Should I Buy in Bulk?
Every now and then I think about joining Cosco. With three of us in the house, I don’t really have to buy in bulk, but with the two cats and a dog and occasional birthday party, I think a membership would be kind of handy.
I’ve gone to Cosco with my sister in law and while I did save money on some bulk items, I spent more on others. It’s easy to overspend at these warehouses and that’s my worry. Especially since the bulk goods warehouses have items on display one week they won’t necessarily have ever again. You have to buy it when you see it or risk it being gone forever.
The other reason I haven’t joined Cosco is because they only take American Express. I have no problem with American Express, but I already have a credit card and don’t feel I need another. I don’t know if I really want to sign up for another card just to be a part of a bulk foods warehouse. I don’t like carrying around all that cash either.
So I’m still mulling it over. In the meantime, share your experiences in the comments. Let me know the pros and cons.
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POSTED IN: Finances, Frugal Gourmet, Groceries
18 opinions for Should I Buy in Bulk?
Lindsay
Feb 26, 2008 at 6:39 am
Just an FYI, you can use your debit card at costco. So you don’t have to carry cash with you and you don’t have to have an American Express card. :-)
Thrifty Karen
Feb 26, 2008 at 8:18 am
We used to have a Cosco and Sam’s card when we lived in Virginia. Now we just have Sam’s. I don’t go in there frequently, but there are some regular products it really helps out on. I got a big case of diapers the other day and the Members Mark diapers are only 17 cents each. When I can’t find a good sale, these are the diapers I buy. No problems with them. I also buy all my wipes from Sam’s. I’ll be glad when the diaper and wipes days are done!
Milk, bananas, eggs, books, and movies are always good prices at Sam’s. I’ve picked up a few outfits for the kids that were on clearance for $3-5. I also like to get my Fiber One bars from there. The sign says it’s a seasonal item, but they’ve had them for at least 6 months. I guess I need to go back and stock up on 3 boxes again, just in case they quit carrying them. The big bags of lettuce are a good price too.
I guess the key is finding things that you regularly buy, whether it be the 10 lb bag of chicken nuggets (lol) or 2 weeks worth of milk. I think the savings are worth it, if you can control impulse shopping.
As far as the credit card thing goes, I used to get ticked at Sam’s for only taking Discover card. Now they take debit cards and I pay with a debit card for everything anyway. It works out ok for me.
Thursday
Feb 26, 2008 at 8:33 am
I actually do a big chunk of my shopping at Sam’s Club, and there’s only two in my household. I do a lot of cooking from scratch, so I pick up staples at Sam’s Club, like flour and cooking oil. It’s also significantly cheaper for meat, as long as you have a freezer.
Kat
Feb 26, 2008 at 8:39 am
I agree with Thrifty Karen - it is really just a matter of controlling the impulse buying and sticking to the stuff you truly use regularly to make it worthwhile. We like soymilk - we can buy three half gallons at Costco for approximately the same price we would pay for ONE at the regular grocery store. As to Costco payment methods - you can also write a check there. That (like the debit card - not sure if they take those, will have to ask) also helps control the impulse stuff!
§putter
Feb 26, 2008 at 9:34 am
Oh man, Costcotopia has been my happy place ever since I became a member 4 years ago. The bulk buying you would think is kind of hard to beat some impulse buying, but I’ve found as long as I go with a list and do not deviate one iota it makes it much easier to keep my spending under control. It also helps to have a membership when you feel the need to buy big electronics, as they supply their own tech support services for 2 years, so getting units replaced and repaired should be much easier. I have yet to test this as I have had no problems with my purchases. the staples are much cheaper there so as Kat said it makes cooking from scratch cheap and easy as you don’t need to go out as often to get your ingredients.
As for Amex, you don’t need to get an Amex card to join. It’s just an added value should you choose to get one. At least that is my understanding. I only have a membership card since I didn’t need a new credit card at the time. I pay using my banks debit card or checks, yep, they take good ole fashioned checks if you feel you don’t want to carry around cash.
Overall, I feel I have gotten way more than my money’s worth each year I renew my membership.
KimC
Feb 26, 2008 at 9:38 am
Costco has great prices on cheese and milk - these alone are worth the membership price and the trip. Both freeze well (just shake up the milk before each use, since the cream will tend to float after it’s been frozen).
They also have good quality meat and produce at competitive (though not rock bottom) prices.
You just have to be careful to watch the price/oz, price/lb, etc and not assume that buying in bulk is always cheaper. Sometimes, but not always!
For our family of 10 (soon to be 11), buying in bulk is actually more convenient even when prices are the same. I save money at Costco, but even if I didn’t I’d rather open a single gallon can of veggies than 6 small ones, and 5# of grated cheese really doesn’t last long.
BTW, they do take debit cards. Otherwise I might think twice about shopping there…except that we would pay twice as much for cheese at the grocery store.
Their gas stations (for members only) also tend to have the cheapest gas in town. I always try to fill up when I’m there.
dodi
Feb 26, 2008 at 11:12 am
I have a Costco membership. We used to belong to Sam’s and BJ’s. I liked BJs because you could use mfg coupons and their coupons at the same time. We kept the Costco membership because we get tires from there and I love the baked goods (cheesecake is heavenly). I buy paper towels, toilet paper, fresh meat and pantry items the most. I can get carried away so I have to limit myself and try to make sure I’m using their coupons. They do take Mac cards(with pin#) and checks. Their gas is cheaper too.
