She’s talking about grocery shopping again? What a surprise! Said no reader of mine ever.
In my ongoing quest to explore every food buying option known to man, I spent last Friday morning at a wholesale club (BJ’s Wholesale Club to be exact), soaking up all the tips (and coupons) I could from Molly.
Instead of my strict, detailed list meal plan, I brought a rough sketch of potential meals. As we chatted and roamed, I definitely began to see some of the benefits of buying in bulk. I didn’t intend to fill up the cart, but the paper towels and tortilla chips alone took up half, so I left with plenty to sort through as I analyzed how bulk shopping worked for us over the past week.
Pro: Lower prices per ounce on name-brand products.
That big ‘ol bottle of avocado oil (my kitchen favorite) cost $10.99. The 24 pack of Clif Bars? $21.49 (roughly $0.86 per bar instead of $1.00+ that they usually run). The marinara cost $8.99, but it is double the size of the smaller bottle that sells for the same price at the regular grocery store).
Con: We don’t typically eat the same meat/protein multiple times in the same week.
This is probably something we could (should?) change, but I found myself freezing half the sausage and half the chicken drumsticks, instead of cooking it all up throughout the week. Since I shop my freezer on the regular, it will equal a cost savings for another week, but it’s just a new rhythm for me.
Pro: They sell wine. And coffee.
I crossed my fingers that David would like the coffee I chose (he does) because it’s huge and will last him forever and at $11.99, I just couldn’t pass it up. Josh, my favorite wine, was $11.49 (usually it’s around $13/$14 a bottle) and the store-brand pinot noir (which was good!) was on sale that day for $6. How do the kids say it? #winning?
Con: I bought things not on my list simply because of the price.
I jumped for joy at paying only $7.99 for TWENTY FOUR La Croix’s (I typically spend $4.99 on about 10!), but we never buy juices. Yet when I saw the Honest Kids at $11.49 for 32 pouches, I talked myself into how great they’d be for playgrounds and the boat.
Pro: Coupons!
I try to be good about coupons when it’s convenient, but I’m certainly not organized enough to have a coupon binder or anything. The flyer at the front of the store (combined with coupons from the mailer that Molly brought) ended up saving me $24. It was an exciting moment!
Click here for more posts on grocery shopping details!
Overall thoughts:
- We have a lot more food in the house than usual. It’s weird for me to be on the last day of our weekly food cycle and still have extra ham, sausage, chicken, mozzarella cheese, egg whites, tortilla chips, and more. I’m so used to clearing out the fridge that it’s a new challenge for me to see how to incorporate these items into the next week’s menu so they don’t go to waste.
- I had to stop by other grocery stores 3 times this week. Once for yogurt and sweet potatoes, once for breakfast burritos for David, and another for bread. No big inconvenience really, but again, just a different way of doing things.
- It’s really nice as a growing family to have more quantity. I’ve mentioned that we never have leftovers from meals and how I am finding myself not making enough food to fill us all up sometimes, so being able to buy 1 super-sized bag of green beans that provided us all with plenty to eat and even some for lunch the next day for the same price as a small bag at another store was really nice.
- The bill was expensive. I spent $302 after coupons, which put a decent dent in our monthly grocery allowance. However it included paper towels, 4 bottles of wine, a big jug of laundry detergent, and over-sized portions of groceries. I’m interested to see how it pans out over the month, since some of that food cost will obviously trickle over as savings into the coming weeks. Still, I’m down to $250 for the rest of the month. Let the strategics continue!
I am intrigued by the potential for cost savings over the month and think it could be a really neat set up to try this summer. I just joined a local CSA and think between that produce, and buying bulk for pantry items, it could lower our monthly bill. I’m just trying to decide between BJ’s (close by), Sam’s (also close by), and Costco (not close by- about 45 minutes away).
Wholesale shoppers, help me out:
I know Costco has a mass following, but those that have shopped at multiple whole sale stores, is there a big difference between them?
Katie says
Over the past 15 or so years, I’ve shopped all 3 of the major wholesale stores and by far prefer BJs.
