Dollar Ten

Ten Things I Found at The Dollar Store



1.  Set of ten 3-ring binder tab dividers.

2.  Three double-ended highlighters.

3.  Plastic flapped document wallet.

4.  Plastic 3-ring binder zippered envelope.

5.  Roll of 1.88" X 400" 3M carton sealing tape.

6.  Spiral bound 5.5" X 4" 180 page pocket notebook.

7.  Six count 9" X 12" clasp brown envelopes.

8. & 9.  Hardcover bestsellers.

10.  240 inkjet white mailing labels.

All of the above items were purchased at Dollar Tree on 9/29/14.

Paperclip Pizazz

If you've ever worked in an office and/or been confined to a cubicle, you've probably made at least one paperclip chain, or you've bent those clips into different shapes. I'm guilty, too; I used to make butterflies out of mine.

It seems other people have been bored enough to experiment with paperclips, as lately I've spotted a number of new spins on the old reliable paperholder:



Numberclips are a set of ten page markers that look and function like paperclips but have number shapes from 0 to 9. I found this set at World Market for $5.99.

Silly Clipz are shaped wire clips sold in themed sets of six, and judging from the suggested use on the packaging are being marketed toward kids as clip-on decorations for their clothing and hat brims. I picked up the Zoo and Myth editions for $1.99 each at CVS.

You can get conversational with your paperclips with Talk Bubble, a tin of 25 caption balloon-shaped clips; $6.99 at World Market.

As to how well they work, Yours Truly broke out some from each package and field-tested them:


The Numberclips are just like straight-forward, large size paperclips; you do have to remember to put the number-shaped part on the front of your clipped items. If you're working on drafts, scenes, chapters or something else you need to keep in a certain work sequence these might be a painless way to mark the sets.

The Talk Bubble was actually a bit heavy with plastic-coated wire that looks about double the gauge of regular paperclips; probably best for clipping sets of sheets versus one page. When I saw these I thought they'd be great for flagging a specific note you need someone else to read.

The Silly Clipz were the hardest to figure out; the company that makes them included their logo as part of the clip which only adds to the layered confusion of wires; these are of a smaller gauge wire than regular paperclips and will likely bend out of shape pretty easily. I'm also wondering why they're marketing them to children as clothing accessories -- maybe hoping to cash in on the shaped rubber band craze of a few years ago? -- but they don't seem like something I'd give a younger child.

My biggest objection to all three brands is that they're are too pricey for ordinary, everyday use. That said, if you have a special project, don't use a huge amount of clips, recycle ruthlessly or are working on a limited project, the pricetag might be worth it to you.

Dollar Store Ten

Ten Things for Writers & Readers from a Dollar Store

1. & 2. 70-page wide-ruled spiral bound notebooks: If you burn through as many notebooks as I do, you can usually buy three or four at the dollar store for what you'd pay for one at an office supply place. Also an excellent buy if your kids need them for school.

3. & 4. Adjustable and Clip-on Book lights: All the book lights I've tried put out the same amount of light and never seem to last longer than a couple of months; they can also cost as much as $10.00 at book stores. I found two different types at the dollar store that work just as well, and (assuming I won't break them) both have replaceable batteries.

5. Wire Bookmark: I'm not exactly sure what shape this one is supposed to be -- maybe a flower -- but it works as well as the ones I've paid $5.00 each for from Hallmark. Crafters might also be able to do something with these.

6. Magnifying Bookmark: this magnifies just as well as the glass one I own, plus it's plastic so it'll be harder for me to break, and I can buy a couple and leave them around the house in my favorite reading spots.

7. Webster's Standard Dictionary, Paperback: for some reason I have to buy a new dictionary and thesaurus for my kid every school year because she loses them, or someone at school borrows hers and never gives them back. You can always find them (often in pocket-size editions, too) at the dollar store.

8. Nonfiction Hardcover Books: my dollar store has an entire shelf of these, mostly remainders and clunkers, but now and then I'll see one that appeals to me. The fiction selections also vary from store to store; mine usually has Tor hardcovers and Kensington paperbacks.

9. Bubble Mailer Multi-packs: one of the better values at the dollar store are the variety of envelopes they carry. I pay up to $2 each for 3M mailers at office supply stores; my dollar store sells them in 2- and 3-packs for $1.

