by Nick on September 13, 2010
There are lots of things I like to save a buck on. And I am not brand loyal, other than to the extent that a brand is demonstrably better than another supposedly comparable one. Two cases in point (and actually, the only ones that come to mind at all) are dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent.
I can go into more detail on this later, but suffice it to say Consumer Reports backs me up on this. When it comes to these two cleaning products, you get what you pay for. I do not know why. The question as to why competitors do not compete effectively is like asking where to find the Ark of the Covenant. Or Atlantis.
Anyway, pro tip: just buy Cascade for dish washing and Tide for laundry. The liquid or granule part (or packet or whatsit) is up to you. The stores are moving towards only having liquid versions because the profit margins are better, I can only assume. I’ve pretty much given up trying to proceduralize getting granules (my one-time traditional choice).
Buying the name brands in this case is, I won’t lie, expensive. However, they work. End of free ad for these products.
NB: Dishwashing liquid, washing up liquid, “dish soap,” as I call it, etc. This can be cheaped out on, especially if you only hand wash as a supplement to the dishwasher’s main attractions.
Next up: Biological versus non-biological washing powder, or, why the Brits are on to something.
by Nick on May 12, 2010
I haven’t talked extensively about my approach to keeping the house stocked. It’s an important part of managing the household and also in avoiding doom. I mean, there are just some things that you don’t want to run out of. E.g. toilet paper. Having sat on the throne and found out there is no TP in the house is well and truly doom. Not only that, but when you are going over your household budget, what you go to the store and buy is one of the few areas where you can give yourself flexibility by spending less money. So it’s important to pay attention to.
There are a couple of approaches I’ve refined a bit over the years.
Sales. I look at the grocery store ads (these come in the mail nowadays) every week and if there is some astounding deal, like chicken for .69/lb, then I’ll go to that store and stock up. If there’s nothing that really hops out at me, then I don’t worry about it too much. Things I especially want to get on sale are meat, cereal, dairy (esp. butter, sour cream) and cereal. Cereal is priced by the cereal ogre who storms up and down the aisle putting smaller prices on bigger boxes and bigger prices on smaller ones. He is a bit of a boor and not very bright.
Coupons. If I’m going through a phase where I have a little extra time, then I’ll do the coupon thing. These are available in the mail and also in the paper on Sunday, which I don’t take, but which I can get from my in-laws. The holy grail is to combine coupons with sale prices. The coupon/sale approach is good for drugs (yay!) and drugstore ads, which are kind of fun. There are people who are geniuses with coupons, and I am not one, but it’s kind of fun if you make it into a little mini-hobby.
Look for generally good prices. Along with the Sales, if it’s a busy period when I’m not messing with coupons (most of the time) my goal is to frequent a store with good everyday prices, in a decent quantity so I’m not going to the store all the time. I do not like to go to the grocery store any more than I have to because a) it’s a waste of time; b) I have to wrestle a toddler at every step; c) I buy stuff other than what I need; and d) it’s a waste of time (did I say that already?). One of the main tools in my toolbox is belonging to a warehouse store. I joined Sam’s Club because it is a little cheaper, but this works the same way with Costco or BJs or other ones.
Sam’s Club Case Study. Here’s what I bought today, prices, and rationale:
Diet Pepsi, 36-pack @ $9.99. I’m trying to stop drinking regular soda with sugar in it. This is a good deal ($0.28/ea), and it’ll last awhile.
Flour, 50 lbs @ $15.34. This is a lot of flour, but I was running low. I do quite a bit of baking and I go through a bunch. It is a cheap way to get baked goods and this will probably last through the fall.
Sugar, 25 lbs @ $12.99. This is an example of a thankless thing to buy. I don’t like to run to the store to buy some basic like this. I’d rather have a vat of it on hand.
Brown sugar and powdered sugar, 4 lbs each @ $2.85 each. These are basics I’m okay with buying during a weekly grocery store jaunt, however, this is a perfectly good deal and now I don’t have to remember to buy them later. We went through our last bag of brown sugar quite quickly because my daughter has taken to making “cakes” out of it. Along with sand. Yum.
French bread, 2 loaves @ $2.54. I get these for eating with any general Italian dish. I keep them in the freezer and it has worked out quite well. Their bakery is quite good.
Salt, 4 lbs, $1.07. I don’t usually buy salt here but I needed some, and this way I get an extra large box.
Ziploc sandwich bags. 400 count @ $7.79. We go through lots of these because of my daughter’s snacks. This is a good price, and, again, it’s just not very rewarding to go out to the store when you need a box of baggies. So I like to buy in bulk.
I try to stay away from the warehouse stores on the weekends, and even then, I only go around every 6 weeks or so. But I am able to cut down on the amount of shopping I do by using them and observing my family’s consumption patterns. How about you? Do you have any tricks for cutting down on grocery store angst?
