Which Is the Better Buy?

*For comparison's sake, I will be calculating my price per roll of toilet paper based on the 12 double roll package being treated as 24 single rolls.)

12 pack of double rolls $5.99 (=$.25/roll*)

VS.

4 pack single rolls $.99 (=$.25/roll).

Which is the better buy?

I think that most people would consider the 12 pack of double rolls for $5.99 the better purchase solely because it is the bigger package. If you purchase this large of a quantity, you will feel that you have stocked up on this item and so you aren't paying a portion of your weekly budget towards toilet paper, at least for the few weeks between purchases.

Now lets add a $.50 coupon into the mix, and keep in mind that the stores (Meijer & Kroger) that I shop in here in SE Michigan will double a $.50 coupon.

So, with our coupon doubled...

The 12 pack double rolls will cost $.21/roll, and the 4 pack of single rolls will cost $.00/roll or they are FREE!!!

The better purchase is the smallest package- because the coupon value makes more of an impact on the price per unit of smaller quantities.

COUPON LADY SNIPPET:Always look at the PRICE PER UNIT when making your purchasing decision. Don't be fooled that the bigger package will always be the better deal. Most often the better price will be on the smaller item, and if you have several coupons (from purchasing multiple Sunday papers) then you can have the same amount of product in the larger package- for a much better price- just with multiple smaller packages.

Think about the purchases that you make at Sam's Club or Costco... do you think that you could get better deals with coupons at the grocery store?

On my most recent trip to Kroger I "purchased" (6) 4 packages of single roll Cottonelle TP. I used (6) $.50 coupons that were doubled. I could have paid $4.99 (after my $.50 coupon was doubled). I would rather my TP be FREE!

* For more coupon snippets, check out my right sidebar.