance of surveillance can discourage opportunistic theft, buying you valuable time and peace of mind.
Fishing Line – Strong and versatile, fishing line can be used for its intended purpose or repurposed for other needs, including setting snares, repairing gear, hanging items, or creating a perimeter tripwire alarm.
Flashlight – Essential for power outages and nighttime navigation. Keep one in every room of your home, in your car, and in your bug-out bag. Dollar store flashlights won't last forever, but they're perfectly serviceable as backups.
Glow Sticks – Provide immediate, safe, waterproof light without batteries. They're excellent for marking pathways, identifying rooms in a darkened building, keeping kids calm during a power outage, or signaling your location to rescuers.
Hand Sanitizer – Prevents the spread of germs when soap and water are unavailable. It also works as a fire accelerant in a pinch, since most hand sanitizers are alcohol-based and highly flammable.
Hats – Protects against sun exposure or retains heat in cold weather. A significant amount of body heat is lost through the head, so having a warm hat in your emergency supplies is more important than most people realize.
Heat Packs – Useful for warmth in cold environments or for treating hypothermia. They're also helpful for soothing sore muscles after a day of hard physical labor, which is something you'll be doing a lot of in a grid-down scenario.
High Visibility Vest – Increases your visibility to rescuers or in traffic during emergencies. If you're ever stranded on a roadway or trying to signal for help, a bright vest can make a significant difference.
Inspection Mirror – Can be used to signal for help using reflected sunlight, or to inspect hard-to-see areas when making repairs or checking equipment.
Instant Coffee – Provides a quick and comforting source of caffeine. Beyond the morale boost, caffeine can be medically useful for treating headaches in a situation where pain relievers are running low.
Insulated Soles – Keep feet warm in cold conditions. Slipping an extra insulated insole into your boots can make a significant difference in cold weather, helping to prevent frostbite during extended outdoor exposure.
Insulation – Can be used to keep warmth in shelters or clothing. Foam insulation rolls from the dollar store can be cut to fit inside a shelter, wrapped around pipes to prevent freezing, or layered inside clothing.
Jars – Secure storage for food, liquids, or medical supplies. Glass jars with tight-fitting lids are particularly useful for storing dried goods and keeping them safe from moisture and pests.
Jute Twine – For tying down tarps, making repairs, or starting fires. Jute is a natural fiber that catches sparks easily and makes excellent tinder. It's also useful for lashing together shelter components.
Knife – Essential for cutting tasks, food preparation, or self-defense. Even a basic utility knife from the dollar store is better than nothing, though you should keep a higher-quality blade in your primary kit.
Large Zipties – Ideal for makeshift repairs, organizing gear, securing tarps, or bundling cables and supplies together. Stock a variety of sizes for maximum versatility.
Longer Matches – Ensures you can start a fire even in windy or wet conditions. The extra length keeps your fingers away from the flame and makes them ideal for lighting candles, lanterns, and camp stoves.
Magnifying Glass – Can start fires using sunlight, which is a fuel-free fire-starting method worth knowing. It's also useful for reading small print, inspecting wounds, or doing detail work.
Masks – Protects against dust, debris, or pathogens. Even basic dust masks filter out particulate matter, which is valuable during wildfires, building collapses, or disease outbreaks.
Mesh Netting – Useful for fishing, carrying supplies, or creating bug barriers. Hanging mesh netting around a sleeping area can make the difference between a restful night and a miserable one in bug-heavy environments.
Metal Strainer – Can filter debris from water before purification or steam food over a pot. It's also useful for draining pasta or rinsing foraged foods before eating.
Mirror – Essential for signaling in emergencies. A reflected flash of sunlight from a mirror can be seen for miles, making it one of the most effective low-tech signaling tools available.
Multi Vitamins – Supplements your nutrition when diet is limited. In a survival situation, food variety drops significantly, and vitamin deficiencies can set in faster than most people expect, weakening immunity and overall health.
Nails – Handy for building or repairing shelters. A variety pack of different lengths covers most basic construction needs, from hanging items on walls to joining boards together.
