Shopping with a calculator

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Do you shop for groceries with a calculator ready for use? I try to remember to take mine for quick figuring. Unit prices are not necessarily posted where I shop.

[faithman1012005@yahoo.com]

It's not a bad idea, however I just usually do the figuring in my head.

[wincrasher]

Most phones have a calculator function. I use that.

[inneedofhelp]

I tend to do the price per portion calculation in my head, ie an 8 pack of nathan's hotdogs at 4 bucks equals $2 bucks per serving.

My goal is meat below $2 a pound, fruits below $1 a pound

[Cassandra]

I always carry my graphing calculator in my purse because of school, so I do carry it to the grocery store by default. It has been very useful on a few occasions. For instance, the unit price of brand A is in metric but the unit price of brand B (same item) is in US standard. And for some reason, toilet paper at the store I shop at never has a unit price.

[PrincessPerky]

That's what the husband is for.....

[HamSandwich]

Whats also a great thingfor grocery shopping is this app on the new tmobile g1 phones where you can scan any barcode and it will tell you the cheapest price for that item in your area. It's great for anything you buy really whether its just juice or a new tv or something.

[sandyandry]

Most phones have a calculator function. I use that.

I agree with you!!! I always carry mobile with me, so I use that .

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Personal finance software

[Aleta]

I use the grocery list that I take with me and manually add up the items that I am buying. I also have a small calculator so that I can use for figuring our price per ounce or unit.

[zakity]

I have a calculator in my phone and I use that. But, before my fancy (free) phone, I used paper and pen to do the math.

[maat55]

Back when I first got married we had to use a calculator, now our bill is fairly predictable.

I highly recommend the calculator for those getting out of debt or on a tight budget.

[nanamom]

When my kids were pre and early teens I used to have them add the stuff I bought as we shopped. When my grandsons visited I had them do the same thing and offered a prize at the checkout (gum). It was fun and kept them occupied.

[swanson719]

DW and I tried this for the first time today, and it took a lot of the surprise away at the checkout counter and also took a lot of the stuff off of our list. We had been wanting to get a lot of stuff that we need, but don't have to have at this moment. So DW ended up prioritizing what she really wanted vs. what could wait, and it saved us about $60 until the next time we go to wally world.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I use my calculator to figure which product is the better deal when there are multiple brands, sizes, and units of measure on the sizes. I don't have a budget to stick to when shopping, so I don't need to keep a running total before check-out. I always pay for groceries with credit card, so there is no issue of my total exceeding the cash I have on me. Of course, I don't recommend everyone have no budget for groceries. It work for us, but we are very careful with the spending.

[Jay]

lol, i was shopping yesterday and carried a calculator with me so i wouldn't go over my budget,so yes i shop with one.