Ounce Per Ounce...It All Adds Up

Picture this.  You are walking through the cereal aisle of your favorite grocery store.  You know you need to pick up a box of Cheerios.  So, you stop and notice that there are 3 brands.  Not only that, there are at least two different sizes of each brands, making you choose from at least 6 different packages.  So, which one do you put into your cart?  Chances are, the cheapest sticker price.   Well, it turns out, that the price of your package really doesn't mean it is the best bang for your buck.

There are actually times when the least expensive package is not the best deal.  Shocking - but true!!  Let's pretend these are the prices/packages that you see when you look over your store shelf:

General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios, 10.4 oz.    $4.03

General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios, 14 oz.       $4.42

General Mills Honey Nut, 18 oz.                      $5.89

Malt O Meal Honey Nut Scooters, 11 oz         $5.81

Malt O Meal Honey Nut Scooters, 19 oz         $6.67

Best Choice Honey Nut Rings, 10.4 oz             $3.39

Best Choice Honey Nut Rings, 18 oz           $4.49

So -- which package does your instinct tell you to purchase (based upon price only)?  Perhaps the 10.4 oz box for only $3.39?  Let's look at this a little more closely:

General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios, 10.4 oz.    $4.03       $0.39/ oz 

General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios, 14 oz.       $4.38       $0.31/ oz

General Mills Honey Nut, 18 oz.                      $5.89      $0.33/ oz

Malt O Meal Honey Nut Scooters, 11 oz         $4.45      $0.41/ oz

Malt O Meal Honey Nut Scooters, 19 oz         $5.70      $0.30/ oz      

Best Choice Honey Nut Rings, 10.4 oz            $3.39      $0.32 /oz

Best Choice Honey Nut Rings, 18 oz            $4.49      $0.25/ oz

In this case, the value size box of the Store Brand is your best price.  Let's say that you have a coupon for $1.00/1 of the General Mills Brand cereal......so let's look at it again: 

General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios, 10.4 oz.    $3.03       $0.29/ oz 

General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios, 14 oz. $3.38       $0.24/ oz

General Mills Honey Nut, 18 oz.                      $4.89      $0.27/ oz

Malt O Meal Honey Nut Scooters, 11 oz         $4.45      $0.41/ oz

Malt O Meal Honey Nut Scooters, 19 oz         $5.70      $0.30/ oz      

Best Choice Honey Nut Rings, 10.4 oz            $2.39      $0.30 /oz

Best Choice Honey Nut Rings, 18 oz               $4.49      $0.25/ oz

So now, you can see that purchasing your name brand cereal will cost the less than the store brand -- and a medium sized box is a better value than it's larger counterpart.  This disproves the theory that the store brand is always cheaper.  Sometimes, it may appear that it is, but it actually costs the same amount as the name brand item. 

Taking a little bit of time to do some comparison shopping can really help you stretch your food dollars.  I always keep a calculator in my coupon binder, just for times like this.  But don't worry, if you forget yours at home -- I find that a pen and the back of a McDonald's receipt works quite nicely to work up a little long division.

(All prices and sizes are fictitious and used for illustration purposes only).