Coupons aren't big in Australia, so we have to find other ways to save at the checkout. One thing I've found to be really useful in the last couple of months is a Price Book. You may have heard of them over the years - it's not a new concept. The basic idea is that you keep track of grocery prices for the items you buy all the time, so you can compare prices across stores or the best sales price.
I had read about price books a few times, but never really got into them. To be honest, I wasn't big on the idea of lugging a big notebook around the supermarket. But hey, it's 2015, and yes, there's an app for that! There are probably plenty, but the one I found was called Price Book, by RedBog Software. It's on iTunes and I believe it's on Android too. I can't tell you exactly what I paid for it, but it was only a few dollars.
Essentially, the app is a tracking system that allows you to add a list of stores, and all the products you buy. You can sort them by category in whatever way suits you. For each item, you add the quantity (so it can calculate unit price), the price, when and where you bought it and if it was on sale.
It is a little tedious to sit down after shopping and input prices, though it is getting quicker each time as I find there are more and more regular items I don't have to add into the system. I am updating my records as I find a better sale price on items, or if the non-sale price changes. Right now this isn't really simplifying my life, but I know in the long run it will pay off.
It is really useful to have the prices of items on hand, because there's no way I can keep all that in my head - I know the basics like milk and bread, and I know the prices I'll happily pay for meat and vegetables, but that's about it.
One thing I found interesting is that it challenged my perception of the cheapest stores. One of the things about having an Aldi in town is that other supermarkets drop prices to match. There are many staples that are the same price, or only a couple of cents more, than at Aldi, so it's worth getting these anywhere. Or there are things like muesli bars that regularly go on sale for 50% off, so the brand names become a better deal than Aldi's similar products, so long as you can pick them up on sale.
Other times I'll think something is a good price, only to consult my price book and find it's really not. I've had this app for less than two months and I've used it in the supermarket quite a few times already.
It's very useful to have the unit price in front of you too - it's amazing how sneaky some items are, particularly chips - the big bags can vary by as much as 50g in size, making it much harder to work out if the price is competitive.
It is also good to keep track of the items I buy less often - if I'm only buying something every six months or one year, then I really have no idea of the price from year to year.
If you want to discover more about price books, Pinterest is a good place to start. I thoroughly recommend getting a notebook or an app and just starting - right now I'm in the winging it stage, but it's working just fine.
I had read about price books a few times, but never really got into them. To be honest, I wasn't big on the idea of lugging a big notebook around the supermarket. But hey, it's 2015, and yes, there's an app for that! There are probably plenty, but the one I found was called Price Book, by RedBog Software. It's on iTunes and I believe it's on Android too. I can't tell you exactly what I paid for it, but it was only a few dollars.
It is a little tedious to sit down after shopping and input prices, though it is getting quicker each time as I find there are more and more regular items I don't have to add into the system. I am updating my records as I find a better sale price on items, or if the non-sale price changes. Right now this isn't really simplifying my life, but I know in the long run it will pay off.
It is really useful to have the prices of items on hand, because there's no way I can keep all that in my head - I know the basics like milk and bread, and I know the prices I'll happily pay for meat and vegetables, but that's about it.
One thing I found interesting is that it challenged my perception of the cheapest stores. One of the things about having an Aldi in town is that other supermarkets drop prices to match. There are many staples that are the same price, or only a couple of cents more, than at Aldi, so it's worth getting these anywhere. Or there are things like muesli bars that regularly go on sale for 50% off, so the brand names become a better deal than Aldi's similar products, so long as you can pick them up on sale.
Other times I'll think something is a good price, only to consult my price book and find it's really not. I've had this app for less than two months and I've used it in the supermarket quite a few times already.
It's very useful to have the unit price in front of you too - it's amazing how sneaky some items are, particularly chips - the big bags can vary by as much as 50g in size, making it much harder to work out if the price is competitive.
It is also good to keep track of the items I buy less often - if I'm only buying something every six months or one year, then I really have no idea of the price from year to year.
If you want to discover more about price books, Pinterest is a good place to start. I thoroughly recommend getting a notebook or an app and just starting - right now I'm in the winging it stage, but it's working just fine.
