Today has been one of those days where I’ve felt like I needed to run to the computer and type, “INTERNETS, HELP ME!” about five different times.
No kidding: something seems to have come undone in my brain over the last couple of weeks in terms of taking care of household business that is normally pretty effortless for me (see: stocking the pantry, shopping for toiletries, making sure we have plenty of detergent, etc.).
Lately I find myself in a constant state of “oh, I forgot such-and-such,” even though I go to the store armed with a list. Even though I keep a magnetized notepad on the refrigerator so I can jot down a note when we run out of something. Even though I’m a fairly organized person.
But y’all, I feel like I’m running back to the grocery store ALL THE TIME. And when I got home from the store this afternoon, I realized that I still needed to buy toilet paper AND peanut butter AND Pop Tarts AND cream of mushroom soup AND wasp spray (which will not be used in the preparation or presentation of any particular meal), and how in the world could we be out of any of those things because OH MY WORD DIDN’T I JUST BUY THEM?
So after some serious overthinking, I’ve determined that the time has come to call in the Big Boys. The time has come to let go of my why-would-anyone-want-a-case-of-brownie-mix mentality. The time has come to indoctrinate myself in the Costco culture, and trust me when I tell you that I wish I were kidding.
Honestly, I’ve never thought it was that much cheaper to buy the larger sizes or to buy in bulk. But now I’m starting to believe that the people who buy in bulk are buying it because they need every last bit of what they buy, and oh sweet mercy if buying 400 rolls of paper towels will keep me from having to buy a two-pack every single week for the rest of my life, then sign me up because I think I’m way past ready. I’m just tired of what feels like constant re-stocking.
So tell me, oh wise ones: do you shop for your family at one of the big discount clubs? Sam’s and Costco are the ones we have in this neck of the woods, though I know there are different ones all over the country (and Canada! I certainly don’t want to leave out Canada!). And if you do shop at a discount club, here are my questions:
1. Do you buy all your groceries there? Or just a select few items?
2. What do you think are the best Sam’s / Costco deals? For example, if I only wanted to spend $100 of our grocery money there every month, how could I get the most bang for my buck?
3. Is it even worth it to join? Or would I do just as well to buy the bigger quantities at, say, Walmart?
And then one last thing:
I’ve really slacked off in the last six months in terms of planning my menus in advance, and I think that’s yet another reason why my grocery shopping feels so disjointed. So if you’re a consistent menu planner, how far in advance do you plan? And do you have any sort of “system” for your planning (a calendar, an online helper, etc.)?
I can’t wait to read your comments because I’m hoping that they will make the crazy go away, and my, what a happy day it will be.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Y’all rocketh (and rolleth, to boot).
I buy stuff I use on a daily basis at bulk at Costco to avoid running to the store every other day. I buy fresh stuff at local grocery stores to have, you know, the “freshness”. I spend about $200 per month to month & half average at Costco. Minus less time, gas and kids-related stress running to local groceries, I think I save some dough and sanity.
Boo ~
With just 3 of us, I don’t shop @ clubs…but, we don’t have one in a 40 mile radius! I’ve started looking at the Food Lion circular on-line. You can make (& print) a shopping list! I try to base my menus on what’s on sale that week. (I plan ahead for next week on the weekend) I created a menu category on my Palm, so I can create my shopping list from that (my Palm also has a shopping program!) It’s WONDERFUL! Also, we have a weekly dry-erase calendar on our fridge, and I write the menus on it so that hubby & daughter know what to expect.
If you want more info on the Palm, email me. I don’t want to hijack the blog…but hopefully these are good tips for you & everyone reading.
~Melissa
Sigh. My brain SO doesn’t work that way. I am clueless in a grocery store…clueless in a kitchen…clueless when trying to plan a meal or cook…it’s very, very sad. The world would be a much better place if I never ever entered the kitchen. Something bad always happens when I’m in there… And grocery shopping….oy! It’s SO overwhelming!! Hubby does 99% of it, thank goodness. I swear I hyperventilate when I’m in there and become totally brain dead. (did you know you have to UNLOAD the cart of the food and place it onto the belt before pushing the cart all the way thru and looking expectantly at the cashier, wallet in hand?? Yes, THAT’S how bad I am…..) ANYway, I just wanted to say I am in awe of your culinary abilities, especially your abilities to cook large quanties for large crowds, and your menu planning and shopping. HUGE props to you. As for warehouses, I can tell you that my husband does not shop them. He finds them annoying and it’s hard to STORE those large tubs and boxes and you can only find a few varieties of brands and such. Basically he grocery shops three times a week so you wouldn’t like his method. Good luck wading thru this very foreign shopping/planning/cooking concept….:o)
Funny you should ask…I just (today) spent too much money at my Costco and my local grocery chain. I’d been avoiding the trip for — well — a week or 10!
That sounded like a Boomama-ism, didn’t it?
The very best thing I have found about my Costco is the QUALITY of their fruit and vegetable selection. We actually end up spending more $$ belonging to Costco, but we’re all eating better.
I like it!
I buy the things that won’t ruin if we don’t eat it all,etc. Like they have frozen Dino nuggets..I get them everytime. Their chicken breasts, filets, etc are great quality for the price (letting you know that since we would be going to the same one)
It’s well worth it to join. My MIL and I share a membership and she just upgraded us to the Executive (Costco) b/c you get money back at the end of the year based on what you spend. And between us, we spend well over 500.00 month. If you don’t get back the price of the membership, you get the next year free.
That being said, Costco is MUCH better than Sams. To me, a little more “upscale” with the quality, etc. My MIL has a lifetime membership to Sams and never uses it if that tells you anything!
I buy my Tide detergent there. It’s 25.00 for 3 times the size you get for 18.00 at Walmart. I buy my dish/dishwasher detergent, garbage bags, plastic ups, cleaners, wipes, shampoo even sometimes. I love Costco!! :D
Any more questions about it I’ll be glad to help!
I forgot to add that as far as a planner, etc…I love mine. You can read about it and check it out on this post from my blog.
http://swtbamamamaof2.blogspot.com/2007/02/works-for-me-wednesday_27.html
Costco is the one that we’ve had a membership at, but we haven’t gone in several months.
One thing we always bought there was frozen convenience food. Although it’s more expensive than scratch cooking, it’s still cheaper than eating out. We also bought breakfast bars, canned fruit and veggies, boxes of single serving snacks.
Things like ketchup, salsa, etc., you have to be careful, cause they may be too big to fit nicely in the fridge.
Oh yeah, and they have great coupon deals where you get butt loads of Clorox Wipes with free Lysol Spray or toilet cleaner or something.
So good luck with the decision making.
Seeing as my husband and I are “empty nesters” now…we STILL shop at Costco. We’re on the every-other-week plan…and we also have an EXECUTIVE membership and we DO get money back! We buy all our bread, cereals, canned goods, paper products and most all of our fruit (but not all our vegetables…and sometimes some clothes…and Oprah’s magazine…and I love to check out the books cause the prices you can’t beat! We don’t have Sams here…but back in Dallas where my mom lives, they have Sams…and I MUCH prefer Costco. Plus their gas is cheaper..and seeing as gas is $3.29 a gallon for REGULAR at the neighborhood gas stations…need I say more?
We make a Sam’s run about every six weeks or so. Here are the items that we always and only get at Sam’s:
Dog Food
Bottled Drinks (Gatorade, Water, etc)
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Dishwasher Detergent
Laundry Detergent
Alex is probably too old for this, but it might be good for future reference: DIAPERS. Sweet Mercy, it is amazing how much cheaper they are in bulk.
Advice for Sam’s shopping: Go with a list, and try to stick to it. If you know you won’t stick to it, then set a limit for ‘non-list spending’ (i.e. “I will only spend $50 on items not on my list”). Some bulk buying is learning by trial and error, but after a few months you will have a good idea of what is your best deal, and what you really don’t need that much of. Happy Shopping!
