Grocery Store Math 101

Food prices are climbing, and we are feeling the pinch. Almost a year ago, I wrote the post Half Price Groceries, and while it still has some wonderful tips in there, my baseline prices have had to inch up along with the rising grocery prices. It is HARD for me to find dried beans for less than $1 per pound anymore, and beef less than $2 per pound is rare indeed. When I DO find amazing deals like these, there is usually a limit that prevents me from stocking up the way I would like. It is becoming more crucial than ever to be conscious of prices... REAL prices, not just the flashy sales signs. You have to look at the numbers and do the math! This may be elementary for many of my readers, but I know that when I was a fresh, new homemaker, I had to learn these lessons along the way. I had been grocery shopping for over 5 years for our family before I realized just how much deli meat and bagged lettuce cost per pound. It PAYS to look at the unit price!!

You will see a tag like this for nearly every item at your local store. If you are looking at the big numbers that you see, you get the cost per item. Look at the smaller numbers - the ones in the orange box in this picture. That is the UNIT PRICE and it is golden! You see, not all packages are equal size. Perhaps you have noticed the trend in frozen vegetables to only include 12 oz. per bag instead of 16 oz. that used to be the standard. You may think you are getting a good deal when you buy a package of frozen broccoli for a dollar, until you look closely and realize that instead of paying $1/lb the way you used to do, you are now paying $1.33/lb. The manufacturers are hoping that you don't notice this change. You have to beat them at their game. Don't look at the flashy packaging and advertisements, look at the cold hard facts - the numbers, and especially the unit price.

Take a calculator with you to the store, and start doing the math while you shop. It's isn't calculus, it is basic math - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. You can do this!

In order to get prices on a level playing field, I look at the price per pound and try to mostly buy foods that cost less than $2 per pound. Here is how to calculate the price per pound:

There are 16 oz. in a pound. Some foods are packaged or sold by the pound and that makes it easy for you. Others take some fast math and it is usually as simple as two easy calculations. Here is your formula:

Price of Item % number of ounces = unit price per oz.

Unit price per oz. x 16 = price per pound

Here is an example with a 5 oz. can of tuna:

$1 % 5 oz. = $.20 (unit price per oz.)

$.20 x 16 = $3.20/lb

If your item is sold by the pound, it is even simpler and here is an example with a bag of onions:

$1.50 % 3 lbs = $.50/lb

To illustrate how important it is to look at the cost per pound, I pulled out this week's sales flier for the lower priced grocery store in my town where I do about 80% of my shopping. Because I advocate buying everything on sale, everything on the list is this week's sale price. As you will see, many times an item is still not a good buy, even when it is on sale.

Buy from this list:

Food	Price/lb.
Bag of yellow onions	$.50
20 lb. bag Goya white rice	$.40
Hunts canned tomatoes	$.57
Store brand wheat sandwich bread	$1.43
Fresh Broccoli, Grapes, and Red Peppers	$.99
5 lb. Bag Russet Potatoes	$.60
5 lb. Whole Carrots	$.60
Romaine Lettuce	$1.50
3 lb. bag apples	$.67
Barilla Whole Wheat Pasta	$.99
Allen’s Frozen Vegetables	$.99

Look! Lots of healthy food choices for less than a dollar a pound! Now, I realize there is no meat on this list and it is worth noting that in our family we are omnivores that very much NEED meat. (There are at least two of us that have a super metabolism that requires plenty of daily protein.) This just wasn't a terrific week for meat buying, though I did buy a beef roast for $2.57/lb. My target prices for meat are generally $1/lb for chicken and $2.50/lb. for beef. I occasionally buy wild caught salmon, though more often we make salmon patties from wild caught canned salmon so we can get our good omegas and calcium.

Avoid buying from this list:

Food	Price/lb.
Store Brand Deli Turkey	$6.99
Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna	$3.20
Kellogg’s Cereals	$3.32
Store Brand Boxed Mac & Cheese	$3.43
Quaker Granola Bars	$7.38
Applegate Farms Organic Hot Dogs	$5.59
Organic Box Baby Spinach	$11.17
Dole Bagged Romaine	$3.56
Lays Potato Chips	$3.11
Dove Chocolates	$5.88
Yellowfin Tuna Steaks	$13.99!!!

So sad about the Dove Chocolates! Still, you have to weigh out cost vs. benefit and I am a firm believer in the sacredness of mama's chocolate stash, so if you have room for it in the budget, indulge. :) Just be sure you savor every bite!

This post is a part of the Four Moms linkup on keeping your food budget down as prices rise.