Kristin, Kathi, and I (also known as Tri-Moms for anyone new here – you know, as in Triangle of Moms – 3 Moms – talking about what we do – you know, you get it… Tri = 3 … Moms … yes, I felt the need to over explain all of that, moving on now!) are talking this week about bulk shopping.
Do you bulk shop? Do you extreme coupon? Do you combine the two?
I don’t coupon (though with the recent rise in grocery prices lately I should probably rethink that). And I only sometimes bulk shop. It’s all due to money. Do we have it at the time? Or don’t we? I have noticed it is more cost effective overall to buy in bulk, however when you barely have enough for just this week, then you can’t worry about the multipack of toothbrushes, yo? When we do have the extra money I have noticed a pattern that we fall into.
Plan Ahead
If you’re going to buy the humongo pack of frozen waffles you should probably make sure your freezer will hold that pack plus whatever else you have to put in there. Be prepared to take some things out of their boxes when you get home, mark the plastic with permanent marker what temp to cook it at and for how long. It makes packing lots of bulk items into the freezer together a lot easier.
Also, the warehouse stores are not a one-stop shop. There are only certain things that you will be able to buy there. Compare prices from your regular one-stop shop and make sure it’s worth the brand name bulk buy. And plan to buy your other items at your regular store (Wal-Mart for us) on a different day. Unless you’re fearless, then feel free to hit as many stores in one day with all your hooligans in tow as you fancy.
Also, a great side note.. Sam’s is our warehouse around here. And we go hungry. Really. You can either buy one of their mega pizzas for a very reasonable price or get their GREAT deal on hot dogs and slushies. I do mean great. You can get a Nathan’s hot dog and a soda or slushy for our entire family of 7 for less than 10 bucks. Awesome. So we go in, get some grub, and then shop. It’s marvelous. I must also mention, they have food vendors during the day sometimes where you can get free samples. I have mixed feelings about these (especially when all 5 of my children line up for some grapes) but when I’m purchasing as much food as we purchase from there I feel a little less guilt.
I would like to mention here, those amazing frozen pizzas we were making there for awhile we purchased at our local Sam’s. Great deal and wonderfully versatile. You have to ask for the crusts, sauce, and cheese at the food court at the front.
Come Prepared
They don’t have sacks to put all of your goods in. You can use their boxes if you so desire. Use their boxes, bring some boxes or sacks of your own, but come with a plan otherwise you’ll be driving home with bottles rolling around the van.
Also be prepared for the bottom line on your receipt. This may seem like a no-brainer, but when you’ve bought a limited amount of varied items and you’re shelling out $200 you might be a tad bit shocked. (or not, it might just be me) But when you think how long it will be before you have to buy chocolate milk mix, diapers, jelly, and peanut butter and consequently how much that cuts off your regular grocery bill it will all even out.
Never bulk shopped? Wondering if it’s for you (whether you have a slew of kids or it’s just you)? The main thing to consider is whether you have the money up front. It will pay for itself to purchase the warehouse membership. And it will save you money in the long run. But there have been times I’ve had to pray for wisdom about whether I needed to invest my money wisely or just worry about my daily bread. Those seasons come and go for us. And they’re both right for us at different times.
Now it’s your turn. Do you shop in bulk? How do you do it? Tips or tricks? Or even just a great buy you like to get when you do it? Are you an extreme couponer? How do you do that and where do you store it? Please feel free to link up or just leave it in the comments. We love discussion! And be sure to stop by Kathi’s and Kristin’s to see their take on it.
