$1 is not always cheaper

You walk into the store and see price tags everywhere and start looking for the best deal. Most lean towards the lowest tagged price, but they do not consider that dollar is costing them more.

At the Dollar Store you can grab an 8 fl. oz. bottle of Gain Liquid detergent. That 8 fl. oz. bottle costs you $0.13 per fl. oz. Head on over to Wal-Mart to grab their value size at $15.94 for 154 fl. oz. and it will cost you $0.10 per fl. oz.

Yes, upfront that 154 fl. oz. price is higher, but in the long run you save $4.08.

Here is the breakdown:

154 / 8 = 19.25 ~~~ This is how many $1 bottles it will take to equal the value size.

19 * $1.00 = $19 ~~~ This is how much you will spend on dollar bottles to get you to the value size.

$19 - $15.94 = $3.06 ~~~ This is how much more you spend for purchasing the $1 bottle. By the way, this is for 19 bottles that will equal you to 152 fl. oz., so 2 fl. oz. less than the value bottle but $3.06 more in price.

Now, I am not saying you need to stand in store and do math on every single bottle of detergent. And, as a matter of fact, since you are here you are most likely a couponer. Which means you have sat down and done some math before heading to the store. What I recommend is setting your goal on how much per fl. oz. you are wanting to spend.

You guys know the rule of no more than $0.02 per sq. ft. on bath tissue and paper towels? Well create a rule like that for yourself on laundry detergent.

Here's the thing with the bath tissue, I have a rule exception. When it comes to Charmin, the lowest it goes, is at Sam's for $0.04 per sq. ft. without an instant savings event. So, when I am shopping for Charmin, I am happy if I can get it at $0.03 per sq. ft.. I bring this up to help you understand we will all have different goals depending on what item we want. Some brands will always be higher than others.

When you decide on the price you are willing to spend on your laundry detergent, take into consideration:

1) What is your preferred laundry detergent?

2) Who sells it for the absolute lowest per fl. oz. without sales or coupons? (Side note: I compare most prices to Sams and Costco because I have access to them, however for those who do not, consider comparing the price to Wal-Mart as they typically will be the lowest priced store without coupons.)

3) Write down the store, the size of detergent, the price, and the price per fl. oz.

You now have a goal. When you go couponing and figure you are about to spend $10 on a 154 fl. oz. bottle of Gain, you will know to double check what that cost you per fl. oz. and will compare that $0.06 to whatever you set your goal too, and that will tell you if you are getting the best bang for your buck.

Here is why you compare the price to the absolute lowest price without sales or coupons: YOU CAN NEVER GUARANTEE A SALE OR THE SAME COUPON TO COME BACK AROUND.

Okay, okay... We hear it all the time... If you missed it this week, do not worry sales and coupons making their way back around. It's true to an extent. But never guaranteed. Sure, the sale can come back around but what if it does not match up with the coupon's timing? Or the coupon comes around, but the sale isn't for another 6 months. Or maybe the manufacturer decided they no longer want to produce that coupon. Or the store no longer lets you stack the way you did before.

So with all those scenarios to consider, you do not want to set a goal based on sales and coupons but instead stick to what has a better chance of still being valid in a month or two.

Now, this entire time I have stuck with the example of Gain laundry detergent, but this rule applies to many items, including groceries.

Were you able to sit through and read this whole thing? Thank you so much!

If I did not make sense or you have any questions or need a little help figuring out a goal for your items, feel free to comment below, or reach out on Facebook, or click on the contact button. I'll be happy to help any way I can.

I wanted to add one more note to this entire thing. There are families who cannot afford to get the value size bottle of detergent. They fully understand that it saves them money in the long run, but they are strapped for cash and need to be able to get multiple items for the same amount they would have spent on just detergent alone. I feel for those families, and I hope things get better for you. If you are in that position just know you are doing your absolute best, and your family is in our prayers. Times are hard, but I pray people are kind.