Does anyone have any secrets they use when comparing prices? Do you use any shopping comparison sites? What is your strategy for in-store price comparisons?

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My dh calls it my gift. I have a terrible memory for almost anything, but ask me what peanut butter was going for at walmart this week, or how much we spent on the desk in 1997, and I'll be able to tell you. I have the strange ability to memorize prices. It started in the 4th grade when I was struggling in math. A special teacher came in and changed all my 'numbers' to 'currency' so I was thinking 'money' not abstract numbers. Then I got it and numbers have stuck in my brain ever since. I haven't figured out how to use it for anything more practical than comparing prices .. but at least it works for that.

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I have been in the habit for over 20 years to mentally calculate the cost per ounce of items. You can do it roughly in your head with a little practice. But what makes it really useful is my totally arbitrary cut off of 10 cents per ounce. Up to that amount and I classify it as budget. Over that is splurge. As the years have passed, more and more things are splurges and I view it as a challenge to try and maintain my 10 cent per ounce cut off.

Example: We really like salmon, but even on sale it is $3.99 a pound. Canned is just as healthful and can be on sale for $1.50 a 14 oz can. So I have collected over the years a load of recipes that we love using canned salmon. All because I won't splurge very often.

Cathleen

I have a price book.

I have a price book to compare prices between stores. But, if I'm in a store and want to know which brand and size of something is the best deal, the unit cost is usually posted on the shelf tag.

Sometimes stores list the unit costs of like items differently, (per ounce on some, per pound on others, etc.), making it more difficult for consumers to compare. This drives me nuts! So, I always have a calculator in my purse to figure out unit cost myself.

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Attaining financial freedom is like eating an elephant . . . it takes one bite at a time.

I just compare mentally.

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