Hello, dear lady! Emerging from Lurkdom (how I enjoy your blog!) to tell you about http://savingdinner.com. You must check it out. There are sample menus you can print out, so let us all know what you think! Highly recommended.
You are a joy. How’s your hair lately?
I’m not exactly Julia Childs (or BooMama, the southern chef) and I don’t cook a lot, but I have two teenage boys who are eating us out of house and home. As a result, I had gotten into the HABIT (key word here) of going to the grocery store almost EVERY SINGLE DAY. It was so time consuming and expensive. It was also so frustrating that I was pulling out my (color-enhanced) hair. I made a New Year’s Resolution to STOP IT.
I have tried the Sam’s route in the past, but it didn’t work for me. It took a good bit of extra time, as well as storage. I have a huge fridge and decent storage, and I was still trying to find places for just 25 more rolls of paper towels. It was like, “Hey, would someone please go out to Daddy’s toolbox and get the jumbo bag-o-cotton balls?” PLUS, and this was the worst, I STILL had to go to the grocery store.
I finally realized that for me it’s all about two things: A PLAN and the One/One rule. Each week, I make the list and then only allow myself to go to ONE STORE, ONE TIME. In a little over two months, it has worked out great. I buy tons of stuff on that weekly trip. I also wait to shop either on a Saturday or Sunday, so that my husband or the boys can UNLOAD ALL the stuff for me – that is a big help!
The key for me has been that I only go to one store – not one for food, like a grocery, and then one, like a Target, for paper goods. Nuh uh. Too time consuming. And while I might be paying a little more, it’s worth it! Planning a week ahead, and only going once, to one store, is doable and makes all the difference for me. Good luck and HAPPY non-shopping!
you are so funny with this
“oh sweet mercy if buying 400 rolls of paper towels will keep me from having to buy a two-pack every single week for the rest of my life, then sign me up because I think I’m way past ready. I’m just tired of what feels like constant re-stocking.”
i always thought the sams thing was nuts because if i went in there i would spend so much money BUT you are right with the above..i bought a huge thing of paper towels in early january..i tell you they lasted two months..it was awesome to walk by the aisle and say “dont need them..” i just wish the milk man still delivered (and would bring apple juice too!)
We buy all diapers and wipes and stuff like that, plus kid snacks like fruit snacks and granola bars. Oh, and salads, and quick freezer entrees like potstickers.
For menu planning, check out Quick Fix Meals by Robin Miller at Food Network (I’d leave a link, but I don’t think I can). She re-uses ingredients so that you get like three meals and only prep once. It’s such a great time-saver!
Oh dear me. I can’t believe you aren’t already a member of Costco. How do you feed and toilet paper your family??
Seriously, I am a total Costco evangelist. I shop there first for several reasons…
1-Their produce is beautiful! We eat a ton of salads. Their apples are always crisp and delish, and you can’t beat 3 pounds of banannas for $1.20.
2-Yes, I agree with you. The savings aren’t always what one would hope for, but if I buy the 9 pack of 1-pound pasta, I won’t have to buy it for a couple of months…If I buy the industrial size package of TP I won’t have to buy it for 4 months or so. So, once again you’re right I shop there also out of laziness
3-Costco has THE coolest stuff. Socks, bubble blowers, toys, flowers and more! All of it is of impecible quality to boot.
4-If the quality isn’t what you expected, or you simply don’t like it, Costco has THE best return policy I’ve ever seen. I can’t tell you the number of things we’ve returned simply because we didn’t like it. My husband had a client that returned a 4 year old cash register because he never used it. They took it back with no questions. Can’t beat that.
I have more points, but these should give you enough to chew on.
Take care!
Oh Costco! I could not live without it! I buy most of my staples there, milk, eggs, cheese, toilet paper, paper towels, frozen chicken breasts, and other cuts of meat. Seriously, they have the greatest pork chops. I spend quite a bit of money there, but I am trying to feed eight people. I seldom buy produce there, our Costco doesn’t have great produce. I also like to buy crackers there. It works for all the people we have running in and out of our house. I have to go with a list, with the stipulation that I can buy one book and one movie there. But that is it! Except for when they have great clothes there, or a cute little dress for my youngest daughter. But no more! Unless they have those great pillows there, or those big bath sheets. Ahhh, you know how it is. Just keep your eyes averted.
Well, I might be a bit biased here but it’s Costco all the way for me! (Doesn’t hurt that my DH is in management there LOL) Even if it wasn’t in the family, I would and did shop there and thank you for remembering the Canada Costco’s LOL. I agree with others, in that you have to plan ahead before you go or you could spend more than you’d like. I can’t tell you how often my DH calls before he comes home and asks if I need anything (I know you’re thinking what a nice DH, to help me out.. but really he’s just trying to keep me out of there so I won’t spend more money! LOL) As for what I buy, when I am allowed to go there heh, I love their produce, and I find here the meat is the best in town. I like buying the large cuts of meat because I divide them up into portions and freeze. This not only saves me quite a bit of money, but it also helps me plan out meals and have something in the freezer to pull out if needed. I buy all my cleaning supplies and paper products there, as well as breads (I put extras in the freezer as well), cereals and pantry items. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea LOL.
About meal planning, I am hit and miss on this, but I subscribe to Saving Dinner (savingdinner.com) like someone mentioned above, and I like having the menu and grocery list all ready to go. I am working on my organizational skills this year, so I hope to get better at the planning stuff. My mama always said “Practice makes Perfect”, someday it has to sink in, right? LOL
Just one last note, I wanted to mention that I love reading your blog, it’s at the top of my favorite list, I rarely post because I don’t have many interesting things say, but wanted you to know I enjoy my visits and I always leave here with a smile on my face, God bless you!
N/A.
I shop at the Mapco, BP, or Walgreens. :)
xo,
I buy all of my meat, bread, pancake mix, peanut butter, laundry detergent, cleaners, etc. at Sams club. I go to the farmers market once a week and buy fresh fruit. I go to the market for things I really don’t need in bulk like soups, cereals (they don’t carry the kind the kids like at Sams). I generally shop the sales at the market. I plan a menu for 2 weeks and try not to go to the store more than once a week otherwise I spend way to much money.
I miss Costco. I miss the big giant cart that I could fill with soft TP and giant rolls of Bounty. And 3 packs of tortillas (put 1 in the fridge and wrap/freeze other packs for later use) with giant bags of grated Colby/Jack. And the occasional DVD for $2-$7 less than elsewhere or Giant glitter glue packs for kids for a low, low price. Now (in Switz) I go to the grocery about 4 times a week – the bread is all fresh so while it tastes great it is not tasty after the 48 hr period, the “longer” lasting bread already tastes dry when you get it, I weigh my own fruit/veggies, I bag my own stuff, I bring my own bags or have to buy them at the store, I search for Charmin (while not sandpaper, the reg. Euro TP is not very soft and kind) and buy small rolls of Bounty for twice the price. I miss Costco.
And if any of you are menu planners, please, by all means e-mail me your plans. I don’t care what it is. I’ll cook it and make them eat it. I don’t mind cooking. I despise “figurin’ it out.”
It is an act of congress just to GET to my sams, so when i do get there it is mostly diapers and wipes. To save TIME, Sams has Click-N-Pull online. Shop online the day before and pick up the next. Now this only works when you know what you want and can restrain yourself from “just looking”. (and with my 5 children and the “mommy can we get this” I am one for IN AND OUT.
Menu planning is tricky. Ask your family what they like to eat, make a list, print a 5 week blank calander, fill in what they like for one month, and mix it up from there out. Your family will think you are a genius. Use your menu to shop from each week for the fresh stuff and whenever works for you for the dry things.
COME ON NOW !!!
:)
We go to BJ’s – but it’s essentially the same as Costco and Sam’s. It is definitely worth the membership fee. I do my “major” food shopping every other week with a trip to BJ’s and Giant (local supermarket). In between I have to go and stock up on essentials (milk, bread, etc) but those trips are quick and painless.
