After going to the warehouse stores like Sam’s club or Costco, we always hear people complain about spending too much. We all seem to buy more than what was on that shopping list.
Really, are we buying more than we need? Most probably yes but it was a “good price”. Ok, ask yourself, will you be using that item in the next 4 weeks? If so, then and if it was on sale, it was worth it, as you would be paying full price for the same item in the next little bit. If you really didn’t need it, and you don’t use it up, and it goes to waste, then, are you really saving money? And if it sits in your pantry and you don’t use it in the next 6 months, it probably would have gone on sale again and so you are not really saving.
You have to be a little bit more of a smart shopper at those stores. I have realized that the items go on sale quite often so there is really no need to purchase in multiples either, only to sit in your pantry, cupboard. Watch your supply at home, when you are getting low on a certain product, watch it at the stores, they typically will go on sale so that is when you buy it.
The trick with those kinds of stores, some items are cheaper but others are not. So you need to know the approximate prices of the products your are buying. The regular prices of some products are the same as other stores or sometimes more expensive. If the warehouse store is the only place you shop at, then time is money so paying a little more is not a big deal. Spending time running to multiple stores just to save a buck will actually cost more in time and gas. If your frequent other stores, like myself, I go to a grocery store for fresh produce, I will sometime purchase the warehouse products there if they are cheaper.
So I typically go to the warehouse stores once every 2-3 weeks, as you buy in bulk, you don’t have to go all the time. I frequent the grocery stores and the local market weekly for my produce. I think this gives a good balance to saving and making my money go further.
