INSTANT SURVIVAL TIP: The Price is Right!

image by roadsidepictures

For most of us, our food storage pantry is being filled on tight budgets.  Most SurvivalMoms are watching the food ads and clipping coupons.  However, grocery prices aren’t always what they seem.  One grocery manager told me that before an item goes on sale, they often increase the price a few cents the week before to help make up the difference in their bottom line.  He also told me that sometimes they just change the color of the price tags with no discount, but a bright yellow or orange makes it seem like the item is on sale.  Sneaky!!!

So, if you’re on a budget, want to have at least several week’s worth of food on hand and you want to outwit the grocery store manager, here’s what you need to do.  Know when a grocery item is truly a bargain by keeping a price book.  This is an old fashioned concept that really works.  A price book is just a list of the lowest prices you’ve paid on specific food items.  Once you have these prices in your price book, and in your head, you’ll know when you’re looking at a real bargain.

For example, if the lowest price you’ve ever paid for a gallon of milk is $1.89 and you see it advertised as an “In-store Special!” for $1.99, you know it isn’t a bargain.  Buy it if you need it, but otherwise, for stocking up purposes, wait until you see it at that lowest price or lower.

Organize your price book by grocery categories, such as frozen foods, cleaning supplies, meat, dairy products, canned foods, etc.  I’ve seen some SurvivalMoms set up Excel spreadsheets for their data.  It really doesn’t take long at all to activate that bargain lobe in your brain when you become accustomed to recording prices on a regular basis.

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