Buy in Bulk

If you're like me and tend to always buy the same groceries every time you go to the grocery store, you might want to try buying in bulk.  A good way to save money is to buy in bulk.  There are stores such as Costco and Sam's Club that specialize in bulk shopping, but this also can apply to Walmart or other places you get groceries.  Instead of buying a one or two boxes of macaroni at a time, buy the pack of six.  Instead of buying a few boxes of frozen lunches at a time, look for the bulk boxes.  This will cost more initially, but save you over time.

Some tips to use when shopping in bulk include: share with roommates, always make a list, never shop when hungry, avoid impulse buys, use coupons, and buy household staples.  Sharing with roommates lets you buy the huge packages of food and split it among each other.  That also cuts the cost.  Always making a list makes you stick to what you need and not just what you want.  Along with that comes never shop when you're hungry.  If you do this, you'll buy way more food than you would if you weren't hungry.  Avoid impulse buys, which are usually the middle aisles at Costco and Sam's Club.  Use coupons when you shop anywhere.  Costco and Sam's Club usually have coupon booklets at the front of the store so pick one up when you arrive.  Buy household staples like laundry detergent, soap, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc. because these are items you will always need, so buying in bulk will save.

Added bonuses of going to places like Costco and Sam's Club are that they save you gas because you will take less trips to the grocery store and they usually have food samples on weekends so you can basically eat a full meal walking around the store.

Sam's Club offers a Collegiate Membership for $40.  With this you will receive all the benefits of Advantage Membership, it will give you a $15 shopping card, and comes with a primary and household card.  That means that you could split the $40 between two people and each of you could have cards, so really only $20 a person.  Sam's Club also offers a gift membership that's $40 and gives you a year of membership.  This would be great to ask for for Christmas from your family!  Another benefit is that you can shop online.  Payment methods for Sam's Club include:

Payment methods accepted in Sam's Club	Payment methods accepted at SamsClub.com
Sam's Club Credit	Sam's Club Credit
Walmart and Sam's Club shopping Cards	Walmart and Sam's Club shopping Cards
Cash or Check	Check
Debit Card	Debit Card
Discover	American Express*
MasterCard	Discover
SNAP	MasterCard
Walmart Credit

 

Costco has a $55 annual fee. You can get a Gold Star Membership or gift of Gold Star Membership as a present.  You can shop online at Costco as well.  They also give you one primary and one household card, so you could split the cost between you and a friend.  Costco accepts cash, checks, debit/ATM cards, EBT, Costco credit cards, American Express, and Costco cash cards.

Buying in bulk can save, but for some things it might not be a great deal.  By calculating the individual product cost, you will find out if it is a steal or not.

Bottom line: Buying in bulk may initially cost you more money, but can save you money in the long run.

Sources:
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4565369_buying-food-bulk-save-money.html
http://www.familycircle.com/family-fun/money/save-money-at-costco-and-warehouse-stores/?page=1
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/
http://www.costco.com/.product.3164.html