Math Is Fun & So Is Saving Money!

For all of you math and savings nerds like me...

Thanks buzzfeed.com

What Size To Buy: Price Per Unit

Most people think that buying food in bulk will save them money. When I talk with friends and store associates about finding the lowest cost items, they are often surprised to hear that sometimes the bulk buys are actually not the best deal.So here’s a quick run down of how I calculate which size to buy so I can get the biggest bang for my buck.

Warning: This will involve using your brain and flexing your math muscles. Come on! You can do it!

Tip of the day: Compare prices per unit.

Don’t compare price per item because some packaging makes it difficult to tell how much product you are getting. If you factor in the size of the product, the material it is made from (glass, plastic, paper, etc), you’ll start to realize that some items take up the same shelf space but they don’t have the same amount of product.
So when you go to the store, pull out your calculator and do a little math.

Price / # of units = price per unit

If you have a coupon for a specific item, you will want to factor that into the equation:

(Price – coupon value) / # of units = price per unit if you have a coupon.

Sometimes items without coupons are cheaper and the coupons might not actually save you money. Keep this in mind!

Real life application:

Say for instance,  you have a coupon for $1 off of any Dr. Pepper 12 pack and the sale price at the store is 3 packs of any soda for $10.  This is the equation you will do:
$10/ 3 packs = $3.33 per 12 pack
or
$10/ 3 packs/ 12 cans = about 28 cents a can!

With a coupon your equation will look like this:

($10- $1 coupon) / 3 packs/12 cans =
$9 /3 packs = $3 per 12 pack
or
$9/ 3 packs/12 cans = exactly 25 cents a can!

Some of you might say, well 3 cents a can is not really that great of savings. However if you have one can of soda every day for a year and can save 3 cents per can, you’ve saved about $11 on soda alone. Now imagine you follow this same tip for all groceries and personal care products that you buy. Every penny adds up! Once you get this process down, it will come naturally.

No Calculator? Look at shelf tags:

If you forget your calculator or you are in a hurry, or have no coupons, look at the price tag on the shelf. Usually it will be listed as a price per unit. Watch out for similar products that are measured by different units. This can make one product appear to be cheaper than the other one.

This is a great tip, even for those of you who don’t clip coupons. If you follow this tip alone, you could potentially save hundreds of dollars per year.

I hope this helps break down one of my basics for how to find a great deal at the grocery store! This time, I hope you’ll grab whichever one is truly the best deal!

How To Get What You Need Without Spending Anything!

No, it's not the "5 finger discount."...

It's bartering!

Back in the days before we had dollars and cents, let alone a rapper named 50 cent,  before we had Ben Franklin’s portrait on paper, bartering was the most common way of getting what you needed.

Think back to your elementary school days- what did we do when we had a snack in our lunch box that we didn’t really want?  We bartered. Nowadays this concept seems pretty foreign, but I promise you, it is innate and it works for almost anything… except perhaps utility bills. There are plenty of places you can find to barter. Try farmers markets, craft shows, local bulletin boards, and websites like Craigslist.org.

1. The key to successful bartering is that both parties must walk away feeling like they won.

2. Offer a reasonable barter…

Keep in mind that they may counter you. So don’t start with your absolute best offer. Aim a little better and wiggle back and forth until you both come to an agreement.

3. Don’t be too eager.

If you really need something, that puts the ball in their corner, meaning you could end up with the bad end of the deal. Don’t show all your cards right away. Be aloof but firm and leave your emotions at home.

4. Remember the value of your bartering relationship.

Whether the deal is better on their end or yours, or one of you concedes slightly for the sake of the bartering relationship, at the end of the deal you should both walk away satisfied with what you are receiving.

5. Finish the paperwork…

Have fun, be honest, be aware, be kind, and of course, if these items are large ticket items, make sure all the proper receipts are accounted for and the paperwork is squared away. You don’t want to take your items home and find out they were stolen goods, or worse- be scammed out of your item by someone who was playing you all along.

6. Safety First!

If you don’t know the person with which you are trading very well, make sure to take a buddy!