Couponing Tip: Calculate Cost-Per-Ounce for Serious Savings

I’m the lady pecking away on a pocket calculator, blocking the shopping aisle, trying to figure out the cost per ounce of toilet paper. Sorry about that! But figuring out the price per ounce on any product will save every Couponer a bit more money. I’ve come a long way from my shopping days of grabbing items based solely on convenience. Don't forget that most cell phones have a calculator!

Get the Most for Your Money

Example 1: The new Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice is delicious, low in sugar and calories. I had a coupon and decided to try the 64 ounces. But I wanted a smaller bottle to take to work, so I also looked at a 4 pack of (12 ounce) bottles. Do I buy more quantity to save money or for the convenience?

• 64 ounces of cranberry juice is $3.99 or $.06 per ounce.
• 4 (12 ounce) bottles are $3.79 or $.07 per ounce, add in a BOGO coupon and the price drops to $.04 per ounce. All around a better deal.

Example 2: Liquid soap.

• 32 ounce of Softsoap liquid refill is $4.69 or $0.14 per ounce.
• 7.5 ounces of Softsoap liquid is $2.29 or $0.30 per ounce.
• I found a BOGO sale and had a $1.00 coupon for 2. I paid $1.29 total for two smaller bottles adding up to 15 ounces for $1.29 or $.08 cents per ounce. A better deal.

Example 3: I break coupon rules with with extreme loyalty to my favorite toilet paper brands: Charmin and Cottonelle.

•  Walgreens frequently has 12 rolls of Cottonelle for $5. This is $0.41 cent per roll. Now, if I have a 50 cent coupon and a $1 Walgreens store coupon, I can get 12 rolls for $3.50 which is $0.29 per roll. Quite a big savings.
• At CVS a bulk Charmin four roll pack is $8.99. This averaged at $0.56 per roll before coupons! I used a $0.25 cent manufacturer coupon, a $1.50 CVS store coupon from the MCM (Magic Coupon Machine) and also combined this purchase with a store deal involving a gas card. I was able to get a great price on Charmin, stack coupons and use this purchase to qualify for a gas card!

What I have learned from the above comparison shopping is that I can have the brand I prefer, a great variety, and save lots of money with coupons all with a little bitty calculator!

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