Don’t ask me why this topic gets me really excited. Luckily Cool Dad shares this strange hereditary trait so that we can celebrate together!
1. I recently discovered that the 5-pound bag of Publix rice costs almost the same as the 3-pound bag! I know, I know, rice is already cheap. But with an extra, maybe 5 cents, I got 2 extra pounds of rice!
At first I thought it was a fluke. I was shopping at a different Publix than normal and noticed the two packages side by side. Then, when I went to my Publix, I couldn’t find any 5-pound bags at all. And then I looked about 3 feet to the left and on the bottom shelf. There they were. We eat a lot of rice, so that was a beautiful sight. Now I’m wondering what else I have been tricked into buying or not buying due to the shelf position.
2. I recently ran into Target quickly to get some size 2 diapers for a friend’s shower. I am a HUGE fan of Target diapers, but I know that not everyone is. So to compromise, I decided to buy one package of brand name diapers and one package of Target diapers so that my friend could do a side-by-side comparison.
It was a quick trip, so I just had to grab whatever I could find and not use any coupons (I rarely use coupons anyway). For about the same price (around $10.49), I could get 40 Huggies size-2′s or 80 (twice as many!) Target diapers. Even worse, I saw a package of similarly priced Pampers that contained only 35 diapers. I couldn’t get myself to buy the Pampers. For the sake of the economics lesson I purchased the Huggies. This definitely increased my zeal for the Target diapers I buy regularly.
For those who care, I did some calculations to compare the cheapest brand name diapers at the sale price to the Target brand diapers at regular price.
Huggies 92-count size 4 box: 19.99 before taxes (on sale at Target this week)
= .2173 cents per diaper
= .1901 cents per diaper if you factor in the sale price and the $5 Target gift card they’ll give you if you buy 2 packages ($19.99 – $2.50 = 17.49 divided by 92 diapers)
Target 92-count size 4 box: 15.79 before taxes (everyday price)
= .1716 cents per diaper
= .1499 cents per diaper when on sale for 13.79 last week
Saving a minimum of $2-4 dollars per package of diapers, without having to worry about sales or coupons, makes me so happy! Not to mention the Target diapers are wonderfully unscented and free of licensed characters.
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Honestly, I like the target diapers better and the fact that they are cheaper only makes me happier! We don’t have publix out here…sad, from everthing i’ve heard they are a steal, oh well.
i am SO glad CM thinks of this stuff. we make a good team.
My wife and I use http://www.thegrocerygame.com and save on average $100 a week on groceries. We are a family of four with a 7 and 4.5 year old.
Just wanted to share!
I am a BIG fan of the Target diapers! I actually feel sad for people I see around town with Huggies or Pampers on. I did the math too – took a calculator to Costco.
That said, we had to switch once the girls started walking -there is a definite difference between the Target and the Pampers cruisers when the movement increases. But by then we weren’t using formula anymore, so it was just a trade-off. Best answer for diaper expenses though: Potty Training! Whoo-hoo!
And BTW – did you know about the special Publix is running now on certain items where if you buy the name brand they’ll give you their brand for free?
speedingup– I’ve looked into that, I’m thinking of doing the trial run, but it requires cutting coupons, right? I need to get better about that.
amy — I haven’t heard of the publix brand promotion. Sounds fun! I’m all for early potty training, but I’ve heard boys are more resistant than girls =(. guess we’ll see!