So, it’s official. I love the Dollar Store as a cosplayer. It really is a good spot if you are like me and cosplay on a budget. Now this doesn’t mean everything at the Dollar Store is top tier and worth it. There’s some things that are absolutely great finds and others that should be avoided at all costs. So what do those things include? Here is how to go about cosplaying on a budget: Dollar Store Edition.
First stop is in the crafting section. To start I love the acrylic paints they have. Specifically though the Acryology paint. When it comes to getting basic colors like black, white or reds, they work as well as most other brands. While you’re by the paints you can also get a pack of paint palettes that are dishwasher safe too.
The craft aisle is not just full of hidden gems for the painters though, it has so much more. I personally also like to check out their ribbon section. It always has a ton of variety, as well as markers for tracing my patterns, beads and gems and my glue gun sticks! I love getting my glue gun sticks there since they have them for the both sizes and glittery ones for something fun!
You might notice floral arrangement supplies in the crafting section too. This area has tons of different fake flowers that are perfect if you need to add flowers to any cosplay. They do all have fake stems so if you don’t need that part you can simply snip it off.
After all those fun finds in the crafting area you can make your way to the hardware section of the Dollar Store. Here has some more of my personal favorite finds such as sanding sponges. I LOVE the sanding sponges they have way more than anything I can find at my favorite store, Home Depot. They are priced better and typically the sponges have two different grits to them. I love to build a little stock pile of these for sanding some small touch up spots on my foam projects. You can also find the plastic drop clothes that are great for going outside to spray primer or sealing foam props for much cheaper than a hardware store. Considering you also throw them away after one use it definitely isn’t worth spending more than what the dollar store charges.
This next item isn’t necessarily a find since it can be much more hit or miss but it is scissors and box cutters. They aren’t always that great but they get the job done for the most part. Shop for these with caution when you’re at the dollar store.
Now there is two items at the Dollar Store that I say stay away from because they just aren’t worth it. The first is construction paper or other paper pads. They don’t give you much paper. It just isn’t worth it when you compare it to elsewhere that you can buy it for much cheaper per piece. The other one is paint brushes. If you are going to hand paint anything you need quality brushes and theirs are just terrible. They do not paint well, they fall apart, and they leave your project with lots of visible brush strokes.
Being a cosplayer never has to break the bank. Be smart with how you shop for crafting supplies. And what great finds have you seen at the Dollar store?