Frugal shopping question
I am wondering whether having a membership to a store such as Costco or Sam's Club, really can be cheaper than shopping at a regular grocery store? I've thought that maybe meat or fruit would be cheaper there, but we haven't gotten around to stopping by to find out. -ErinAnswers, thoughts, or feedback to Erin's question would be welcomed. I've wondered the same thing myself. From my price comparison, we would not save money by having a membership to Sam's Club, but I have not done a lot of research on this.
posted by Crystal Paine at 1:50 PM
25 Comments:
Thank you, Crystal. That was fast!! :-)
I've not done a lot of research into this, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. We did not save any money using them(Family of two, myself and husband.)
One thing we noticed was the larger quantity of an item we bought, the more of the item we ate. Ex: bag of pretzels, fruit snacks, frozen goods etc.
I don't know about bread, fruit, milk, eggs etc. For our habits, buying those items in large quantities would have been a waste.
My parents have a membership and they are a family of two now and they use it. We tag alomg with them to buy someting if we can get a great deal. That may be something to consider? Shopping with someone who has am membership and buying things. You can quickly figure out whether a membership works for your family.
There are some things I buy there that I save alot on, there is a couple things I buy there. One thing like tortillas that we use all the time and they are quite a bit cheaper there, or #10 cans of unsweetened applesauce for $2.50 or so which my baby uses instead of baby food and the boys like to eat for a healthy snack. I like to buy dried cranberries as they are $4.59 for 32 oz of dried cranberries. These are something only I eat and I eat a bit on my cereal so they last awhile. There are some other things I will buy there on occasion, but not all the time like cheese, lemon juice, rice, tomato puree (for spaghetti sauce)
What I have done because I buy so little it does not make it worth it to have my own membership, I go when my mom goes or my sister and it works fine. I think if we had a larger family I may use it more, but this is how I save money on those few things and yet, do not have to pay for the membership.
We have a membership to Sam's Club. Generally speaking, if they have a gas station, it will be worth the membership price for the price reduction of gas.
My family is just my husband and myself. We don't typically buy many groceries there. I buy chicken breasts and boneless, skinless thighs. They store in the freezer nicely. I also buy spaghetti sauce, noodles, butter, sometimes eggs.
Many food items actually cost more per unit, even though they come in a large quantity. So you have to know your prices, and shop wisely. You can't just assume that because it's there, it's going to be a better price than your local grocery store.
They have the best price on photo developing. If you send in your digital pictures via the internet, it only costs 11 cents per picture, which is the best price I've seen so far.
Sam's Club has good prices on named brand items, and their brand is good quality. The larger the family the more it's worth. They have really good produce. They may not be cheaper but they have good prices for superior products.
Lydia
I had a membership to Sam's when my daughter was a baby. It was worth it for the savings on diapers, wipes and formula. (I could not nurse her because she had Pierre Robin Sequence) Anyway, once she was off formula I let my membership expire. The cost of membership was no longer lustified. Some things were cheaper, but you needed to shop carefully. Now if I want, I can just go with my mom when I visit her.
I would recommend going with someone and comparing prices on what you buy to see of the membership cost is justified. Every family has different needs, so it might be worth it for you.
Kim N in WI
I've found that Sam's is THE place to buy cheese! We eat a lot of it and they are way cheaper on basics like parmesan amd cheddar. We sometimes buy things like pineapple, canned tomatoes, and pecans because they have good prices on those products. I buy peppercorns and vanilla in bulk there, but not other spices because they lose their flavor by the time I can use the whole container.
I don't think you save tons of money there, but there are some items (like cheese! :) that are definitely worth a monthly trip and the yearly cost of membership, at least for us. I've found that when I buy everything in bulk for our little family, I waste a lot. When we have more children, I will probably visit Sam's much more frequently!
My roommate while I was in university had a Cosco membership. We got some great deals. Not only could you buy things such as meat or frozen goods in bulk but milk was cheaper as was cheese and most other groceries. If you tend to buy in bulk I would think the membership would be worth it.
My roommate also bought a lot of books and DVDs there as they were much cheaper than anywhere else.
