I won’t mention the website by name, but let’s just say there’s now another website business that allows you to pay big $$$ for convenience.
What their ads say is the problem: You’re at home, relaxin’, and you don’t have any chips! There isn’t any candy in the house! No soda! No ice cream! You’re out of chocolate!
The real problem: You didn’t buy those things at the grocery store … or better yet, the big buy-in-large-quantities warehouse club.
The convenience you can pay for, if you’re foolish enough, is the service of ordering your chips and soda online and getting them delivered to your door shortly later. The price you pay is far higher than what you would pay at a convenience store or vending machine, which is already far higher than you would pay at a grocery store or warehouse club.
What’s the difference?
From the delivery service:
- $1.39 for a 1.5 ounce chocolate bar
- $1.49 for a 2.0 ounce bag of chips
At the convenience store or vending machine:
- $1.25 for a 1.5 ounce chocolate bar
- $1.25 for a 2.0 ounce bag of chips
At the warehouse:
- $0.60 for a 1.5 ounce chocolate bar ($18.00 for 30)
- $0.25 for a 1.0 ounce bag of chips (or $0.50 for 2.0 ounces, $13.00 for 54)
The delivery convenience costs 2 to 3 times as much. If you buy just a small amount, then there’s an additional delivery fee. Buy a large amount (at those prices!?) and the delivery is free.
What does it take to save money?
Planning ahead. If you want to eat snacks, buy them ahead of time before you get the nighttime munchies.
Discipline. If you don’t buy them ahead of time, don’t give in to temptation. Force yourself to do without. That’s how you train yourself to remember to buy things ahead of time.
Self control. When you have a large quantity of snacks, make them last. Don’t let yourself eat them all at once.
