Is Bigger Always Better?by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 12 Jul 2007 11:59 AM If you think you are getting a deal with those large sized packages, you better check again. Sometimes smaller packages offer better deals. When Bigger Sizes Don't Pay Most of the time, buying groceries and other items in bulk or in a larger size is usually a pretty frugal idea. But there are also quite a number of times when buying smaller is better. Here is what I mean: When you have a coupon. If you have a coupon, or even better, multiple copies of a coupon, it usually pays to apply it to the lowest priced item that you can. This way, you are saving the greatest percentage of the cost. Use many coupons to buy multiple small sizes of your item. When it will go bad before you can use it all up. With three kids, there aren't too many times when I have to throw something out because we don't get to it. But if anything did have to be thrown out, it would be a waste of money. You might save on the unit cost for that humongous jar of apple sauce, but if it starts going moldy (as apple sauce tends to do so quickly) with the jar half full, then the larger size just doesn't work for you. Grocery stores and manufacturers have long caught on to the perceived value of buying in bulk. They sometimes use that knowledge to trick consumers, actually raising their prices on larger packages. It always pays to check the unit pricing or to have a calculator handy. I noticed this myself just this past week. For a store brand 25 pound bag of flour, I would have paid an extra 30 cents a pound, over the smaller 5 pound bags. That is hardly a bargain. When you are checking unit pricing, be aware that smaller packages may show pricing in small units, such as by the ounce or liquid ounce, while larger packages may show pricing in larger units, such as the pound, the gallon or even the number of units. Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites. Related Articles: Grocery Sneaks: How One Item Can have Three Different Prices Is Buying in Bulk Bad for Your Budget? Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments jonesx6 (1606) 12 Jul 2007 12:49 PMMy dh has always been a firm believer in checking unit prices and then comparing. I sometimes forget about that. lol Thanks for the reminder. Laura  Mary Ann Romans |
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