MizFit
Feb 26, 2008 at 11:38 am
I HEART the costco
if I like something (say veggie sausage :)) I use a lot of it.
works great for me.
which reminds me —– Im running out of veggie sausage.
Chrissy
Feb 26, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I have been a member of both Costco and Sam’s Club. I prefer Costco 100% over Sam’s (or BJ’s). In all reviews I have read and in my own experience, Costco has the best quality products for cheaper than the other warehouses. I absoultey love their diapers and wipes, clothing selection, food and even their tires! They treat their employees very well, which in turn passes onto the consumer.
We have a family of 4, but even when it was just 2 of us, we shopped there quite often. I prefer their Kirkland Signature (Costco brand) over anywhere else, especially for household items like trash bags and toilet paper.
I agree, it is not always cheaper, but sometimes to not have to go to 5 different stores, it is cheaper on your time. You really need to do price comparison’s (price book) at all the stores you shop at and write it all down, but even then, we generally choose Costco for most purchases!
Now we live only near a Sam’s and our Costco products are quickly running out. We are very sad and are not looking forward to finding new product brands to use.
SMB
Feb 26, 2008 at 2:02 pm
You might get a daypass first to see if you like it. Personally, I’ve been a little disappointed in Costco, but then I’m comparing it to BJ’s, which I LOVED.
I haven’t bought anything for my dog from Costco–I find their pet foods, etc. to be really lacking.
Amy
Feb 26, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Ask if you can get a day pass and explore your store before joining. Write down what you would buy there, the price, and how much per ounce it is. They may even have this info available online!
We have Sam’s Club here and I really missed Costco. One nice feature for Sam’s Club is that they offer a click-and-pull service where they pull all of the items for you (you place the order online) and then when you arrive to the store, after being notified by email, they have your items ready and waiting for you. This helps cut down on the browsing and buying impulse items.
If you do a lot of baking, I think it is a sound investment and will pay for itself in one trip. All-purpose flour (25# bag) is less than eight bucks and bread flour is just about fifty cents more. Yeast in bulk is an amazing deal as are their spices.
anne
Feb 27, 2008 at 11:18 am
I used to live on an Island….and they had a Costco! Now I live in a rural town in Idaho with only a Sam’s club! I miss my Costco! You could have an executive membership and get your 2% back without having a credit card. #1. I don’t do credit, #2. I have six kids, so I need the executive card to buy just basics! ;o) At Sam’s you HAVE To have a Discover card to get the 2% back. What a rip off! I guess thats what happens when you have a club membership owned by Walmart! Gag!!
Meg from All About Appearances
Feb 27, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I have a Sam’s Club membership, and my husband and I do use it. However, we’re buying less and less there. The two big things we bought last time were toilet paper and paper towels, the kind that are intended for commercial use (but hey, they’re 2-ply so what do I care).
For some types of fruits and veggies, I can justify the cost. I can eat a whole lot of blueberries if I have help, we go through a lot of bananas here, and potatoes and onions keep well. And we got a huge bag of mixed frozen veggies for stir fry.
However, a lot of things can be bought just as cheap elsewhere — or at least nearly as cheap.
While I almost bought a 25 pound bags of flour and sugar, we decided to check Publix. Their generics were more expensive, but only by a little. Seeing how we don’t have a good place to keep 25 pounds of flour and sugar, it made a lot more sense for us to buy them from Publix and, as my husband put it, “Let them store the rest”.
And some of the stuff was just plain cheaper elsewhere, anyhow.
It is however, a good place to buy nuts and feminine products (unless you use the reusable types).
Jerri
Feb 27, 2008 at 10:01 pm
We have a Sam’s account. I save money getting chicken breasts and hamburger meat there. We also buy drinks like Red Bull, Ensure, and Joint Juice there, and it saves us a few dollars every time we buy a case. I also purchase various items from the cleaning & healthcare sections. And for me it’s just a fun place to shop because I find items that I don’t find at other places a lot of the time.
Julie F.
Feb 28, 2008 at 10:23 am
We get free 30-90 day memberships from B.J.’s mailed to us every so often. Their deals on movies, books, and other items are great. Their prices are much better than Sam’s, at least in this area.
We buy OTC meds in bulk from them for nearly the same price as a normal sized item in a normal store.
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Tara
Mar 1, 2008 at 5:33 pm
We have a BJ’s membership out here in Maryland, and it’s just my husband and I (for the time being). We calculated that if the only thing we ever used BJ’s for was their gas, we would still save money (beyond breaking even after the membership fee). Plus my hubby gets a $10 off discount through his company. Look around and you may find a discount for Costco. We always, ALWAYS check unit prices, that is key. However, we mostly buy paper products (tp, paper towels, etc.) at BJ’s. Frozen chicken breasts are always a good deal (though sometimes better in the supermarket during special deals). Milk is cheapest for us at BJ’s - by a LONG shot. We also get peanut butter, soup, yogurt, juice, and sometimes laundry detergent, snacks, and toiletries. We also get 2 BJ’s coupon books in the mail, so we often work in our purchases when those come in the mail. Again, we’re only two, and we recently evaluated renewing our membership (it was going to expire at the end of February), but we realized we were saving money, so we went ahead and renewed! There are most likely plenty of things different about costco, but I hope this helps!
Beth
Mar 10, 2008 at 11:34 pm
If you are self employed and can show them a business card..you should have cards about your blog, then you can get a business membership. Or ask your friends who has a membership and go with them to see if you think it will work for your family.
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