Buying in Bulk to Save Money

Since everyone is trying to save money these days, a few more tips about how to go about doing that are always welcome. One way that I have found is a good way to save money is to buy in bulk.

Though buying in bulk might always sound like a good idea, it is not. You have to be an educated and frugal consumer when you buy in bulk. For instance, some people might buy a giant carton of strawberries because buying in bulk is cheaper per item, but, if they can’t eat them all before they go bad, then they have just wasted money and food.

Where to Buy Bulk

There are several stores that offer bulk items. The best known that I can think of are Sam’s Club and Costco, which I am assuming are in more than just Utah. Though, for the most part, they offer great deals on food, clothes, book, furniture, and other household items, you want to make sure that you are actually getting a better deal than just buying the item you need at a traditional grocery store.

When grocery shopping, the best way to do that is to keep track of the prices of certain things that you buy on a regular basis. That way, you can do the mental math and figure out whether it is a good decision to buy in bulk.

When figuring out whether buying in bulk is a good idea or not, you have to factor in the cost of getting a membership at a place such as Sam’s Club or Costco. In some situations, you might be able to apply for a credit card that would waive the annual membership fee required to shop at their store. However, if you do not want to apply for a credit card, you will have to make for certain that paying the membership fee is cost effective for the things that you plan to buy.

The membership fee helps the bulk stores keep running and helps them provide you with better deals. It also helps them pay for all the material handling equipment that is necessary for transporting all of the bulk items, which can be very heavy, depending.

Material handling equipment, employees, and warehouse-style pricing, are all costs that the bulk store must pay, and they can do that using your all-important membership fees.

What to Buy

The best things to buy in bulk are things that will not go bad, or at least take a long time to go bad. This works well for pantry foods that your family consumes often, such as fruit snacks, canned chili, Top Ramen, and canned vegetables. Also, buying non-food items is another good way to make sure that you are not wasting the items that you bought.

You can also supplement your savings by looking for coupons, particularly in the Sunday paper. The paper pays for itself about thirty times over simply in coupons for the week.

Hopefully that helps you in the ever-constant battle to save money on a daily basis.

By Kassandra Konecny

Bio:

Kassandra Konecny currently lives in Utah and has worked to become an expert in material handling equipment in Salt Lake City. She writes professionally for Hoj Engineering and several other material handling companies.