Yes, this does require planning meal-wise. Since October I have been doing meal planning that follows the “once-a-month” cooking method but the meals end up lasting me about 3 months because of leftovers, scheduling, etc.
If you are interested, here are three recent posts related to this topic (the second one has links to some great sites:
http://thecampbellcorner.blogspot.com/2007/01/i-am-not-martha-stewart-or-rachael-ray.html
http://thecampbellcorner.blogspot.com/2007/01/cooking-in-bulk.html
http://thecampbellcorner.blogspot.com/2007/01/more-cooking-goodness.html
Oh, and we are a family of 4.
No Costco for me– not enough storage.
Plan meals for the whole week right after church, have marital nap with hubby, go to grocery store.
Train kids to write what they need on grocery list on fridge.
I don’t buy most of my stuff at wholesale places. I have a family of five and it seems expensive. I can buy 3 boxes of cereal cheaper at walmart than I can buy one package of 3 boxes at Sam’s Club.
Sometimes I like to buy specific items, like specials they have on meat, and then repackage and freeze them in smaller quantities. I also keep an eye on their clothing racks for deals.
Meal Planning: I shop Saturday AM. I plan then. Monday is Ground beef night (I pull Ground Beef out of the freezer and decided what to make later in the day) Ground Beef night dished tend to be Meatloaf, Salisbury Steak or sloppy Joes. Tuesday is Chicken Night – Usually some sort of Chicken breasts with rice or pasta; Wednesday is often Pasta night and Thursday is red meat night – Beef or pork. Friday’s during lent is fish, pizza other times of the year. Sat and Sun I make the decision as I go.
As for shopping, I don’t do warehouse clubs But I buy from our School’s MArket Day fund raiser program. I buy a month’s worth of Ground beef chubs (1 lb). I buy boneles chicken breasts, frozen veggies and frozen breadsticks. Since I work outsides the home, having stuff I can grab out of the freezer when I am cleaning up from dinner for the next night (or the morning of) helps me.
Well, Boo, we are members at the Sam’s Club. I have to take care of a family of six, which requires lots of paper products. I do not buy all of my groceries there; just the stuff that we need a lot of. I do buy canned vegetables there, though. There’s nothing like that tub of cookie dough, either.
I write out my meal plan for Monday thru Friday. Our weekends are usually busy and we eat out. I usually plan something special for Sunday lunch, though.
We belong to Sam’s about an hour away, so we don’t get there too often. We buy coffee beans there – best price compared to all of our options. Also TP (Charmin Ultra), paper towels (generic), water bottles (which last me several months), bread (Healthy Choice 7 Grain) which I freeze at home, fruit (best prices bar none), boneless chicken breasts, sometimes cheese. We don’t buy much pre-made, processed food. Milk is cheaper there than our grocery store. Eggs are not. A lot of the basics really are good deals – but yes you get a massive amount all at once. You do have to be careful. Not EVERYthing is a deal. And just because it’s a deal doesn’t mean you really need it, either! Also Cascade dishwasher tabs and Clorox wipes are cheaper there, along with a few other cleaners. There are a few other things we get on occasion. We have an extremely limited budget or I’d purchase more! It’s definitely been worth the membership fee for us. But you do have to plan ahead for the cost.
We found that Sam’s/Costco wasn’t worth the members fee ($40-50) and that often the prices aren’t any better than what we could find at a regular store’s sale. Plus, we found that we couldn’t always use everything before it went stale/bad.
That being said, we do beg from our friends to go occasionally to get a couple of items such as coffee(!), tang, fruit snacks and salmon (when it’s on sale). Those prices can’t be beat anywhere!
As for meal planning, I used to do this as well, but I’m out of the loop. It was much easier to stick to that routine when we were only paid once a month. Now, working outside the home, I generally can only plan out a couple of days in advance, but I have held myself to using things we already have. That helps in clearing out of food and in making creative meals.
p.s. It’s really 12 2-ply paper towel rolls. I can’t remember the price, but I’m thinking around $9.
Yes, friend, I shop at the Sam’s in Hoover. I buy mostly staples…toilet paper (they do come in packages of less that 400!), paper towels, dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, fabric softener, peanut butter, and a few others. These are the things I find to be cheaper than Walmart, and I find that it depends on the brand that you buy as to whether or not it’s cheaper than Walmart. The only problem I have is where to store all the paper products. I end up with the big package in the basement, and have the kids bring me 3 rolls of paper towels at a time or one of the smaller packages of toilet paper at a time. I also buy snack foods (Cheetos, peanut butter crackers, etc) depending on what my budget allows that week. Yes, I go weekly, but you know some things are gonna last longer than a week. I have to go once a week to get milk. It’s WAAAAAAY cheaper than any other store I’ve found and my family drinks about 4-5 gallons a week. There are five of us. Bottled water tends to be about the same as Walmart. The rest of the stuff at Sam’s tends to be for catering or restaurants (what family needs a #10 can of baked beans for dinner??)
P.S. Are you pregnant? The beginning of your post sounds sort of like the brain numbing we go through during pregnancy.
Just wondering!
Boomama- I have been a fan for a long time and finally leaving a comment only because I feel like I have something worthwhile to say.
First of all, we shop at Sam’s about once a month (but I would so be at Costco if we had one!). Since there are only three of us to feed right now I don’t buy a ton there, but what I do get saves me cash. We stock up on chicken breasts, ground beef, granola bars, canned tomatoes, bottled water, spaghetti sauce and I also buy some veggies there if I know I am going to use them up.
As for menu planning, I have just recently gotten into a good groove with it that really works for us. I made a running list of all the meals that we like on our computer. I have a calendar on the fridge and once a week I sit down and fill in each night pulling from the master list and stuff I have come across in magazines or online. The list helps me because sometimes I just totally draw a blank about what we even like. I then plan my grocery list accordingly and we generally eat well all week! Works for me!
My two cents-
We have a small family, and shopping at Costco never really panned out financially for us. However, I did keep my membership for paper goods, as had been mentioned, as they are cheaper and will save you money and sanity. When my son was younger, it was also so much cheaper to buy diapers in bulk there, so I kept up my membership, and probably went there oh, about 3 times a year. (More, obviously, when I was changing diapers).
Now, we live over a half an hour away from a Costco, and I just can’t get excited about going there. I get my stuff and Walmart, and my fresh groceries either at Walmart or another store close to us.
If you have a big family, then Costco can definitely save you money. If you don’t, well, you really have to look at how much you are spending other places before you want to invest.
Meal planning–I only plan 5 days in advance, and only right before I go to the store, when I find the time. (Yes, that means that often I am planning the meals in the parking lot before I enter the store). I don’t do this all of the time, but when I do, boy does it save us money, time, and sanity. I also bought a white board to hang in my pantry to write everything down, as sometimes (yes, I’m that lame) I forget what I’ve planned and end up staring blankly into the fridge. The white board has helped, and 5 days almost always turns into 7 or 8 days with leftovers. When we remember to eat them, that is.
Good luck!
1. We buy select things at Sam’s — have never tried Costco’s, though we do have one of those here now.
2. The things we tend to buy at Sam’s are cases of canned green beans (because my father thinks he has to have those for at least one meal of every day), canned corn, canned chicken breast, canned tomatoes, big bags of walnuts, almonds, and raisins, and bags of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, salmon, breaded flounder, and tilapia. Yes, we DO eat a lot of fish at our house. ;) There may be a few other things we get there, but those are the staples. Oh, and occasionally we’ll buy a rotisserie chicken because Sam’s DOES in fat do the best ones. The bakery there also has any other store’s bakery beat when it comes to birthday cakes, too.
I have nothing to contribute, but thanks for asking the questions–I had the same ones. We are a family of 6 and after returning home from a $200 shopping trip this weekend (which will last just over a week) I am thinking there has got to be a better way. Even if we don’t save money, I would like to not have to spend so much time in the grocery store. We are considering making the move to warehouse shopping too.
