Shopping for Singles

Often products "for one" sound great... until you look at the price. Let's do a quick comparison of some national averages of retail supermarket sizes and prices. Be sure to notice the price per ounce in each case:

Quaker instant oatmeal 18-ounce box -- $2.45 (13.6 cents per ounce) 42-ounce box -- $3.69 (8.7 cents per ounce)

Starkist chunk light tuna in water pack of 3 3-ounce cans -- $2.25 (25 cents per ounce) 9-ounce can $1.49 -- (16.6 cents per ounce)

Tombstone pizza -- pepperoni and sausage 7.05 ounce "For One" package -- $2.19 (31.1 cents per ounce) 22 ounces -- $3.49 (15.9 cents per ounce)

Kellogg's cereal 6 boxes "Fun Pack" -- $3.25 (50.8 cents per ounce) 10 boxes "Variety Pack" -- $4.49 (42.8 cents per ounce)

The manufacturers seem to be assuming that if we have a smaller family, we have more money. No one would argue that it costs more to package smaller sizes, but this much more?

Single Shopping Tips Here are some tips for avoiding the small-family shopping trap:

Remember that lots of foods in the supermarket service departments are sold by the pound. The fresh meat, seafood, deli, produce and bakery are perfect places to by the exact sizes you need without paying any more than if you had a family of six. For convenience, the deli now offers more prepared foods than ever before, so if you want one burrito, one slice of pizza and 2 ounces of antipasto, you can get it -- all by the pound. The bulk foods section of the store also allows you to buy exact sizes. It might be the best place to buy cereal or oatmeal for occasional use. Check out the private labels -- the store's own brand -- for grocery items like tuna. Often the store brand offers a price savings and is packaged in different sizes. To do a fair comparison, check out the unit price label on the shelf, as well as the ingredients list and Nutritional Facts label

Buying for one or a small family doesn't have to be more expensive. You just have to plan your meals around the tens of thousands of products that are available the way you want to buy them.