Buying Bulk...

"Is buying bulk worth it?" This is a question I wrestle with often.  Sam's, Costco, B.J.'s... they are great, but do they really save you any money? Being a couponer, I know they don't save you as much as couponing, but you also get a ton of exactly what you want/like at a fairly low price. That being said, I honestly feel warehouse shopping is more about convinence than saving money... And our time is worth money too, right? When I was in full force couponing mode I was spending about an hour a week preparing and a little more than an hour shopping (I went to 3 different stores). So I would say in a month I was spending upwards of about 10 hours on groceries.  From about the time we got pregnant on, time became even more crucial, and I became more particular about what I was eating. We started going to SAMs to make our lives easier. We still supplement with farmers market and/grocery store for produce. Overall I'd say we now spend 2 maybe 3 hours tops on grocery shopping in a month ( we may spend a little more at the farmer's market, but that's just because it gives us something to do in Statesboro:)). That is a huge time savings! But there are somethings you need to be aware of warehouse shopping... 1. These store have a lot of things you don't need.  I have had to walk by super cute baby clothes and remind myself... We don't need those! 2. When buying bulk an extra 1 or 2 items can throw off your grocery budget. Throw in some toiletry items or razors, you will see that number on your receipt jump. Make sure you only get things you are really going to use. 3. I find that prices are on the low end of normal, but not as low as when that item goes on sale at a regular grocery store.  Grocery shopping this way has me spending the equivalent to what I would spend at Walmart... And personally I try to avoid Walmart, so this is a great alternative. 4. SAMs now has item each month that go on sale! 5. You go to the grocery store less, which often means spending less money.
So lately, I have been been rocking the bulk store. Will I go back to couponing? Maybe, but right now this is working for me:)!