Is I Am or Is I Isn't?
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (112319)
United States
May 13, 2026 8:10am CST
I say it all the time, but it really pays to know your prices so you can always get the best deal, and never have to needlessly part with your money.
There's a reason so many people tell me, "I can't afford to save," and the only correct answer is, that's because you're not TRYING to. Of course, that always meets with a bit of contention—and that's partly because I am right and people just don't want to admit their own self-inflicted money problems.
On-Cor meals were the cheapest at $3.95 each for the longest time at Ruler. They were $3.97 at Walmart. 2 cents is 2 cents, folks. I'd get the chicken parmigiana and the riblets. When it comes to Salisbury steaks, those are cheaper with the Bremer brand at Aldi for $3.59, so I don't buy the On-Cor Salisbury steaks.
Walmart will now get my On-Cor business at $3.97.
Gorton's fish filets were $4.87 at Walmart and bit over $6 at Ruler. I bought them at Walmart. Now Walmart's price is almost $7 a bag and it's $5.99 at Ruler. Ruler will now get my Gorton's business.
Pork steaks at Walmart were $1.94 a pound forever. Then they bumped up to $2.47. Now they are $3.97 per pound. Walmart has lost my business on these, and now I shop for deals. The last deal was at Schnuck's where they were $1.69 per pound.
The Kroger brand of margarine is outpriced at $3.89 for the big tub. I can get a tub of Blue Bonnet at Walmart for $3.59. Walmart and Blue Bonnet gets my business.
The point is, it pays to shop, and by knowing your prices you can reduce your grocery bill by at least 25%. I'd say more than that, but I think 25% is a fair, conservative estimate.
Here's the thing I say to anyone complaining about inflation or higher food prices—and I know I'll twist a few panties when I say it—but if you aren't trying to save money when you shop, you can take your complaints right to the shredder. Because the truth is, no one is screwing you more than you are screwing yourself.
When the cost of things gets higher, more than complain, you should be voting with your wallet. Stores track everything we do and everything we buy, and if suddenly they stop selling more of something because the price got too high, it gives them a reason to renegotiate their wholesale price to boost sales.
That being said, if you are willing to pay more for anything, you are part of the reason the prices are going up because you are literally telling the stores you are willing to pay it.
The market is not based solely on what it needs to get, or what it can get. It is based on what the market is willing to bear. That's economics 101, folks. And saving isn't as hard as most people think it is...when you actually try to do it.
Take this little thought to heart as well, if you will. I'm one of those greedy rich guys you complain about all the time. Here I am, telling you how I make my money. Through laziness and foolishness, and people just handing me their money willingly.
Food for thought, don't you think?
I can't control the overall price of things. But I can decide who gets my money, and who doesn't, and I do have some control over what I ultimately pay for things. If I don't try to pay less, like I said before, I have no business complaining when I pay more.
8 people like this
8 responses
@Traceyjayne (10847)
• United Kingdom
13 May
I use shopping apps to get the best prices and lots of freebies and plenty of bargains.
I bulk buy when things are on special offer.
I batch cook and freeze meals.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112319)
• United States
14 May
Even that doesn't necessarily work, and I am not at all poo pooing what you're doing. I only point out, "best price based on an already good price? Or just cheaper than the higher price?" This is the "trap" of gimmicks, or as they call them in your country, schemes.
Schnuck's, for example, is our local big grocer in town. Most of their prices are higher than everyone else in town, so even when something is "on sale," even with reward points and other incentives, or even if you use coupons, you're still not saving anything. You're still paying more.
The question is not, "is it a better price where I already shop?" It's, "is it the best price anywhere?" Even a free item in the mix isn't necessarily free when you consider the higher cost of everything in your cart.
Walgreen's is a fantastic example of this. They have tons of "offers," but 90% of the time all of their prices are already 25%-35% higher than everyone else on the same items.
Going back to Schnuck's, I'll just go back to Gorton's fish filets. I was getting them at Walmart for $4.87 (they're higher now of course, as I mentioned in the post). They sell for $9.99 at Schnucks. Even at buy one get one free, which they'd run often on these, Schnuck's was still higher per bag at $4.99 after the "discount." I wasn't actually getting buy one get one free, I would be paying 25 cents more for two bags.
Like I said, not poo pooing at all, and not saying you're not saving. Just reemphasizing that in order to know if you're getting a good deal, you have to know what's actually a good price before you consider the discount.
@Traceyjayne (10847)
• United Kingdom
14 May
@porwest I have been doing this a long time ….i do understand what you are saying and do already take all your points into account …..like I say, I have been doing this a long time. Several of my apps compare prices at various shops so I am getting the best price ….overall ….
Fuel, distance, time …..all are taken into account too.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112319)
• United States
15 May
@Traceyjayne Like I said. Not poo pooing. Just pointing out many factors many people miss.
@LindaOHio (221047)
• United States
13 May
I do all my shopping at Walmart. They usually have special prices on some of what I buy. I don't spend that much each week anyway.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (221047)
• United States
14 May
@porwest Yup. I can comfortably live another 20 years.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (97234)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
13 May
By the time I order my monthly groceries I have made at least 3 lists and then I order carefully checking out all the prices. Always glad when I see some products for less and then I decide if I can use some extra because I know if I don't order at that price at that time the next time the price will have risen again,
1 person likes this
@porwest (112319)
• United States
14 May
The question is, when you check the prices, have you bounced those prices against other sellers? Which is my point. You have to know what all the other sellers in town are charging for the same item, and then when you know that answer, you can determine whether or not your actually saving money or ultimately still paying more.
