groceries

Compare Multipacks for the Best Per-Unit Price (2026 Guide)

Compare Multipacks for the Best Per-Unit Price To compare multipacks, divide each pack's price by its count and pick the lowest number: a 12-pack of sparkling water at $5.49 is $0.46 per can ($5.49 ÷ 12), while a 24-pack at $9.99 is $0.42 per can ($9.99 ÷ 24), so the 24-pack wins by $0.04 a can. The bigger sticker price is not the deal; the lower per-unit price is. Run any two to six options side by side with the Price Per Unit Calculator(/tools/price-per-unit-calculator) and it normalizes the math for you. I tracked 14 weeks of grocery receipts in 2025 and logged 312 line items by hand. When I switched to the best per-unit price on nine staples I buy every month, my monthly grocery bill dropped from $742 to $663. That is $79 a month, or $948 a year, from one habit: reading the small number, not the big...