Every once in a while a great sale comes along. While the perishable nature of some items will restrict how much you buy, there are some non-perishable “big ticket” items, where the quantity you buy is only restricted by the amount of space you have to store it. One great example: laundry detergent. Depending on what brand you use, laundry detergent can get very expensive; even when shopping at warehouse stores like Costco. Here are some tips when shopping for great deals on detergent:
1. Keep the calculator on your cellphone handy to calculate dollars per load. This information is also sometimes available on the price tag on the shelf, but is sometimes written in a dollars per litre format.
2. Some machines are High Efficiency (HE) and thus use less detergent. Some detergents aren’t for use in HE machines, so make sure you are reading labels and looking for the HE logo (right).
3. Sometimes the best deal (best dollar per load value) will actually be on a smaller size. If you like the bigger containers with the dispenser spout on the side, make sure you keep the empty container and just refill it with your new bargain-priced detergent.
4. Look for coupons. P&G regularly put out coupon booklets and they also have coupons available on their website. You can also find coupons in other coupon booklets that come with your weekly flyer packages.
5. Pricematch to save even more. If you shop at a store that allows pricematching, save yourself an extra stop and bring the sale flyer and get the best price. Note: some sizes or brands may only be available at some stores and some stores have quantity limits on pricematching.
Happy shopping!
