In all honesty, you should never pay full price for anything. There is always a deal, a coupon or a promotion…. even on expensive things like appliances or furniture!
But there are a few things we always see deals on consistently…. so here are
6 Things You Should NEVER EVER Pay Full Price For:
1- Toilet Paper: All brands have sales and discounts and the market is very competitive. Price Points for toilet paper should be around $.25 or less per single roll. You should pass on anything higher than that. However, you will see a lot of deals that get down to around $.20 per single roll–which is awesome! The easiest way to find deals on Toilet Paper is actually on Amazon through their Subscribe and Save program.
NOTE: If you don’t know how the Subscribe and Save program works, you can read about it here. One more thing to note is that most toilet paper rolls are double rolls or more. So if it is, you will need to divide the total cost by the number of single rolls in the package. If you have 8 Double Rolls in a package, you will be dividing the cost by 16 instead to figure out how much each single roll is.
2- Baby Diapers and Baby Wipes: Price points for Baby Wipes should be $.02 per wipe or less. If you can get them for $.01 per wipe, it’s a awesome deal! For Baby Diapers, the smaller the size, the less the price should be per diaper. For example, Size 1 Diapers should be around $.10- $.12 per diaper as a stock up price. But if you are getting up into Size 6, you will find that the stock up price will be more around $.15- $.18 per diaper. And that is great too! NEVER get into the $.20 per diaper range. It’s just too high. Diaper deals come all of the time in-store and online. And I would highly recommend to stock up and buy a bunch of packages when the prices are low. That way you will have enough to last you until the next great sale. Amazon has a lot of deals on Baby Wipes and Baby Diapers through their Subscribe and Save program. And if you watch the Grocery Deal Matchups I put together each week, it will let you know which stores have the best deals on diapers and if there are any coupons to maximize your savings. (EXTRA TIP: $3.99 per Jumbo Pack is AWESOME, $4.99 per Jumbo Pack is Great, and $5.99 per Jumbo Pack is Good.)
3- Cereal: Even though food prices have gone up by 10-15% over the past year, we can still find great deals on Cereal! The trick is to stock up when your store has a really good sale. Buy as much as you can afford at the rock bottom price and store it away. You will want to try to buy as much as you can to last about 3 months or so. Since grocery store sales cycle quarterly, another cereal sale should pop up before you run out. Then you will never pay full price for a box of cereal! $1.50 per box or less is what I would currently shoot for. I know in years past $.49 per box was the norm… but with inflation, it’s harder to score that kind of a deal. So $1.25- $1.50 per box is great!
4- Soda: Please don’t ever pay full price for this. Stock up prices for a 12-Pack of Soda should be $2.75 or less. And multiple times this year, we have seen it go even less than that. I have seen stores actually have displays saying that 12 Packs of Coke Products are “on sale” for $4.25 a 12 pack? What??!
5- Cheese: Did you know that Cheese freezes really well?? ……I personally freeze the shredded and sliced kind so it doesn’t crumble. Cheese is another item to stock up on when the price drops super low. I have an extra freezer full of stock up items. And I’ve got a lot of Cheese in there. It is SO nice to just grab a new package when I run out—instead of paying 3 times it’s normal price at the store when it isn’t on sale. And 8 oz package of shredded cheese or sliced cheese should be around $1.67 or less. Many times you will see it go $1.50 or less.
6- Your Kid’s Favorite Snack: This is one you might not think about.. but what snack do your kids just love that you buy all of the time?? Chances are, you know exactly what a good price is and what a bad price is for that item because you purchase it on a regular basis. Use that knowledge and stock up when the item is marked down or at a “stock up” price. You should know what that price range is just from your experience. If you can stock up, you won’t be paying the higher price when the item isn’t on sale at the store. Remember, sales tend to cycle each quarter. So you could be buying that snack at full price multiple times before it goes on sale again—if you don’t stock up.
TIP: A Calculator is your best friend when you are shopping. Don’t forget to use the one you have on your phone or use the one on your computer when shopping online.
So I was thinking, should I do a video on this?? Maybe share more stock-up prices with you guys?? That could be a fun one! Let me know in the comments, if you do!
Britanie Kitchen
I would love you to do a video or put together a list of price points
Jessica
For cereal and cheese I use per ounce for my pricing. I try to go <.17 per ounce for cereal and the same for cheese. I buy large blocks of cheese, shred it myself then freeze it. I'm always curious to compare price points with you 🙂 Please do share more. Also when you say per box for cereal, what size box are you usually buying?
Alice
I love the idea of a price point video! I try and keep my own list of price points to hit when I’m doing Amazon subscribe and save but it would be good to see what the masters price points are! 😉
Leigh
I’m a little confused. I thought on tp, you went by the square footage? Some are also different plies so that would also influence the amount you are getting. Also, that’s a great ? about the size of the cereal boxes.
There are always sales on 2 liter bottles of soda. Currently, Target has all 2 liters bottles of soda for 5 for $5 but, the catch is you have to buy 5.
I also freeze cheese & what I really like about that is you don’t have to worry about it going bad in the fridge. : )
I think a video would be a great idea especially for people new to this. I’ve been doing this for a long time & yes, I do have a spreadsheet of price points & notes.
Kristy
Yes, a price point video or list would be great! I currently buy paper towels, toilet paper, diapers, wipes, and 5lb blocks of cheese at Sams Club. I am curious if the deals you are talking about can beat Sams Club prices.
suzette
video would be great. I buy TP at costco the kirkland brand…does amazon bet that price??
Anna
That video of price points sounds great!
Jen
I’d love a video!
Kristie
I would love a video please! Thank you for asking! kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.
Chris
I’d love a video too, however… These aren’t national averages are they? Do you ever do a blog post for specific regions? I live in the Northeast and there isn’t any way I’m getting cereal for $1.50, we’re lucky if it’s under $5!! I’ve looked at Prime and Subscribe & Save for certain items but this must be regional too as cereal here is $4.39! I think your advice to just know what a good price point is, is probably the best but if you do ever travel or go to specific locations I’d love to know! 🙂
Nicole
Price Points! On frequently purchased items, i.e. paper towels, dry pasta, canned veggies, fruit etc. Thank you!
McKenzi
I kept thinking that I was getting a good deal with our toilet paper, S&S always at 15% off. I just looked and our Cottonelle that we have been getting just increased price $1.00 for a total single roll price of $0.305 (double roll $0.61) so I looked at the link provided. I found Angle Soft for $0.195 (double roll $0.39). We are now saving $0.85 per order and getting an extra 16 double rolls, so really saving way more ($10.56 for a 48 double roll pack of Angel Soft).
Ginny
I think a video of stock up prices would be wonderful! Thank you!
Michelle
I would love a list of stock up prices on everyday products. When I’m getting something I think is a good deal, I often wonder is it really a good price for if you need it now or good enough I should stock up.
Shelise
I have never had any luck freezing cheese (in blocks) without it being crumbly. However, at most stores they stock it fresh enough that it will last 4-6 months in the fridge at home. Plus, if you buy mild, it will be fairly sharp by the time you use it which saves money too.
As for cereal, I only use the unit price and never do the cereal deals. I can get better deals on regular prices of the largest box available than for the small box deals. And for me, cereal is usually cheapest at Sam’s Club but I live in Missouri and when I lived in Utah, Sam’s was not cheaper. Sooooo, a lot of these price points will vary based on where you live.