Keeping track of prices

[Dashzap]

How do you all keep track of prices and comparison shop? I can't remember what the lowest price should be for all the regular stuff we get at the grocery store.

I read good things about Price Cruncher app but am reluctant to dl yet another app to my phone.

Maybe I should make a list in Google Keep....

 

[msmama]

I have a notebook that I do my shopping list in and at the back of the notebook I made a comparison chart. I don't do everything, just the stuff I buy regularly, like chicken, ground beef, apple juice etc.

Honestly I don't use it much anymore as I know what low prices are and usually shop low prices instead of buying things when I need them (which is where the comparison would come in).

 

[tvguy]

I have a pretty small circle of items I buy so I have a pretty good idea what the prices are in my head.
I did buy Egg Nog yesterday at the local chain store, and was horrified today when I found out that Walmart has it for $1.50 less. I just don't get how the local chain can justify their prices. They do pay better than Walmart, but not THAT much better. And that $1 to $1.50 difference always seems to be on items that sell for less than $5.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Generally, I just know what the price of something is at my local grocery store versus Target or Walmart. For me, my local grocery store(s) are expensive and Target/Walmart beats their prices all the time. I only buy sales items some fruits and veggies and meat at grocery store.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I shop at the same store where the prices are pretty fair. There are a few markets around me that may be a whole lot cheaper, but sometimes they don't carry what I usually buy. So I just stick with what I like. And it may cost me more in gas to keep driving all over town to find it any cheaper.

And tv guy if it is the store I am thinking of , they are so much more expensive.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

Write down the 20 items you buy all the time. Next time you're in each store you buy groceries/household items at, take a couple extra minutes to write down the prices of each item (note sale and "regular" price so you know which is the price you can count on every time.)
You can use this info however you like; for instance:
Add up each store to see which is cheaper overall.
Start making a divided grocery list by store so you can get the cheapest possible prices.
Figure out if/when/how often the gas cost to an out of the way store is worth it.

...and so on. Knowledge is power!

If 20 items is too hard, think Milk, Bread, Eggs. Price each of those according to the brands you use. I started that test about 10 years ago when I bought just those 3 items from Albertson's and it cost me $12! This was before organic was available! When we were house hunting out of state last year I quickly ran into the 3 grocery stores in town to check out their milk, bread, and eggs prices. Cheapest to most expensive: Walmart, Fry's, Safeway. And now that I've lived here 8 months I've seen that that's exactly how their prices run on everything!

 

[Dashzap]

Good ideas, all, thanks.

I grabbed my grocery receipts for the last 6 weeks and made a list of common bought items, with unit prices, and put it on Google Keep (which is on my laptop and synced to my phone).

 

[ericstac]

So do y'all go to different stores to buy your weekly groceries to save or do you do this and then average out and whichever store typically is less expensive you buy there?

for a while I was shopping at three different stores but that got old fast and felt like the savings just weren't enough for the extra time/drive so now I stick to my main store and look for deals within the store.

 

[JanaDee]

I only shop at one store. My time and gas is worth something, too.

I shop there often enough that I know what are good deals and what aren't.

 

[yoopermom]

I would have sworn that we had a simiilar thread to this where a PP posted a spreadsheet that s/he had developed to track the "cycles" of when specific items went on sale that the family used frequently.

I know that in our area with only a few grocery store prices, the local store has shredded cheese on sale 6/$10 about every two months, for example, and that brand name ketchup will only go down close to a dollar a bottle during summer grilling season, baking supplies right before the holidays, etc. Right now we had a new grocery store just open that's touched off a "war", so I'm stocking up like crazy while these two duke it out!

Easiest to start with your staples, I agree...

Terri

 

[Dashzap]

The stores I go to are very close together for the most part, so gas isn't an issue. I only go to one store per day, then wait until we are out of a perishable and go to a different store, driven by what I need to buy.

So sometimes I'll buy something I need at a higher price, but I try to stock up what I can when it is cheaper.

No way I am going store-to-store on the same day.

Some places I only go occasionally, such as Costco (once every 3-4 weeks) or Whole Foods (once a quarter).

 

[tvguy]

The stores I go to are very close together for the most part, so gas isn't an issue. I only go to one store per day, then wait until we are out of a perishable and go to a different store, driven by what I need to buy.

So sometimes I'll buy something I need at a higher price, but I try to stock up what I can when it is cheaper.

No way I am going store-to-store on the same day.

Some places I only go occasionally, such as Costco (once every 3-4 weeks) or Whole Foods (once a quarter).

My Walmart Neighborhood market is 2 miles from my grocery store, so 4 miles round trip. About $1 worth of gas, and with so many items $1.50 cheaper each, even if I just buy one item, I'm money ahead.
But I do put value on my time. If I need just one item like a gallon of milk I'm going to the closest store, not Walmart even though it will cost me $1.50 more.

 

[Dashzap]

If I need just one item like a gallon of milk I'm going to the closest store, not Walmart even though it will cost me $1.50 more.

I totally agree. What I am trying to be more mindful of is whether to stock up on something when I happen to be in a store and it is on sale.

 

[Kenjie B]

I found a coupon blogger in my area and she breaks down all of the weekly sales and coupon combinations. She also does a Best Prices In Town post once a week, so I usually just skim that to get the best prices for items on my shopping list. There's also an app that I use where I can save my favorite items/ brands and it will alert me when they're on sale. Not sure if I can post names, but feel free to PM me if you'd like specifics.