I first purchased stuff from the Dollar Tree in 2003. It was my first time in the US, and my teammates and I — from the 2003 National Geographic World Championship — were shopping at the University Mall in Tampa, Florida. I honestly didn’t know what to buy, but the fact that I was in a store where everything went for a dollar thrilled me.

I bought a lot of junk — $50 worth of junk, or 50 junk items — and when I emerged with about a hundred shopping bags clearly marked ‘Dollar Tree’, my teammates rolled their eyes at me. They later went in. Girls.

I haven’t been in there for quite a while, but a month ago, very broke (total assets: $8) and needing some stuff, my firends S–, E– and I walked into the Dollar Tree next to Walmart. I have very oily skin, excluding my hands and feet which turn white even in summer. Nothing I’ve used has helped, but I decided to try some $1 moisturizer, as well as some liquid bath soap.

“Are you sure you should be getting those?” E– looked very skeptical. “That stuff’ll probably burn holes in you.”

I’ve never been one of those who believe you get what you pay for. Cheap rules, or so I thought.

Two days after using my wonder moisturizer and soap, I started to notice lesions on my hands. My skin peeled off in places, and there was even some raw flesh on my palm. Okay, that’s not true.

They had the opposite effect. I got whiter hands and feet, and the soap even dried off my face (in winter I used to walk around with a shiny face). I convinced myself I just wasn’t using enough, and when it worsened, had to admit to myself that I’d been wrong. Not that E–‘ll ever know. 😀 .

So here I am broke again, and I think I know not to buy some things even if they’re just a dollar, but do I really?