How-To: Find the Biggest Savings
The great price chase game
Play your way to the
best prices on food
Ready to try out your price-comparing skills? Start easy then see how well you can spot the best buys at the grocery store.
1: A quick warm-up
Which is the better buy?
Unit prices can be pretty easy when things are the same size. Let’s take it up a notch.
2: Step it up!
Which is the better buy?
If you go through a gallon a week, you’ll save over $120 a year by buying the larger size.
3: Getting tougher
Which is the better buy?
Be careful about boxes that look the same—the weight may be different.
It’s even more important when shopping online or on an app, as all products may look the same size.
4: Next level!
Which is the better buy?
It’s tricky if the units don’t match—pounds vs. ounces, bunches vs. bags. You might need to weigh the potatoes and do a little math on your phone.
Divide the price by the weight to get the unit price: 1.11 ÷ 0.8 = 1.3875
So, an average potato that weighs 0.8 of a pound is $1.39 a pound—less than $1.46 per pound for the bagged potatoes. Choose the biggest potatoes for an even better buy!
5: You’re on fire!
Which is the better buy?
The higher-fat ground beef may look like a good buy, but once the extra fat drains off, the savings may not be so great.
| 93% lean ground beef | 73% lean ground beef | |
| Cost per pound (16 oz) | $5.77 | $4.88 |
| Meat per pound | 14.9 oz | 11.7 oz |
| Fat per pound | 1.1 oz | 4.3 oz |
| Cost per ounce of meat (price divided by ounces) | 39¢ | 42¢ |
6: Keep moving up!
Which is the better buy?
In this case, the store brand is a bigger bag AND a lower price.
Store brands are often a better buy, unless the name brand is on sale. The food is just as good—sometimes they’re made by the same company! What’s the difference? No social ads or prime shelf space to pay for—and the savings get passed to you.
7: The final showdown!
Which is the better buy?
Trick question. It’s a reminder to check the nutrition label, too.
You would see that the first jar has 7 grams of added sugars. It may not be worth saving a few cents on something with lots of extra sugar, fat or salt. Find out more about what you can learn from a Nutrition Label.
You got out of 7 right
And you picked up some great tips for saving along the way!
Use your new powers any time you shop in a store or online.
Ready to set a goal for yourself?
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