Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Tuesday, Why I don't shop at Costco or other big box stores

     I just read that Costco was going to start to let anyone shop there even with out a membership.  This perked my interest as they have always been so strict about the membership rules.  If you don't pay and own the card you cannot even write a check on another members order.  They do however let anyone use the pharmacy or eat at their food kiosk.

   We have a Costco across the river just a bout 3/4 of a mile from my house.  My mom gets her meds there.  I was thrilled when they first opened.  I had three kids at home and a busy schedule.  I have always liked to save money and stockpile food.  Buying in larger quantities is certainly the way to do this right?

     It did not take long for me to become disenchanted with Costco even when an employer purchased my membership.  Buying in large quantities is great if you need and use the item regularly.  Now there are many items I do use in that capacity.  I bake a great deal, so flour, sugar, and staples would be a no brainer right? The crux of the problem is, if you only have a say $200.00 food budget a month and you have to buy these items you will have used 1/4 of your budget.  My family did not like living on Lumpy dick ( a depression meal of thickened flour, water and sugar.)  It is impossible to go into a large big box store like that with a list of menu items and get what is on your list for under say $600.00.  I tried this once just for fun.  Did not buy the items just added them up.

     I found that I could purchase flour and sugar once a year at the Christmas baking sales much cheaper.  Since you have to go home and burst everything into smaller containers, buying the smaller at a loss leader price just made more sense. So pantry supplies were an out at Costco.

     But what about their meat?  They do have great meat.  It is never on sale and I can get great meat buys and freeze at local super markets that is 50% off.  Now you all know how I feel about the rotisserie chicken.  Smells great a pretty good price, and time saver, but the side affects not so good.

     Breads can be purchased at a local thrift bread store and frozen much cheaper.  Artisan breads, well I would make those anyway and have them fresh with the smell in my own house.I do love the large white bakery cakes for big events and will order and send in a friend to get them.  Now I won't have to do that.

     Fruits and veggies at Costco are not cheaper they in fact are more expensive per pound if you look at sales. Everything else is a prepackaged convenience food that I would probably not buy unless I had a specific reason.  Such as a treat for a celebration.  I just don't really buy prepackaged convenience foods. Costco does not carry a store brand but the name brand canned goods.  Way too expensive.

     Milk, butter, eggs, and perishables can be purchased in smaller quantities and much smaller prices.
The things I buy on a regular basis as far as food goes are far more expensive at Costco than watching sales and buying larger quantities in smaller packages.  I have proved this to myself over and over.

     It does not take a genius to see that Rite-aid or Walgreens, with their point systems and coupons can beat the price of any large quantity container of your favorite hair or personal supply grooming supple sold at Costco. I call it the $200.00 store as I could never get out before I spent $200.00.  I did not have $200.00, it put me short on the things I did need to get through the month.  It caused me to go further in debt as I found other ways to purchase the things I needed.


     I have heard friends and neighbors complain about trying to get out of Costco for under $3-400.00.  Well stop going.  Their marketing of goodies and beautiful socks, and undies, the bags (large always $10-12) of delicious treats right by the cash registers, just call out to your hungry tummy.

     And the clothing, such bargains, I will buy one in every color please.  But do you need them?  Books, movies, toys, games, tech gadgets are all alluring but are they on the list and do you need them right now?  Probably not. 

     The store overwhelms with its marketing.  So much to choose from.  So cleverly packaged.  The bright colors and rows upon rows of lovely things all waiting to jump into your basket.  Most items are in the range of $10-$20.00 we can all afford those items right?  We can afford several of those items right?  So you have let's see, a package of socks,(for the husband) new dish towels, (yours are so ratty), a bucket of laundry soap, that wonderful imported cheese you like(so much cheaper here)a container of soy sauce,(much cheaper by the gallon), a container of salad dressing, (Greggs 1/2 gallon), three large bottles of dish soap, that package of 5 deodorants, a large package of pot stickers,( they were a tasting item and the clerk forced them on you with all of the salty goodness),a case of soda.  You have now spent over $200.00 and you have a months worth of groceries, right?

