price book

[JanH]

Okay, I've been searching, but I often overlook things. How do you start a price book? How do you set it up to work effectively? I am afraid I will just have a jumbled mess. What works best?

[Ima saver]

I just took a little notebook and wrote down the items I usually buy and put the normal price next to it. Since I don't cook very much, it was easy for me.

[JanH]

Do you make a note of which store you saw the price at?

[lgslgs]

Originally Posted by JanH

Do you make a note of which store you saw the price at?

I note the store and also whether it was the store's regular or sale price (I just put a little "R" or "S" by the price.)

That let's me get a feel for how often certain stores have certain things on sales. That's a big deal for me with stuff like potatoes, where even sale prices can range from $1.79 to $4.29 for a 10 lb bag!

Lynda

[JanH]

These are great. Thanks!

[boefixepa]

I just made a list of the most common items I buy and broke them up by categories. Cooking, canned, dry goods, spices, etc. Then each time I was at this store or that store I added prices and units. It's a constant work in progress and you can really just do whatever suites you. There are no rules...make up your own.

[Mathew Green]

Some relevant links about creating and using a price book:

http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/buy...pricebooks.htm

http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/arti...ricebook.shtml

http://organizedhome.com/content-73.html

Free printable planner forms, including pricebook pages, housework lists, and pantry inventory forms:
http://www.organizedhome.com/printab...ex.php/cat/501

Relevant Quote:

"What do you use to create a price book? Form is unimportant. Low-tech tightwads use a small binder or spiral notebook to track price book information. Planner aficionados devote a tabbed section to price book pages. The hi-tech housewife enters price book data in a computer spreadsheet (and the alpha geek downloads spreadsheet data to a palmtop computer for quick in-store consultation)."

[JanH]

Thanks Mathew!

[jodi]

The first time I created a pricebook I used sheets of notebook paper in a binder (so I could add more when needed). I just decided to start again and created an Excel document. The format goes like this:

Item Store Price Coupon? Price after coupon/unit Price per unit

mustard, Frenchs Tops $.97 $.30, doubled $.37/14 oz .026/oz

This way, I can look at a jar of mustard and if it's 14 oz, I have an easy comparison. If it's not, I can use the per ounce price to figure out if it's a good deal. I tend to only keep track of the best one or two prices. If I am looking at mustard at it's $1.49, I know I can do better if I wait. If I get a better price, then I will take out the older price in the price book. I don't keep track of dates to know when sales will come back around. I just stockpile when I see a good deal.

[lgslgs]

I calculate the unit prices in my pricebook as well. I've just started keeping it in Filemaker instead of Excel - more work to set up but I wanted to have something that let me keep long term records better organized. It's overkill - or cheap entertainment depending on how you look at it.


Before that I had one in Excel and it was at a time I was low-carb dieting. I ran an extra column that kept track of cost per 100 calories. That was really useful and made it easy to compare the cost per equivalent food value of various meats, cheeses, eggs, peanutbutter, etc. I don't keep that as part of my price book any more, but do run a calc or two every once in a while - especially as the types of foods I buy change over time.

Lynda

[JanH]

An excel document sounds like a good way to finalize all the input to look at all at once. I'd need a notebook to make notes in and the spreadsheet to organize it. Then I could carry the notebook to make changes and find other products. Great ideas! thanks!

[MonkeyMama]

Good info. We decided to start working on a price book of our own. I look forward to seeing how it helps out budget - yay!

[Mabuisakura]

Thanks!

[benosayi]

Thanks, this was the next thing to do on my list.

[s.saver]

Thanks MG for the wonderful links

[dcg22]

thanks Matthew, those are good sites

[PRICEPLUS]

Ditto!

[benosayi]

Originally Posted by Mathew Green

Some relevant links about creating and using a price book:

http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/buy...pricebooks.htm

http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/arti...ricebook.shtml

http://organizedhome.com/content-73.html

Free printable planner forms, including pricebook pages, housework lists, and pantry inventory forms:
http://www.organizedhome.com/printab...ex.php/cat/501

Relevant Quote:

"What do you use to create a price book? Form is unimportant. Low-tech tightwads use a small binder or spiral notebook to track price book information. Planner aficionados devote a tabbed section to price book pages. The hi-tech housewife enters price book data in a computer spreadsheet (and the alpha geek downloads spreadsheet data to a palmtop computer for quick in-store consultation)."

I started my price book using the printable form. When I buy something I just write the unit price on the package. I keep a sharpe in the purse. This worked out well, expecially when I went to BJs.

[dcg22]

Thanks I will print from there
D

[JanH]

Thanks for the ideas and the links! Still working on it!