Comments on: Should I Buy in Bulk?

By: Beth

Beth — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:34:18 +0000

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.

By: Tara

Tara — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:33:12 +0000

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!

By: Thrifty Links for 2/29/08

Thrifty Links for 2/29/08 — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:38:42 +0000

[...] from Simply Thrifty addresses the idea of buying in bulk. Is it worth [...]

By: Julie F.

Julie F. — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:23:28 +0000

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.

By: Jerri

Jerri — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:01:50 +0000

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.

By: Meg from All About Appearances

Meg from All About Appearances — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:14:25 +0000

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).

By: anne

anne — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:18:09 +0000

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!!

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:10:42 +0000

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.

By: SMB

SMB — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:02:46 +0000

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.

By: Chrissy

Chrissy — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:42:37 +0000

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.