Here are my thoughts. I’ll try to make this quick. (And keep in mind that I’m writing from Canada)
1. Storage space in your home (esp. kitchen) is important to consider.
2. Are you a brand-name-kind of gal? Or do you like store brands? If you’re willing to go with store brands, I think sometimes other stores can be cheaper than Costco, but for name brand stuff, they’re tough to beat.
3. Be prepared that it has been proven to be impossible to enter Costco, (intending to buy just one package of weiners,nothing else) and to leave with spending less than $250. Trust me – it’s impossible. Don’t try. You’ll frustrate yourself.
4. Where the savings really comes into play is in their sales. Not sure if it’s like this down in the States, but the Costcos here have terrific coupons!
That’s it for me. I have 5 kids and I share my membership with my Mom, so it only costs me $25/yr.
Happy Shopping!!!!
Chris
Good Morning,
Funny you should ask, we are off to Costco this morning as it is a rare day we have the car, and we need chicken breasts.
Where I live it is hard to get good deals on boneless skinless chicken breasts, sirloin steak, and NY Steak (a rare BBQ treat), so I buy that and my ground beef there all the time and just repkg it.
I will be honest, if there is a good sale and coupons somewhere else you can get a better price, but it usually has to be a good sale.
I can do better at costco on items like the above mentioned and some other meats and the following:
– lots of fruits and veggies (even though there is a local Henry’s Marketplace)
– breads
– canned goods – there regular price is often better than a good sale with coupons.
– books
– Clothing – the carry a small selection of Carters at prices that are better than the local Carter’s outlet store!
– toiletries
– cleaning products
– baking products – if you make bread this is the place to buy active yeast.
We usually go once a month, but right now as our house is on the market we go a bit more because I am trying not to buy too far ahead.
I find the big trick is to first get a handle on the prices on your area if that is your key concern, then make a list and stick to it. Costco has lots of good stuff, and it is really tempting to buy extras. But I have gotten great deals on gifts there too.
Mrs. Pear
I LOVE Costco (that’s what we have in the Pacific NW.) I’ve gone through my lazy spells of not wanting to do major shopping, but I always end up paying for it because I spend so much buying more at the supermarket.
At Costco I usually buy the Lysol wipes, laundry soap, cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, vitamins, juice, milk, some meat and fruits every month.
We love Costco!!
I actually need to make a Sam’s run. Thanks for the reminder. I would suggest finding a friend who belongs to each store and getting her to let you go with her to check it out. (They’ll let you come in with her, but they won’t let you buy anything without a card.) I get things like batteries, frozen convenience foods, cheese, produce, and meat. Our Sams has great produce and meat departments. They also have some really cute brand name kids clothes at great prices. And around Christmas, they carry Godiva dark chocolate covered pretzels. These are fabulous and I would become a member just for those. They’re THAT GOOD!
38 comments already? You certainly don’t need my help, LOL!!! But here’s my past experience. We used to belong to a Sam’s club.
1.) Be wary! SOME prices are great, and SOME are just Big Bags with proportionally Big Prices. Know your price per pound (or ounce, or whatever) for your normal “good sale price” before you assume it’s better when it’s bigger.
2.) Be wary! SOME prices are great, but you’ll just eat MORE ~ chips and cookies and things like that you might just find (unless you’re more disciplined than my family) you’re still eating a bag a week, but suddenly it’s a much bigger bag. So the savings in $$ costs a lot on the *scale* …
3.) don’t be tricked into buying something big just because it’s big and cool (atomic fireballs! yeah!) … I mean, consider for a moment, do you really want/need that giant jar of pickles, if you’re not really a pickle-eating family?
I go to Costco for the same things others mentioned…paper towels, toilet paper, baby wipes, laundry detergent, etc… I hate to admit that I’m a little picky about using non-brand name items, but I do love the Costco brand:
paper towels
toilet paper (but each roll is wrapped and since I like them stored unwrapped, my 4 year-old is in charge of unwrapping them all. It’s great fun.)
baby wipes (the perfect blend of Pampers and Huggies wipes)
free-and-clear laundry detergent
dishwashing detergent
I also buy a bag of frozen chicken breasts, they are natural without some of the junk you sometimes get when you buy frozen meat. I’m all out, so I cannot tell you the brand, but they’re great when I need to boil chicken for chicken and dumplings or chicken salad or anything else with shredded chicken. Just take them out of the bag and pop them in the pan of water.
Lastly, I use the Costco pharmacy. It’s the cheapest by far. The downside is that there’s no drive-thru, but we have to buy a few medicines each month, so the savings for us is huge.
It’s our fun tradition when we go to Costco to have pizza for lunch, it’s pretty good!
Boomama, I just have to say I love reading your comments almost as much as I love reading your blog. The “marital nap” was priceless! Thanks for the great menu planning ideas, and I must say I am tempted to shop at Sam’s more often — at least for toilet paper, laundry soap and paper towels.
TaunaLen
Ok, here’s my lowdown on Costco/Sam’s Club shopping: 1) I buy things I use up constantly and never seem to have enough of (i.e., toilet paper, Ziploc baggies, garbage bags, chocolate, etc.); 2) I always think, “Am I going to be sick of this before it runs out?” (i.e., 6,000 boxes of mac and cheese, 4,500 Bagel Bites pizzas, 45 lbs. of pretzels, etc.); 3) Is this really a bargain, or am I being duped (i.e., a box of 5 bags of brownie mix for 6.98 when it’s on sale at Winco for 98 cents a box) 4) I keep it to 125.00 per trip, so I can still run to the local grocery chain and stock up on fresh produce and meat…
In a nutshell, Costco/Sam’s Club are great, if you only buy what you’ll use, and stock up on what you’re always out of…with the occasional treat or two…
Hope that helps…feels clear as mud for me…and I forgot to buy peanut butter…off to get the 100 lb. jar at Sam’s……….wonder if I should get the 2 pack of 25 lb. jelly as well….and the twin pack of bread….hmmmm…better grab the 4 pack of milk….
I make my Sams run once a month. I like Costco better, but Sams is the better value (cheaper prices on the same things…costco is a bit “higher end”)
I have 5 in my family so it is a good way to buy our groceries. Once a month I go and stock up on what we need. Then the other 3-4 weeks in the month I go to the local grocery for what we need like fresh produce and milk. The bulk of my monthly shopping is at Sams.
Granted, that means I spend alot once a month when I’m there, but overall it is a better deal for us.
I get only the good deals. FYI, and you know this, not everything at the sams/costco is a better deal, even in bulk. You need to keep a list of prices from your local grocery/and/or shopping place so you know what the standard price is.
In the end, produce, milk, dairy products, cereal, flour, sugar, cooking spices, and the SAMS brand of cleaning supplies/paper products are the best deals.
For instance, we love boursin cheese. You pay about $4-5 a box in the grocery store. At sams you can get a 3 pack for $6.99.
Huge deal! :)
Oh, I LOVE Costco. Love it! (did I say I love it?). There are certain items that I buy there and that are a good deal, but no, everything is not a good deal just because it’s there. For example, if you buy the store brand of canned veggies, they will be higher there. I go about every two weeks and there are things that I always buy when I am there: milk (because it’s so high here in New England, I save 1.50 a gallon right here), half and half, lunch meat, grape tomatoes, romaine lettuce, Kirkland’s best whole bean coffee, and KB liquid dish detergent, Lipton tea bags, and bananas, and yes Skippy PB (to give you an idea, you get two 48 oz jars for less than $7). All the fruit and meat is great quality, but not always cheaper. Some of the clothes are great bargains, too, and especially around the holidays they have great gift items. I try to stay away from the book aisle, but honestly, what I do buy there, I save a couple of bucks on, even over online prices.
Okay, the last sell I have for you is that you can get a 1/4 lb kosher beef hot dog AND a diet coke for $1.50. You can get a giant slice of pizza for 1.99. Both of my kids have always known that a trip to Costco included lunch.