1. It’s generally smaller than the other two (in size of physical store) which makes it a bit less overwhelming for me.
2. You can find a lot more organic items as well as smaller items at BJs. I.e. I can buy one loaf of organic sandwich bread as opposed to 3 loaves packaged together
3. BJs accepts manufactures coupons while the other two do not.
4. BJs is much more leanient on payment methods (i.e. I can pay in any method I prefer, so can my friend who doesn’t have a membership and I can use my Mom’s credit card even though it’s my name on the membership. I know for sure Costco will not allow this.)
Maggie says
I think Costco is God’s gift to the world but I’m not sure I’d drive 45 mins for it, especially if the other option is only 15 mins or so away. On the other hand, it’s not necessarily a weekly trip so the drive once or twice a month wouldn’t be so bad. I think it also depends if you’d ever use Costco’s other services – amazingly cheap glasses and contacts, tires, vacation packages, clothes/shoes, skincare, etc. I got a pair of Hunter boots at Costco for $70 and my eye glasses for $120, so those two purchases in one day made our membership worth it! I also like that Costco treats their employees really well (pretty sure it’s harder to get a job there than my law firm!) because it makes me feel great about shopping there! I think it really comes down to the distance thing!
montessoriishmom says
Thanks for posting this! I’m still torn on whether to try Costco (right by out house). I know they have great deals, but I feel like I may wind up just spening more money overall – like you said, getting things not on the list just because of the price. Still, the prices make is so tempting!
heather @Lunging Through Life says
I found that making an entire month’s worth of meal plan helped to make sure I use up the stuff I buy in bulk. I always end up spending too much at wholesale places, but it does last a while, so I try to justify it. I should note I haven’t been up on my meal planning game π but I actually loved making it for a month, seeing what I had one week that I can reuse the next week or freeze and take out later in the month. Each week I just saw if there was something I didn’t make the previous week and readjust the following week.
Lauren says
We usually shop at BJs about once a month. I buy some meat, which I freeze in meal sized portions, staples, and household stuff. Some of the staples and household items last a couple months, like the luncheon napkins, tp, olive oil, flour, cat food, canned tomatoes, beans, etc. Some of the produce lasts us 2 weeks, like bell peppers, romaine and cukes. I’ll grab a 3 pack of their organic milk if I can. In general, I’ll probably spend $200ish there, but the then maybe $40 at the grocery store and 80ish the rest of the month. It balances out for us. When we don’t get there, I definitely find myself comparing.
Ali says
I tend to use BJ’s once a month. Otherwise I would end up buying a lot of things that I really don’t need if I went every single week. But I do find that when I have recently gone we have more stock available on snacks and grab and go items which I really like.
If you were thinking about trying out Costco I would encourage you to go north to Winston instead of south to Charlotte⦠Maybe avoiding traffic if you need to be going during peak hours.
Brittany Dixon says
I actually thought about that! I googled both locations and realized how much happier I would be driving north on 77 rather than into the city on that scary highway!
Marissa says
Costco all the way! So many organic & healthy options. I’m not a fan of Sams at all – shopped there for years before Costco opened here & dreaded it everytime. Never been to BJ’s. We also get really cheap gas at Costco, along with tires for our cars, etc. I love it, but in saying that, I’m about a 5 minute drive from the store.
Jenn says
I shop at Sams, we dont have a BJ’s and Costco has just opened so I havent made the switch yet…maybe next year. To me Sams and Costco seem like Walmart and Target in comparison. Costco had a few more things that Sams didnt, price was a little higher. But basically the store layout was the same and was hard to notice the difference in the 2. I would like to hear what others think of the 2 as Ive only been in Costco once.
Angie says
We’ve belonged to Costco for 13 years now and use it more and more since we are a family of 4. I find getting our cleaning supplies and basics helps because it keeps me from going to Target and Wal Mart, where you always buy stuff you don’t need. I’ve found ways to stretch and save produce too. My MIL showed me if you wash and cut up lettuce right away and store it in wet paper towels in bags it lasts longer. I may only get apples and one other fruit a week but we eat it all. I find I do a huge trip ($200) about once every 2/3 months, which included toilet paper, etc. and then every other week I get milk eggs,etc. Then I spend $60-90 at Sprouts, where I do my weekly shopping I don’t use a ton of coupons either because I find that they are mostly for prepackaged junk food. So I think this helps balance it out. Sometimes Coatco has manufacturing coupons and you can save $3.00 on cleaning supplies and a couple dollars on snacks. Also, Costco is good about taking back things you don’t like or go bad quickly!