~Jenny
We are a family of 2, and I find the real value in the meat and cheese, as others have described. (Our membership is to Sam's). The cheese is really a bargain, if you use a lot of it. We use a lot of the more exotic cheeses for cooking (gorgonzola, goat, blue, brie, grueyere) and they are not affordable and not good quality at the regular grocery. Their meat is less expensive as well, but typically it's the price everyday that you can find it for at the regular grocery on sale, and buying it there and freezing it works out to be about the same, because we could never eat the quantity we'd buy at Sam's in order to keep it from going bad, without freezing it.
I also find pretty good deals on non-food items as well... jeans for my husband, holiday ribbon and gift wrap, etc.
Other than that, the quantity, whether it's chaper or not, usually is too much for us. I'd rather pay a little more, and not keep a fertilizer-sized sack of brown sugar on hand until our kids are in college. :)
Kathy
We happen to use disposable diapers and save a ton of money at our wholesale club. We are a large family, 8 of us to be exact, so buying in bulk is a must for us.
We save a lot on meat especially, when comparing the price to that of an average supermarket chain. However, there is a meat outlet in our area which can sometimes be cheaper on certain items, but they are competitive overall.
I save lot on dairy items as well.
I normally get our fruits and veggies at a discount grocery store, but when the quality is lacking I buy those items at our warehouse club as well.
Our membership costs us $40 annually, and it definitely pays for itself in our large family.
As a gift about 4 years ago, a client of my hubby's gave us a Costco membership. I was pregnant with my second child. It was great and I still have it now.
I don't think it is a big cost savings if you are a very small family, but with two children or more(with one or more in diapers) it is quite a deal on most things. I buy diapers, wipes, laundry soap, bulk meat, eggs, cereal...the list can go on. Some things I by on a weekly basis(eggs, cheese) and somethings I only by once a month or so. I find the best savings on meat and diapers.
I think it is worth it for my family, but don't be tempted by all the other goodies...then you end up burning up very needed dollars.
Like others, I found that the membership wasn't worth it when our family was small.
Now that we are a household of 9 (soon to be 10), the savings really add up: milk, eggs, and cheese make the deal worthwhile for us.
Meat can be a good buy; produce is competitively priced and good quality; and I'm finding that since I have to buy large quantities wherever I go, it's easier to buy 1 large item than 3 or 4 small even when it's not cheaper.
And somebody already mentioned gas: if it's convenient enough that you will actually use it, the gas station alone makes the membership worth the price.
One more note:
I believe both Sam's and Costco will let non-members in to "window shop." If you decide to make a purchase while you're there, the membership price will be added at checkout.
We are a family of 3--two adults and a baby.
I keep a price book and I've had a membership to Sam's for years. I buy laundry soap, dryer sheets, baby wipes and formula, (dis. diapers are cheaper at Wally), all my cheeses (like some of your other readers, we eat lots), pizza sauce, flour, sugar, milk, eggs, #10 cans of mixed fruit, and some things like that. I don't get produce, except for bananas there, we can't eat it fast enough. I save enough on laundry soap alone to justify the membership fee.
Check the per each or per ounce price before buying---you should do this at any store. With sales and coupons, sometimes a regular grocery store is better. I try to take the time before I go, check the Sam's website for the current prices and check sale papers. I don't get it at Sam's if I can get it cheaper elsewhere.
I bake and cook mainly from scratch, and we don't eat out much, so I do go thru flour and sugar more than some would.
I have an area of my house devoted to storing my "goodies". We live far enough out that we make it a once a month outing after work and go out to eat afterwards. ;-) I like having a full pantry, although it took a while to build it up. If you cannot eat a full #10 can of fruit or pizza sauce, it can be frozen in containers. I often go thru a whole pizza sauce when doing once a month cooking. Cheese can be shredded and frozen as well. I also buy the big boneless pork roasts and cut them into smaller roast and pork chops for the freezer. I buy the big 5 lb. bag of sliced pepperoni and freeze it in a Rubbermaid container. I just take out what we need.
My advise is to #1 invest in a freezer. #2 Shop carefully, and check prices. #3 Store your items so that they will not go bad before you can use them up. #4 Plan menus and buy accordingly--I have a menu set up where we eat a different dinner every night of the week. I rotate it around the next month. Some nights I make a double batch and freeze for the next time.
I love to save $$ and eat the highest quality foods I can afford. We budget around $250 for the month for all food, household supplies, and baby items. If there was an emergency, we could eat for a month or more on what we have at home. And we could get by with less if we had to econimize.