I recommend that you tag along with a friend to each of the stores (you can get in with their card and they can either buy your items, or you can pay cash for your own). Decide which, if any, you like and if it’s worth it.
This is how I do things for my fam of five:
1. I menu plan every Sunday night, but only for a week at a time, not for the whole month. It only takes me about an hour, and I write the meals right in my daily planner so that I can coordinate the prep with what I’ve got going on that day, eg: My son has speech therapy on Thursday and we are gone for most of the morning and afternoon, so I know that Thursdays are great crockpot days.
2. I go to the “regular” grocery store once a week and buy fresh fruits and veggies, and any other food we need (fresh, frozen, or canned)
3. Once a month (or even once every other month), I go to a warehouse club for all the other stuff like: paper towels, toilet paper, diapers, cleansers, envelopes, computer paper, soda, etc. I have the cheapest level of membership (about $30 per year) and my club accepts coupons, so I actually save quite a bit of money over the course of a year. I also save gas and precious time, plus I hate to drag the kids through the store every other day. I haven’t bought paper goods or things like that at the grocery store for years (except in emergencies).
Hope this helps and good luck!
Reason #47 to shop at Costco and buy the 2,310 oz bottle of Tide detergent:
Toning your chicken-flap triceps every time you lift that bottle to do a load of wash!
I have a family of 3, and I couldn’t live without Sam’s. I live out in the country, so I am more apt to buy things in bulk for the simple reason that I can’t just run to a store for anything. Now, to answer your questions…
1. I buy things like toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent (I like using the little spigot on the bottle so I don’t have to lift the heavy bottle all the time), Bounce, canned ravioli, frozen chicken breasts and a few frozen entrees. These are staples at my house. Also, ibuprofen and sunscreen.
2. Toilet paper and paper towels are worth their weight in gold, if you ask me. If you have the space to store things you buy in bulk, shop on – anything that saves you several smaller trips to the store is worth it.
3. The bulk packaging is much easier to handle than buying several things at Walmart. I don’t know about pricing. If you tried to buy in bulk at Walmart, your buggy would get full awful fast. Sam’s has big buggies.
I’m a big fan of Costco with the opinion that Sam’s Club is the same stuff Wal-mart sells, just bigger sizes. If you don’t want to be a slave to grocery store sales and coupons, Costco is worth it; although I have a hubby, 3 kids, a grandma and a Doberman to feed. I’m not sure if I didn’t have that many people eating chicken tenders and bananas it would be worth it! We get the “Executive” membership and usually get a rebate check back for about $60-$70 each year along with all the other perks. Plus…they carry Cheesecake Factory cheesecakes, need I say more?
I plan my meals a month in advance, but I sometimes break it down into two weeks at a time. This month I checked out a Rachael Ray cookbook from the library and tried some of those recipes throughout the month. It’s been fun, so I might do that more often. I had no idea how many cookbooks our library had!
I love Sam’s, and I used to go there every month, but I now go about onces every 3 months. It was worth going every month when my daughter was on formula (I bought 38 oz. of Enfamil for $29.99), but I can usually get the same deal on diapers at my local grocery store. I now try to stock up on meats every few months (I love the frozen Tyson chicken breasts…I divide them and put them into freezer bags when I get home). I also love their canned chicken. It’s a great buy, and it doesn’t taste like it’s canned like some brands do. I get toilet paper and paper towels there as well. Every now and then you can also find a great deal on clothes.
Good luck!!!
Sam’s is good for dairy, cheese, diapers, wipes, sodas. I am sure there are others but that is what we mainly buy there.
I started doing http://www.thegrocerygame.com in January and if saving money is a goal, this will help. I used to shop at Walmart but would spend hours (not to mention tons of money) in there buying things NOT on my list (because they have everything!) I have starting shopping at Publix and WinnDixie (I always get $10 off a $50 purchase @ WinnDixie every week I go!)
I the last 8 weeks or so I have cut my grovery bill by 50%. But it does take a little effort and willingness to cut coupons.
Last night when I got back from my weekly Monday night shopping trip, I had a trunk full and only spent $60.
My hubby joked that pretty soon we could open up our own store!
I think I have enough cereal, cat food, canned soup/veggies, deoderant, makeup, toothpaste and frozen dinners to last us until the Rapture! LOL
We shop at Sam’s Club- but only for certain items. Some things like salsa, peanut butter, etc, aren’t really any cheaper there- I actually did a price comparison between Aldi, Super-Walmart and Sam’s, and found that the things that are cheaper there are household items like garbage bags, laundry detergent, paper towels, and toothbrushes, etc. I’ve never been to Costco, so i don’t know how that compares…also our membership we get through my husband’s job, so we don’t pay for that either.
I work at walmart and I have a shopping list and do the “shopping” one day a week. But I think I have to pick something up at least once a week. It drives me crazy. I just want to go home after work!!:) Good Luck tring to work it all out!
I love cosco much better then Sam’s. There quality in fruits and vegtables are much better. The only BAD thing about shopping at clubs especially if you do not plan (which is so not you Boo) is you can spend a large amount quickly. However for the Sundries and such things as cereal and peanut butter ect… it is wonderful. I love thier fruit so much better. I make a list of things I run out of quickly and buy in bulk at Cosco’s, and it does last a whole lot longer. Plus they do have great prices.
We only shop at HEB because life for Caroline would cease to exist without the Buddy Bucks.
I was going to read through all the comments, but there are A LOT! So, I’ll leave that to you :)
We are a Costco family and I feel like we do get our money’s worth. We buy our laundry detergent, dish detergent, hand soap, bread, corn chips, printer paper, photo paper, crackers, granola bars, string cheese, gogurt, capri sun, gatorade, frozen convenience foods and various other items. Also, they have great produce. Always really fresh.
I’ve been into Sams before and was not impressed with the selection or quality. But, that’s just me.
We also bought our projector and computer printer from Costco. They have some good prices on electronics. :) Hope that helps!
I had to give up my costco…I became a “stuff junkie”! So no comment from me!
The thing that has changed my life is the acquition of a cow, No not live, it came to my house from the butcher wrapped in nice white paper. The butcher even specialy packaged the cuts to feed my family of 5. It is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen! To go to the deep freeze and pick out some meat is such a joy! It is guaranteed for 2 years! The cost of not having to buy meat? priceless!!
Boomama –
I am a huge Sam’s shopper. Here’s how I do it: I make an 8 meal menu. Sometimes this lasts us 2 weeks, sometimes all month. I first do my shopping at Sam’s and buy antything on my list that I think we can use before it expires (ie., no one needs the 5lb tub o’ country crock, but we DO buy the 9 pack o’ frozen pizzas.) I find the best deals are on paper products, detergents, cleaning items, and some frozen things if you have the room. ( I mean 48 frozen pancakes for 5 bucks – who can beat it?) Then I go to the regular store and buy perishables for 1 week. Usualy the second and third weeks I am spending a minimal amount of money because I am just buying milk and produce. It sounds confusing but it works and saves us money. Plus, we always have certain meals on hand for when we are low, and trying to stretch the budget. Hope this helps!
PS – One of our friends who was in the restaurant business told us that Sam’s has the best cuts of meat because they have the most purchasing power. But I like Costco too, we just happened to join Sam’s because it is closer to us.
Boomama…
Found your blog from the Living Proof blog and I just wanted you to know that I love it!! You make me almost wet myself laughing. Isn’t God good to give us good belly laughs in places we don’t expect it???
Blessings,
Dori
We belong to Sam’s and have for a long time. We also belonged to Costco for a year (when it was free for new members for a year–yep, that Costco membership ended when that free year was up).
Here’s my low-down on the comparison between the two: Costco has schmantzier stuff (some Polo clothes, more elaborate–and perhaps tastier–prefixed foods, lovelier furniture, etc.). Sam’s has better variety and sometimes better prices.
