Creating Price Book Pages

Draw Your Own or Use Online Printables to Track the Best Prices

Jul 9, 2007
Shelley Elmblad

Your Price Book Saves You Money - Shelley Elmblad

Learn how to create your own price book pages, and keep your price book updated to save money on frequently purchased items such as groceries and household items.

This is the second article in the Creating a Price Book series, which includes:

Price Book Pages

Whether you decide to hand write a price book page and copy it or print out pages from an online resource, you need to use columns with these headings:

Date
Store Name
Brand
Size
Price
Unit Price
Notes

Price Book Pages by Hand

Once you understand how to set up a price book you can decide on the best method for creating pages for the price book.

Use lined paper or lined index cards for the rows in your price book.
If you want to handwrite each page, write the item you are tracking in the upper right corner of the page. If you want to write out one page and make copies to save time, draw a line in the upper right corner and right the name of the item on the line after you make copies of the price book page.
Use a ruler to create columns while taking into consideration how much space should be allowed for each column.
If using small index cards, leave the Notes column off to save space and use the back of the card to record notes for the item.

If you design one price book page and make copies from it and you want to produce pages that are smaller than standard 8-1/2" x 11" copy paper, draw as many price book pages as will fit on the copy paper and trim the copies before binding (to learn how to bind a price book and decide what size to use, read How to Set Up a Price Book). For example, for half sheets: draw two 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" pages, make copies and cut in half.

Price Book Printables

Printable price book pages are available online from a variety of resources and take the work out of making your own pages. Two of the best price book printables available are from:

Frugal Village: click on the printer icon to open a small window, then click the printer icon again.
Organizedhome.com: especially attractive printable price book pages. Click on the price book to open the form in a new window, then click File, Print.

More Options for Creating Price Book Pages

If you prefer to go a little more high tech, set up price book pages using word processing software, such as Microsoft Word or Open Office Write.

Another option is to design a price book spreadsheet using Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet software and you can both keep the price book on your computer as well as have a printed copy. Another way to set up an electronic price book would be to use spreadsheet or list software for a PDA, such as a Palm or Pocket PC, or a Smartphone like a Treo.

Discuss setting up a price book in the Personal Budgeting Forum.