Whenever I purchase an item that’s available in multiple sizes, I always try to calculate which size is the best deal from a financial standpoint. Cereal, for example, comes in box sizes ranging from around nine ounces all the way up to 24 ounces. Whenever cereal is on sale, I’ll look at the sale price and subtract any coupon’s value that I plan to use. In looking at the various sizes of what’s available, I will calculate the per-ounce price of the item.
While there are exceptions to every rule, typically, the smaller-sized item will end up being the better financial deal. For example, my supermarket recently had a well-known brand of rice cereal on sale. Twelve-ounce boxes were on sale for 99 cents per box, while 24-ounce boxes were $3.49. With a 50-cent coupon, the smaller box drops to just 49 cents, or about 4 cents per ounce. With the same coupon, the larger box of the same cereal works out to more than 12 cents per ounce!
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When I explain this concept to new coupon shoppers, they’re often surprised that the smaller item ends up being the better deal. As shoppers, we are conditioned to believe that a larger item, often with a package branded with “Value Size” or “Family Size” text, is a better buy. Not always.
Here are some readers’ experiences making similar discoveries in their own stores:
“Dear Jill,
I was comparing prices on laundry detergent the other day because I had two coupons from the paper, a $2 coupon for sizes 46 ounces or less, and a $3 coupon for sizes greater than 46 ounces.
The 46-ounce bottle of detergent was on sale for $5.99. After the coupon, it was $3.99, which works out to about .08 per load. I thought that with the $3 coupon, perhaps the larger jug would be an even better deal though. The store had a 145-ounce jug for $14.99. With the $3 coupon, it would be $11.99, which works out to 10 cents per load.
I was surprised. I thought that for sure, the large jug with the pour spout on it would be a better deal with the higher-value coupon. Instead, I bought the 46-ouncer.
James P.
“Dear Jill,
I wanted to share how I got a great deal on chicken breasts. They were on sale for $1.99 per pound, but there were many packages at my store with stickers on them for $3 off each package because they were getting close to outdating.
Well, they had large family-size packs and smaller, two-pound wrapped trays. It made much more sense from a financial standpoint to buy the smaller packages of chicken because they were all priced around $3.98 and just 98 cents each with the sticker coupon. The six-pound packages were all close to $12 and would be around $9 after the same coupon.
I ended up with more than 12 pounds of chicken for around $6 after this great deal.
Addie O.”
I always enjoy reading stories like these! Not only is it fun to get a great deal, each time we have revelations like these in a supermarket aisle, we also learn to be smarter and more effective coupon shoppers. I believe there’s tremendous value in real-life experiences that serve to both show and remind us that what we assume might be the better deal isn’t always the best from a financial standpoint.
Another tip: When you’re in the aisle comparing prices and tags, a rule of thumb that I’ve always liked is to aim to cut the non-sale price in half. This is an easy barometer to use to know that you’re getting a good deal. If the non-sale, shelf price of an item is $4.99, and it’s on sale for $3.49, you’ll already see the potential for a deal coming together. If you have a coupon to drop it to $2.49 or less, you’ll be cutting the price in half, which is a great indicator of a good deal. Now, If you’ve got a $1.50 coupon for that same item, you’ll drop it to $1.99 — and that’s a buy!
Email your own couponing victories and questions to jill@ctwfeatures.com.