     Now I am not totally dissing Costco.  I know you can get many great things there.  I just don't shop there.  I can't afford to.  I don't have much self control and I love to shop and justify why I do it.  The latest best selling books always get me.  I am weak, so like an alcoholic I do not frequent bars.

What are you feelings on big box stores as far as your budget is concerned?
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     By the way look at my totals!  Woo, Hoo will I be able to slam dunk that quick lock loan?  The Studio CC is under $15,000( I throw up a little that I am excited about that).

     I did not sew yesterday, instead I made fruit leather and canned 30 jars of jam, cherry, blueberry, and plum.  Also pitted and dried several pounds of cherries.  I used all the fruit in the freezer so I can go pick more fruit as it come on to go into the freezer. I also went to Joanns and helped one of my dancers get fabric for a competition costume.  I made another wreath for my thieving sister.  I basically putzed around.

     I will dry more cherries and freeze several bags of pie cherries.  But I will also sew at least my quota today. I also need to get some plants in the ground and do some weeding.

Have a great and productive day!

Kim


25 comments:

  1. Nope, we don't shop big stores like that. Smaller grocers have great deals in amounts we can handle. I do buy artisan breads though - cannot stand the smell of baking bread. When I worked at an lab, the anaerobic bacteria in the autoclave would start smelling like baking bread, but then as the heat rose, it would start smelling worse and worse. So, whenever I smell baking bread, I gag. I am not even tempted by those stores though - and I get pressure for them by friends.

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    1. I can see how that would happen with a smell. We are pressured and I think people who shop there waste money or don't eat very well.

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  2. Completely agree. We have a Costco locally but took one visit and realised we would spend all of our money there. ON top of that we would have to pay to join and prove you were either a business owner or an accountant. very weird!I had a copy of my qualification on my phone (to show my new boss) but they couldn't persuade the £29 out of me!

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    1. They are great for big parties and weddings and things, but who can afford to shop there?

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  3. I don't live within driving distance of Costco so not tempted at all. I don't get the allure of a store that makes you pay a fee to even go in there....wtf?!?

    Just over $500 on the quick loc loan...woot! That one will be history before Summer is out I know it!

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    1. Yes but now that they don't charge a fee I bet you still won't shop there. I plan to have that bugger gone in the next couple of day!

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  4. I do go to Costco but I mainly buy gas there (cheapest in town) and gift cards. During the Christmas season you can get 4 $25 dollar Starbucks cards for 79 dollars. TheHub gives them to his support staff and when you need 20 of them the savings add up quickly. Other than that we pretty much don't use it.

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    1. See? You don't grocery shop there either. I know my in laws get gas there but someone has always paid their membership. We have the tribe here for gas so no one can beat them as they don't have all the taxes added on.

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  5. When Sam's Club had a Groupon, I joined. Mostly to get huge containers of EVOO and olive oil. For regular groceries Aldi is the cheapest in this area (west coast of Florida) Publix chased Albertsons out of here years ago...I shopped their sales as you do. I miss them. I get about 95% of what I need at Aldi and pick up the other stuff at a drug store, Dollar Tree or Publix.

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    1. I would go to Costco before I wised up, for soy sauce, salad dressing, laundry soap. When they stopped making the laundry soap I liked I gave up.

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  6. Yes, we have a Costco less that 1/2 mile away and I use it. I have a list of about 15 things I have carefully considered like canned organic tomato products, nuts, organic brown rice, oatmeal, coffee etc. I purchase these based on price comparisons to other local stores, and these items beat the prices. For example, the canned tomato products are half the price of Trader Joes. You just can't go crazy at Costco! What I buy is based on my careful monthly budget, and I don't go over.

