Is Bigger Really Better When Grocery Shopping?

A common misconception is that buying the larger package such as the "family size" or "value size" of an item in a grocery store is always the best value. Next time you go grocery shopping, do the math—you may be surprised to find that sometimes the smallest package is the best value. In order to get the most for your money when grocery shopping, it is important to be aware of unit pricing. The unit price is the amount you pay per unit for a particular grocery item—usually calculated as the price you pay per pound or per ounce.

Many people think that buying the larger size of an item, or buying products in bulk results in saving money. It definitely could, but the only way you will know for sure is to calculate the unit price for that item. Most of the time, the unit price is listed on the grocery shelf next to the item's price. If the unit price is not listed, you can quickly calculate it by dividing the item's price by its weight, volume or units. I usually use ounces as my unit and use the following guide to convert everything into ounces (1 cup = 8 ounces; 1 pound = 16 ounces; 1 quart = 32 ounces; 1 gallon = 128 ounces). So if I wanted to calculate the unit price for a 16oz bottle of coffee creamer that is on sale for $2.50, I would divide $2.50/16 to find out that I am paying about 16 cents per ounce of creamer. I can then use that number to see if per ounce, the bigger bottle of creamer or the store brand bottle are a better value.

Calculating the unit price is becoming more important then ever as manufacturers are using more and more creative ways to package their items. Just because a box or bag of a particular grocery item looks bigger, doesn't mean you are getting more product. Ever notice that many of the bottles for your favorite products are becoming taller and slimmer so that they look bigger, but actually have the same amount of liquid in them? Think about the last time you opened a bag of chips or cereal, only to find half of it was air. The only way you will know for sure whether the package is actually bigger is to look for the unit price, or calculate it for yourself.

Consider carrying a small calculator with you when grocery shopping so you can calculate the unit prices for items you buy and get the most for your money. Having a calculator on hand also comes in handy when you have a "$5 off a purchase of $50 or more" grocery coupon so you can calculate how much you already have in your cart. Sometimes I find myself overspending when I have one of those grocery coupons because I think "There's no way I have already racked up $50" and end up throwing in extra groceries I don't need into the cart.

Keeping an eye on unit prices combined with grocery coupons will help you save the most money on your grocery bill. Definitely check out our Grocery Savings Tips section on CoolSavings to learn even more about saving money on groceries!

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