The Cost of a Great Deal

Recently, David read an article about commuting costs, which got us to thinking about the cost of shopping at various stores.  I end up shopping at lots of stores for our grocery and household needs because I love getting great deals.  I try to mentally weigh the cost of gas versus the savings before committing myself to going to a certain store.  I already consolidate trips as much as possible.  However, I never actually calculated the cost of gas and looked at the numbers.  I also never took into consideration the cost of wear and tear on the car.  Until now.

I calculated the mileage cost at 30 cents per mile, 15 cents for gas ($3 per gallon and assuming 20 miles per gallon) and 15 cents for maintenance and depreciation (this was kind of tricky and a bit more complicated, so I'll spare you the details).  That's probably on the conservative side.  Here's what we found the round trip costs of various stores to be:

Store			Cost
Wal-Mart			$5.51
Target			$6.97
Sam's			$5.68
Save a Lot			$2.82
Rouses			$1.37
Winn-Dixie			$2.30
Lakeview			$1.67
Walgreens			$0.82
Rite Aid			$1.51
Whole Foods			$3.55

The greatest disappointment to me in looking at these costs is how much it costs for a trip to Sam's!  I love shopping at Sam's Club.  It's the easiest place for me to go with all four kids because the shopping carts are so big.  I carry Jonathan in the bjorn and Matthew rides in the basket in his car seat and the girls sit in the front.  They also usually have lots of samples and free cookies for the kids.  Plus, their soft pretzels are really yummy!  But, my mother-in-law kindly pointed out that I could take the cost out of our entertainment budget!

Anyways, I just thought this was all very interesting and something to take into consideration before heading out for a great deal.  Depending on where the deal is, the mileage cost may eat up your savings!