I have said it before and I will probably say it again a gabazillion times.....I am a sucker for marketing campaigns! I often get the visual of a marketing team sitting around a conference table and asking "What would Ms. Ran want us to say so she would buy this?". It is a horrible thing to admit but, well "Know thyself!".
One of the things that this journey I have embarked upon has taught me (and it continues to be a very painful lesson and a constant struggle) is that I have to really evaluate what I need vs what I want.
Convenience is a huge thing these days. The majority of families require both partners to work outside the home to make ends meet which means that time is a precious commodity. The packaging of foods in snack size packs and prepackaged dinners is wonderful for busy families. However, if you actually look at the price point for these things you see a HUGE difference. Sometimes you pay more than double for something in a "convenient" pack than you would for the same thing in the regular size. I am prone to this marketing as well, I do not work outside the home but I do keep myself busy during the day. The war on dog hair takes more time than I ever could have imagined, especially during this time of year when they are all shedding constantly. I am often eating while doing something else, which makes the snack sizes great since I don't have to worry that while I am not paying attention I wind up eating a whole bag of chips ;-)
The introduction of the 100 calorie packs was amazing to me, how cool is that! Grab one of these babies and you have a perfect snack portion with no chance of going over what you should be eating. However, when you start evaluating the cost of these snacks.....Holy Wow!!!! Really? It's almost like being robbed. I cannot tell you how many boxes of these I have purchased over the years.....incredible. If I had spent a little time portioning out a regular size box of whatever snack I wanted into Ziploc bags and tossing those into my pantry instead I could have saved myself more than 60% and gotten WAY more. Kicking myself about it now does me absolutely no good......I can write it off as a learning experience and move on but Oh, the pain!
There are all kinds of things that we buy without thinking about it, just from habit. I use Splenda in my coffee every morning and in my iced tea. I have always bought it in the packets 1000 for $20 at Sam's Club. Perfect portion and I know exactly how many to use for everything I drink. I started looking at it the other day since I was running low. Buying the bag of Splenda is about half as much as the packets.....for the same amount (ish). Wow, really? OK, evaluation time......and we come to a no brainer. I bought the bag and spent another $2 at Target on a Rubbermaid container with a pour spout and filled that bad boy up.....I haven't gotten the hang of exactly how much to use yet but soon I won't even notice. Not as convenient maybe but hey, money in my pocket.
Another pitfall in the stores is the Value Size.....hey, there is more in there for less right? Not always......sometimes you pay less per unit when you buy the smaller packages. This is especially true when you are using a coupon or coupons for an item. Sometimes it means buying more of it but if you can get 2 for less than what you are paying for the Value Size and wind up with more then....well, another no brainer.
Ultimately, the point I am trying to make is that if you start really looking at what you are buying and change your perspective a little you can save yourself a good amount with a minimum of effort. Buying your snacks in a regular size package and then putting a snack size amount into a ziploc will add a little time, buying things in less convenient packaging might be a pain in the rear until you get used to changing your routine a little and really watching your unit pricing might add the amount of time you spend in the store but after a few weeks, the savings might even add up to a new pair of shoes!
Until next time.....Happy shopping and may you save a ton!
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