How do you know how to spot a really good deal?
For example, you might see that Kroger is running a 10 for $10 sale on spaghetti noodles and want to know if $1.00 per box is a good price. Not for me. In the last year I have been able to purchase noodles anywhere from $0.00 - $0.66 per box.
The only way to truly spot a deal is to start keeping a log of prices. Over time you will start to notice pricing trends. I keep my prices listed in an Excel spreadsheet but you could easily do this in a notebook sorted into categories. For my price book, all I write down is the name of the item and the lowest price I paid for that item after sales & coupons. I keep my 3 lowest prices listed. I do this because some items are seasonal and prices will change based on what season it is.
I now have over 300 items listed in my price book. I can quickly check to see if a deal is worth stocking up on. Here is a quick list of my stock-up prices. If I see an item for this amount or lower, I will stockpile that item. You can also view the full version of my price book.
Bacon, $2.00
Canned Veggies, $0.40
Cereal Bars, $1.50
Shredded Cheese, $1.00
Chicken Breasts, $1.99 lb.
Toothpaste, $0.25
Cream Cheese, $0.75
Frozen Veggies, $0.75
Ground Beef, $1.99 lb.
Ice Cream, $1.50
Cereal, $1.25
Kleenex, $0.50
Lunch Meat, $2.00
Margarine, $0.50
Pork Chops, $1.99 lb.
Laundry Detergent, $1.75
Sour Cream, $1.00
Vegetable Oil, $1.99
I also find it helpful to track my grocery savings each week. This helps me know if I am staying within my budget and lets me know what % I saved. Here are a few helpful spreadsheets that you can use.
Grocery Savings (I use a modified version of this one)
I also like to track my savings by store, so I created this spreadsheet: Weekly Savings By Store
Do you keep a price book? How is yours set up? Have you found it helpful?
1 comment:
Thanks for these refresher posts! They are chock full of great tips for newbies as well as folks like me who needed a boost. Thanks!
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