A Dollar on my Lips?

Summer is winding down and fall and winter are fast approaching. I am a huge fan of fall and winter, I am really excited, especially since pointy-toed pumps are making a comeback!!!
I am not really crazy about cold weather. No, it's all about the fashion for me. I love all of the colors associated with fall and winter, rich, vibrant hues of purple, turquoise, red, and the list goes on and on.
   The only thing I don't look forward to is the drying effect that the colder seasons have on my skin and especially my lips.
For some reason, I had a rough time last winter with excessively dry lips--how unattractive! I tried everything from petroleum jelly to shea butter, high end, low end and many organic products.
Nothing seemed to work.
   I almost became obsessed with moisturizing my lips, it seemed as if it was getting worse until one day I decided to go to the Dollar Tree.  I'd heard about the hidden treasures in the cosmetic sections of some dollar stores. Because of my somewhat obsession with my lips at that time, I decided to purchase a couple of lip glosses.
As soon as I went home, I tried them on. I noticed the texture of each gloss as soon as I put them on (because of the slight obsession ;) I could tell right away which ones wouldn't work. That night I put on the one that felt the heaviest in texture--it was a moisturizing lip gloss made by LA Colors. I purchased two of them. One was a pink shade with glitter and the other one was peach. The next morning my lips were so soft and that softness lasted throughout the entire day. The lipgloss really delivered and I was pleasantly surprised to get such great results for a dollar. The fragrance is very light and sweet as well--that's a bonus.
So, I am not worried about the return of the matte lip trend--darker colors on the lips--bring it on! I am equipped.
   Do you have a similar experience? Have you ever spent lots of money on a product or several similar products and found the results you were looking for in a less expensive product? If so, please share...