Buying in Bulk: To Buy or Not To Buy?

When you hear buying in bulk, what do you think of?  Money saving?  Stockpiles filled with thousands of items at your beck-and-call?  A never-ending supply of pop? (I know that’s what we often, somewhat shamefully, use our membership for….)  Bulk stores such as Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s often give the (sometimes false) impression that if you enter their pearly gates you’ll somehow save oodles and oodles of money.  While this can be true with some smart planning and strategic buying, it’s not always the case.  To determine whether it’s worth it, I ask myself 5 questions.  Avoid falling prey to the illusion that bulk stores automatically save you money by asking yourself the same questions before you go on your next bulk shopping trip.

As convenient and easy as it would be to go into a store assured that everything inside is a good deal, that’s not realistic.  Most stores will have a mix of good deals, okay deals, and products that are not worth it.  Use these basic questions to determine whether buying a specific product at a bulk store is worthwhile.

Will I use it before it goes bad?

This is kind of common sense, but it’s still important.  Frozen foods bought at wholesale stores won’t go bad quickly, but when you’re buying fresh foods consider how fast they spoil vs. how fast they will be consumed. You don’t want to buy a large carton of delicious blueberries only to find out half of them spoiled before you could eat them.  For our family of two, it’s doesn’t make sense to buy fresh foods in bulk unless we choose to freeze them (or on the odd case that we love the food so much we’d eat it in time).  However, for a family of five, is more logical to buy fruit, vegetables, or meat in bulk.

If it’s perishable, can I freeze it or store it?

Many perishable foods can be frozen, vacuum sealed, or stored to preserve freshness.  This can be especially useful when buying in bulk because it can significantly extend the shelf life of your food.

Can I find a better deal somewhere else?

Just because it’s bulk, doesn’t mean it’s a good deal.  I’m not a die-hard price comparer, but I know the approximate price of most things we normally buy at our local grocery store.  If you’re not sure of the price, some grocery stores have websites where they list the weekly deals and you can often find something similar for the purposes of price comparison.  If I see a product at a bulk foods store and can get it cheaper elsewhere, I turn the other way and buy it when I do my weekly shopping.  I repeat: Just because it’s bulk doesn’t mean it’s cheaper.

Will buying in bulk decrease your normal grocery spending?

We’ve tried two different ways of budgeting our bulk spending.  Numero uno: Increase the general weekly grocery allotment in our budget, spend less on our regular shopping trips, and spend the overflow at a bulk store.  Numero dos: Lower our weekly grocery spending and have a specific category for buying in bulk.  If we have a whole bag of frozen chicken in the freezer, we should logically be spending less on meat at the grocery store.  We’ve found that the second option works best for us because it gives us a set amount to spend. Whatever you decide, make sure that bulk stores are factored into your grocery spending.  (P.S.  Stuck on creating and maintaining a budget?  Check out The Beginner’s Guide to Budgeting.)

And the oft-forgotten: Will I use this product more quickly if I buy it in bulk?

This is one that I think people often don’t consider.  Here’s an example: I mentioned earlier our affinity for pop (or for you non-Midwesterners, soda).  We recently bought a stash of pop at Costco.  We’re talking four 36-packs, people.  Unfortunately, we found out that when more pop is available, we tend to drink it faster than if it’s in limited supply (conservation of resources, I guess?).  True, pop is cheaper at Costco, but if we drink it faster than normal, it doesn’t end up being more economical.  Think about whether you would use it faster if you had a larger supply and weigh that in your bulk shopping decision.

Examples of foods/products that you will likely not use faster: Toilet paper, paper towel, dish soap, laundry soap, baking supplies, butter, electronics, and coffee. There’s plenty more, but some of that depends on what your family likes and will use.

Bulk stores can be a great place to ensure a few extra pennies in your pocket, but as with all purchases, it’s important that you are a savvy shopper.  Hopefully these tips have helped you to become a bulk store expert.  What tips do you have for in bulk?