the power of a stock-up price list

When I was young my mom had a book called The Tightwad Gazette.  In it, author Amy Dacyczyn (pronounced "decision"- man, I thought that was the COOLEST name) gave a million different frugal tips and tricks, including keeping a price book for the various items you buy often at the grocery store.  When I started trying to save money on groceries this past fall, I was completely at a loss as to what was a "good" price and what was an "woah, amazing, stock up now" price.  I'd never paid enough attention to most items to really compare pricing.  If anything, I'd see a sale tag and think "it's on sale, must be cheaper!" and that was about it.

I now have my very own stock-up price list on various family staples, and I'd like to share it with you.  I developed it in part by using a form that came with Grocery University, which I found pretty helpful in learning to stack coupons and stock up on sale items.  Last week Money Saving Mom posted her own stock-up price list, which I love to look at-- she's in the Midwest, so her grocery prices are very different than mine here in Metro Boston.

I think that a stock-up price list would be helpful for ANYONE, even those who are just starting out on trying to save money, or those who only shop for one or two people every week.  My suggestion is to initially make yourself a list for the 10 grocery or health & beauty items you buy the most often (milk, bread, yogurt, eggs, diapers, Cadbury Mini Eggs- you know, household staples) and then just quickly write down the cheapest price you see for that item each week.

Of course, prices will also vary based on how often your family eats particular foods, if you have enough freezer or storage space to really stock up in bulk when the price is low, if you have access to "good" coupons, etc.  With that said, here's my own stock-up price list.  I hope that my list will help you compare what you're currently paying at the store, so you can get a better idea of what's a good price for you.

Health & Beauty/"Drugstore" items

Bandages — .50/box
Deodorant — free to .25 each
Floss — free
Liquid Soap — free (if I can't get it free, I fill our hand soap dispensers with body wash)
Lotion — free (though to be fair, we don't use a lot of lotion)
Mouthwash — 2.00 (I get particular types for Tom and the girls)
Pain Relievers — 1.00 per bottle (many "PM" versions are free each week)
Razors — free (I stock up as much as possible during big sales)
Shampoo/Conditioner — .50 per bottle
Shaving Cream — free
Toothbrushes — free (though I got Tom a free Sonicare in the fall, and now I'm stuck buying refill heads for it- OUCH.  They're pricey!)
Toothpaste — free

Refrigerated Items

Butter — 1.69 per pound
Deli Cheese — 3.99/lb (my girls LIVE on American cheese)
Eggs — 2-00 per dozen- I have a REALLY hard time getting "cheap" eggs.  It's not like I can freeze them!  They tend to be an item that I get as cheap as I can every couple of weeks, but I don't "stock up" and if I have to pay more, I pay more.
Milk — 2.99/gallon- this is the cheapest price I EVER see around here.  I don't freeze milk, so I generally buy 2 gallons when I go shopping and they'll last us 5 or 6 days.
Greek Yogurt — .75 each- we prefer Greek and it's really expensive!

Produce

Bananas — .49/pound if I can get them that cheap
Grapes — .99/pound or less
Salad — 1.99 (I buy it bagged- I know, I know)
Salad Dressing — free
Strawberries — .99/carton
Carrots, mushrooms, celery —.99 per bag, or package

Frozen

Frozen Meals — 1.00 each (for Lean Cuisine type meals, to have as lunches)
Frozen Pizza — 3.00 each (we don't buy these often)
Frozen Vegetables — .50/bag or less (they go on sale so often, and there are lots of coupons available)
Frozen Breads- 1.00 each- for things like garlic toast, which are a nice treat

Meat

Beef, Ground — 1.99/pound
Chicken, Boneless Skinless Breast — 1.99/pound or less
Chicken, Whole or bone-in breasts or thighs — .99 per pound
Pork chops, boneless — 1.99/pound or less 

We don't eat a big variety of meats, as you can tell.  In general I won't pay more than $2/pound unless it's a special occasion.

Dry/Canned Goods

Bread — 1.49 per loaf or less for whole grain white bread
Brownie Mix — free
Cake Mix — free
Canned Tuna — .50 each (I have a really hard time finding "cheap" tuna- the normal sale price around here is $1 a can)
Cereal — free- .50 per box (I pay more for Kashi for Tom)
Chocolate Chips — 1.50/bag
Crackers — .75/box
Flour — I don't honestly know, I just buy the store brand or whatever's cheapest
Honey — I have a hard time getting this cheaply- the best I've done is 8.99/36 oz. at Target
Jelly — .50/jar
Ketchup — 1.00 per bottle
Mayonnaise — 1.00 per jar
Mustard — free
Oats — 2.99 per cannister
Pasta — .25 per box (Barilla)
Peanut Butter — 1.00 per jar
Spaghetti Sauce — .50 per jar
Sugar — same as flour- I just buy whatever's cheapest
Syrup — we only use real maple syrup, which is never cheap!
Tomato Paste — free
Tomato Sauce — free

Do you keep your own price list?  Do you think having a price list would be helpful to you?