Good morning and Happy Friday! I’m Betty Lynn Fisher for Friday’s consumer edition of “The Daily Money.”
The popularity of recycling and second-hand shopping has arrived this holiday season through Thriftmas.
Shoppers are buying new, gently used gifts at thrift stores, saying they’re leaning into this trend as a way to save money and be environmentally conscious.
We asked two shoppers who are saving money on Christmas gifts this year for their tips.
New interactive tool helps track grocery prices
USA TODAY has launched a new tool to help shoppers determine increases in grocery prices. Grocery Tracker is updated weekly with prices for common items from stores nationwide. Users can also use the interactive grocery basket tool to select specific staples to create weekly grocery bill estimates localized with data for each state.
Learn more about our grocery tracker and bookmark it for weekly prices.
Dollar Tree prices are slowly rising
Dollar stores are becoming more and more “dollar stores,” Medora Lee reports, as discount chains continue to nudge prices up and online discount enthusiasts take notice on social media.
Dollar Tree prices appear to have increased from the previous base price of $1.25 to $1.50 as the number of key items increases. Others are more expensive.
Dollar Tree’s CEO said 85% of items in the store are still under $2.
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Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her at @blinfisher on X, Facebook and Instagram and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky.. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, breaking down complex consumer and financial news. Subscribe here.