Napkins – Basic hygiene and cleaning. They can also be used as improvised tinder, bandage padding, or paper towel substitutes when supplies run low.
Oven Mitts – Protect hands when cooking over open fires. Handling hot cast iron or metal cookware without proper protection is a quick way to get a serious burn, which is a much bigger deal when medical care isn't readily available.
Pencil Sharpener – Sharpens writing tools or can create fine wood shavings that work beautifully as tinder for starting fires. A manual sharpener requires no batteries or electricity.
Permanent Marker – For labeling gear, food storage containers, and medications with dates, or leaving messages for rescuers. Date-labeling your stockpile is one of the simplest ways to keep your food rotation organized.
Petroleum Jelly – For minor wounds, fire starting, or preventing chafing. Rubbing it on exposed skin before cold weather also helps prevent windburn and frostbite on the face and hands.
Plastic Tarps – Multipurpose and waterproof, great for creating shelter, covering gear, or collecting rainwater. A tarp is one of the most fundamental survival tools you can own, and having multiple on hand in different sizes is always a good idea.
Playing Cards – For entertainment and stress relief. Mental health matters in a survival situation, and boredom and anxiety are real problems. A deck of cards takes up almost no space and can occupy hours of time for the whole family.
Pocket Tool – Compact multi-tool for various small repairs or tasks. Even a basic dollar store pocket tool with a knife, screwdriver, and small pliers is more useful than carrying nothing at all.
Pregnancy Test – Important for managing health and wellness in long-term survival situations. Knowing early is critical when medical care may not be available, as it affects everything from nutrition and activity level to planning.
Pry Bar – Useful for opening locked doors or containers, pulling nails from old lumber for reuse, or forcing open debris after a structural collapse.
Rain Ponchos – Lightweight, compact, and waterproof protection. Staying dry is critical in cold or wet conditions, as hypothermia can set in even at moderate temperatures when clothing is wet. Stash one in every bag and vehicle.
Razor Blades – For general cutting tasks or personal grooming. Single-edge utility blades are especially useful for precise cutting tasks like opening packaging, shaving down materials, or making fine cuts in rope or tape.
Reflective Safety Tape – Makes items or clothing more visible at night. Use it on the outside of your bug-out bag, on your vehicle, or on shelter markers to make them easier to locate in low-light conditions.
Rubber Gloves – Protects hands from chemicals, dirt, and infection. Always use rubber gloves when handling bleach, treating wounds, or dealing with waste, especially in situations where medical care is unavailable.
Rubbing Alcohol – For cleaning wounds or sterilizing equipment. It can also be used as a fire accelerant and as a quick-drying disinfectant for surfaces.
Safety Pins – Can repair clothing or equipment, close a torn bag, secure a bandage in place, or serve as improvised hooks for hanging lightweight items.
Salt – Essential for flavor, preserving food, and maintaining electrolyte balance. Salt is one of the oldest and most reliable food preservation methods in human history, used to cure meats and preserve vegetables through fermentation.
Scissors – For cutting fabric, bandages, rope, or other materials. Keep a pair in your first aid kit specifically for cutting bandages and clothing away from wounds.
Sewing Equipment – Repairs clothes or gear, essential for long-term sustainability. A basic sewing kit with needles, thread, and a few buttons can extend the life of clothing significantly, which matters a great deal when resupply isn't an option.
Shammy Towels – Highly absorbent, quick drying, and space-saving for cleaning tasks. They can also be used to wring water out of clothing or to dry gear quickly before packing it away.
Shaving Cream – For personal hygiene and comfort. Maintaining grooming routines helps support psychological wellbeing during stressful situations and also prevents skin irritation from repeated shaving without lubrication.
Short Matches – Backup fire-starting method. Keep them in a waterproof container to protect them from moisture, and always have more than one fire-starting method in your kit.
Shower Curtain Liners – Use as a waterproof shelter or ground cover, a rain poncho in a pinch, a divider between sleeping areas, or a privacy screen. They're lightweight and surprisingly versatile.
Silicone Mitts – Heat resistant and useful for handling hot materials, cookware, or anything pulled from a fire. Unlike cloth oven mitts, silicone mitts are waterproof and easier to keep clean.