I tend to buy a lot of regular groceries at Sam’s (bread, frozen foods, sometimes milk and eggs). I even buy fresh things (like fruits–wow, WHAT A DEAL on a GINORMOUS thing of blueberries lately!) and find them very tasty and comparable to the grocery store. And yes, I have about a billion rolls of toilet paper at my house right now. But at least they were all cheap! :)
I’ll just add my vote for Costco. Sam’s doesn’t even begin to compare.
As for menu planning, http://www.savingdinner.com is good, http://www.menus4moms.com is good but my all time favorite is this lady in my area who gives you menu plans for 5 dinners a week, somewhat tied to the sales at the grocery stores. It’s a subscription service and she has absolutely wonderful recipes. Some are a bit more geared towards adult tastes and some are completely kid-driven such as nacho dorito encrusted chicken breasts! Tell a kid you’re giving him chicken w/ nachos doritos on it and he’ll love you forever. You can email me if you don’t care about any connection to local sales.
We have a Costco membership, but I honestly don’t use it much now that there are only three of us at home (it’s also 35 minutes away). When I shopped Costco more frequently I bought most of my grocery items, produce, plus paper products. I don’t really know if it was cheaper, but it was more important for me to be stocked up and go to the grocery store less.
As far as menu planning–I’ve always done it every two weeks because that’s how my hubby gets paid. I just use my regular calendar/planner and write out the menu on each corresponding day.
Oh, and the person who mentioned http://www.thegrocerygame.com is so right. The absolute best thing you can do for your budget. She says that you mainly save money on dairy items at wholesale clubs. Everything else you can get cheaper by doing things her way. (I think I’m remembering her summary correctly.) But Costco is still great for things like wine and gasoline, in addition to groceries. Oh, and furniture. And fun socks. As someone who has been relegated to Crocs because of a recently broken foot, I love the great colored socks I can get to liven up my wardrobe.
As for menu planning… I love to cook and have more than 50 cookbooks but I do not like to plan. I subscribe to Relish
https://www.relishrelish.com/
I tried Saving Dinner but we didn’t like the food. Relish is a bit more gourmet, but easy gourmet. And in a year, we have only not liked one meal. My kids (2 and 4)love the food and even eat salad now.
You get 5 menus each week and they are labeled A, B, C, D, E. So, if you don’t like meal D, just cross out all the items on the shopping list with D. It’s great. They have a sample week to try for free.
I think the meats at Sam’s are awesome. I buy all my meats and paper products there. There are things that I buy in bulk that my family likes to eat, like olives. And I typically overspend on extras, like DVD’s or clothes. So, beware. Use a list and stick to it!!! Don’t get distracted and buy things you don’t need. I need to follow my own words.
we do the R-E-S-E-R-V-A-T-I-O-N-S!!!!
LOL
Nah… we do all of the above
Connie
After 66 lengthy comments, I’m just gonna say go Costco and leave it at that. I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now! =)
We just gave up our Sam’s Club membership and switched to Costco. We had both for about 3 months, but chose to stick with Costco. I buy the vast majority of my groceries at Kroger, but we use the clubs for:
Diapers & wipes
Paper products
A few select grocery items that are priced better than at the grocery store (frozen shrimp, craisins, juice, coffee) And gas.
We chose to go with Costco as opposed to Sams Club because we like Costco brand diapers, and Costco has a better selection of organics and fair traded items (like coffee).
I have a business (I’m not soliciting to you ,just stating a fact! lol) that gives grocery seminars on how to cut your grocery bill 50-75% while stocking up on evrything at the same time. When I purchase things like brownie mix, TP, paper towel, etc.. I usually buy 30 at the very least and most of the time it is free or under .50 cents per item! I only pay for staples (milk, eggs etc..) and meat & produce! My receipts total $1200-$1500 a month and I actually pay out 250.00! This week I “bought” 200 packs of pillsbury frozen waffles, and actually made $100.00 and was able to donate 150 of them to the food pantry!
Anyway good luck with Cotsco! Might I suggest couponing instead?!!
I buy all my toilet paper and paper towels at Costco or Sams and oh the joy it brings to my life! I think I save a little bit of money but the real advantage is not constantly having to run to the store because we are on the verge of running out. I cannot handle the stress of monitoring tp levels constantly.
I have a membership at both Sams and Costco. I joined Sams years ago and then my in-laws bought me a Costco membership for Christmas. It is the most expensive free gift I have ever gotten! I can control myself for the most part at Sams but I am hopeless at Costco. They have the best stuff and it just calls my name the minute I walk in the door.
It’s just 2 of us at my house (no little munchkins yet) and my husband and I are at costco all the time. We go there to buy books for presents – they have great Food Channel chef recipe books. We also go there once a month and get stuff that won’t spoil like frozen stuff and bread, pasta, pasta sauce and we freeze a bunch of it for when we need it over the next month. The bread is a GREAT DEAL! It comes in packages with 2 loaves so we freeze one and it lasts us quite a while. We supplement the costco food with Walmart
OH, and they have a wonderful price on flowers. At our Costco you can get 2 doz. roses for $14 or something crazy like that.
Anyway, we use the heck out of our membership…I say go for it.
Bulk and basics at Costco, fresh and specialty items at regular store. Saves money, heck ya. Especially if you got Glad platic containers and buy that HUGE can of sliced peaches and then open and divy the can up in those storage containers at home. We do that with the meat too. Also . . . I love Le’anne’s “Saving Dinner” recipe books because they have the weeks dinners and menue/shopping list already done for you. And they TASTE GREAT too without having to have unusual or exotic stuff laying around the house.
Just be careful to stick to your list, Boomama, it’s so easy to get distracted at Costco and spend $300 when you’re only going in there for paper products. I will tell you – I bought a big ‘ol box of garbage bags, which I refer to as the “loaves and fishes box O’ bags” I swear, i have had that thing over 8 months and it keeps on giving me a nice fresh garbage bag! :)
Okay, Mama– here’s the scoop. NOT EVERYTHING SOLD AT A BULK FOOD CLUB IS A GOOD DEAL. (Rinse and repeat.) However, we shop at Sam’s. Now, I do not buy all the groceries there, but we have a basic list. My husband, who suffers from major digestive issues (not to be included here) has taken to living on Boca Burgers. We buy them by the case of 16 burgers for 9.00. He also buys bottles of Gatorade by the case, water, and little individual packets of pretzels. (A portion control, really.) He has begun purchasing Activia yogurt there for 6.87/case of 24. (Normally 2.50 + for only 4 in the grocery.) Cereal is a good deal, as are store brand diapers/pull-up’s and baby wipes. Off brand OTC drugs are a great deal, and we admit that we buy generic Purell by the liter. We love Sam’s and am thankful that the giant 48 count box of t-paper exists! :) E-mail with more q’s.
Holy cow! Are you dizzy yet? Great comments. Maybe you could consolidate and summerize all the above info and write another post. I think you’ve hit on something near and dear to the hearts of a ..few…women!
Hello! I don’t have a Costco or Sam’s near me or within an 8 hour drive radius so I can’t help you there. But I can say that if you want to menu plan without doing the work feel free to check out Menu Plan Monday on my site each week and you can choose your weekly menu from close to the 100 listed!! Painfee for sure and many of the ladies include the recipes which I love! I always plan my menu on Sunday and do my grocery shop early Monday morning. It is the only way I can keep on track and now it is a habit!!
Good luck,
Laura
Laura
Okay, here goes, my two cents…
I shop at Sam’s club and Walmart Super Center and Publix…
But I price everything out from the bulk – because everything is NOT a good deal at Sam’s! (plus I split the membership also).
Toilet Paper, Paper towels, Tortillas 3pack, Block cheese, shreaded cheese, Dish Detergent, Laundry Detergent and some meats, if you go early enough in the day – the butchers are repricing stuff that is about to expire…
Walmart super center for most everything else. Publix I watch for the sales…ie. buy one get one free stuff that you can’t beat even at Sam’s or Walmart.
