Do you track the prices of your food, cleaning products and bath items so you know when you are getting the best possible price available?
Buying the food we eat and the products that we use at the lowest possible price is always a priority for me. I try to stretch my grocery dollar as much as possible without sacrificing what I deem as quality for me and my family. My ‘buy’ price is the price that I am willing to spend for an item. That price might be different than yours depending on location, brand loyalty and taste differences.
I don’t keep a price book, but I have started to keep a price sheet. Just a single piece of paper where I record my ‘buy’ price for our staples, like chicken, turkey, olive oil, detergent, etc. I record the item, price, unit size, price per unit and I might make a note about the store if it is unusual to where I normally shop, like the bread outlet. I decided to actually write down these prices, because I had too many swirling in my head that I couldn’t remember them all anymore.
Some of my staple ‘buy’ prices are boneless, skinless chicken breasts at $1.99/lb, roasting whole chickens at $79/lb, grapes at .99/lb, 32 load laundry detergent for $1.00. I’m at the tail end of diaper use (no pun intended), but I try to get them for 10-13 cents each.
If I find prices to be even better than my ‘buy’ price then I hit the jack pot and I stock up even more. Just recently, a local grocery chain had a grand re-opening and they have been celebrating for several weeks with some amazing deals. This week, they had boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.59 a pound, so I bought about 10 pounds worth. That will last me for several months. I knew that was a great price when I referred to my sheet and saw that my ‘buy’ price for chicken is $1.99/lb.
Do you have ‘buy’ prices for your groceries so you know when to stock up? Do you track them with a price book or sheet? Let us know in the comments.
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I used to keep a price book years ago. I keep thinking I should start another one, but right now the prices are in my head. 🙂
There was a Diane Rehm show on this morning about companies making packages smaller. We noticed this a while back, but it seems to have gotten more prevalent.
Size and unit price are important, not just overall price.
@Leslie – I’ve noticed packaging getting smaller too and you make a good point. I consider price per unit when determining my buy price and include it on my sheet.
Thanks for commenting!
I started a price sheet, but it isn’t at the point yet where it’s noting the *best* prices, i’m just simply getting started by noting what prices they sell snack & regular grocery items for. I’m not sure how to post an excel sheet here
A price sheet is definitely helpful. I lost mine about a year ago and never replaced it. I should make it a goal of mine to do so–I’m going to need it to succeed with this challenge.