Everywhere we’ve been stationed, I’ve had the same discussion with military moms: Can I really save money by shopping at the military commissary? Are the savings enough to justify my driving time, gas money and high stress level? Opinions vary widely, but, as far as I know, there’s only one way to find out whether shopping at the military commissary saves you money, and that is to make a price book.
Years ago, I discovered The Tightwad Gazette, the first book in a three-book series written by frugal guru Amy Dacyczyn. (These books have been republished as The Complete Tightwad Gazette.) Amy’s no-nonsense approach to frugal living helped me focus on and take advantage of the resources available to military moms. I learned to make price books from The Tightwad Gazette, and I’ve continued this tradition over my last five moves.
A price book is simply a comparison of prices for items you buy every single week. It’s simple to make. First, take your “standard” grocery list – you know, ground beef, diapers, toilet paper, diet Coke – and list the items you buy every single week on a sheet of paper.
Next, use newspaper flyers or personal visits to stores to record prices for each item on your list. Be sure to include a visit to your military commissary. (Yes, it’s okay to include store member card discounts – those little key-chain tags really can save you money.)
Finally, circle or highlight the best price for each item. You’ll probably notice a trend – “loss leader” items like meat and soft drinks may be less at a big-name grocery store one week, but the base price is probably higher than at your military commissary or discount chain store. If you’ve priced enough items, you’ll be able to decide whether driving to your military commissary is really worth your time.
When I made my first price book, my daughter was in diapers and my husband was stationed on-board an aircraft carrier. The nearest commissary was a 25-minute drive away. I created the price book to prove to myself that it was okay not to shop at the commissary, given the driving distance, my full-time job and my responsibilities as a temporary single parent of two young children. I was sure I could justify my (lazy) wish to shop closer to home.
Surprise! I found out that, except on weekly loss-leader specials, my military commissary beat the prices on, well, all the things I purchased every week, often by a 20-percent margin. When I added in a few diaper coupons, the savings were even better – more than enough to justify my driving time, gas money, wear and tear on the car – in fact, I ran out of excuses. After that, I drove to the commissary every weekend of my husband’s deployment. I’ve repeated this exercise at every new duty station, and my results have been consistent. For my family, shopping at military commissaries for routinely-bought items is the best deal in town.
If you’re looking for more commissary price information, head to http://www.commissaries.com and check out the weekly commissary specials.
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