Buying in bulk can save you money. It can also cost you money if your not careful. Here are some tricks to consider when buying items in bulk.1. Visit a bulk item store such as Sam's or Costco with someone who already has a membership first before investing your own money into a membership. Take a tour of the store so you know what they have to offer.
2. Make a list of what you would like to buy. List things that you use daily and can be stored for a long period of time. Only purchase items you know you will use. Don't buy 10lbs of carrots just because it's a great deal if your the only one in the house that eats them.
3. BRING YOUR CALCULATOR! (This was my life saver on my trip.) Know your price per unit. Before going to the bulk store visit your local grocery store. Check out what the price per unit is for your most often bought items, ie flour, sugar, spices, peanut butter, canned goods, toilet paper. Make a price book if you don't have one. Bring this with you to compare and see if you really are getting a good deal.
4. Make sure you have room to store all your bulk items. Clear off some shelves or make room under a bed. You will probably also need to clear out some extra space in your freezer or maybe invest in a freezer chest.
5. Take into consideration the cost of your membership. Make sure you are saving enough money to cover you membership costs and still making it worth your while to shop.
Buying in bulk can save you time, gas, and money if done right. Hopefully it allows you to make a few less trips to the store each week. It can be a large investment up front but in the long run it may leave you with a little extra cash at the end of the month.
Stay tuned to see what I bought on my first trip to the bulk store!
For more frugal ideas, visit Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.
how funny. I have a draft of a similar article for my examiner page. great minds......
ReplyDeleteyou can visit club stores without a friend or membership if you want to look around and determine if you want a membership.
Also, if you know someone who has an Amway Global business, you can buy many household products in bulk (including food, paper products, cleaning supplies, etc). It's a bit more beneficial since you don't have any membership fees, you get free shipping on orders over $75 (is it possible to spend LESS than that at Costco? lol) and it gets delivered to your door, so you save time and gas money..
ReplyDeleteI shop from a family member at www.tx3.mychoices.biz
If considering a membership to Costco, be sure to consider their executive membership. It's $100.00 instead of $45.00, BUT... you earn back 2% of EVERY purchase you make during the year back AND if you don't earn at least the $55.00 difference (between exec. and regular), they give you $55.00 at the end of the year anyway. You can't lose! After our 2% back most years our membership has ended up costing just around $18.00 - $20.00! Oh, and you can't beat Costco's no questions asked return policy! Just something to consider as it all adds up, right?!
ReplyDeleteI used Sam's clubs Membersmark formula for my little one and it was great! Saved me so much money and when you compare ingredients they are the same as enfamil or similac (they have several options) I lost track of the amount of money I saved but I tell you one can of Members Mark formula at $19.95 lasted a long time!!! I also buy my diapers in bulk there and it has worked out great for me.
ReplyDeleteA little late to the party but I stumbled on your blog and wanted to share my recent post on meal planning for several months at a time, with few exceptions I do all my shopping at Sams.
ReplyDeletehttp://kellis-smidgens-of-piffle.blogspot.com/2010/03/meal-planning-101-in-8-easy-steps.html
Always nice to meet another DSM blogger :)