Buying Big

Once upon a time, Sam's Club and other big warehouse discounters were a strange, hot new concept. I can remember the first time I heard about one of these behemoths. It was so foreign and different. A co-worker of my father's was telling the tale of his incredible new tire deal. He saved over $100 bucks by buying his tires at a "Sam's" and was all atwitter. He told the unreasonable tale of getting his shopping cart from the parking lot and carrying the tires to the check out stand, which consisted of a podium and a register. We marveled at the talk of cases of toilet paper, bread sticks, and motor oil. You didn't bag your purchases, you picked up a box from a giant bin. It was new and slightly shocking. Why? Because you had to buy a membership in order to indulge in these great savings. And in the beginning, not every one could buy this membership. You had to own a business or be provided the opportunity through your employer.

Now, times have changed with these Mega-retailers. There are actual check out aisles with conveyor belts. Tires no longer have to be carried around to the side of the building, and anyone willing to pay the price can march in and save big. But, the membership fee and jumbo cases of toilet paper are still there.

I loved my Sam's card when my baby was a baby. He was a formula baby and, praise the Lord, Sam's carried his brand in the big bulk containers. Unless someone was having a heck of a sale, it was hands down cheaper to buy it there. Between the formula and diapers, I was saving between $50-$65 a MONTH shopping at Sam's. To make things even better, Tee (our nickname for my DSis) put me down as her spouse (God bless political correctness- no one asked, no one told) and I didn't even pay for the card.

These days, I pay for my own card. I have been waffling on my warehouse membership for a while. There are things that I buy that save me lots of money. For most of the last three years, I have been buying the brown industrial paper towels. I spend about $18 for a case that lasts me close to 8 months. I also drink bottled water which is much cheaper there. And I have scored some great deals such as a store brand shampoo closeout. I bought 6 mega pump bottles for $8. That was over two years ago, and I'm just now on the last bottle.

Since No Buy, I tend to stay out of stores. I have not been to Sam's since early December. The out of sight, out of mind game works well with me. I also feel spatially challenged when it comes to storing some bulk items. That being said, I am down to the last bottle of shampoo and four bundles of paper towels. EEK!

I am more aware of my money and local pricing than I have been in a long time. I've always been good about not believing that buying in bulk is always a cheaper way to go. But, sometimes it is. At the beginning of March, I'm going to make a Sam's run. I'll be armed with a calculator and hopefully be alone. This will allow me to really dig down into some of the prices and see if it will be worth another year in membership fees. As No Buy rolls along, I need to keep evaluating everything.

Overheard at the bookstore:
Does this come in a smaller version?
That's not the book, it's just the Sparknotes.
Do the Sparknotes come in a smaller version?