We’ve all heard and seen the gimmicks to buy more, save more. "The more you buy, the more you save" theory works IF you are out to buy a lot from the beginning. Plain and simple, if you are not out to buy 10 t-shirts for $20 and only need one for $5, stick with just buying one. Yes, it may be nice to have nine other t-shirts available to you, but if you don’t need them, don’t buy them. It’s a great deal if you specifically need to buy 10 t-shirts. However, if not, then you are left throwing away that extra $15.
The same goes for food and other household necessities and commodities. Buying food and household goods in bulk always seems like you’re saving money. Although you may eventually use up that 40-pound bag of Cheerios within the next year, do you really need to save that $3 in hopes that you use it all before it gets stale? Will you and your spouse really need five-pound bottles of shampoo and conditioners? It makes sense if you have a large family, but if you do not need such large quantities of an item, do not be sucked into the scheme to buy big just to save big.
If you have the resources to buy bulk and know that in the end it will be a wise investment, then by all means do so, because it will save you an average of more than 30% over the course of a shopping trip and year. However, if you do not need to buy bulk or know you will have to let some of it, or all of it, go to waste, not only should you avoid it for the sake of not wasting food and other items, but also for the fact that you’d be wasting money.
Buying in bulk really can save you money, if you shop appropriately for what you need.
With so many more bulk warehouses/stores being put up in place of everyday grocery stores, it only makes sense to check out the savings you may find there. However, do not be fooled by all you can buy at a bulk warehouse. Not everything at warehouse clubs is sold in bulk, such as a single gallon of milk or one ink jet printer. In those instances, the savings may not amount to much, so be sure to compare prices first, as always.
As with any type of shopping, not only compare prices, but also make sure you are not buying too much of an item that may perish before you can use it all. Do not over-buy for savings – even if it may very well be a steal. You will end up losing money if you buy and but do not make full use of your purchases within their [limited] time frames.
Bulk shopping does save, if you know how to shop.