Liz says
I love BJs and I work right around the corner from one so I spend my lunch hour doing a bulk shopping. I typically only go once a month, month and a half since the stuff I buy lasts forever. Not sure if yours had it or not but that Eureka (I think) brand of bread you like is sold there too. Great prices plus coupons on diapers, wipes, fruit packs, snack food, cereal, clothing, books, toys etc. I like Costco too but don’t live close enough to one so I let my membership expire.
Liz T says
Costco is an ethical employer, if that’s something your considering. Sam’s club is owned by Walmart, which generally doesn’t treat it’s employees well. I don’t know anything about BJs. I have a work membership to Sam’s and a personal one at Costco, and I can tell a noticeable difference in both the employees and the quality of food products (both much better at Costco). At Costco, there’s plenty of organic options and the bulk savings on other items. I agree, it’s a lot of meat, but their prices on organic beats grocery stores by so much, it’s just a bit of a hassle to have to remember to dethaw, etc. but if you’re regularly freezing and defrosting anyway, then it’s not any different. But 45 minutes is a long way to drive!
Ali says
+1 on the ethical employer point. Where I am, Costo employees get benefits, too.
Brittany Dixon says
Interesting insight! My best friend works at Walmart and will attest to how unimpressed she is with their employee treatment. I did not know Costco did such a great job with it though. Good info to consider! Thanks, Liz π
Jamie Horne says
I have had memberships at both Sams and Costco and I prefer Costco. Costco’s name brand Kirkland is known for being incredibly high quality. They also offer many more organic options than Sams and BJs and a ton more variety in my opinion (think 10 different types of protein bars). I think the pros of Sams and BJs is that the bulk products tend to be smaller (more manageable) and name brands you are used to. Costco has improved the size of their bulk items somewhat so they aren’t nearly as gigantic as they used to be. We bought a deep freeze from Costco to help us stockpile proteins and frozen fruits/veggies which has saved us a ton of money. Costco also has great coupons and we shop them strategically. For instance, every few months they will run a coupon for $4 off a bag of frozen wild caught salmon filets so we buy 4 bags (the limit) and freeze them. This way we can eat salmon more often without breaking the bank. We also use the coupon book to decide which paper towels/laundry detergent/toilet paper/etc to purchase depending on which is on sale. Also, if you get the Costco credit card you get cash back for all your shopping so we end up getting a nice check back each year for everything we have purchased. We tend to buy electronics, some furniture, dog food, and other miscellaneous items there as well so we spend enough to make decent money back.
Alexandra Hestilow says
I could read about you grocery shopping all day every day. i love it!
Taylor says
I think that a large part of it has to do with where the store is located. We used Sams when we lived in KY and while Costco, Sams, and BJ’s are now here where we are in Maryland, the location of each one really impacts the quality of store. Costco is in the nicest area, and therefore is more appealing to us. I think they are all pretty similar, so it really depends on how far youre willing to go/neighborhood.
Laura says
We only have Costco here (Canada), so I can’t comment on the other stores, but I can say that we definitely find our membership worthwhile for the savings on even just a few items. I’m not sure what prices are like in your area, but here, things like hummus, salad, Greek yogurt, and nut butters are half the price of what they would be in a regular grocery store. We used to go about once a month (so we often ended up buying these at the grocery store when we ran out) but they just opened a new location 5 minutes from our house. So now we manage to stop by every 1-2 weeks, in addition to our regular grocery shopping, to stock up on our Costco staples. And we’ve found that we have saved quite a bit. The thing I find I have to be careful about is not buying more than I need (like a 1kg bag of chips!). I am also trying to make fewer trips to the grocery store every week (especially in the colder months), and as long as I buy produce that doesn’t spoil too quickly, I find the large quantities are actually ideal for us (we eat a lot of fruits and vegetables!).
I’ve also heard that because they have such a large clientele, they only carry high quality products and are quite selective about the items they sell, so that they won’t have to worry about complaints and returns from customers. And, in my experience, that has been quite accurate.