10. Photo Paper: I don't use much photo paper or use it often, so it makes no sense for me to spend $30.00 for a pack of 50 at an office supply store when I can buy 10 sheets for $1. These are off-brands, and probably not as enduring as the better-quality stuff, but I mainly use them to print out photos to send along in cards and letters I write to my family.

Other reasons to shop your local dollar store: I don't recommend buying the food or cosmetic products, but you can generally find good-quality pens, pencils, note pads of various sizes, packing tape, adhesives, gift wrap, scrapbooking supplies, plastic totes and small baskets.

Junk for Writers

This is going to be a week of ten lists, it seems. But today I have for you a list of office supply products that are either helpful, wonderful, or unusual; sometimes all three -- what I call writer junk, of which we can never have too much, naturally.

1. Book Repair Tape by Scotch -- I don't recommend this for rare/expensive book restoration (get an antique book expert restorer to fix any genuine old treasures) but for every day repairs it works well. I use it on magazine covers that get torn up going through the post, too. Does not work on mouths, though.

2. CD File Folders by Vaultz -- I bought these rather than jewel cases for the disks I use frequently (mainly because I have trouble opening jewel cases.) Like CD envelopes, they are great at preventing scratches and dings, but here's the truly brilliant part -- they're tabbed like file folders, so I can alphabetize/organize them in my CD storage box, and I don't have to take them out to know what they are. Genius!

3. Desktop Writeboard -- a dry erase whiteboard you can keep on your desk? Yep. It comes with templates you can slide under the clear top so you can use it for a variety of purposes. This saves a ton of paper and is highly convenient for anyone who would rather not work from a wall whiteboard. Whoever came up with this little beauty should get a big honking raise.

4. File Folders by Target -- file folders are usually as dull and boring as an SFWA meeting, but Target offers some with different designs, colors, prints, etc. If you like the chicky/retro look, these are great (personally I prefer the Old World map file folders I used to get from Levenger, but I'm not allowed to touch that catalog anymore.)

5. Frixion Erasable Roller Ball Pen by Pilot -- the ink erases with friction you create by rubbing the end of the pen over the paper; no rubber eraser bits or mess. And they actually work! It is beyond neat how well they do. I can't erase my fountain pen ink, so these are really handy for me when I'm not writing something set in stone. Here's a very good explanation of how the friction-erasing technology behind them (and I tried the freezer thing, and a ghost of the writing does reappear.) Not recommended for check-writing, contract or prenup signing purposes, obviously.

6. HP Deskjet D4160 Inkjet Printer -- I've been through a lot of cheapie printers in my time, and most of them are ink hogs that produce poor quality print, especially anything in color. This HP model has turned out to actually be worth the money; it produces about thirty pages per minute and doesn't suck dry the toner cartridges too fast, does a nice job with color prints, and handles all the different types of paper. The toner cartridges it uses are a bit pricey, but not painfully so -- we won't talk about how much they cost for my laser printer.

7. iPoint Pencil Sharpener -- I kept breaking and grinding down my pastel and color pencils in my old horizontal pencil sharpener, so I tried out this one. It operates hands-free, works nicely, and saves space, and the cats can't fit their tails or paws in it, always a bonus.

8. Office Depot® Brand Poly Ultra Wallet, 3 1/4" Expansion, 9 7/8" x 13 5/16" -- this is the only thing I use for carrying, storing and shipping manuscripts anymore. Sturdy, nice-looking, secured by two elastic bands so it's easy to open, and comes in decent, non-DayGlo colors. It's also big; I've fit up to 600 pages in one of these with no problem. Be sure to get the ones with the cloth binding around the edges; Office Depot sells another, cheaper variety that is the same size but not as sturdy. Beats storing your ms. in an empty Pampers box any day.

9. Post-It 4" X 6" Lined Notes by 3M -- I never used sticky notes because I could never fit everything I want to write on them, and they only came in eye-searing or obnoxious shades of yellow, orange or green. Fortunately someone at 3M came up with these, which are a decent size and come in less-annoying pastel colors. I'm still waiting for white or ivory, though, boys.

10. Thermal Laminator TL-901 by Scotch -- laminating anything can cost a mint, and if you use heatless or self-sealing products they sometimes peel at the edges or bubble. I picked up this small/personal use laminator last year for under $20 on sale and have had excellent results with it. Not for big projects, but if you're just making a handful of bookmarks, a new target for your dartboard or similar items it does a great job.

Have you got any neat junk for writers to recommend? Share your favorites in comments.