Hope this is helpful. God bless.
Our family (up until recently, five persons) has had a Business membership with Costco for about 7 years. We have always found their prices to be cheaper than grocery stores on most items. Often we have bought fresh fruit and produce in bulk there, and frozen it... the same with cheese, nuts, ravioli for quick dinners, and more.
We usually didn't buy dairy products, condiments, etc. there because we couldn't use it fast enough. But things like canned food or crackers can often be found in normal-size packaging, bundled together...so then you don't have a problem with stale food.
Now that there are three in our family, we are not buying as much food there, but still find great deals on electronics, appliances, and office equipment for our home business. We have always found the quality of their home furnishings, dishes, imports, and clothing to be exceptional , and that has been an added benefit for our membership. Often they have had shipments of quite gourmet food that we wouldn't usually buy, but when they get a single shipment like that, it is usually sold for a good price.
That's my long, late answer. Costco has been of value to our family, but it wouldn't necessarily be to everyone.
Kathryn made a good point - you can go to Sam's website and see what their prices are on items in your store. That is a really helpful way to price shop without having to go to the store!
Our local news station just did a story on this. They shopped at Sam's to see if you really ended up saving. They found that they spent MORE at Sam's versus just shopping at the regular grocery store. I have found that the best way to comparison shop is figure out the price per ounce (or whatever measure you need). I often get confused by the different sizes and quantities. I always take my calculator and figure out the price per ounce. At our grocery store they even put the price per ounce right on the tag (in really small print) so that helps. Sometimes I have noticed it is actually cheaper to buy 2 small containers instead of 1 big one (Peanut butter comes to mind). If you make a list like this then when you go to Sam's (using a free pass) you can determine if it will be beneficial to you.
Hey,
Has anyone heard of the Grocery Game? Its on the web if you go search for it. Not sure why she came up with that name but this lady has this site about shopping with coupons... I saw it on the news one evening and told my mom about it and she checked it out.
We are a large family (10) and so we as most large familys do go thru food. :-) My mom does shop at Sams and like many of you said gets best deals on cheese and MILK!! Well, along with that she now only shops coupons but this lady has the system set up where she tells you when a certain store has "close out" prices on things and when the best time to use your coupon is. Its amazing the discounts. I was very doubtfull when my mom first tried it. But its amazing how much money she has saved. And on top of that when something does go on sale or close out prices ( my mom tends to buy 3 newspapers to get that many coupons from them) She STOCKS up on whatever the item is! So we have TONS of food that we could live on in our pantry that I never rememeber having that much before. You know the week to week kind of pantry that you hear about from large familys...
Theres been some really neat things she has come across in doing this. We live in Texas and one of our major shopping chains is Heb. Well not alot of people know this but you can use manufacture coupons on top of insotre coupons and sometimes that goes on top of the ALREADY sale price! She typicaly saves 50% when doing this. I was amazed as I tracked her buying. :-) My mom loves finding what item she can get "free" now every week. :-P Anyways, look on the web if you are intrested. Its called The Grocery Game.
We're a family of two so I don't do all THAT much shopping at Costco, but I have found it makes sense to by some things there. I saved a FORTUNE on Christmas gifts there this year, for instance. You can can find good quality books for great prices, especially cookbooks. I was also able to save a good deal of money on computer software. My mom gets her prescriptions filled there and she saves a lot of money.
I found it helps to "go in on" a membership with someone. I have a membership with my mother, we split the cost of the yearly membership and shop together for the things we need (it's more fun that way too)! I will also take friends and other family members to Costco so they can stock up on things they need.
-Lisa
Hi Crystal!
I wanted to weigh in on this one.
Is it cheaper to buy at SAMS or Costcos? My own experience, with five children and a husband, two dogs, multiple cats....no.
My mom and her husband do shop there and they enjoy buying things like boneless chicken breasts that are individaully flash frozen and a lot of other convenience foods, but that is how they eat. We eat mostly from scratch.
I found that most of the Sam's or Costcos stuff was brand name groceries. Sure, if you are completely dedicated to specific brand, then it's cheaper. However, I have found that finding a bulk food source near me is actually far cheaper.
Here are some of the things I do:
I buy meat in bulk by asking a rural butcher shop about buying a side of beef. This was high quality, organically raised beef that came out to be about $2 a pound last time we got it. Anyway, buying MEAT at a meat market (instead of at Walmart or any other grocery store) is usually much cheaper and healthier, with better quality, in small or large quantites.
