Yesterday I went to Meijer and was very excited to find .55 peelie coupons on these little Hungry Jack instant mashed potato pouches. Regular price is just .99, so I paid just .44 for each pouch. I picked up 4 of them. There are 4 servings to a pouch, so it’s a mere .11/serving which I congratulated myself upon. I saved over 50%! Often regular potatoes offer up a lower price, however, these boxed potatoes have a shelf life in years for your pantry, i.e. why I like to buy them when I can find them cheap.
I was happy with the purchase until I checked out this on Sam’s Club website. 3.24 pounds (65 servings) for a mere $5.48. That works out to .08 per serving. That’s not a sale price or anything either, just Sam’s Club pricing. I could stock my pantry for the next 18-24 months and I can buy it all in one shot. No coupon clipping necessary, no waiting for the store sale price, no worries about limitations on coupon doubling, etc.
I’ve always been hesitant when it comes to warehouse or club type shopping because it’s overwhelming. It’s not easy to comparison shop because the package sizes are unique. I can easily calculate that a 25 bag of sugar for $15 is comparably $3 per 5 pounds, which is how I normally buy sugar, which is how I think of sugar in terms of cost.
I require a Sherpa-Shopping-Guide with killer math skills to determine whether or not $9.99 is a good price for 128 single rolls of double ply toilet tissue, 75 sheets per roll, when normally I spend around $7 for 12 mega rolls of triple ply, quilted, sliver-free paper when I find it on sale.
My vision of a Shopping-Sherpa. He would carry all the items, push the cart, do all required maths for required comparisons, and wisely nod yes or no for each potential purchase.
I am almost certain that given enough time and inclination the fine folks of NASA could figure out the cost-per-wipe, but even as a bargain hunter, I am lazy. I think for myself and for many others the decision to buy the 9.99 pallet of toilet paper would require these probing questions:
Do I need toilet paper?
Do I have 9.99?
(For advanced users) Do I have a place to store 128 rolls?
Yes, for the record, I have lugged home large quantities of goods without any thought to where I’d actually put them up until I pulled into my own driveway. I am pretty sure I am not alone here.
This potato incident is troubling me. This week I’ve taken a notebook and toured both GFS and Sam’s Club to get price ideas. It appears that for many baking basics, bulk is cheaper.
I used to shop at Sam’s Club years ago, however, I never bought many practical items there. Cases of individually wrapped frozen entrees. Supersized bags of cheese puffs. A gross of corn dogs. I barely justified the cost of membership because while I saved on what I bought, but what I bought were not necessity items.
I am considering a Sam’s Club membership. I do believe my will is much stronger these days and I give myself credit for not walking out of there with an impulsed shopped $42 worth of Twizzlers.
What instant potatoes has reminded me this week is that to get a great deal, one must constantly re-evaluate their shopping and buying habits.
Don’t forget to include the membership fee when making calculations.
At Costco, on the price sheet it lists the actual price per lb, sheet, etc. Makes things much easier.
Absolutely, Seeking. I forget that not everyone buys to feed a small army. The Sam’s Club membership I am looking at is $40. I’d have to realize a savings of about .77/week to recoup that cost.