My vitamin shelf turned into a price-tracking spreadsheet

Your spreadsheet sounds very relatable. The column that changed things for me was “cost per actually taken serving,” not cost per bottle. I logged each morning whether I used an item, then divided my weekly supplement spend by that number. It was humbling: one powder worked out to about $4.60 per real use because I skipped it so often. I also marked reorder status after a bottle emptied—if I did not replace it within two weeks, it got cut. July was my cheapest month for the same reason. Do you track usage versus purchase in your sheet, or just spending? I would be curious whether all 7 products are truly earning their shelf space.

Gummies are candy with a markup, respect the spreadsheet grind though.

Been there. My leak wasn't gummies, it was auto-ship. Forgot to pause one month and got double. I added columns for cost per actual dose and expiration date. Big difference. On night shifts I skip days, so per-serving price lies. My May was ugly for the same panic reason: two tubs of protein powder I didn't need because I saw "low stock." Now I check the closet before ordering. Also count shipping and tax. That $2.10 average can jump fast. Question: are you tracking what you toss? That number made me cut from 7 products to 4. Expired stuff is the real worst value.

At maintenance, my spreadsheet rule is simple: no more than one sealed backup of anything, and only two “experiment” items per quarter. If an experiment isn’t finished by the end of the quarter, that category gets frozen until I use it up. The hidden cost for me wasn’t gummies or subscriptions; it was stuff that expired or got gifted because I bought it for a version of myself I wasn’t actually living. Adding a “tossed/gifted?” column was humbling. Does your sheet track that, or just purchases?

The column I’d add is “actually finished.” I had one bottle that looked fine per serving, then it got shoved behind the granola bars and I used it maybe 9 days. My July was cheap because I did a pantry no-buy and made snack-drawer bags on Sunday. May was rough for the same out-of-stock panic, except mine was two kids home sick and me grabbing whatever was closest. Are you tracking finished vs. purchased, or just what left the shelf?

I tried a tea spreadsheet once; it lasted one grocery run. Respct for six months of vitamin math.

I feel this. I added a “travel tax” column: aisle-seat pharmacy water, overpriced single-serve packets, and the graveyard of vitamins that rolled under hotel beds. My July was also low because I was home; May was airport kiosk panic. The spreadsheet got more useful when I started logging cost per trip instead of per month — three days in Vegas can wreck a tidy average. Question: do you count the ones you abandon in a hotel minibar fridge? I’ve donated a small fortune to lost-and-found electrolyte tabs.

The gummy row is always the villain in my budget spreadsheet too 😅

Your spreadsheet is basically a trend line for your habits. I added a “would I rebuy?” column instead of only tracking spend. Anything without a yes after one full bottle gets purged. My last purge freed about $22/month and I genuinely didn’t notice. The noise is the one-off panic buys; the signal is what keeps earning a spot. Do you have kill criteria for products, or do they just linger until the bottle is gone?

The auto-ship pause button is my mortal enemy—my spreadsheet would need a therapy colun 😂