Larger Isn’t Always Cheaper, Cheaper Isn’t Always Better

When I was growing up, my mom always bought the biggest package of everything – cereal, laundry detergent, peanut butter, etc. Back then, it was pretty much a given that you got more for your money by purchasing the “economy” size. Today, that’s not always true. Larger isn’t always cheaper, and cheaper isn’t always better. That is never more apparent than when I send my husband to the store (and you’re about to see why those trips are as infrequent as possible).

My husband loves to shop the meat counter of a grocery store. He’s always looking for something to smoke or grill. I can’t tell you how many times he has come home with a piece of meat that was “on sale.” He didn’t look at factors like fat content, which determines how much the meat shrinks, or the price per pound, which sometimes is insanely high. As with most things, it’s not necessarily the flat price you have to look out. With food, it’s the price per pound, ounce or other unit measure. With sheets, it’s the thread count. With clothes, it’s many things, including the quality of fabric.

When you look at shopping in those terms, you learn very quickly that bigger is not always cheaper. Last week, I needed laundry detergent. I’m not loyal to a brand so much as I am to anything with no dyes and perfumes. When comparing two different sizes and brands, I realized that by purchasing four smaller bottles, I was get a whole lot more soap for a lot less money and still paying less overall. I did the same thing with cereal. When I compared the sale price, per ounce, of the smaller size box to the price per ounce of the larger size box, it was cheaper to buy two smaller boxes. Sometimes it works the opposite way. Most of the time, the stickers on the stores shelves give you a price per ounce, even on the sale sticker or signs. Otherwise, do the math. I remember shopping for peanut butter once and learning that the sale price on the largest jar (which happened to a good price for that size), still was not cheaper than buying two smaller jars.

How does this translate to clothes? I have learned that you get what you pay for, most of the time. In other words, if you’re not willing to spend a little more, you may be compromising quality. Compromised quality means your garments may not last as long. Of course, sometimes you’re paying more for the brand name. Ms. Me jeans are often $100 or more. Does that make them better than the significantly cheaper brands like Levis or Old Navy? That’s when you have to look at fabric quality and thickness to make that determination. If the only thing redeeming about a pair of jeans are their name, you may want to save your money.

Being a bargain shopper means finding the best value, which often is different than the best price. Look at the unit size or the quality of something to make that determination.