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?
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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