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    1. Yes I agree you can shop there that way. I do try to get someone to buy nuts for me there at Christmas. I can my own tomatoes. If you are careful and only buy the few things that save it is great. I am not so great at ignoring the other great deals(not) :)

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  7. I have been in Costco once and Sam's club several times. You are so right about what a large chunk buying in quantity takes out of the grocery budget. A friend and I split the cost of the Sam's Club card. Still, I never saved anything because Sam's is 50 miles away.

    I bought 36 lbs. of sugar for $0.19/lb. I still have it since I don't bake much anymore. I bought it in 5 lb. bags using a store sale, store coupon, and sugar coupon. It's all in quart jars which I get out to refill the sugar canister.

    Canned goods on sale are cheaper. Everything you said is so true. Someone needed to spell this out. Thank you. Those people who buy 25 lbs of flour for an emergency are deluding themselves thinking it is cheaper. It's not!

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    1. If you make everything from scratch buying flour in large bags is great but the price is still higher than buying smaller bags on sale at the grocer.

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  8. My cousin shops there because she gets deals on bulk meats and items that her family eats on a regular basis. Also, on sundries. But for groceries, we generally go to the local stores.

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    1. I still think she could save more money at local stores, but some people just don't want to take the time or don't have the time.

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  9. Years ago I used to shop at Sams Club. I quit going for all the reasons you mentioned. Having moved two years ago, the nearest big box store is 3 hours away. I don't miss it!

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    1. So we have figured this out, how are they all so popular?

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  10. I have been noticing your totals getting lower and lower - you're doing great! Yes, it is exactly because I have a $280 monthly food budget that I let my Costco membership a few years ago. When cooking for one or two it doesn't make sense to buy a bag of peppers that would feed ten people! I have a No Frills a block away and the prices are very good plus they have excellent sales. Just makes sense.

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    1. I know, yet the store is full of people just like us, do they throw the food away?

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    2. You could call the amount of food(leftovers, unused produce, etc.)that get thrown away an epidemic in our society. Peoples food bills would go down enough for them to notice by eating ALL their leftovers and not wasting food. They wouldn't even have to change their shopping habits(store they go to or items they buy)just stop throwing out food!

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    3. I so agree, we try to eat all our leftovers and tablespoon or two may go to the chickens. When the girls were young and home there was always a boy friend or two to feed then we never had a leftover.

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  11. My husband and I were given a Costco membership for Christmas. Our closest one is 45 minutes away. We are retired so we go during the week once a month. For us, it's an outing. It is true it's easy to overspend there, to buy things you didn't know you "needed". You do have to be careful. And we've learned with the food samples not to buy as it never tastes as good at home as when you were in the store. However, we have gotten some really good buys on things like bars of soap, ibuprofen, aspirin, vitamins, batteries and nuts, avocados and cheese to name a few. And when they add rebates to some of the things we buy we can really get some good deals.
    I haven't heard about Costco opening its doors to the public. That would take some of the shine off it for me.

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  12. I do agree it is a major outing and some people go just for the samples. The nuts and certain cheeses and meds are cheaper. I just don't shop there. I do take advantage of my mom's membership to get her to buy certain things.

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  13. Everyone around me is a costco convert. Except me. I have never liked their late opening hours, their 'nazi' receipt checker, nor their membership dues. Waiting in line for gas, six cars deep - all of them idling, spewing out fumes.
    Costco doesn't carry any of my alternative foods is my main reason for not shopping there. If they did happen to carry the brand, next month they wouldn't. Friends crow about the produce. It's not local and it's over-packaged.
    My local store has sales and stocks my alternative foods. I don't have to pay to shop, nor do I have to contend with hordes of sampler people. And, my store has produce managers - who source local.
    I have found most costco converts just buy because they ran out, not because they need it (starbucks frappachinos)and are not into budgeting. I'm also lucky to live in Oregon where I know the nut farmers and how to source grass-fed beef. Toilet paper goes on sale once a month at nearly every store I've ever been in. Costco does not work for me. It's easier to save money by watching the local store's ads. Actually, my biggest challenge on food budgeting has been to buy smaller quantities as there are only two of us in the house now.

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