Holiday shopping
Before a holiday the basket grows several times over, and the arithmetic changes with it. Ten percent of 300 shekels is 30 shekels. Ten percent of 1,200 is 120. Same percentage, very different money.
What to do beforehand
- Write the list early. A list written in the shop always ends up longer.
- Compare at home. Pick a branch and go down the list with its prices before you leave.
- Find the expensive items. Meat, fish, wine, ready-made platters. That is where most of the money goes, so that is where the same percentage gap is worth most.
Two shops instead of one
Before a holiday the amounts are large enough for a split to pay. The rule is simple: buy the expensive items where they are cheap and the rest where it is close. A second trip is worth it only if the gap on what you buy there is bigger than what the drive and the time cost you.
If the list is shared
Before a holiday there is usually more than one person doing the shopping. A shared list takes care of the annoying part: two people buying the same thing, or each assuming the other already has. Marking items as you go is all it takes.
After the holiday
Do not delete the list. Holidays come round again, and last year's list is the best starting point for the next one.
Common questions
When is the best time to compare prices?
Before a big shop. The bigger the basket, the more money the same percentage gap turns into.
Is it worth buying ahead?
For things that keep, yes, if the price is good. For fresh food it usually is not.