No tips from me, just a smile…
All I can think of is the episode of Seinfeld where Kramer went nuts at the price club du NY, and he had his friend’s Hansom Cab for the week, and fed Rusty the horse Beef-a-reeno (because he “overbought”), who was consequently rendered gassy, and oh, my! THAT’S what I thought of when I read your post.
Absolutely, no help at all from ME :).
Costco all the way baby. They have an excellent return policy too just in case there’s a problem…no questions asked. Being a Costco-lover I had to leave a comment, but I see you have plenty of input here :).
After scrolling this far, I feel sure you don’t need my advice, but here is what I most always get at Sam’s or Costco (depending on their relative distance to our frequently changing home):
storage/freezer bags
dishwasher gel packs
Clorox wipes
Capri Sun
pine nuts
frozen skinless/boneless chicken breasts
Tater tots
Fruit2O
Of course I have to stroll every aisle if I’m not pressed for time.
My worst purchase ever? a two gallon container of anti-bacterial soap. It was before children, and we moved it from North Dakota to Texas to Arizona before finishing all of it. (Can you tell I don’t like to throw things away?)
Since this is #80 and nobody’s going to read it any way, I’ll start by saying I go to Sam’s on the 20th of every month and I go to the grocery on the 10th and the 30th (except in February when we eat conversation hearts for every meal). I feed my family tires and toilet paper and they don’t complain because if they did I’d get “that look in my eyes” and they’d all have nightmares wondeing which one of them I was going to sacrifice on a funeral pyre as an example to the rest.
I actually have a menu system that I like and planning the purchases in 10-day increments is perfect. Once a week is too much and if I wait fot two weeks, we end up having Mom’s Popcorn and Jello Surprise because that’s all there is in the pantry.
Also, since this comment will be buried, and I feel chatty, I’ll go ahead and tell you that I’ve taken to buying over half of our fruits and veggies frozen. So much less waste that way, and throwing food out makes my eye twitch funny. Wareshouse club shopping works well if you have storage areas for the extra boxes and a deep freeze for the food.
For our family of 6, I spend about $600 a month ($200 a trip) on groceries and household items. $100/month/person.$3.3333333333333333333333333 (you get the picture, yes?)/day/person. And if one of the persons would just give in an tinkle on the potty like a big girl, that would eliminate (hee hee) $25/month and then we could get gogurt and ding dongs.
Still reading? Hasn’t that Tylenol PM kicked in yet?
Well, I guess the last thing I’d say is you won’t know if you’ll save time or money until you figure out how much of both you’re spending now. How many trips? How much money? Then try the warehouse thing for a month (many of them have free or cheap trial memberships). You can also get a program for the Palm called Handy Shopper that will let you enter prices at various stores, and even let you sort your list by what store you’re in according to aisle. It takes a while to set up, but it’s a HUGE time saver on a trip=to-trip basis.
It has also occurred to me that everything I’ve written has already been said with much more charm and alacrity than I can muster, but I really don’t know because, frankly, I read the first 8 and then dropped down to the bottom. If that’s the case, feel free to entirely disregard every word.
;~D.
I do some shopping at Sam’s, but I have to be careful because they are not always the best deal. I buy there:
vinegar by the two gallon box
maple syrup
honey
bottled water by the base
whole wheat organic pasta
organic marinara sauce
Stonyfield yogurt (12 cups for $7)
occasionally Pampers
occasionally juice boxes
We have memberships to both Costco and Sams. Sams is closer to us and I go there 2 or 3 times per month, but I like Costco better.
We have 4 kids 3 and under and we definitely buy in bulk. Bulk buys for our family are diapers, milk, diapers, coffee, paper products, diapers, and some frozen things (did I say diapers?).
When our triplets were still on formula, we bought the Sam’s brand (same manufacturer for Costco) and it saved us lots of $$$. I only wish they sold Neosure ($16/day for us in the beginning).
-Definitely visit each one.
-Do go with a list (tempatations are in really big containers)!
-Do spend some time initially price shopping the clubs vs. your grocery.
Read this link from Clark Howard’s site: http://clarkhoward.com/shownotes/category/3/73/257/
When I’m good about planning meals I put them in my Outlook calendar and then make my list in my Palm Pilot using Splash Shopper. When I synchronize my Palm I have all of my meals as appointments with my other appointments.
Splash Shopper lets you create lists for clothing stores, gifts, groceries, etc. I can keep my lists with me all of the time and check off things as I buy them. My favorite feature is it supports you can put in aisle numbers for each item and then sort by item. This has been a time and money saver for me.
Okay, I see you have 83 comments! Mercy on my SOUL! And I haven’t read them all because, well, EIGHTY-THREE. I do have other blogs to read, although yours is always one of the first few I click on in my bloglines every morning. So, my point is, that anything I say has probably been sad.
But my opinoion, for what it’s worth, and that may not be much, is that it’s a waste. I was a member of BJs for a year, and I found that I always ended up spending at least $150 every time I went there, but my regular grocery bill didn’t seem to be less, so I don’t get that.
You definitely don’t do all your shopping there. So it just adds another shopping stop, which I personally don’t need. A friend who is very frugal swears that if you use coupons at the grocery store, then it’s no more expensive than the discount centers. I think the draw really is the opportunity to buy in bulk.
I plan my meals about two weeks out. It really does help cut down on shopping trips. I have a computerized grocery list of everything I ever buy, and it is arranged by isles in the grocery store (Thank you Mrs. Rocks aka Shannon) and I get it out and highlight the stuff I need, and then it’s in order so it’s easy to find stuff. Until they decide to rearrange the grocery store, that is.
So. That’s my 3 cents. Inflation, you know.
You have now entered my “zone”. I’m a Sam’s Club fan. I go every 6-8 weeks to buy all of our meats and misc. I’m at the grocery store only once every 2 weeks. BooMama, I’ve shaved a whopping $200 off of our monthly grocery bill by careful planning. I’m serious, e-mail me if you want and I can give you some really great tips. Too many to list here and take up valuable real estate. I’m serously thinking about writing a book. That’s all I’m sayin. Seriously. (I’ve been posting about this subject in my last two WFMW tips.)
COSTCO wins, hands down!! Better quality than Sam’s. We always get the basics there…milk, bread, juice, juice boxes, frozen chicken breasts, butter, half and half, laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent, paper towels, t.p.,paper plates,etc. Here are the MUST HAVES–you have to promise to rush right over and buy these. The homemade mutigrain loaves, homemade bagels, grand parisian salad kit, and always stop by the clothes section. They have Hilfiger, Lucky jeans, Ralph Lauren, and many more top name brands!! Hit or miss, but when you hit it, you’ll be thrilled. Oh, did mention that there is a lifetime warantee on ANYthing YOU BUY THERE?? We’re talking even electronics for that gadget lover of yours!!! Go sign up today!!
OOH– I left off one very important thing… The little filets of beef tenderloin(comes in a pack of four in the fresh meat section)??? I’m not much of a meat eater, but put one of those in front of me and it’s gone!
I know not Costco, but I buy at Sam’s for meat, mainly. I come home and divide it into smaller portions and then freeze. Other than that, most of the things other folks have mentioned are good there, as well: dog food, detergent, paper towels, etc. All of that said, though — our family has decided that the $35 it costs for us to be a member is not worth the time/ hassle/ little savings over our grocery store. So this will be our last year as a member — for a while, anyway.
As far as menus and planning — I really like what Phyllis R. had to say, and go pretty much by that theory: I plan on Tuesday, shop on Wednesday, and if we’re out of it on Thursday, then put it on the list and I’ll get it next Wednesday.
I have recently started shopping at Sam’s for the very reasons you mentioned. I have four kids, two of them teenagers, and I just have other things to do besides stock the pantry; little things like sleeping and having a life. So, I buy everything I can at Sam’s and fill in the rest at the regular grocery store. It simply saves me trips. I take notice if we didn’t use anything and I stop buying that at Sam’s since it isn’t a deal if it goes to waste. I think cereal and trash bags are the best deal at Sam’s. Seriously, the money I save on trash bags alone is enough to pay for my membership. As for the menu planning, I mostly let the teenagers take care of it. They take turns cooking. A good idea is to plan a month’s worth of menus. You can buy one or two weeks at a time. I hope some of this helps because you are just way too fun of a girl to be stressed over groceries.
