Monday, February 25, 2008

Calling all math nerds!

Or, why strawberries are not as pricey as they seem.

I'm discussing the merits of frugal hair splitting today. Bring your calculators.

15 comments:

April said...

Another great photo, Merideth. You certainly have a good eye!

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Strawberries are one of my splurges. I will pay $2.50 a pint for them, but that's about tops for me.

Your photos are great! I'm playing with my new camera trying to get more artistic shots.

Rhoda

Anonymous said...

I brought a 3 pound box of strawberries at Sam's this weekend for $3.96...they are so good. The kids are really enjoying them. I cut them up this morning and served them on top of a waffle with a little strawberry jelly to go with it...and their milk made a good breakfast to start the day. Roxie

Tamara said...

We had an HEB Plus Grand Opening here in my town this weekend, and strawberries were $.99 a pound! We're eating strawberries nearly daily on our diet, so I stocked up. I bought 8 lbs...2 for now, and froze the rest. For our diet, they are worth the splurge normally, because of the great calories to taste ratio! :)

Anonymous said...

My those strawberries look good. I may just have to make a trip to the store!

Anonymous said...

I just read your article and am fascinated by just how frugal many of you are. I would never even think about the ratio of banana to peel! And what DID she do with all those bananas? Inquiring minds want to know!

I am trying to be more frugal but doubt that I will ever "split hairs" to that degree. I am also wondering if most of you just purchase what you think you will need for the week and then if you run out, you do without. I still go back to store if I find I didn't buy enough of anything. For instance if the strawberries were better than I thought - and Meredith's look super good - I would go back for more. Am I in the minority?

Meredith said...

Well, I don't split hairs on everything...but it does get to be an internal contest to see how much money I can save.

I love outsmarting the store when I can!

About the strawberries, it all depends on how close you are to the store. I can walk to mine.


So, if they were especially good and I wanted to have some for the next week, my strategy would be to wait until the very last day of the sales circular, right before the prices change. I would buy enough to last us through the next week, buying perhaps a little more than the last trip since we ate them so quickly.

I ALWAYS keep apples and bananas on hand, so they are the fruits we eat when more perishable fruits run out.

Anonymous said...

Meredith, thanks for sharing your strategy. I really am trying to learn to do better than I do and I find many good tips on your blog.

I still want to know what that lady did with 30 pounds of bananas. How could one consume that many? I know you can freeze bananas for bread, but still....

Anonymous said...

I always have 'fresh' fruit like bananas and apples on hand. If I run low and that does sometimes happen when a kid eats more than expected I fall back on frozen or canned fruit till the next shopping time. I do not make a special trip. If I stay out of the store I do not spend any more money. Simple as that. I keep my pantry stocked with items like pineapple, pears, apricots etc. The kids love them cold. So I will put a can or two into the fridge so there is always cold fruit.
Strawberries and such I will buy and freeze when I find a good sale. I also have some strawberries growing in our garden. We love them. Roxie

Melissa said...

strawberries seem expensice up here. We are in Alaska that are a bit more then what we were paying in UTah. :(

Anonymous said...

I just wanted you to know I'm enjoying your blog!

Anonymous said...

I love trying to be more frugal, but I find it hard to save more money on our lowest monthly bill (food).

I am one who does buy milk at least twice a week, along with any other items that we might have run out of. I also have gone through phases where I go to the market daily to buy fresh fruits/vegetables for that day's menu...

April said...

I want to apologize for misspelling your name! So sorry. I have a good friend who spells it e-i-e.

Many apologies!

Carolyn said...

I have to admit that the math is my downfall. I am not very good at all the calculating in my head and most of the time I have a one-year old and a three-year old with me so getting out my calculator is not always easy. But I appreciate the article and I'm trying to be better at this. I love feeling like I got the best deal on something. I wish I were better at remembering prices, though, which is why I am working on a price book (from the Tightwad Gazette). My best find lately, which is not food related but I still have to share because it was so fantastic, was a huge package of zippers at the salvation army that was 8 cents per zipper. I wrote a little about it on my blog at ivyleaguehomemaker.blogspot.com. I am learning to sew and all those zippers will last me well past the point when I'm actually pretty good at putting in zippers.

Anonymous said...

Hi Meredith,

I had to de-lurk for this one. My husband and I are a little obsessive with our cost-per-unit calculations - thankfully we're both math nerds so we don't have to carry around a calculator:) We love this kind of stuff, and I think it's just another way that we can make good choices with the resources we have been blessed with. We always joke around that by the time they're three or four or kids will be able to calculate cost-per-unit with no problems!!

Kari:)