PYP Blog

April 9, 2010 Update: The download links should be active. Let me know if there are any problems.

If you're new to price books, watch this video to learn what they are and how to use them.

There have been even more requests for changes and updates to the PYP price book, so here's another upgrade. I won't post any more individual posts on this topic, so for future additions or upgrades, subscribe to the comments on this post or bookmark this post to see what's new.

Option 1: Full-Sized Price Book (Click here to download the most recently updated version.)
The original price book prints pages that look like this:
Option 2: Half-Sized Price Book (Brand new. Click here to download.)
The new miniature version prints only half-sized pages. This means that you can either print them on half sheets, or print them on full-sized sheets and use the second half to print another price book page. This allows users to carry smaller price books instead of full-sized three-ring binders. All of the updated pages listed below are included in this first version of the half-sized price book.
Important Upgrade: Master price list. At your request, we've also added a master price list which lists the basic prices of all the individual sheets in the price book. This is for folks who don't want to record their own prices, but would still like some base reference points to carry in their purse or pocket. It's included in both of the books above, or you can download it individually from the upgrade list below.

Additional Pages: These pages have been added to the price book since its original publication. They're included in the price books above, but if you don't want to re-download the entire price book, you can download the individual pages below.

• Blank Template
• Sunscreen
• Shampoo
• Master Price List Page
  

• Sit down and make a list of your families "tried and true" menu's. We all have those recipes we make over and over. Try to come up with 15-20 menu's or recipes.
• From these recipes, write down all the ingredients needed. It is especially helpful to divide this list into non-perishables (pantry staples) and perishables.

That was the hard part! Now you know what items you need to create the meals your family knows and loves. I believe it is crucial to store what you eat and eat what you store. This is called a usable food storage or pantry.

Each week, the staff of http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/ goes through the local grocery store ads and creates a FREE list of the best deals at each store. If you are a couponer (and you should be!), the list combines the sales and coupon and gives you a final price. In addition, each deal is rated according to the following system:

***** 5 Star Deal: Best price, time to stock up!!

**** 4 Star Deal: Excellent price, buy several!

*** 3 Star Deal: Average deal, only buy if you are out of this item. Not a stock up price.

** 2 Star Deal: Poor deal, avoid if at all possible!

Now, grab that ingredient list and go through the PYP Grocery Lists and write down what is on sale and corresponds with your list. Stock up according to the above mentioned rating system. I recommend setting aside a portion of your budget for your stock piling purchases. When you are first starting out, you will need to purchase not only your weekly grocery needs, but also your longterm pantry items. But, don't go overboard! Start slowly and remember, there is always going to be another good deal just around the corner.

If you can't view the video in the screen below, click here to watch it directly in YouTube.


One of the biggest challenges that new couponers face is understanding the wide variety of coupon types, and the lingo that couponers use when discussing these types of coupons. This video shows the different types of manufacturers' coupons, and demonstrates what they look like, where they're found, and what terms are used to discuss them on the Internet and in online forums.

The goal of this blog and this video is to help new couponers feel comfortable with coupon terminology, and with recognizing various types of coupons when they see them, so if you have any questions or need anything clarified, please ask. We're eager and excited to help!

Summary: PYP Pricebook 2.0 includes price per oz. calculations, a blank price page, and a price page for premium shampoos.

The feedback for the new Pinching Your Pennies pricebook was fabulous! Your comments, posts on the forums, and PMs to me were excited and exciting. Thank you!

One thing I began to wonder as I looked at the price book was this: the price points are there for specific sizes of items, for instance, a 15 oz. can of Chili, so a person knows that if they find a 15 oz. can for 79 cents, that's a pretty good deal. But what if a person find a 28 oz. can of chili at Costco for 1.64? How can they easily figure out how good of a price that is?

So, in the Pinching Your Pennies price book 2.0, I've added price per unit calculations. Now, instead of just telling you what a three, four, or five star price for a can of 15 oz. chili is, it also tells you how those three, four, and five star prices translate into pennies per oz. Then when you're confronted with your life-altering Costco chili dilemma, you can do a little math on the Costco chili and find that 2.50/36 (the price divided by the oz.) comes to 5.1 cents per oz. You glance at the price book and realize that that's a four-star price per oz. Not a bad deal! The price per oz. calculations will help people adapt the price book to their particular shopping styles.

The new price book also includes a blank sheet at the beginning, so that users can print it out and use it for items for which there are no sheets in the price book. It also includes a new price page for premium shampoos like Sunsilk, Pantene, and Pert.

As always if you have any questions, comments or ideas for the price book, feel free to leave a comment. I love your input!

One of the most important tools for any frugal grocery shopper is his or her price book. This is particularly important for beginning "frugalites," and with prices changing so rapidly right now, it's also important for veteran frugal shoppers. One of the challenges many shoppers face, however, is that it's hard to get started with nothing but a blank sheet of paper and only a vague idea, if any at all, of what a truly good price on an item is. That's where Pinching Your Pennies comes in! Using more than three years of experience looking at grocery ads, coupons, and sale prices, Pinching Your Pennies has established price points on over a hundred and fifty of the items shoppers buy the most. We've converted these price points into an Excel document that contains preformatted price sheets that are easy to read, easy to print, and easy to use. Just choose the sheets for the items your family buys, print, insert them in your price book (many of us use three-ring binders), and, using Pinching Your Pennies' price points as a guide, start recording the sales and every day prices you notice around you. You can even pull old grocery receipts out of your pockets and purse to get you started! At Pinching Your Pennies, we're committed to helping you save your family money, even during these challenging economic times. Download the price book, and we'll get started now!

Perishables grocery items like meat, dairy, and produce can be budget busters. In the Utah's Screaming Deals forum at PYP, you'll find a compiled list of all the best prices on meat, produce, milk, cheese, butter, eggs, bread and more. This list is updated every Wednesday by Tressa, a moderator and volunteer at PYP. She compiles the prices of perishable items from the weekly ads into one list so shoppers can compare prices at a glance and decide which store or stores best fits their needs for the week. The link to the Best Prices on Perishables thread changes weekly, but it can always be found in the Utah's Screaming Deals forum. This link will take you to the list for the current week.

2008 Summer Reading Program
Here's How It Works:
1. Kids read any 8 books.
2. Kids use the Summer Reading Journal to tell us their favorite part of each book. A parent/guardian signs it when it's complete.
3. Children bring their completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store (Store Locator]) between May 29th & September 2nd, 2008.
4. We'll give them a coupon for a FREE book! They choose from a list of exceptional paperback titles.*
* Eligible books will be listed on the coupon. Choices must be made from eligible stock. No special orders. Limit of 1 form per school-age child (grades 1-6), please. Incomplete forms will be ineligible for free books.