This is a quick frugal tip of the day post to help you win with money. The frugal tip is – Avoid Vending Machines. The mark up for vending machine drinks and snacks is over 30%+ when compared to supermarket prices. I have not used a vending machine in over 3 years now, even though my job has one in every floor of a 3 floor building. How did I accomplish such a feat? Well I planned properly, bought my snacks in bulk then brought it in to work. As for drinks, I stopped drinking soda and any sugary juices, and substituted it for water. See below for some simple comparisons.
Frugal Tip of the Day
Vending Machine Soda – $1.25 for 20oz bottle
Soda bought by the 32 ct. case at Costco – $9.49 = .29 cents per can
Water sold by the case 40 pack – $3.98 = .10 cents a bottle
Water from the Filter – Free
Entenmann’s Vending Snack Cake – $1.25
Entenmann’s Supermarket Cake – $3.00 / 8 Pieces = .38 cents a piece
Chips Vending Machine – $.85 – 1.25 per bag
Chips from Supermarket – $2 – 4 / 12 ziplock bags = $.16 – .33 per snack
Chips from Costco 54 ct. – $12.49 = .23 cents per bag
These are the prices you are paying by buying in bulk and bringing it in to work or on those long road trips. Even to go to the beach you can pack a few snacks and drinks to make the day less costly. I rather pay .23 cents for a bag of chips than $1.25. The only downside, is you have to pay a bigger amount up front, but it will be all worth it as the days pass. If you take a bag of chips to work every day for 54 days it will cost $12.49 if you go to Costco. If you go to the vending machine instead it will cost you 67 dollars @ $1.25 per bag. That is a savings of 54 dollars every two months on the chips alone.
The Frugal Tip of the Day will save you plenty of dollars with proper planning.
Comment if you already take a bag of chips or a drink to work from home?
Rich Uncle EL