I buy my staples in bulk at a bulk food source run by the Mennonites near us. I store flour and other things in bakery buckets I get from a local bakery for $1 each. If you ask around, you may find a natural food source or bulk food source that will save you some big money.
I stock up on any canned, frozen, or other staple goods at the grocery store when they are on sale.
I use coupons for useable things, but I don't buy things that are not something I need anyway.
my husband wanted to add that Sam's has the best prices for fresh flowers :) i forgot we also buy olive oil there (we use lots, like cheese), and we would buy flour there if we had room to store a 20 lb. bag! :)
It depends on what it is.
Things like meat (especially ground beef) and cheese - I almost always buy it at Costco (we don't have a Sam's Club here) because it is much cheapter. Milk and eggs can vary. I load up on it when it's on sale at the grocery store, but often I run out of freezer space (and well, you can't freeze eggs LOL), so I run out before it goes on sale again. At those times (like right now!) I buy some at Costco because we need it.
Which brings me to another time when it's helpful: when you NEED something. I created a price book (actually it's a price spreadsheet LOL), and for "need items" I compare the price per unit. This HAS become better as our family has grown since we use the things faster. I use the Grocery Game, so I stockpile groceries when it's on sale, but there are some things we use that just never go on sale or I run out before they are on sale. Then I turn to Costco. :-)
We save a TON of money on gas. Our Costco membership would be worth it if gas is the only thing we ever bought!!!
I was not impressed with Sams. I went on a free day pass with my price book. I price things by the ounce or the pound, depending on the item.
Milk and eggs were fairly cheap, but not cheaper than what I use. My family uses only powdered milk, which costs about 1.36 a gallon when mixed up. I get 20 quart boxes at Aldi for 6.99- at Wal-Mart it is 8 dollars or so.
I don't buy eggs often- I use soy flour. One heaping Tablespoon + one tablespoon of water = one egg. This has worked in all recipies that I have used since starting doing this three years ago. In my area, eggs cost 1.20 a dozen. Soy flour cost 99 cents a pound. I use a pound of soy flour in about 4 months. I would not save anything on milk and eggs if I belonged to Sam's.
Sams has no store brands (or at least they did not when I went, about a year ago). My family uses almost all store brands, or loss leader sales on meats and name brand items. I found that almost nothing was cheaper than my store brand stuff, and meat and cheese was not any cheaper than the loss leader times in the grocery store. I practice the pantry principle, and only shop to replensih my pantry.
I stock up when things go on sale as a loss leader item and freeze the perishable stuff. (Loss Leader= the stores take a loss to get you in the store- the trick is to only buy the loss leader stuff.)
I keep a list of the highest price I'll pay per ounce for any item, and stock up when a store advertises that price. For example, I won't pay more than 4 cents an ounce for cold cereal. It can be done, when you combine double coupons with loss leader sales- I recently stocked up on Malt-O-Meal brand cereal for .75 cents a bag, or one cent an ounce.
So if you're really attached to name brands, or have a very large family and actually need to buy huge packs of things, it can be worth the price- but there are many other ways to save money without paying a membership fee.
My husband and I selectively shop at Costco - about once a month. We've learned the hard way not to buy fresh foods - we just can't use them up in time. Mainly we buy meats.
While I'm sure the regular store's SALES would be cheaper on half of the things we buy at Costco, I've found that they're not as good quality (more fat or junk in them) and they don't taste as good.
Some deals that people haven't mentioned: Kirkland Signature Men's Jeans at $12.99. It's the only jeans my husband wears now. He's had 2 pairs for over a year and no rips or holes! I just wish they had a girl's version of jeans at the price!
Fish. We really enjoy Costco's boneless wild halibut fish at $8.99 a pound. Well, Costco isn't able to carry it all the time and we looked at our local grocery store for some halibut and they wanted $12.99 a pound, with bones! Eww.
I'm pretty good about knowing the price tag of items and I'm almost always within $10 of my planned spending range.
Oh yeah, that's the other thing... KNOW what you're gonna get! Don't wander up and down the rows buying what appeals to you. Say "I'm buying this and that" and only buy those.
Wow! What excellent thoughts -- from all sides of the spectrum! Thanks for sharing!
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