Frugal Tips: Check for Quantity Too

I am sure we frugal friends always check the prices in the stores.  But do you know you should also check for quantity among all the "identical" items?  Even though the manufacturers have internal control procedures in place, sometimes there are "odd balls".

I will give you a few examples.  One is liquid dishwashing detergent. They usually have see-through plastic bottles that you can tell how much detergent is in there. If you look closely, each bottle is filled up slightly differently. Sometimes the difference can be almost 5 mm high.  That could mean 3 or 5 more washes I could get out of the extra detergents. The same idea goes for laundry detergent, shampoo, cleaning solutions, and other liquids, even milk or juices.

The other example is boxed items, where you cannot see through but you can lift them to feel the weight. I got a box of 7-piece cookware. The box said it included a small sauce pan and the lid, a medium sauce pan and a lid, a large pot with a lid, and the skillet.  After trying and lifting all the boxes, one particular box was heavier than others.  When I got home and opened it up, it contained an extra medium sauce pan. It has been proven that extra medium sauce pan is extremely useful, especially when I don't feel like washing the other one that is dirty.  I don't feel obligated to return that extra sauce pan anywhere because it is the manufacturer's mistake.  I mean, even if I brought the extra sauce pan back to the store, what would they do with it anyway?

I know this sounds really cheap and the difference is usually minimal (except for my sauce pan example).  But if you can get more for the same price, why shouldn't you?