Soap – Maintains hygiene, preventing disease and discomfort. Bar soap is compact, long-lasting, and can be used for handwashing, body washing, laundry, and even as a lubricant for stiff zippers or saw blades.
Socks – Keeps feet warm, dry, and protected. Foot care is critically important in a survival situation, since blisters, trench foot, and frostbite can quickly become debilitating. Stock more socks than you think you'll need.
Split Shot (for fishing) – Useful for makeshift fishing gear. These small weighted sinkers attach easily to fishing line and help get your bait or lure down to the right depth quickly.
Sponges – For cleaning and hygiene purposes. They can also be used to collect dew or wring water from vegetation in a water-gathering emergency.
Steel Wool – Can be used with a 9-volt battery to start fires by touching the battery terminals to the steel wool and igniting the resulting sparks. It's also excellent for cleaning tough messes off cast iron cookware.
Sun Reflector – Useful for signaling rescuers or maximizing sunlight for warmth in a cold shelter. Emergency signaling mirrors and reflectors can be seen from aircraft miles away.
Super Glue – For quick repairs on a variety of materials, from cracked plastic to split leather. It can also be used to close small cuts on skin in a pinch when bandages aren't practical.
Tarp – Provides shelter, collects rainwater, or serves as a ground cover. A tarp is arguably the single most useful item on this entire list. Grab as many as you can find.
Thermal Blankets – These blankets reflect body heat back to you, making them essential for staying warm in cold environments. They're also highly visible and can double as emergency signaling devices.
Tin Foil – Useful for cooking, signaling, or wrapping food. Heavy-duty foil can be used to create makeshift cookware, line a solar cooker, or wrap coals to slow-cook food over a fire.
Towels – General hygiene and cleaning tasks. Large bath towels can also be used as blankets, improvised stretchers, padding for injured limbs, or ground covers.
Tuna – Ready-to-eat protein source that requires no preparation. Canned tuna is calorie-dense, high in protein, and has a shelf life of several years, making it one of the best bang-for-your-buck survival foods available.
Utility Knife – More robust cutting tool for heavier tasks like cutting rope, breaking down cardboard, scoring materials for bending, or trimming tarp edges cleanly.
Vinegar – For cleaning, food preservation, or medicinal uses. White vinegar is a natural disinfectant that can be used to clean surfaces, treat minor skin irritations, and preserve foods through pickling.
Water Bladders – For portable water storage and transport. Collapsible water bladders take up almost no space when empty and can hold several liters when filled, making them ideal for both bug-out bags and camp setups.
Water Bucket – Essential for collecting and storing water. A basic five-gallon bucket can hold enough water for drinking and basic hygiene needs for a day or more for a single person.
WD-40 – For lubrication and moisture displacement, helping maintain tools, firearms, zippers, and hinges. It also removes rust and helps free stuck bolts, which is invaluable when maintaining equipment over time.
Whistle – A loud whistle can be a lifesaver in emergency situations, especially if you're lost or trapped. Three short blasts is the universal distress signal, and a whistle carries much farther than a shouting voice.
White Sugar – For energy, food preservation, or wound care. Sugar can be applied to open wounds to help draw out moisture and inhibit bacterial growth, a technique used in field medicine when antibiotics aren't available.
Wires – For repairs, building makeshift antennas, creating tripwire perimeter alarms, or fashioning snares for small game. A variety of gauges gives you more flexibility.
Working Gloves – Protects hands during manual work. In a post-disaster situation, you'll be doing a lot of heavy lifting, clearing debris, chopping wood, and building, so a good pair of work gloves is essential.
Yeast – For baking or fermenting foods. If you have flour, water, and sugar in your stockpile, yeast allows you to bake real bread rather than relying on flatbreads. It can also be used to ferment beverages and make homemade vinegar.
Ziploc Bags – Perfect for waterproofing important documents, organizing small items, and keeping food fresh and protected from moisture and pests. Stock a variety of sizes, from sandwich bags to the large two-gallon size, and use them throughout your entire prep kit.