Price Book

What is a Price Book?

A price book is somewhere you list the prices you are willing to pay for items. For Example in mine I have boneless, skinless chicken breast, $1.77lb so I know that this is a price I am willing to pay and then I try and purchase enough to last me until the next sale.

Why is it helpful?

When you start couponing, it is extremely helpful to keep track of what you spend on items you use. It is very easy to get caught up in a 'good deal', only to kick yourself when its cheaper a week later. By having a price set, even if it happens to be a better deal later on you know that you are comfortable with that price. It helps take the guilt away. Another reason that it helps, is that it is difficult to track all the prices and easy to get confused between prices, so by having a list of your acceptable prices written down there is no guessing how much is a good deal.

For example, I used to pay zero for pasta, but recently the coupons have been $1/2 so I adjusted the price to 50c. Now if I am in a shop and I see that pasta is on sale for $1.29, I know that the coupon will make them 79c a piece; thats a good deal and if I NEED pasta I would get it, however by looking at my price book I know that I can get it 29c cheaper and can decided whether to wait or not.

How do you create one?

It is a work in progress and it does take time. Basically when you begin couponing you look at everything you use frequently and look at what it goes on sale for. This gives you a base point.

For Example; Dawn Dish Soap, before I began couponing I would purchase the large bottle for around $2.89 on sale. I soon learned that the small bottle goes on sale very frequently for $1. 2 of these small bottles is the same as 1 large bottle. So I had $2 in my mind. 

Then you look at the coupons.

Dawn has a 20-25c/1 coupon that comes out every other month on average. I have 2 stores that will increase that value to $1, therefore my price for dish soap is FREE

Some people use a book, I used an excel spread sheet for 2 reasons;

• I could search easily for an item
• I could keep it on my tablet for ease in the store

 What are some of your prices?

Items I will no longer pay for (other than tax)

• Deodorant
• Toothbrushes
• Toothpaste
• Dish Soap
• Protein Bars
• Sausage
• Yakisoba Noodles
• Shower Gel
• Personal Hygiene Products
• Lotion
• Candy bars
• Dish Washer Tablets
• Aspirin
• Floss
• Air Freshner
• Mustard
• BBQ Sauce
• Relish
• Vinegar
• Butter
• Guacamole
• Hand Saop
• Salad Dressing
• Seasonings
• Band Aids
• Rice

 Items I will pay 50c or less:

• Cocoa Powder
• Ketchup
• Hotdogs
• Pizza Rolls
• Frozen Veg
• Instant Mashed Potatos
• Pasta
• Hamburger Helper and other mixes
• Wet Wipes
• Bleach
• Shampoo & Conditioner
• Oil
• Cool Whip
• Jellos
• Baking Mixes
• Zip lock Bags

Other Items on my lists:

• Chicken $1.77 lb
• Diapers 25c per diaper
• Nutella (A staple in this house) $2
• Cereal $1 (Honey Nut Cheerios I go up to $1.75)
• Case of Water $2.50
• Laundry Soap under $2 (Tide is $3)
• Cheese $1

I hope this gives you some ideas, what prices do you find reasonable?