There are many “tricks to the trade” when it comes to eating healthy, cheap, and simple – and one of them is to learn how to buy in bulk. One good way is to use the large “wholesale” stores such as Costco, Sam’s Club, Wholesale Club, etc.
Costco is a very unique store in many ways, and there are reasons why it is so popular.
Getting Into the Costco “Mode”
To be honest, we didn’t fully appreciate the Costco “mode” a few years ago. We had friends who used Costco a lot – we didn’t. But we got a Costco membership and went to explore. We came out with very little, we were disappointed! We thought almost everything at Costco was more expensive than at the large supermarket we were used to shopping at.
If you are at “bare bones,” budget-wise, it can seem like a lot even to buy a membership at Costco. Maybe you’re used to buying the most generic food at the most basic prices. When you first start shopping at Costco, it seems like you can’t find any of the foods you normally buy. Either you can’t find them at all, or they are in such large quantities that it seems unrealistic to purchase them.
Explaining the Costco Model
A few things have to be understood about Costco, besides the simple fact that you need to buy an annual membership.
- Costco has limited product selection. Your normal local supermarket has many thousands of different items. Costco has far fewer. The store focuses on providing a smaller selection of high-quality products, reducing the overwhelming choices often found in traditional grocery stores. Because they have a limited selection, they can rotate products more frequently, so the product is likely to be fresher. They also introduce new products from time to time, so you can try something new on a regular basis!
- Costco emphasizes quality. You won’t find all the different foods you are used to, but what you do find will, in most cases, be high quality. In fact, you can pretty much count on that! The produce, meat, and dairy will be good quality. This is one of the major concerns many people have when grocery shopping; what is the quality of the food I’m buying? Even their less expensive store brand “Kirkland” can be counted on, in most cases, to be at the “top of the game.”
- Costco emphasizes bulk. You are going to be buying virtually everything in larger quantities than you are used to. Here can be a major adjustment – especially if you are a person who likes a lot of variety, a “little bit of this, and a little bit of that,” on a regular basis! So part of the adjustment – especially with perishable items, and if you are a small family – is learning to like to eat the same thing for a while! This is no problem for me, if I like something, I can eat it for a very long time, but this is something you have to consider. But if you can do this, you will realize significant savings in many cases, compared to the “regular supermarket.”
- Costco has unique items that you won’t find in other stores. For example, in our local Costco, you can buy large pies at reasonable prices, almost like you could make at home – great for hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner, for example! You’ll likely not find the equivalent in Walmart or your local Freddie’s Supermarket. That’s just one example, there are hundreds of unique items; these are items that you may not have realized you needed before, of course – for better or worse! – but they meet unfulfilled food needs in your household…and at reasonable prices!
- Costco has a lot of organic and healthy foods in bulk. If you are especially interested in “healthy,” Costco seems – in my opinion – to have thought about that already, and gone out of their way to look for “healthy” products. Not all of them, no – but enough to make it relatively easy to eat healthy from Costco. Many of the products you can buy there are organic, at prices well below what you would pay for organic elsewhere. And just plain good-for-you foods like raw almonds in bulk, for example, in very large bags at very reasonable prices.
- Costco has other products and services for sale at reasonable prices. You have to think beyond simply food; Costco can save you money on a myriad of other products and services: tires, electronics, gasoline, furniture, clothing, hearing aids, pharmacy services – even travel services. Prices of some of these products/services will probably astound you.
- Costco has a generous return policy. Just about any product can be returned at any time for a full refund. This adds an extra layer of confidence for shoppers, because they know they can correct a bad purchase when it doesn’t meet their needs.
How to Make the Switch in a Budget-Friendly Way
In all honesty, if you are really at the bottom of the barrel financially, it can initially seem like there’s no possible way you can afford the savings (!) at Costco. To get started, you need a few dollars. You need to be disciplined when you shop at Costco, there are so many interesting items to try!
Determine what you need in advance. Just like with any store, you can “impulse shop,” and buy things you don’t need and can’t afford. And when you do add something to your purchases in a bulk store like Costco, it’s not just going to be an extra $.50 on your grocery bill, it might be $15.00! So maybe explore new foods one item at a time, and keep track of what you spend. But if you can be disciplined, you can purchase good quality food at significantly lower prices than the equivalent at other stores. Or you can raise the food quality of your diet by buying higher quality, in quantity – at hopefully the same money outlay!
Finally…
It’s definitely worth your while to explore the “Costco model,” and see if it works for you in your quest for simple, healthy, and budget-friendly eating. It’s probably not for everyone, but if you can adapt your way of life, and remain “in control,” it might be just right for you!
Don’t forget the other “wholesale” stores; Costco isn’t the only one. One of the others (Sam’s Club, for example) might meet your needs better than Costco – only you can determine that!
If you have anything to add – comments, questions, etc., to this post, please feel free to share in the space below.
