Comments on: What is Your Price Point?

By: Tara

Tara — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 07:56:43 +0000

How did you come to those maximum price points? I feel like I really want to know the minimum prices on things, but creating a book and tracking it seems like too much work. Do you know of a magical guide out there that already has “maximum price points” already figured out???

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 12:35:15 +0000

I have a very similar method. I don’t keep the prices in my head though (can’t trust my brain too remember more than is necessary in a day) so I keep a little notebook in my purse. I actually blogged about my “method” here:
http://ahighandnoblecalling.com/?p=266&preview=true

It has been much easier to do it this way. And you are right Toni, some people are willing to pay more for certain things than others. A lot of it is preference! No two grocery budgets are alike!

By: paula

paula — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:11:13 +0000

hannah….
thanks for the tip…i will do this will be alot easier for me to break it all down. I do have certain bills for 1st and certain ones for 15th but have run into issues with not having enough at end of pay period…now i will if i take the money out and into seperate acct….thanks

By: Misty

Misty — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:10:37 +0000

Your prices are great and most I can match here in the NW but how do you get canned refried beans for 30c a can. I have found just canned beans for around 60 but never refried, maybe I am missing those coupons since it is just recently that my 2 year old wants burritos everyday for every meal

By: The Mommy Chef

The Mommy Chef — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:48:45 +0000

I don’t do very well with coupons because I buy alot of organics(and they don’t seem to have too many coupons for that) and I cook alot from scratch BUT we have a great co-op here where I can buy a laundry baskets size bundle of fruits and veggies for $25 organic or $15 for conventionally grown produce. It has cut our produce costs by about 60%. Research your local area to see if you have one near you.

By: Nancy M.

Nancy M. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:45:02 +0000

I keep meaning to write down my price points, but I’ve never got around to it. Thanks for the link!

By: Anne-Marie

Anne-Marie — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:56:43 +0000

Setting a max price is a great idea. I’ve always had some unwritten limits, but since I’ve started menu planning & serious couponing (going into 4th week) I’m taking notice of the lowest possible price I can get. I just saved the file & printed a double-sided price sheet so I can record my prices (I was writing them down as I went, but I was not clever enough to actually do something with the info I had).

By: The Women of Chestnut St.

The Women of Chestnut St. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:14:13 +0000

I’d never even thought of doing this. We’re in the process of moving and starting to really pay attention to our budget. This is a great post. I need to walk into grocery stores with a plan. My dad always said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

By: Nancy

Nancy — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:56:32 +0000

If you take the time to make a price book, you’ll know what price points to set for your “must have” items (milk, diapers, ground beef, etc.) based on prices in your area. When you see a great deal, you’ll instantly recognize it and be able to maximize your savings by stocking up on that item.

I was at Super Walmart (ack) yesterday and Coke 2L bottles were 99 cents. I saw plenty of people fill their carts with those bottles and nothing else.

Another useful exercise is comparing the cost of buying pre-made items (spaghetti sauce, for ex.) vs. making it yourself. I make my sauce and have for 23 years. Happy buys it for about what I spend to make mine…she prefers to buy what’s on sale, and I prefer to make what I like best to eat. On the other hand, she makes bagels and I buy mine – we eat far fewer, so it’s more work per unit (bagel) to make them.

I read an article yesterday about making your own fresh ricotta cheese – this, I think I’ll try. It might turn out to cost more than store-bought (it takes a gallon of milk to make about 1 2/3 cups of ricotta) but the taste might justify the price.

Another thing to look at is buying local. (Be a “locavore”!) You may pay a little more for farmer’s market items but that money goes right to the farmer and not to the trucking company, distributor, etc. You know your items are totally fresh. Everyone wins.

(This brings me back to the price book, an excellent way to track prices on a consistent basis. Eventually you find yourself memorizing key prices – pasta, cereal, milk – and you’ll see a great deal from a mile away, I promise!)

By: Hannah

Hannah — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:45:52 +0000

Paula,
I have recently started living on a military budget. We do the same thing that Tonya does. We set our bills to be due right around the 1st and 15th. We put all our bill money into a separate account so we don’t “accidentally” use it. Also, on the 1st of the month, we move money over specifically for a food budget for the rest of the month which I then continue to break down weekly. So far, its managed to work out pretty well that way.