This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Check Your Prices
Aug
11
2011
Two recent experiences have taught me the lesson that you should always check the per-unit price:
Light Bulbs
I was in the store to buy light bulbs. There was a pack of normal light bulbs, and there was a pack of double-life light bulbs.
The double-life light bulbs are supposed to last twice as long as normal light bulbs. At least that’s what the packaging said.
I was tempted to buy them, because then I would have to change (and therefore buy) light bulbs half as often.
Then I noticed the price – they cost more than double the regular bulbs.
So I could spend $2.48 twice or $5.48 once for the same amount of light-years.
(what? that measurement is already taken? How about light-hours? Okay.)
I went with two packs of the normal bulbs.
“New and improved” might mean a price hike.
“Chocolate” Syrup
Yes, I added those quotes on purpose. The syrup has “real chocolate flavor” not necessarily “real chocolate”, so I feel those quotes are appropriate.
My kids are going through a chocolate syrup phase right now, probably similar to the Nestle Quik phase that my side of the family went through about a dozen years ago.
At the grocery store, I reached for the larger container of Hershey’s syrup. For some reason I felt like looking at the price. And I compared the per-ounce price to the smaller container. The smaller bottle had a better price.
The large one (48 oz.) was $3.79 and the smaller one (24 oz.) was $1.75.
“Buy in bulk and save” might not apply to whatever you’re buying.
All in all, I saved about 81 cents on those two items by buying the smaller or worse item. If I were paid by the hour, that probably would not have been worth my time to stop and do the comparisons.
Every little bit helps, I suppose. But there has to be a point at which it’s not worth it.
What’s a good threshold for saying “ah, skip it” and just buying an item without comparing prices (either within the store or between stores)?
Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, When he has no sense?
Proverbs 17:16
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 6:20 am and has been carefully placed in the Finance category.
August 11th, 2011 at 7:24 am
My threshold is if my children are shopping with me.
August 11th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Your examples were the “easy” ones. The math only takes a second to figure out. I have the most trouble with stuff like cereal, where one box is 10.8 ounces and the other box is 14.3 ounces or something weird like that. Then the math becomes murky and I end up not caring very much.
On the other hand, my wife and I are coupon-clippers, so we’re usually buying whatever size the coupon is for, so we don’t have to make these difficult choices. :)
August 11th, 2011 at 11:19 am
Ditto to the previous comment – my wife and I fly through the store to get everything we need in :20 minutes or less when we shop as a family. BTW, great verse!
August 11th, 2011 at 11:56 am
I like how Meijer has the cost of the item per ounce on the price marker. That way I can easily compare the price of different brands and/or sizes without blocking the aisle with my cart while I quick do some math in my head!
August 11th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
For the one-off items, I don’t care very much. If it’s something I buy regularly, it’s worth finding the best deal because it adds up over time.