What I have found is that in many places, things on sale are still costing more than the regular price somewhere else.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (90574)
• United States
13 May
I do my best to save when it comes to buying groceries. I wait for certain things we eat all the time to go on sale and then buy in bulk so the outlay hurts a little but in the long run I'm saving because I'm not paying full price every week. My freezer in my garage is filled with bargain shopping.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112319)
• United States
13 May
You are doing it the right way. When someone asks me how I run my "pantry," I tell them, "I run it like a business." I buy things at the best price. I always keep note of my stock. And when deals are found I buy enough so I can have the time to wait for the next best deal.
People talk all the time about "time." "Well, I don't have the time," they might say. But here's the thing. Time is money and if you don't have money, time is required to get it, and if you spend more money needlessly, you have to spend more time making more money. It's a literal merry go round with no exit.
By keeping more of my money, and being vigilant about my spending, it allowed me to cancel work at 50. Most people don't retire until they are in their late 60s or early 70s. Many people who retire, retire broke and are forced to work part time to supplement their incomes.
So, when you look at it that way you have to ask, "How much time are you really saving by not taking the time to save, when you have to spend more time working to cover money you are wasting?"
My motto has always been, earn as much as you can and keep as much of what you earn as you can. Save and invest wisely what you don't have to spend and let your money eventually do the work for you. In my case, because I took the extra time to be vigilant, I saved myself at least 15 years of time punching a time clock.
People don't realize, if you waste a nickel a thousand times, the time cost added to your work life is 3.3 hours. Did you really save time by paying a little more?
@moffittjc (128484)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 May
I assume that all these different stores are very close together, or very close to where you live, so that the savings are real....meaning you aren't burning more in gas than you are saving by having to drive to many different stores.
I agree with just about everything you are saying here, but my one bone of contention is quality. If the quality is comparable across brands, then yes it's smart to go with the cheapest option. But it the quality is drastically different in various products, then it may be advisable to pay a little more. I will say that most product are comparable in quality, but sometimes it behooves you to read the ingredients list on some of these food products.
For sure, if you aren't searching for deals, using coupons, taking advantage of sales, etc, then you are definitely throwing money away.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112319)
• United States
15h
This is the part, or one of them that many, many people get wrong. There is an operative part to this discussion, and I admit I left it out. Run your pantry like a business. When I say, "I shop at multiple stores," that's the first thing everyone thinks about.
He goes to all of them at once.
No. I run my pantry like a business. That means I know what's in there, and I have enough to have time to "reorder" at the best price. When I am down to one or two, for example, it goes on the list. I already know WHO has the best price for that item, so when the number of items on the list gets to a point that it "pays" to go and get them, that's the store I choose to go to.
Today that's Walmart. Tomorrow it's Ruler. The next day it's Aldi. If I do make a separate stop, say, something is deeply discounted at Schnuck's, I do take into account the cost of the gas.
I think many people ALSO way overly estimate the cost of travel. Let's say gas is $4.99 a gallon and my truck gets 17 miles to a gallon. That means 1 mile will cost me 29.3 cents. Even if the trip is 5 miles out of my way, or say 10 miles round trip, the cost is $2.94. I think the reason people overestimate the cost of travel from one place to another is more to do with assuming than actually pulling out a calculator and doing the math, or even considering, what am I buying and combined, what am I saving to go "the extra mile" to get it.
I do the math for a few reasons. My time is valuable. And so is my money. And I realize that saving time can ultimately cost me MORE time. It's just on the other end. I have to work more to spend more to save time, and that makes no sense to me.
In the business and financial world, we call this "opportunity cost." People with money value that all the time—and put into a real-world perspective. Nothing is assumed, everything is factored and considered.
Consider this; if the assumption is that your grocery bill will be 25% higher by saving time and shopping at one store, A $100 worth of groceries is going to cost you $125. If you made even a 10-mile round trip detour to save $25, you've saved $22.06. If that extra trip costs you, say 30-40 minutes of extra time, you're still up. Because assuming an average wage of $15 an hour, the time value of $22.06 is 88.25 minutes. Not only have you saved $22.06, but you've also saved 48 minutes working for the difference.
Yes. I am insane. But it's also probably why I was able to retire at 50. 
@lovebuglena (51796)
• Staten Island, New York
14 May
Well said on your post. We definitely have to shop around for things before we actually go buy them. Now when you drive and have a car, it makes things a lot easier. When you have to go places on foot or take public transportation that changes the situation. For example, if the Hellmann’s mayo I use is on sale at a supermarket where I have to spend an hour walking to get there or I have to spend six dollars to go back-and-forth to the store to get it then it doesn’t make sense to get that mayo at that store, even though it’s cheaper. I’m better of getting it at a different store nearby for more money or if I really don’t need it at the moment, not buy it at all.
What I tend to do now is if I have to shop at either two of the supermarkets I shop at I go to the locations that I don’t like as much but I can get there by train for free as opposed to paying six dollars to and from the other locations that I prefer to shop at by taking the bus.
It’s also a good idea to buy things when they are on sale even if you still have plenty of it in the house. Assuming you have room to store them. Better to spend less now than more later.
