Five ways the dollar store could actually be costing you more

You can find some great deals at the dollar store. Even if you are paying a buck for some items at these stores, though, you may be paying too much. That is because there are other stores where you can find them for less. Here are five examples:

Toothpaste costs more per ounce

There are plenty of best buys at Dollar Tree, but toothpaste is not among them. Although the $1 price tag might look like a deal, you will pay more per ounce than at Walmart. For example, a 2.9-ounce tube of Crest regular paste costs $1 at Dollar Tree, which means you are paying 34 cents per ounce. A pack of three 6.4-ounce tubes costs $5 at Walmart, but that's just 26 cents per ounce.

Soap isn't a steal

You will pay less per ounce for soap at Walmart than at Dollar Tree. For example, a pack of two 3.2-ounce Dial antibacterial soap bars costs 15.6 cents per ounce at Dollar Tree. But a six-pack of 4-ounce bars that costs $2.97 at Walmart works out to be just 12 cents per ounce. If you want to stock up on soap, you'll pay $1 less for a 20-pack of Irish Spring at Sam's Club than you would pay for 10 two-bar packs at Dollar Tree.

Pain relievers are pricier

Ease your pain for less by stocking up on acetaminophen or ibuprofen at Target or Costco rather than Dollar Tree. A bottle with 40 caplets of 500 mg acetaminophen costs 2.5 cents per caplet at Dollar Tree. However, the $6.99 bottle of 500 caplets at Target is just 1.4 cents per caplet. A bottle of 1,000 caplets sells for $8.49 at Costco. You would have to pay $25 at Dollar Tree to get as many caplets.

You will get a better deal on cereal at the supermarket and Walmart than at the dollar store. A 7-ounce box of raisin bran that sells for $1 at Dollar Tree is about 2 cents more per ounce than an 18.2-ounce box that sells for $2.29 at Kroger. If your children (or you) love Cap'n Crunch cereal, you will save 8 cents per ounce by buying a 40-ounce bag for $4 at Walmart instead of a 5.5-ounce box for $1 at Dollar Tree.

Salt costs twice as much

Jars of spices for $1 are a good deal at the dollar store, but you are better off buying salt at the supermarket. A 26-ounce canister of iodized salt costs half as much at Kroger as it does at Dollar Tree — 49 cents vs. $1.