Know the prices...

One of the best pieces of information I found while reading books on saving money was to figure out what the prices are for items you buy. Alot of people have a general idea of what things cost, but when it comes right down to it, it's hard to remember week to week what exactly is a good deal.

I first read about keeping track of prices in The Tightwad Gazette, by Amy Dacyczyn. Her and her readers recommended keeping track of prices on items that you regularly purchase in a notebook. I can't tell you how much this has helped me. I'll go into a store, see something that looks like a good deal, but I'm not sure...so, I'll just check my handy dandy notebook and immediately I'll know if this is indeed a good purchase or I can find it cheaper at the regular grocery store. Doing this has helped me to cut my grocery bill a ton!

To start your own price book, find a notebook, planner, or whatever format works best for you and label each page alphabetically A-Z (make sure it's something small enough that you'll be able to take it along easily each time you shop). Then plan a special shopping trip where you can have a little more time to really check out the prices at the stores that you frequent.

Keep track of:
*The price
*The exact item
*The size (ounces, etc.)
*The location
*The date purchased (eventually you may see trends of when certain items go on sale)

Here's some examples:

Apples-
$1.19/lb Organic Golden Delicious-Sale Price-Grocery Store Name-2/13/08
$1.99/lb Organic Golden Delicious in Bags-Regular Price-Grocery Store Name-1/15/08

Soy Cheese-
$2.69-Veggie Shreds Bags-6 oz.-Regular Price-Grocery Store Name-1/27/08
$2.00-Veggie Shreds Bags-6 oz.-Sale Price-Different Grocery Store-2/10/08

By keeping track of each of the prices I know what the regular price is at the cheaper store, plus what's a good deal when there is a sale so I know to stock up. It's been extremely helpful to have everything written down and I highly recommend starting a price book for anyone who is trying to watch their budget!!