The great price compare

Our town recently got a Sam's Club. I felt like we hit the big time! Ha! I was really excited! But, I have heard that not everything at Sam's is a good deal. So, I decided it was time to do some major price comparing. It is something I have always wanted to do so that I would know what to buy where or be able to recognize a really good deal, but it  was something I had never gotten around to.

Well, I finally got in gear and made a big list of all of the things we buy on a regular basis or always have on hand. Things like diapers and wipes, bread, peanut butter, toilet paper, etc...I took a few days and wrote it all down. Then I did the really cool thing of taking a notebook and a pen and writing down prices and product sizes as I wander through the store... Yep, I am awesome.

So far I have done Aldi and Sams (although I have a few blanks to fill in because both were trips with kids!) for groceries and Sams, Target, and Wal-Mart for diapers. I still need to do Wal-Mart for groceries. But, it has been very interesting! So far I was surprised to realize that some things that I thought would be cheaper at Aldi were cheaper at Sams and vice versa.

For diapers and wipes I am not brand picky once kiddos are a few months old. I like the Pampers Swaddlers for newborns but after that I will use whatever is cheapest. I found Sams Club was cheapest for the Swaddlers in size 1 (about $0.19 a diaper) and generic unscented wipes (.017 cents per wipe). For bigger diapers I found Parent's Choice in the big box to be cheapest at Wal-Mart ($0.18 per diaper when you buy the box with 108 diapers in it).

As I compile all of my data I am putting it in a Google doc.. here is my little screen shot as I was doing my awesome consumer math this today...

When I am done I am happy to share my little chart... although I know prices vary by region so it will probably only be helpful if you live in my neck of the woods! 

I have no doubt that if you have a smart phone there are apps for this that would make it much easier. Or there are a lot of easier ways to do this! But, I have enjoyed my little project on pen and paper the old fashioned way!