Bulk shopping makes a lot of sense. I’ve been shopping at Sam’s club for well over 5 years for my Supermarket needs. It seems to be the most economical way to purchase even with the nominal yearly membership. You buy things in larger quantities for cheaper individual prices. On the surface, this works out well in many situations but not all. This post will describe the good and bad of purchasing at Sam’s Club.
The Good
Water & Gatorade – The pricing is always the cheapest and the liquid never goes bad. I also never get tired of drinking water or the 3x flavors that the 24 pack of Gatorade comes in. Even if I do get sick of one of the Gatorade flavors, there are even more selections to exhaust.
Paper Towels & TP – These items make the most sense because they are always in need. It’s not a product that sits in the pantry forever because they are used on a daily occurrence. I’m not too brand preferential on these, the lowest price usually earns my business.
Bathroom Products – This may seem like a weird one but buying a huge amount of shampoo and conditioner saves money. Not only does it save money, but I never have to worry about running out. This goes the same with body gel, toothpaste, mouth wash, dental floss, and contact solution. The money savings is great but always having it is where the real savings comes in.
Frozen Food – I’m not much of a cook so I tend to eat a lot of frozen meals. Buying frozen food means that you get a lot of it and it won’t spoil. It’s usually easier and cheaper than fast food so it has its merits. One downside though is that you can get sick of the meal because there is just too much of it. A 3 pack of a frozen pizza is ok but 65 ravioli’s won’t taste the same after a while.
The Bad
Bread and Lunch Meat – Sam’s makes you buy 2 loaves of bread and large portions of lunch meat. This works great if you are feeding a baseball team but for an individual, it almost always goes bad for me. I’ve resorted to buying smaller quantities at the super market if I want to make a sandwich.
Fresh Fruit – I just bought 3 lbs of grapes and I have a hard time believing I will finish them before expiration. It’s not that there are too many as much of you just get tired of eating them. Obviously the bad items tend to be the ones that go bad.
Cookies and Snacks – This is a weird one but huge quantities of junk food is overwhelming. 3 packs of Chips Ahoy will make anyone sick of a cookie. This works the same way with Cheetos and those types of chip products. There is just not enough variety for me in those huge bags. I can’t understand why the package 2 salsa’s with 1 queso. At least put the spinach dip back!
i’m glad our conversation spurred such an informative post.