Apples to Apples

It’s time to talk about the importance of comparison shopping. In order to get the best price on your food purchases you want to compare Apples to Apples, not Apples to Kiwis!

The easiest way to do comparison shopping on groceries is to look for the Unit Price. The Unit Price is the common denominator that we all learned about in six grade math when we were studying fractions. If you remember, in order to make comparisons between two different items, you need to find common ground between them.

For example, if you were trying to compare the value of buying one pound of walnuts for $5.00 or buying 8 ounces of walnuts for $3.00 you need compare the unit price. In this case, the common denominator is ounces since there are 16 ounces in a pound. With the use of some simple math, you can determine that the larger package costs $0.325 per ounce ($5.00 divided by 16) while the smaller package costs $0.375 an ounce ($3.00 divided by 8). Therefore, the larger package offers a better value.

Fortunately, many grocery stores will help you by including the unit pricing on their tags. If you haven’t already noticed, look for a section on the shelf tag that says “price per ____” where the blank is the common denominator. By comparing these prices you will easily be able to see which of the store’s options cost you the least. Often generic brands can offer substantial savings but coupons and store promotions can blow these prices out of the water if you pay attention!

Of course, if you are using coupons as part of your saving strategy it helps to invest in a pocket calculator. This will come in very handy since you will need to re-calculate the unit price based on the new “price after coupon.” Simply subtract the value of the coupon from the product cost and then divide by the number of units. This will give you the new unit price for comparisons. I bought my pocket sized calculator at the general store for $1, so purchasing one shouldn’t be a budget buster.

By the way, if you need help with the conversions, or if you aren’t sure about some units of measure, check out this handy-dandy cheat sheet at EZ-Calculators here

Finally, it’s a common assumption that a larger size package will give you a lower unit price. This is often true, but not always true. You should be particularly careful about wholesale clubs where their marketing reinforces this popular misconception. If you are consistent about keeping track of prices with your price book and you look for the unit price you should be able to see which items are really a good deal, and which items just offer jumbo size packaging.

(If you shop at BJ’s check be sure to check out my post here to make sure you maximize your savings).