Today we went on a little field trip. Jake wasn't buying it when I told him it was a field trip because we were going to go shopping. Well not really shopping...we were going to two different stores to compare prices. You see, now that Aaron doesn't work at the airport I no longer get free coupons (he would bring home 3 or 4 set of coupons for me.), I am weighing the options of how much I can actually save shopping at my favorite local grocery store: Bi-Lo. Since I still work there (very part time-1 or 2 shifts a month) I feel the need to shop there. I know the employees and I always see faithful customers turned happy to see acquaintance's. I know where everything is. I know how awesome the sales, double coupons everyday (on coupons up to 99cents...in other words a 75 cent coupon is really $1.50 off...awesome I know), and fuel perks (every $50 you spend earns you 5 cents off per gallon of gas. Plus there are certain fuel perks deals like buy 3 products that are on sale from this list of items and automatically get 20 cents off per gallon of gas. One time I had $2.65 off per gallon of gas and I spent $1.93 on a WHOLE tank of gas.) are. But...there is always a but...I also know that the prices on groceries have been steadily rising at my beloved store (probably most stores...). I know this first hand because one of the shifts I work every month is a 3rd shift changing tags. We change the tags on the price locked items every four week (another great way to save at Bi-Lo. Items go on sale for a whole 4 to 6 weeks. Good sales...) and I am a first hand witness to them going up. When I first started couponing and shopping the sales at Bi-Lo I cut our grocery bill by 35%. Awesome. But that hasn't been happening lately. The coupons haven't been as good (for the things I buy at least. I don't use coupons just to use coupons. I use the ones on things I actually want to try, need, or use a lot.), plus they aren't free anymore. So...this brings me back to our field trip...I saw a commercial the other day for Walmart (where I used to shop before becoming a Bi-Lo employee) and they were showing people how much they saved buying the same things from Walmart that they usually buy else where. Brilliant. Math project and something that has to be done and I really don't want to spend my spare time doing wrapped up in one! We made a list of some basic items that we get a lot: milk, eggs, bread, and cheese were just a few. We took said list to Wally World and "the Bee-Lo" (this adorable older couple from Africa came in and were calling it that with their awesome accent one time and I have called it that for fun ever since) and we compared. We compared name brands and store brands. Broke it down to how many sheets per roll of toilet paper or ounces which was a great lesson for Jake. He wanted to just write down the prices and call it good until I pointed out that they may not have the same quantity as the other store. Jake took notes and was only mildly entertained while we were doing this at our first stop which was Walmart. After a library break (we love the library) and a quick
Doritos Taco Locos at Taco Bell (have you tried one yet? If you like those 2 things you will like this combination. The shell it like a big Dorito) we headed to Bi-Lo. This is where the fun began...
Jake got so serious he had to get in the shopping cart to take better notes. He was totally into this project! He was amazed and after every thing he jotted down he would say "we are not shopping here anymore!" or "we are going back to shopping at Walmart!". We haven't done all the calculations to see just how much we would save by shopping at Walmart...but EVERY.SINGLE.ITEM cost more at Bi-Lo...{sigh}. Example: we use Hunts spaghetti sauce and it is 50 cents more a can at Bi-Lo...even on sale and with fuel perks added the regular price at Walmart (they didn't carry it for a while but in my absence have since gotten it back on the shelves) was better....I am sad. I didn't want to admit it but I have seen the prices rising at Bi-Lo for about a year but it was just a little at a time. They were rising at every store! The problem is Walmart has more stores, buys in bigger quantities, and therefore can lower their prices more to get people in the door. Back when coupons were free (and better) and I worked when Jake was at school (and knew all the sales and all the coupons that were out there to go with those sales because I rang them up all day), and Bi-Lo was trying really hard to compete...I saved a lot of money there. Now that Fuel Perks have sucked people in (saving on gas while buying groceries is a VERY powerful tool) they don't notice the prices have crept back up.
Tomorrow we will put up the complete tally of our random and make believe grocery list (we didn't compare produce because the prices change so much according to seasons and if they are gross at one place I will spend more at the other for them and the farmers market will start getting the good fresh stuff soon). We forgot about crackers and chips and snack stuff so it is a pretty random list but the point has been made clear. Actually several points:
*We use math in everything we do.
*Stores will try and make you think buying the bigger quantity is the way to go because it is cheaper, but that is not always the case so check the cents per ounce (or price per sheet...).
*If they blind your with other bells and whistles (coupons, cheaper gas,...) than they will trick you some where else.
*Going to the grocery store can be a field trip.
*Math can be fun...did I really just say that?
*Jake was reminded today just how quickly "small change" can add up. As he told me today: "It is like you always say Mommy: every penny adds up!" Makes me wonder how many extra pennies we have spent this past little while that we didn't have to if I would have just swallowed my pride and gone back to the loathsome Walmart...
*And most importantly: If you can save 40 cents on a bag of chocolate chips and 17 cents per ounce on flour and sugar you can make cookies more often and your family will think you are the bomb.
