Shoponomics - Shop Smart for Your Everyday Grocery Items

It's been going on for a long, long time. In efforts to cut costs and increase profits many companies slowly shrink the amount of the product while still upping the price to match current inflation. While this can be somewhat understandable from a business standpoint, the consumer suffers because they are getting less and yet are paying more. To maximize your consumer dollars, use everyday math to calculate how much product you are getting for your money. The following examples show you what I mean, as well as point out a few of the products you should take a closer look at.

NOTE: To make things easier - we are going to use estimated prices in rounded dollar figures.

Toilet Paper

Did you know a regular roll of 2-ply toilet paper used to have 200 sheets per roll? Yup...200. Now the average regular, non-ultra, non-jumbo, non-mega roll of 2-ply bathroom tissue is about 185 sheets. The 15 sheet loss may not seem like a lot, but when you use math - it makes a noticeable difference.

For instance, if you pay $3.00 for a package of 4 rolls of toilet paper, that comes out to 75 cents per roll.

$3 divided by 4 = $0.75 per roll

This means you are paying 75 cents for 200 sheets. Now take that same price and lessen the number of sheets.

$0.75 divided by 200 = $0.00375 per sheet

$0.75 divided by 185 = $0.00405 per sheet

Of course these decimal figures look absolutely miniscule but continue to multiply it by the large quantity of toilet paper you buy and the numbers grow into a proportion that is much easier to notice. On average, consumers use an annual total of approximately 20,805 sheets.

$0.00375 x 20,805 = $78

$0.00405 x 20,805 = $84

That's a difference of $6 from when they were 200 sheets to today where they are 185 sheets per roll. Now take that $6 per year and multiply it by the number of persons in the household.

$6 x 1 person = $6 per year

$6 x 2 people = $12 per year

$6 x 3 people = $18 per year

$6 x 4 people = $24 per year

$6 x 5 people = $30 per year

As you can see, the larger the household, the more money you have lost on toilet paper. For a household of 5 you are now spending $30 more per year on bathroom tissue than you did back when they were 200 sheets per roll. This is why you want to read the number of sheets per roll on the packages.

Remember to be careful about Double, Jumbo and Mega Roll packages. Watch the prices carefully. Depending on the sales, sometimes it is actually cheaper to buy Double Rolls rather than Mega. Use the formula:

Price divided by # rolls = Price Per Roll

to figure out which package is less per roll. The difference will often be in mere cents, but to coin a phrase - "a penny earned is a penny saved" and "every penny counts". As well, double check the sheets per roll to make absolutely sure you are indeed getting double (or triple, etc.) the amount as a regular roll.

EXTRA TIP: The question of whether to buy 1-ply or 2-ply tissue is, in my honest opinion, a matter of preference. 1-ply (such as Scotts' which sells 1000 sheets per roll) is probably mathematically more economical, but it can be a bit thin which means you will most likely tend to use more sheets at a time vs. the thicker 2-ply sheets. Plus, some household members can be rather finicky about the type of tissue touching their bottoms. There are some thicker and softer 1-ply tissues (such as Cottonelle) which are sometimes even thicker than 2-ply, but being too thick can cause havoc with your plumbing. So the choice of 1-ply, 2-ply and brand of bathroom tissue really depends on your toilet as well as your household members and their bottoms.

EXTRA "HISTORICAL" TIP: The loss of sheets in the toilet paper did not happen overnight. It was a gradual shrinkage just as most are. It went from 200 sheets to 198 (396 for double rolls). Then the average became 190-192 sheets per roll (based on my shopping experiences). Eventually it came to today's average of 185 sheets per roll (although I have seen only 176 sheets per roll too, so be careful).

Paper Towels

These rolls followed much the same changes as toilet paper. I believe we used to get almost 100 sheets per roll at one time. The average today seems to be about 56. Some of the cheaper more generic brands still offer 70 sheets per roll. Check all packages. Sometimes you can get more sheets per roll if you buy bulk packages of 3 to 6 rolls versus a single roll package.

Pet Food

Unless your pet needs a specific kind of food due to dietary needs or allergies, you may want to switch your brand of food depending on how much you are really getting for your money.

At one time you used to get 50 pounds of dog food in the big jumbo bags. Now the average is 44 pounds, and the price still went slightly higher. Cat food did the same thing. You used to get 20 pounds in the jumbo bags, now it averages at 18 pounds. I used to purchase the store brand of pet food back when it was 50 pounds and 20 pounds per bag, but when the poundage went down, I actually found out the store brand wasn't the best deal anymore. I was getting a slightly better deal for a popular name brand than I was with the store brand. To figure out how much you are really paying, use the formula:

Price divided by # pounds = Price per pound

To show you the difference in the pound shrinkage take a look at this example.

Today's Price: $15 divided by 50 pounds = $0.30 per pound (Then)

$15 divided by 44 pounds = $0.34 per pound (Now)

Old Price: $12 divided by 50 pounds = $0.24 per pound

10 cents per pound doesn't sound like much, but we all know it adds up fast.

Cereal
The amount of cereal you get in a box has been steadily decreasing. The best deal is the cereal sold in bags by generic or off-brands such as Malt-o-Meal. They offer the same flavors as the most popular name brands and are usually fairly comparable in taste.

If, however, your family has more discerning tastes and are set on name brand flavors, be sure to compare the quantity in each box to the price you are paying. Use the same formula as before:

Price divided by # grams = Price per gram of cereal

Depending on current prices and sales, sometimes it is a better deal to get the largest box of that name brand because you're getting several extra grams for only a few more cents. Other times it might be more economical to get a small or medium box. Use math to work out your best deal.

All in all
Basically, the idea is, when you go to the store wise up on the actual quantities you are purchasing and keep a watchful eye on the prices. Keep a small calculator in your coat or purse. Check your cell phone - it probably has a calculator function built in. Using a little math can add up to big savings in the long run.

Resources:

Toilet Paper Facts: http://encyclopedia.toiletpaperworld.com/fun-facts/toilet-paper-facts/