If you are tired of paying full retail price for groceries and household goods you will start looking for ways to save with coupons or warehouse clubs. If you really want to learn more about coupons then check out a good site about saving money with coupons, but beware the “coupon trap”, where you start buying products you don’t need and normally don’t use just because you found some coupons for them.
Only buy what you need and what you really want to use. Never buy something just because it’s on sale or you have a discount coupon for it. Use the coupon to help you buy what you normally buy. Check the clearance tables and shelves for items that you normally use, too. They’ll be good long enough for you to use them.
But let’s talk about the warehouse clubs. I’m talking about the three big ones, of course: BJs, Costco, and Sam’s Club. All three of these companies offer good deals to their members but just because you are buying in bulk does not mean you are saving money over what you can buy in a regular grocery store. Sometimes you pay less for your groceries and sometimes you don’t.
Warehouse clubs have fewer choices but they do sell high quality food. They may also offer specialty foods that you cannot get in the regular grocery stores. But the real value that these clubs offer consumers is in their premium memberships.
Instead of paying for the cheaper membership you should get the one that costs about $100 per year. You’ll earn 2% back on most of your purchases and you can use that annual rebate to pay for or pay down your membership renewal.
You will have to spend less than $500 a month at the warehouse club to earn back your membership and most families spend more than that on groceries, electronics, books, and more. This is really a win-win scenario for you as the customer and the warehouse club.
What you want to do is look for the special deals that really save you money. For example, you will find clothes by major manufacturers at as much as 20% of the full retail price for similar products sold in department stores. You’ll also find good deals on electronics. Now the warehouse clubs negotiate with the manufacturers for special lines of merchandise so don’t expect to get an 80% discount on the exact same stuff you could buy at Macy’s. It doesn’t work that way. What you are buying is better quality merchandise than you’ll get at Target, K-Mart, or Wal-mart but you’ll be paying similar prices.
In the food department you should find some good sales and occasionally great pricing even without a sale. This is where buying in bulk works out really well for you. You can get cases of soft drinks and other beverages at incredible prices if you time your purchases carefully. You’ll want to compare the products you buy at the warehouse club to similar products in the main grocery stores.
Just because you have a warehouse club membership does not mean you should walk away from the major grocery stores. They can still beat the warehouse clubs on some deals, and sometimes the warehouse clubs just won’t have the products you want.
Finally, look for discount deals on movie tickets, restaurants, and theme parks. Sometimes the warehouse clubs can negotiate 20% discounts (or more) for pre-paid debit cards or tickets. When you can get these deals (for things you normally pay full price for) you’ll appreciate the $16-30 savings (or more) that you reap.
If you’re going to spend $500 a month on groceries and home good anyway you might as well get 2% back. You can keep anything over the cost of your membership fee and some people receive very nice rebate checks every year. But if you can also get discounts on other expenses you normally don’t make at the grocery store, why not take advantage of those savings, too?
Just remember that you don’t join a warehouse club to buy things you normally would not buy. You join a warehouse club to save money on the goods you normally purchase. You should check their Websites to see if they have stores close to you that are stocked with things you need.
Inventories differ by location so you’ll have to be careful about deciding where to shop. You probably won’t spend enough money to justify three premium memberships. Pick the warehouse club that is most likely to serve your needs through most of the year, and that includes being close and easy to get to.