This may seem rudimentary for some, but I think it is still a good reminder to all of us. Just because something is on sale or you have a coupon for it in your binder does *not* mean that it is a good deal. Just this week alone, you might notice in the WF area sales ads that one grocery store has Banquet frozen dinners on sale for $0.98 while another has them for $0.88. A dime isn't a huge difference, but it certainly highlights the truism that one store's sale price isn't always the best deal out there.
I've found it helpful to begin a mental list of "stock up" prices for the things that we keep stockpiled. For example, right now we have a good supply of baby wipes. I usually consider stocking up on wipes when they are a penny or less per wipe. My preferred price for stocking up on pull-ups or diapers is around $0.17 each. For my son's Size 4, that translates to about $4 per jumbo pack.
Diapers are also a great example that you can often find a better deal on smaller packs than on the larger ones. A couple of weeks ago, there was a coupon in the Star Telegram for $3/1 Huggies Slip On Diapers. The coupon had no minimum size/quantity requirement. I could buy a 24 pack or a 50 pack and still get $3/1. Often the 50 pack is less cost per diaper without coupons. However, with coupons, you can pay a lot less per diaper on the smaller packs.
Using hypothetical prices:
50 pk diapers $12 ($0.24/diaper)
-$3/1 coupon = $9 ($0.18/diaper)
OR
24 pk diapers $7 ($0.29/diaper)
-$3/1 coupon = $4 ($0.17/diaper)
You can see that at the regular store prices, the 50 pack costs less per diaper. However with the coupon, the 24 pack ends up being less per diaper. This is a pretty common phenomenon with coupons. Be sure to double check your per unit price when deciding how to use your coupons to get the best deal.
What do you have a stock up price for and how much is it?
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