Thrifty Thursday: Price Journal

The best way to start to get good deals for your family is to start a price journal.  This is a great tool for families that might not even use coupons (*GASP*).  It helps keep track of the price of everything in your area which is the most important thing.  Many blogs out there have lists posted with their buy price and their stock up price lists which you can certainly google and use as a starting point but I think that it is also important to start keeping your own notes.

There are a ton of ways to do this:

1. Keep a spiral bound notebook with your shopping stuff and take notes while you are shopping
2.  Keep track with receipt when you get home from shopping trip
3.  Try to remember everything in your head

This is one of those do as I say things, because I keep most of my pricing in my head but it really isn't the best choice.  I am trying to get better and I might actually take some notes or make a spreadsheet (in case you don't know, I love a good spreadsheet and there really isn't a big calling for my skills while being a stay at home mom).  Anyway you decide to do it, just do it (sorry Nike!) because it really is a valuable tool.

If I talked to one of my friends, they might be able to tell me the price of a gallon of milk at their store... because we all have little ones and that is something we buy a lot.  But would they be able to tell me the price of a jar of Pace Salsa versus Chi Chis salsa?  Most likely not.  A little while ago a coupon came up for $0.50 off a Chi Chi's salsa which I knew that I would use a ton when the right sale presented itself.  Since I know that Giant has frequently had the best deals on Chi Chis salsa and I got 6 jars for $0.67 last time there was a sale and coupon, I knew to keep my eyes out at Giant.  It was on sale for $1.50 the last time I was at the store and my coupon doubled so that it was only $0.50 per jar.  Because I know my prices, I would use every coupon that I had to buy the salsa.  Having a price book helps to know when you are getting a good deal or a great deal!

There are a few different ways to keep the price journal but I think that the easiest is to leave a page for each type of item you buy.

Sample Notebook Page:

Ground Beef 80%
                              Reg Price           Sale Price          Size
Giant                      $3.99                  $1.99               only family sized
Wegman's              $1.99                  $1.99               family sized
HT                         $4.99                  $1.99               on any size

You can always note other deals on the page like put the 90% lean on the second half of the page when you have a notebook.  Sadly, we always used to buy 90% or 93% but the prices have gotten so high, we buy whatever is $1.99 or under per pound which has mostly been 80%.

Sample Spreadsheet:

Store	Item	Regular Price	Sale Price	Size
Giant	Ground Beef 80%	$3.99	$1.99	only family sized
Wegman's	Ground Beef 80%	$1.99	$1.99	family sized
HT	Ground Beef 80%	$4.99	$1.99	on any size

There are pluses and minuses with each system.  With a spreadsheet, you can choose to sort by store to figure out what is the best to get at certain stores.  You can take notes at the store on paper and transfer them to the computer but that takes twice as much work.  But with a notebook, you can always have it with you and make additional notes when necessary.  Sadly, I am not a neat person so it might be hard to read my handwritting or misplaced.  Pick what you think will be best for your shopping habits.

The main thing is to write down the prices and start now.  This includes listing all the stores that you shop at and all the things that you buy.  Make a quick trip around your kitchen and bring your notebook.  Write the list of everything you see in the notebook.  Then when you go to the store, make an effort to make a note of the items regular price.  Over time, this will help you to come up with a list of items and the price that you will pay for them.

I hope that you start a price journal and it helps your family save a little money in the long run.  Look for an upcoming post on making a price sheet with your buy price and your stock up price!!