Daily Archive

I was making my menus and shopping list this morning and noticed we are starting to run out of coconut oil again. I begrudgingly put it on the list, knowing that little 16 ounce jar of Jarrow is too pricey to try fun things like homemade deodorant. Then I decided: it was time to do that comparison shopping I’m always talking about doing.

It didn’t take long, probably two hours to research every site I could dig up, discover every shipping cost and throw it all on a spreadsheet. The hardest part was making sure I was comparing equivalent product: all extra-virgin, all not heat processed, all organic. After that, it was just sorting. The least expensive per-ounce cost I found (including shipping) was 36 cents per ounce (Tropical Traditions is having a great sale), but I didn’t have $200 to invest right now. My “usual” price per ounce is 63 cents, purchased at the health food store. The highest price I found was a mind-blowing $1.32 per ounce (from a private seller on Amazon). I settled for a nice lower range 46 cents per ounce, and only invested $50 (for one gallon on the Nutiva site, included free shipping). That will provide me enough high-quality oil for cooking, plus I won’t fuss about using it in beauty products like face lotion for son, deodorant and hair conditioner.

Even better, now I have an idea of the range of prices and will know a really good sale when I see one. I think I’ll set my “magic number” at 45. If I can beat 45 cents an ounce, and the investment is within my means, I’ll snap it up!