Price book shopping is a trick that a lot of frugal shoppers use – whether or not they are coupon / rebate people. I haven’t jumped into that routine yet, but for those of you who would like to try, I’m sure you’re wondering about the logistics.

Sara Noel at Frugal Village has some tips from a reader in today’s newspaper column, found on page 3E of today’s print and e-edition of The Monroe Evening News and at Sara’s web site.

A snippet:

PRICE-BOOK ADVICE: If you create a price book on a computer spreadsheet, you can keep it up-to-date more easily. I have double columns across the top for the four stores where I shop most frequently, showing price and date (month and year). The fifth group consists of three columns to show price, date and store, for other stores that have good prices occasionally. Down the side, I have categories of items, with a listing of specific products and a breakdown including brand and weight/quantity. I generally don’t include sale prices, just prices I can count on in the future. I print this and carry it in my purse. If I see a price or an ad that looks good, I can easily verify it. I update the printout by hand, and on the computer every few months. — Carolyn L., Kansas