Brittany Dixon says
So funny that you mention the chips, because we still have over half a bag of tortilla chips that I’m certain will go stale before we get to them. Never thought that would happen in my house π
Kiersten says
We’re members at Costco (and I’ve only ever shopped there– it’s by far the dominant chain on the west coast), and we love it. But we don’t use it for our weekly shopping… we still budget for a weekly trip to the grocery store and then budget for one big monthly trip to Costco. If you have an extra freezer to store meat, it really pays off. Plus they just have a really great selection of high quality products. They do also send out monthly coupon books with manufacturer coupons, so we stock up on all the basics in sync with their sales cycles, and save quite a bit over stores like Target, Walmart, etc. Finally, they also have a lot of other products you can buy through them at great prices, including tires (as someone posted above), glasses, and even travel. I find that the longer you are a member, the more things you find that you like to buy there. Definitely worth it in my opinion!
Julia @ Drops of Jules says
I love the frame of mind you have around grocery shopping. Itβs like this puzzle for you. When I make tasks in my life a puzzle, they instantly become more fun. I need to try something like this!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my goodness, yes! It’s an ever-changing puzzle to me, thus my fascination with it all. You’re spot on, Julia π
Jennifer says
We prefer BJs mainly b/c they accept coupons. I guess you could do a cost comparison to see if their prices are higher b/c of accepting coupons or not; but I don’t have memberships to the others to do this π And I live in MD so no alcohol at any grocery store or wholesale club, womp womp π
Maria says
I shop at both Bjs and Costco. BJs is closer and has smaller portions because as others have mentioned, sometimes Costco is has too much! But I like the meat and seafood at Costco more, they have high standards for their store brand stuff. My biggest suggestion is to try to split the membership cost with someone, I pay for BJs but my mil pays for the Costco one.
Lindsey says
We only have experience with Costco and Sam’s, but love Costco way more. Wholesale buying definitely takes some strateeeegery π
I have tried to figure out what makes sense to buy at Costco and then definitely do another grocery run each week. We usually keep Costco to a once-a-month (maybe twice) thing and then do one other grocery store (usually Sprouts) each week. We usually buy our weekly meat based on what’s on sale at Sprouts (AMAZING sales. I think I’ve said that here before, but run, don’t walk to Sprouts), but I usually buy a protein for lunches at Costco (like chicken sausages or salmon burgers).
You can definitely talk yourself into things you normally wouldn’t buy, but I usually take my husband with me because he has an excellent “We really don’t need a box of 50 taquitos” face.
I love talking grocery strategy! We try to keep to less than $110/week for a family of four, though one of us is 10 months old. π
Brittany Dixon says
“because he has an excellent βWe really donβt need a box of 50 taquitosβ face.”
LOL! π
Elizabeth says
Exactly! I do way better when I take my husband shopping or send him to Costco for us.
Molly says
I’ve shopped both Sam’s and Costco (no BJ’s close by) and recently made the switch to only Costco. Here are a few things I’ve noticed:
– At Costco, you will get a better quality for the money; At Sam’s you get more quantity for the money
– Costco seems to have more/better organic selections; Sam’s was starting to get more organic items when I left but was definitely behind Costco in that regard
– Costco is considerably bigger (pro: more to pick from, con: I hate the larger layout) than Sam’s (Pro: easier to find things, con: doesn’t have quite as much selection)
– Costco private label items (Kirkland) are almost always a name brand in disguise (An employee told me their Kirkland Coffee is really Starbucks). I have no complaints about the Sam’s Brand as those items always seemed pretty good
– Costco hours are not as long as Sam’s. At Sam’s, if you have a business/premium card, you can shop early mornings before it officially opens. Sometimes I went before the hubby and kids even woke up! Costco doesn’t offer that
– If you get the Costco card, you get 4% cash back on their gas; the Sam’s card was 5% back on their gas
– One of the Costco membership levels (maybe all of them?) gives you 1% back on all purchases at the end of the year. Sam’s doesn’t offer this option.
I hope these help!
Brittany Dixon says
Very helpful! I have heard over and over that the Kirkland brand is top notch (wine included). It is tempting!
Laura says
I will never tire of your grocery store posts!
