It was an interesting experience - from driving into the indoor parking lot, to waiting a half hour in line just to sign up, to spending two hours in a store and still not seeing everything they had. My mom has been a long-time member of Sam's, and I've always really enjoyed visiting there with her. But going in to a big place like this and having to be a responsible adult in a store full of, well, everything? That was an overwhelming feeling! I wanted it all!
Our first choice was the type of membership we wanted to own. We chose the more expensive one, with the promise of receiving 2% back on every purchase and a gift card to start our shopping. David did the math, and we'll need to spend an average of $229 a month in order to earn back every dollar we spent on the "upgrade" membership. I don't think that will be a problem.
Honestly, who could resist spending part of that "welcome" gift card on this?!?!
The goal is for us to go to Costco once each month and stock up on things such as canned goods, dressings and sauces, etc. I noticed how much junk food there is, which will probably be another temptation we'll avoid for the most part.
Here is a shot of some of the things we bought on Saturday.
I have a couple of other questions for anyone who may be willing to share thoughts regarding buying in bulk.
1. As I've written about previously, I am a menu planner. I usually go shopping every two weeks and buy very specific items that will be eaten and not much more. So, for those menu planners who also buy in bulk, do you have any hints on how to keep track of what we have stored and how to plan for each meal without wasting things?
2. We are thinking of investing in a vacuum sealer for our foods. Has anyone used one, or does anyone have any different thoughts regarding preservation for things that won't be eaten quickly such as meats, cheeses, etc?
We didn't buy a whole lot on Saturday just because of these uncertainties. The number one concern I have is buying food that goes to waste, which is a complete no-no in our house. I can see this new venture of buying in bulk as being beneficial in the long run, and I'm excited about it, but I'd really like to get a plan in order before we do any major buying there!
A last thought about our new Costco membership: When pregnant and for the most part feeling great but still getting woozy from time to time, it is not the wisest idea to grab every single sample in the store without first thinking about food combinations. This leads to an evening of tummy troubles.
That being said . . . any sage wisdom will be much appreciated regarding my questions or any other thoughts, and I look forward to sharing future finds at Costco!
6 comments:
I joined Costco about 10 months ago and am so glad I did. I love getting my baby wipes, canned food, granola bars, baking items, etc. there.
My parents like to buy in bulk because they live in the country and invested in a vacuum sealer and they love it! It makes everything last sooooo much longer. They mostly just seal their veggies but they've started canning some of their meats that they didn't want to freeze.
I get their sticks of butter and freeze them. Also their shredded cheese and divide it up in smaller freezer bags when I get home.
I don't usually get produce (Dan has a thing about fresh food at bulk stores:) but I do get some meat, like their chicken "two pack".
It's not uncommon to spend a little over $200 each time I go but try not to go more than every 6 weeks.
I hope some of my 'input' helps :)
Carisa
We have a membership at Sam's and I love it! I don't buy produce or meat. I buy a lot of dry goods/baking items. Flour is in 25lb bags generally but I use it within 3 weeks. We don't vacuum sealer but I think that would be a GREAT idea! :)
We also just joined Costco...I buy my flour, brown sugar, peanut butter, cocoa, jelly, and sometimes other odd'n'end things there. I did a price comparison on some things that we regularly buy every week and found that diapers are not cheaper there (parent's choice is 15 cents per diaper, costco brand is 21 cents from what I saw), cheerios are not cheaper (I think it was a 3 cents difference per ounce). I wanted to buy some fresh fruit but didn't know if they were cheaper in that department but did notice (and was so sad) that the blueberries looked yucky. The flour and brown sugar we buy I freeze in ice cream buckets/smaller containers. SO much cheaper! Especially if you bake a lot. :)
My mother-in-law has a Sam's membership so we don't need our own, which is a big blessing (we just go in together) but with an Aldi close by and a deep freeze, we don't need to go more than every couple of months. If you do not have an Aldi the prices at Sam's (I'm sure it's similar at Costco) are very similar and Sam's is cheaper with some items.
This is what I get from Sam's:
Nuts - the healthy eaters snack food. They are astonishingly cheap here compared with any other store I've found.
Dried fruit - especially the Craisans.
Frozen vegetables - excellant deals here.
Eggs, butter, milk, cheese, olive oil (I don't use vegetable oil but it is also well-priced here), sugar, brown sugar, rice, (I have gotten white flour here as well, but don't use enough of it anymore to purchase it from Sam's), onions, potatoes.
Canned tomatoes and a few other things are well priced here, but that is certainly not true for every canned item because they only are selling the name brand stuff (not sure if that is also true for Costco or not). Check the prices at your local grocery story on the store brand cans to make sure you are not spending more money at Costco.
The frozen meat here is also a very good price. Items I would get if there was not an Aldi close by are: polish sausage, frozen chicken pieces, pork sausage, ground beef.
Shaving stuff and deodorant for Kevin.
Name brand diapers are cheaper here, but if you are REALLY trying to be frugal I would suggest investing in the amazing cloth diaper system I have. Especially if you are planning on having more kids. Message me if you want more info on these.
Tips for not overspending:
Don't even go down the isles with boxed cereal and crackers (or whatever you don't consider a necessity in your household).
Don't buy too many fresh fruits and veggies - though they may be cheaper here, wasted food doesn't save any money so somethings are just better to buy from your local grocery store. Also, they are not always cheaper.
Man this got long! Hope this is helpful :-).
Thank you all for the advice! Melodie...I have cloth diapers but haven't used them since Sam was a baby. We'll see how it goes on the next one! I do shop at Aldi as well and some things were cheaper at Costco, some weren't for sure. I got a 25 lb bag of flour and frozen veggies as well! I can't wait for our next trip to check out the other things mentioned! Thank you!
We do a lot of dried goods from Sam's and frozen food as well. I try to buy the big cans of spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce. I use fresh what I need then re-package in butter cartons and stick them in the freezer. A few weeks ago I bought 2 large packages of fresh chicken breasts and did a bunch of freezer meals. I think using the bulk buying for freezer meals is one of the best ways to save.
Also, my kids like animal crackers so we have bought them in the big containers. I have then used the old containers to store my large bags of flour and sugar. I think it takes two of them for one large bag of flour.
Karen H.
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