I remember a jingle someone used to sing when I was a kid. Maybe it was a commercial, maybe it was some kind of cartoon. It kind of went like this, "PEANUT PEANUT BUTTA AND JELLLLYYYY!!" I'm not a bad singer. But that's a bad song. Forgive me for that slip up.
Everything in the pic was free. I wanted more of the toothbrushes, but unfortunately Kroger still has that damn 3 coupon limit. Bastards. There was a free Oikos yogurt coupon in the paper (check out the Parade magazine from last Sunday) so I was able to snag two of the yogurts at no cost. FULL DISCLOSURE: I did order additional coupons from a clipping service. If I factor into the cost the coupons I ordered from a clipping service, I spent $5.00 for everything in the photo. Yes, the clipping service was an extra cost, but if I had paid full price for everything, I would have had to fork over $60.00. You do the math. Sixty bucks is a lot more than $5.00 the last time I was enrolled in 3rd grade.
All of this peanut butter seems insane, doesn't it? I mean, who needs 12 jars of peanut butter, right? Well my friend, that brings us to today's lesson: ALWAYS buy in Bulk. If it's a crazy low price, get the stuff while the gettin' is good. Screw the Satan that is Sam's Club. If you coupon correctly, you can kiss your $50.00/year membership goodbye and buy in bulk at the grocery store for a fraction of the warehouse cost. (Ok... don't kiss it goodbye if you are as addicted to the Sam's club pizza as I am. These hips don't lie... )
If you are truly serious about saving money, each of you should take the time to write a Top 10 list of items that you cannot live without. This is pretty easy to do, the next time you are at the grocery store write down the price of all of the essential items and post it on your refrigerator. Write down three different prices:
I'm a rapper, didn't you know?) He will sit with a spoon in hand and eat peanut butter straight from the jar. For breakfast. For lunch. For dinner. For a late night snack. Do you understand the amount of peanut butter one goes through when it makes up its own food group?
I too, love peanut butter. I'll have a PB&J every once in a while and I love to bake peanut butter cookies. That being said, I probably don't go through as many jars as my boyfriend. Here's the math again:
This week, the peanut butter was on sale 2 for $3.00. I had twelve 75/1 coupons. At my Giant Eagle, they will double any coupon 0.99 cents and under. Therefore, a 75 cents off coupon is really worth = $1.50. That means all of the peanut butter was absolutely free. This will happen a lot when a manufacturer comes out with a new item. They want consumers to try it and become addicted to it, so they'll give the store an incentive to sell it at a low price (the average consumer jumps at this) and then they will release a coupon as well (couponers like us should jump at this). Stacking both the sale price and the coupon = Peanut Butter nirvana.
I bought twelve jars of peanut butter that have very, very long expiration dates (July 2012). That means I will not buy a jar of peanut butter until I am completely out of peanut butter OR if I can get peanut butter for absolutely free again.
Let's keep going with the peanut butter illustration. Still not convinced buying in bulk isn't a good idea? Try this trick. Buy something cheap in bulk when the stock up price for that item is available. Each time you use a jar of peanut butter and reach into the cabinet to use another jar, write down how much you would have to spend if you had to run to the store that very same day and buy the peanut butter at full price. At the end of a month or two, add up the amount of money you would have spent if you didn't buy that item in bulk. You'll quickly see that if my peanut butter monster eats 1 jar of peanut butter a week, and I had to run out and buy 4 jars per month at $3.99 each, that would = $15.96.
Buying in Bulk FAQ:
Question... uhhhh... isn't it all going to expire before you can use it? Answer: Only buy what you can use. If you can't use it, then donate the item to the local food bank. This is a great way to give to a charitable cause without breaking your own finances. Ask friends and family if they need anything from your stockpile and invite them over to do a little shopping.
Question... ummm.. isn't this like HOARDING or something? Answer: No. My definition of hoarding is when someone buys a ton of stuff they can't use before they expire. I love being able to donate to the local food bank and give away some of my free stuff as a gift bag for friends & family. The average consumer spends a ton of money on many of these items. I can't tell you how excited my friends get when I serve up a bag of goodies that would usually cost them $50 or more. Random acts of generosity= good Karma!
So, remember to bulk up when the price is right. You'll look strange to your friends, but your wallet will thank you!
