Creating A Price Book – Putting it into Use
So you gathered up your receipts for the past month or two, and you've created the beginning of a price book from them to help with comparison shopping for groceries. Now what?
I use my price book every week to make sure I am paying the lowest price possible for every item I buy. I do this through comparing prices at the local grocery stores, knowing which store has the lowest regular price on common items I purchase, and planning stocking up around sale cycles.
My shopping list each week is divided into three categories. First is items that we need to purchase that week that we are running low on or have run out of completely. These are usually fresh items that need to be purchased on a weekly basis that I cannot freeze. (Ever had frozen lettuce? So not recommended.) The second list is items that are at the bottom of their sale cycle that we should stock up on. The third is items on special deals that I pair with coupons.
I construct my list by first, collecting all the sale flyers for a given week along with my price book. I look through the flyers, and when I spot an item we use, I compare the sale price to my price book, and add in any coupons I have. So, for example, if I see a sale on Raisin Bran for $2 a box, I look and see that $1.79 a box is the lowest price in the past two months. But since I have a $1 off that brand coupon, that makes it $1 a box, which is a good deal. So I add it to my list.
Next, I look at the list of items we need. If any of them were already on sale and have been added to my list, I cross them out. Then I compare prices on the remaining items, both with my flyers and with my price book, noting where the lowest regular price is as well as where it might be on sale this week (by looking at the price over time). I add those items to the appropriate lists.
My final step is to hit up coupon and bargain forums (my go-to forum is Hot Coupon World but there are many out there) and look at the posted sale flyers for my local stores, and compare the deals that others have come up with. Sometimes I miss a good deal, or don't notice I have a particular coupon that would be useful that week, so I double check myself. Then I shop. 
Keep updating your price book from week to week with the items you buy, the unit prices you paid for each, the store purchased at, and any applicable coupons you used. Just like prices, some coupons also have cycles. You will build your knowledge and over time, have a clear idea of the rhythm of the grocery pricing cycle.
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10 Responses to “Creating A Price Book – Putting it into Use”
January 15th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
The trouble I run into whenever I try to make a price book is format. Do you have any advice on that? What sort of book? Spiral notebook? 3 ring binder? What kind of columns? Do you sort by store or item?
Thanks!
January 15th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
My question is, how many stores do you go to on average? Also, with gas going back up, don’t you spend the pennies you think you are saving just by running around more? Not to mention what your time is worth.
Just curious.
January 15th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
@ Mother Hen – I have my price book on my computer in a spreadsheet, sorted by item, then a line for each store. I don’t bring it with me – I plan out the shopping in advance and then use my receipts to enter new data.
@ Camille – I have 4 stores I go to. Three are all on my way home from work (two of the three are across the street from each other, the third is literally next door to where I work in the same plaza). The 4th (Aldi) is a bit of a hike and I plan my trips there to be only once a month if I can help it and stock up on the items there that I cannot beat the price of.
For me and my situation, it doesn’t add much time or gas to go to three stores vs one. When I used to only go to two stores (Aldi and Walmart, a Walmart was on the way home from Aldi for me) it would take about 90 minutes round trip. Now, going to three stores on my way home from work adds about 60-90 minutes to my overall coming home time, so actually, it sort of saves me time to do it this way instead. But that’s for my situation. Everyone has to evaluate what works for them as far as where stores are located and the time it takes.
I have found once you get used to a store’s layout, shopping with a specific list and only going to the areas you need takes much less time than continually browsing.
January 15th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Oh, and I didn’t mention – the reason I still go to Aldi (the one out of the way for me) is there are about 10 non-perishable or semi-perishable (can be frozen) items there that cost at least $1 less than any comparable items at other stores. Each. So I buy those at once in one trip. Things like kitty litter, bagels, frozen quick foods, sugar free drink mix, some soups and condiments, cereal bars, some cereals, breads.
January 16th, 2009 at 10:25 am
This is great, I’ve been wanting to start a price book for awhile now, but have been unsure how to go about doing it efficiently. Is there anyway you could post a sample of your spreadsheet?
January 16th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Great post! Many years ago, when my husband was out of work for a year, I started my first pricebook and it just saved us so much money.
I printed my form from organizedhome.com but then my husband tweaked it a bit to make it better for our use.
I keep the current sale flyers and my pricebook sheets in a folder instead of on the computer. I carry a little spiral notebook in my purse that has a list (aphabetized) of the lowest rock-bottom price for the items that I purchase. I update that as needed. That way, I always have an idea in case I see a great unadvertised sale while I’m out.
I price shopped at several different stores, recording their prices and then compared to find the best stores in our area. I do most of my shopping at Winco (which accepts coupons but not internet coupons) or Costco.
January 18th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
I mentioned my little old granny in another post, but given the fact that she was the Queen Of Thrift, I’ll mention her again here.
She had grocery shopping down to a fine art. She’d cut out all of her coupons throughout the week, then hop on the bus and do “the route” each Saturday morning, stopping at 5 or 6 grocery stores before returning home with her bounty.
I once asked her if she’d like me to drive her instead (I lived with her at the time) and she looked at me with that sweet little astounded look she had and flat out refused my offer. After all, she claimed, she’d already paid for her bus pass!!
At 20, I thought her time was worth something. But now, at 49, I very much appreciate her frugality.
China4
February 12th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
I understand why a price book if you have access to different stores. But in my lil town we have 1—yes 1 grocery store. And the 2 dollar stores. Not much selection.
To shop else where requires a 60+ mile round trip. I just do not see the sense in paying for the gas and time to go “out of town” for items I can find here. Even at a lower price.
I look for other ways to save. Discount meats and fresh produce. What is on sale and where can I stock up on items.
Any other ideas?
September 25th, 2009 at 6:35 am
Here’s the thing I think is the coolest about price books. WalMart (and many other stores) honor competitor’s advertised sale prices which saves on gas if you know your prices. Our WalMart honors your price book, too. Sometimes a manager will phone to confirm a price, but mostly they just ring it up. I guess they think you’re pretty serious if you have all the prices from all the grocery chains written in a notebook.
January 3rd, 2010 at 11:06 pm
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