Sandy
I am a Costcoholic. I admit. It is wonderful. I do the bulk (hee hee) of my shopping there. I usually go there once a month and will spend about $100-150. I go the the regular grocery store for items that Costco doesn’t carry or items that I don’t need a whole lot of.
One thing about their produce…it is fabulous! Sometimes you may pay more for them, but I find that we actually eat more of the fruits and veggies that we buy there because it tastes so much better. So more me it is worth paying a little more.
We also have the exective membership which is $100 a year. I would highly recommend getting this one. You will get 2% back for every dollar that you spend at Costco. Last year our rebate check paid for our membership.
Good luck on making a decision.
I do enjoy going to COSTCO, but it is VERY easy to spend way too much money while there!
We (a family of 4) love it for the meats … they have EXCELLENT pork, and huge packages of ground beef… the meat we buy from there lasts us a good three weeks, and on a limited budget, that’s a BONUS!
We also cook a lot of “italian” food, so we buy cases of tomato paste and canned mushrooms. Saves having to buy canned goods from Zehrs frequently.
And, lastly, we get a lot of our fruit juices from COSTCO, too.
Oh… I was wrong — one more thing I love at Costco: BOOKS!!!! The prices are basically unbeatable! ;)
Anyhoo… also wanted to ask if you’ve been to the FLYLady’s website? She has some good Menu Planning ideas… actually, ALL of her home organizing ideas are great! She’s really helped out with my “lazy-daisy” attitude… “You can do ANYTHING for just 15 minutes!” ;)
I’m a Sam’s member and have been for years! We have been a family of just 2 for 10 years, we are expecting our first at the end of this summer. I’ve been buying diapers and wipes to stock up on. We get the bulk meats that I break up into freezer bags for individual meals. I also get my paper products and some things that we just seem to use more than anyone else. :)
I know that Sam’s has a thing where you can go in as a member for one day just to check it out. You should see if Costco does that too… then you can decide which place you like better.
As for bulk shopping… it’s the best thing EVER!!!!
How do I love Costco? Let me count the ways…
…OK, I won’t take the time to count them all since I’m, like, comment #1000 and no one’s going to see this anyway, but I don’t think anyone’s mentioned that a good bit of Costco’s “house brand” merchandise is actually name-brand merchandise. I read an article once about special partnerships Costco has with some manufacturers.
i.e. what seals the deal for me is the COFFEE…did you know that the Costco brand (Kirkland Signature) is actually STARBUCKS?!?! Now I know this isn’t important to everyone, but it’s music to MY ears. THREE POUNDS of ground Starbucks for, like, FIVE BUCKS?! Gotta love that when it’s $10.95 for one pound at a Starbucks store.
But in general I echo everyone else’s comments. Costco is my mothership!
As a side note, I, too, have the Christian planner Trista mentioned, and I love it.
And let me take this opportunity to congratulate my Alma Mater, the University of North Texas, on their Sunbelt Conference championship! We take the stage against Memphis at the first round of the Big Dance on March 16. GO MEAN GREEN!!!!
I’m a Costco SNOB! I thought we’d be exclusive Costco shoppers for life, BUT our new house is much closer to Sam’s Club. So we have memberships at BOTH, and I’m (reluctantly) getting used to shopping at Sam’s too, for basics like milk & bread. They both have good points and not-so-good points. Like the fact that you can’t beat Costco for produce, meat, paper products and books.
It boggles my mind, though, that in nearly 100 comments, NOT ONE person has mentioned the added benefit of being able to buy GAS there! Costco & Sam’s Club are ALWAYS 9 or 10 cents less per gallon than any other place in our area. Makes it worth the trip!
I have memberships at both Sam’s and Costco…getting gas at Sam’s is great…Sam’s Club is less than a mile form my house. Plus the car wash is only $5 and it is a touchless premium wash. I do love Costco for produce and meat and bottled water and their milk is free of the hormone and here in Minnesota only $2.09 a gallon or 1%…where as the name brand hormone free milk is nearly $4 a gallon. We still shop at Walmart Supercenter or Super Target (both close to our home) for the other things…I am a penny pincher, not necessarily by need but because I cannot stand to pay full price for anything…so I do not mind running to a few differnt stores weekly to get the groceries since I know I am saving a lot of money doing it and all the stores are really close to me.
Hi BooMama!
Looks like you’ve gotten plenty of good info already but here’s my 2 cents —
We just recently joined Costco a few months ago because, I too, can’t stand the constant runs to the grocery store. I feel like I go there at least three times a week during the times we haven’t made a Costco run. We only go to Costco about every 6 weeks or so and when we do we inevitably spend $300. Yes, it hurts to see that amount flash on the rgister, but in the long run I think it’s worth it.
At Costco we buy all of our meat: chicken (they have the greatest family packs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts packed 2 to a perforated compartment in a package of 6 or 8), ground turkey, steaks, ribs, porkchops, whatever and then we split the meat up into smaller portions when we get home and deep freeze what we don’t put in our regular freezer.
We also buy the “staples” like Del Monte fruit cups, snack packs of Goldfish, Jello-O pudding, etc. for lunchboxes.
The great thing about Costco is that you can find really tasty, fun treats that are easy to make like appetizers, freezer meals, etc. AND they have great deals on toys, books, clothes, etc.
So, all in all I think a Costco membership is a good investment. Just be mentally prepared for the big grocery bill :-)
Are you still reading these comments? Maybe our next book club ought to be the Sam’s vs. Costco sales circulars? Hee hee@!
Not sure if anyone is still reading, but skimming through I didn’t see anyone else mention some of these things. We don’t do a ton of costco shopping, but we do buy certain bulk items, especially when there are coupons (I have to go this week in fact!). We also find good Christmas and b-day gifts. Their vision dept also has good deals on my husband’s glasses and my contacts. Finally, they tend to have among the best gas prices around us (Atlanta area). We got the Costco Amex, so the fee is your annual fee, and we pay the card off monthly. the bonus is that we receive a check back from Costco once a year for 1% of ALL of our purchases with our card (not just at costco). the percentage would be higher I believe if we didn’t pay it off every month. this has been great, especially the year that my daughter was born and had to spend time in the NICU. We paid all the MD/hospital bills we could with AMEX and got that percentage back. I’m sure there are other cards with better rewards, but this has worked well for us. Hope that helps. Enjoy your blog, BTW … my husband loves 24 so I read your open letter to the cable company to him; we both laughed out loud!
I shop at Sam’s Club – we have a Costco nearby as well but I find that for what I need Sam’s Club is just a bit cheaper.
I don’t get everything there because, contrary to very common thinking, buying in bulk is NOT NOT NOT always cheaper. In fact it can often be really expensive. So I only buy a few things at Sam’s Club, and I’m always mentally aware of the price I’m paying per item, or per ounce, or whatever.
The things that I find are really good buys:
Milk
Eggs (sometimes – if Vons runs a BOGOF deal, that is cheaper)
Butter
Cream cheese (unless a store has it on sale for $1 or less for 8oz)
Oroweat bread (two loafs for $4, vs. one loaf for $3.39)
Tortillas
Bagels
Canned fruit (pineapple, mandarin oranges, peaches)
Canned refried beans (not always, but often)
Beef jerky
Dental floss
Pasta
Rice
Flour
Sugar
Crackers are sometimes a good deal, but not always – compare the price against your best sale price at grocery stores.
Baby wipes (note: if you’re careful with sales and coupons, diapers can often be bought much cheaper than the price at Sam’s, because Sam’s doesn’t take coupons)
Those are my basics. With a toddler in the house, I have found that we make up the price of membership in our milk purchases alone. So we definitely feel that it is a good deal!