P. Manolos
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| Well, no jelly here, but who knows what the future holds ;-) |
Everything in the pic was free. I wanted more of the toothbrushes, but unfortunately Kroger still has that damn 3 coupon limit. Bastards. There was a free Oikos yogurt coupon in the paper (check out the Parade magazine from last Sunday) so I was able to snag two of the yogurts at no cost. FULL DISCLOSURE: I did order additional coupons from a clipping service. If I factor into the cost the coupons I ordered from a clipping service, I spent $5.00 for everything in the photo. Yes, the clipping service was an extra cost, but if I had paid full price for everything, I would have had to fork over $60.00. You do the math. Sixty bucks is a lot more than $5.00 the last time I was enrolled in 3rd grade.
All of this peanut butter seems insane, doesn't it? I mean, who needs 12 jars of peanut butter, right? Well my friend, that brings us to today's lesson: ALWAYS buy in Bulk. If it's a crazy low price, get the stuff while the gettin' is good. Screw the Satan that is Sam's Club. If you coupon correctly, you can kiss your $50.00/year membership goodbye and buy in bulk at the grocery store for a fraction of the warehouse cost. (Ok... don't kiss it goodbye if you are as addicted to the Sam's club pizza as I am. These hips don't lie... )
If you are truly serious about saving money, each of you should take the time to write a Top 10 list of items that you cannot live without. This is pretty easy to do, the next time you are at the grocery store write down the price of all of the essential items and post it on your refrigerator. Write down three different prices:
- Shelf Price- Price of the item when it's not on sale
- Sale Price- Price of the item when it's usually on sale
- Stock Up Price- Rock Bottom Price of the Item (ex. peanut butter at $1.50 each). You will want to use your coupons at this time to get the lowest price possible. If it's easier for you, this price can reflect the cost after using a coupon.
I too, love peanut butter. I'll have a PB&J every once in a while and I love to bake peanut butter cookies. That being said, I probably don't go through as many jars as my boyfriend. Here's the math again:
- Shelf Price- $3.99 (This is an estimate, I haven't the slightest clue how much this peanut butter usually costs because it's a brand new item. Planters just came out with its own peanut butter.)
- Sale Price- Last week, Giant Eagle had it on sale 2 for $3.00 or $1.50 each.
- Stock Up Price- Free or up to 50 cents/jar
This week, the peanut butter was on sale 2 for $3.00. I had twelve 75/1 coupons. At my Giant Eagle, they will double any coupon 0.99 cents and under. Therefore, a 75 cents off coupon is really worth = $1.50. That means all of the peanut butter was absolutely free. This will happen a lot when a manufacturer comes out with a new item. They want consumers to try it and become addicted to it, so they'll give the store an incentive to sell it at a low price (the average consumer jumps at this) and then they will release a coupon as well (couponers like us should jump at this). Stacking both the sale price and the coupon = Peanut Butter nirvana.
I bought twelve jars of peanut butter that have very, very long expiration dates (July 2012). That means I will not buy a jar of peanut butter until I am completely out of peanut butter OR if I can get peanut butter for absolutely free again.
Let's keep going with the peanut butter illustration. Still not convinced buying in bulk isn't a good idea? Try this trick. Buy something cheap in bulk when the stock up price for that item is available. Each time you use a jar of peanut butter and reach into the cabinet to use another jar, write down how much you would have to spend if you had to run to the store that very same day and buy the peanut butter at full price. At the end of a month or two, add up the amount of money you would have spent if you didn't buy that item in bulk. You'll quickly see that if my peanut butter monster eats 1 jar of peanut butter a week, and I had to run out and buy 4 jars per month at $3.99 each, that would = $15.96.
Buying in Bulk FAQ:
Question... uhhhh... isn't it all going to expire before you can use it? Answer: Only buy what you can use. If you can't use it, then donate the item to the local food bank. This is a great way to give to a charitable cause without breaking your own finances. Ask friends and family if they need anything from your stockpile and invite them over to do a little shopping.
Question... ummm.. isn't this like HOARDING or something? Answer: No. My definition of hoarding is when someone buys a ton of stuff they can't use before they expire. I love being able to donate to the local food bank and give away some of my free stuff as a gift bag for friends & family. The average consumer spends a ton of money on many of these items. I can't tell you how excited my friends get when I serve up a bag of goodies that would usually cost them $50 or more. Random acts of generosity= good Karma!
So, remember to bulk up when the price is right. You'll look strange to your friends, but your wallet will thank you!
P. Manolos
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