There are free tools online that do all the conversions for you. So it is super easy and helpful for finding the best value for your money.
Most stores also just assume that consumers will not use a calculator and think the higher price is a better value. It takes a few seconds to enter in the item sizes and see which is actually a better deal. I know my dad bought products thinking it was a deal when it was not. Not sure if it is intentional but either way it is better to run the numbers.
Amazon listings (intentionally or not) also sometimes list the wrong unit price. So again better to double check.
Use a price per unit calculator when you shop
byu/Ok_Affect_1571 inFrugal
Posted by Ok_Affect_1571
6 Comments
At many stores that information is right there on the price sign.
You can’t go by the shelf labels to determine the best price. Walmart had coffee showing prices per ounce, per can, and per cup for three brands! I use grams for comparison purposes. Ground coffee is 55g per pot in my brewer.
A calculator?
Just calculate price using the same units of measure across brands i. e. Ounces, pounds, grams, etc.
This is great advice. You can set controls and standards for certain pricing. Like “I’ll only buy meat when it’s less than $5/lb” or whatever.
Just for some quick reference points for US based shoppers:
16oz per pound
16 fl oz per pint.
32 fl oz per quart
128 fl oz per gallon
So if option A is $3.75/lb and option B is $2.85 for 12 oz,
You can either go the easy way and find the price per oz: $3.75/16oz per pound = $0.234/oz vs $2.85/12oz =$0.238/oz $0.237/oz (that was just lucky)
Or the more complicated way and go up to price per lb: ($2.85/12)*16=$3.80/lb
I’ve made spreadsheets for paper products because the unit price is frequently obfuscated by different manufacturers using unlike units, i.e. “6 Mega Rolls = 12 Rolls!” I input the total area, the number of rolls and the total price. Then the price per roll and the price per unit of area are able to be compared.