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We are so fortunate to have an Ikea store in St. Louis. It has only been open for a few years. I love shopping there and always find something new. You might think Ikea is just for buying furniture and home decor, but we have found plenty of great deals on many other items!
Today it was my pre-birthday wish to go on an afternoon date with my husband to Ikea. We didn’t have as much time as I would have liked, but we still found several things we needed and wanted!
Here are my top 10 favorite inexpensive items to get at Ikea:
1. Batteries – This was one of the things that was definitely on our list today. Batteries are such a great deal at Ikea. The AAA batteries were $2.99 for 10 and the AA batteries were $1.99 for 10. In comparing the AA batteries, Ikea beats several other retailers:
- Amazon = for their brand, $13.32 for 48 pack = .278 each
- Sam’s Club = for their brand, $10.62 for 48 pack = .221 each
- Ikea = $1.99 for 10 = .199 each. This would be $9.55 for 48 or a savings of $1.07 for every 48 you buy.
2. Tealights – We use tealights for Shabbos candlelighting. I have compared prices at several other retailers and Ikea’s price is the best.
- Walgreens = $3.99 for 50 = $.08 each
- Dollar Tree = $1.00 for 16 = $.063 each
- Bed, Bath and Beyond = $5.99 for 100 = $.06 each. If you buy 3 packs and use a $5 off $15 coupon, then they are .043 each. (Note: This may not be the most up-to-date price.)
- Ikea = $3.49 for 100 = .035 each
3. Dish scrubbers – We like these because they come in a variety of colors (great for keeping kosher) and they are sturdy. $1.49 each.
4. Plastic eating utensils – We love to use these in our lunches. We prefer reusable versus disposable – less waste and teaches our children about protecting the earth and producing less trash! They are cheap enough that if they get lost, we don’t have to worry. $2.49 for 6 sets of 3 (fork, knife and spoon) = 18 pieces. We usually use the blue, yellow and purple for Dairy and the red, orange and green for Meat lunches.
5. Kids’ art smocks – As a preschool teacher, I have seen that these are the best smocks out there! My students bring in many different kinds and we decided this year that we are going to get several of these for each classroom and not worry about whose is whose. These fit a variety of kids’ sizes and also are easy to clean. They cover the arms, too, and are easy to put on children! Score! $3.99 each.
6. Hangers – I didn’t need any today, but these are a great deal. You can get an 8 pack of plastic kids’ hangers for $1.49 or an 8 pack of wooden adult hangers for $3.79.
7. Rain gear – We love the ponchos from Ikea! We bought one for each kid several years ago and they have held up really well. They fold easily into their attached pouch and they keep out the rain well, too! We have had other ponchos (from Walmart and camping supply stores) that weren’t really so waterproof and ended up smelling after several uses. These are a great deal at $6.99 each.
You can also get small umbrellas for $4.49 or large umbrellas for $4.99!
8. Dustpan with small broom – Not every dustpan is created equal as we found out recently. We bought a cheap one from Walmart a few months ago that worked horribly! It was not quite flush to the ground and did not have that rubber edge to keep in stray crumbs. I could not get all the trash into it! What a waste of money! These from Ikea are much better quality and value at $1.99 each.
9. USB wall chargers – With a family of six with many different devices, the power cord in our room gets very full. There are never enough spaces to plug everything in. We found these today and were very excited. Now if the cords wouldn’t die so quickly! $7.49 for 3 ports in one! I have seen two-port chargers for $10 at other stores.
10. Frames – These white frames would be perfect for gifts (teachers or others) and simple home decor. I have several laminated cards hanging in each of our bathrooms that would look great in these! You could also use them for party decorations or even a fundraising dinner’s centerpiece arrangement! $1.99 each. These were just one of the many inexpensive frames they had to offer.
A few other fun items I found:
1. Stampers – These were a fun extra I picked up for my classroom. I thought they would be great for patterning projects, decorating and even grading! 6 pack for $3.99. They have a variety of other fun art materials, too.
2. Family board game set – If we did not have these games already in some form or another, this would have been in my cart! Six games in one for $7.99. Great for the gift drawer (for a birthday, graduation gift or housewarming). See my post on Preparing for gift-giving = savings for creating your own!
3. Kids’ toy cash register – I really wanted to get this, but passed since my kids are too old for it and we already have one in my classroom. It looks more real than the usual plastic kinds you can get. Ignore the price tag on the picture, that was for the item above. This cash register is $16.99. Great gift or classroom item! (By the way, I have also gotten children’s reflective vests there that are great for our dramatic play center!)
Overall, I was very pleased with our trip today, even though we really didn’t get anything fun! There is always next time!
What do you like to purchase at Ikea? Share your thoughts in the Comments section!
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