I know that I preach the value of stockpiling and buying copious quantities of things when they come on sale... but it pays to remember - you won't eat what's expired and if you throw it away, you throw away your money too!
I was inspired to write this reminder today by a blog post I found on my Sunday bloggy travels.. You know it's bad when the velveeta's expired from the blog The Bormann Twins which I found through The SITSGirls...
It brings up three important points to remember in our couponning frenzy -
1. Buy what you know you will use in a given period of time ... if you know that your cereal is on a 3 month sale rotation, only buy what you will use in those 3 months give or take... (This is where your price book/grocery records can come in handy... one of my friends T also marks each box of cereal with the date she bought it and then the date she opens it, so she can track her usage!)
2. Even if you have a coupon, if you don't have a need- don't buy it... the only exception to this rule are freebies and money makers - and those you should donate right away if you are not going to use them!
3. Keep your pantry/fridge organized and do a monthly inventory... check all the expiry dates on everything - including the velveeta, condiments and even the pantry items - especially things like pancake mix and cake mixes etc... if the expiry date is within a month or two, use it up - or donate it!
That's this week's challenge to everyone - take a peek in your pantry, cupboards and fridge and find the stuff that is already staledated or going out... and do something about it! I'll have a check in on Sunday next week to see what everyone has unearthed...
***I also want to stress the health and safety of keeping your items fresh - here is a link to some excellent advice on food and expiry dates
**** and don't forget to stop by Acting Balanced today for a yummy recipe - it's MMMmonday!
Showing posts with label price book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label price book. Show all posts
Monday, March 15, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Price Books
Okay, I talk about price books frequently in my posts... so what are they and why do I need them?
In simple terms, a price book helps you to record what you buy, how often and what kind of deals you are getting... and it lets you compare apples to apples…
To really have a sense of what items cost you per store, create a price book. This can help you determine trends in sales as well as cost per unit.
A handy way to keep a price book is in Excel if you have it. Take your grocery receipt and start entering! . Include the following information on your price sheet:
Date
Store
Item
Brand
Size
Regular Price
Price Paid
Unit Price
(To figure Cost per Unit - Regular Price or Price Paid divided by number of Units. For Example: $ 1.99/18 (ounces) =11 cents per ounce)
A handy way to keep a price book is in Excel if you have it. Take your grocery receipt and start entering! . Include the following information on your price sheet:
Date
Store
Item
Brand
Size
Regular Price
Price Paid
Unit Price
(To figure Cost per Unit - Regular Price or Price Paid divided by number of Units. For Example: $ 1.99/18 (ounces) =11 cents per ounce)
Many stores have a cost/unit price on their shelf price tags but it doesn’t hurt to double check new products with a calculator.
Why are price books important?
A price book is important for three reasons -
It helps you track trends in your purchasing and sales
It helps you understand the sales cycle of your stores
and it helps you to compare unit prices on your purchases - it might surprise you to know that bigger isn't always better!
Price books in Excel or OpenOffice (free) give you the freedom to make your price book sortable by every category and give you an easily updatable program... but some people still do theirs on paper - and that's an option too!
Did I give you enough information and motivation to start a price book? Have questions? Post here and let me know!
Why are price books important?
A price book is important for three reasons -
It helps you track trends in your purchasing and sales
It helps you understand the sales cycle of your stores
and it helps you to compare unit prices on your purchases - it might surprise you to know that bigger isn't always better!
Price books in Excel or OpenOffice (free) give you the freedom to make your price book sortable by every category and give you an easily updatable program... but some people still do theirs on paper - and that's an option too!
Did I give you enough information and motivation to start a price book? Have questions? Post here and let me know!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Is Bigger Always Better?
Especially as we approach Valentine's Day we know that good things can come in smaller packages .. the same holds true for keeping our shopping bills down...
I know that several people have told me that they go to Costco and buy the biggest package of X they can... and we've gotten into that mindset where if there's more in a package it must be cheaper, right? It's not always...
Particularly when you are coupon shopping, its sometimes better to buy the smaller package twice and use two coupons than it is to buy a large package and only use one coupon.
I know that not all of you have kids in diapers, but for this scenario I'm going to use diapers as an example since they readily come in multiple sized packages and are easy to cost out per item...
Jumbo Pack Size 3 = 31 diapers, regular price about $12.00 = $.39 a diaper
Large Box = 116 diapers, regular price about $35.00 = $.30 a diaper
So if you are not couponning or shopping a sale, the better bet is the large box... but -
When you have access to multiple coupons and store sales, watch what can happen:
Jumbo Pack - $8.99 on sale, if you are shopping the Walgreen's sale this week and are paying $8.99 - $2 a package and get back $3 in RR - it works out to $3.99 net OOP or $.13 a diaper! If you can find the Walgreens Childrens Activity Book, there is another $1 off coupon there for an OOP of $2.99 and $.10 a diaper - you can't beat that!!!
The same large box, with your $2 off coupon becomes $28.99 on sale at Target usually, so would be $26.99 after coupons or $.23 a diaper
Which one would you stock up on??
The same tends to be true for toiletries, paper products and most food items - if you are using coupons to their best advantage, you are probably buying more of the smaller boxes or cans.
Don't forget to use your price books to keep track of what you are buying and work out your cost/unit price... this is really what we are striving to reduce.... let me know how you do over the next few months - I'll be checking back :)
I know that several people have told me that they go to Costco and buy the biggest package of X they can... and we've gotten into that mindset where if there's more in a package it must be cheaper, right? It's not always...
Particularly when you are coupon shopping, its sometimes better to buy the smaller package twice and use two coupons than it is to buy a large package and only use one coupon.
I know that not all of you have kids in diapers, but for this scenario I'm going to use diapers as an example since they readily come in multiple sized packages and are easy to cost out per item...
Jumbo Pack Size 3 = 31 diapers, regular price about $12.00 = $.39 a diaper
Large Box = 116 diapers, regular price about $35.00 = $.30 a diaper
So if you are not couponning or shopping a sale, the better bet is the large box... but -
When you have access to multiple coupons and store sales, watch what can happen:
Jumbo Pack - $8.99 on sale, if you are shopping the Walgreen's sale this week and are paying $8.99 - $2 a package and get back $3 in RR - it works out to $3.99 net OOP or $.13 a diaper! If you can find the Walgreens Childrens Activity Book, there is another $1 off coupon there for an OOP of $2.99 and $.10 a diaper - you can't beat that!!!
The same large box, with your $2 off coupon becomes $28.99 on sale at Target usually, so would be $26.99 after coupons or $.23 a diaper
Which one would you stock up on??
The same tends to be true for toiletries, paper products and most food items - if you are using coupons to their best advantage, you are probably buying more of the smaller boxes or cans.
Don't forget to use your price books to keep track of what you are buying and work out your cost/unit price... this is really what we are striving to reduce.... let me know how you do over the next few months - I'll be checking back :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)