Another vote for Costco, although I’ve never been to BJ’s. I found Sam’s had lower quality meats, cheeses, and produce, less organic, and fewer gourmet offerings. I have actually gotten my 3 year old into French cheeses thanks to Costco. We are only allowed to get one at a time, but the prices are unreal for what we’re getting. Same for a lot of the wild seafood they offer. Much of it is frozen or IQF, so it really doesn’t matter if it take a month to go through it.
I don’t know if anyone else mentioned it, but with the gold membership you get a percentage back (I think 2%) and it always ends up being more than the membership cost itself for us (of course, we do a lot of shopping there, but really just one big purchase like patio furniture would do it). Additionally, we get a percentage back (varies I think from 1- 5%) from our credit card which is huge. We go about 3 times a month and always fill up the car as well for the gas savings. I will say I do not run a grocery budget, but we eat healthy, do not eat out (rarely) and we very rarely throw food away.
Also- can’t speak for the others, but Costco is amazing at accepting returns… like if a container of blackberries were to mold up quickly they will easily refund you.
I wonder if you can get a single pass to Costco before committing to a membership?
Brittany Dixon says
That’s a great idea. I’m going to call and see if I can get a one time pass or something before committing to anything. It was so helpful to be able to experience BJ’s that way!
Laura says
One more thing that has saved us time and money- we have an egg and milk delivery, from a local Colorado dairy farm. The quality is superior, the monthly charge is minimal, and it saves us small trips to the store!
Katy H says
The things we normally buy at Costco include: paper towels, toilet paper, paper plates, plastic utensils, bottled water, chicken breasts (we freeze the extra), chicken sausage (same, we freeze these, coffee, oat bars, fruit snacks, apple sauce pouches, etc. We usually go on average once every 2 weeks and normally the weeks we go our regular grocery store bill is way down. I think buying bulk helps tremendously, especially with items you find yourself buying EVERY WEEK at the grocery store.
Kara says
I am considering getting a membership to BJs so I would love a follow up post at the end of the month to see how it impacted your budget.
The reason I’m looking at BJs is their coupon policy. Their very generous coupon policy is a huge draw for me. And the gas savings sound great, too.
I’ve been to Costco once and was not impressed. Their produce section was huge, but it was definitely lacking in some of the staples that you expect a store to have (like cucumbers and hot peppers).
Jerrica says
I grew up going to Sams and now only have Costco available to me. We have a love hate relationship. I go about once a month to “stock up” and never leave under $200. It definitely doesn’t cut down my weekly grocery bill as I find it hard to put together meals out of the random bulk purchases. I HATE Costco payment option of only visa. I have, on more than one occasion, forgotten my debit card (visa) and only had a master card in my wallet so I had to leave my cart and come back another time. Drives me bonkers and I find myself constantly checking to make sure I have my visa as I’m shopping. if I had another option, I would definitely choose something other than Costco. Also, sams always offered boxes at the front to pack up your stuff and my Costco does not do that.
Christina says
Reading these comments has been fascinating! I especially appreciate the people who pointed out that Costco treats their employees better – I didn’t know that! We belonged to Costco for a number of years, and I loved it for many of the reasons above (especially the Kirkland brand – it’s excellent!), but we ultimately dropped our membership because our Costco is one of the busiest in the country (so I’ve heard) and the check out lines and parking lots were out of control (at all hours of every day). I’m a HUGE fan of Wegman’s, and I find that some of their “family pack” pricing rivals that of Costco, so that’s where I do the majority of my shopping now.
Kate says
I only use Costco, but I can attest to their fabulous customer service policies. They will take anything back with no questions asked for a full refund. Also, and this is a huge perk for our family, their travel services are amazing. We’ve put together a trip to two Hawaiian Islands this summer with them staying at 5 star hotels and the cost is significantly less than anywhere else I looked into booking. (Also…the thrill of getting my 2% back every spring is almost too exciting for my geeky self π ) I can’t wait to hear what you decide to do, and I hope you’ll update us on how you incorporate it all in once you get in the swing of bulk shopping!
Raeanne Tripp says
I love all of these post lately about meal planning and trying to stick with a grocery budget. Do you have any tips for stocking up on produce with your little ones? Do you buy frozen fruit, or switch up fruit for the girls, or just stick with the basics like apples bananas oranges on repeat?? My children are close in age to yours and I always find myself running mid week to buy more fruit, and it is destroying any form of a grocery budget I have.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh yes, mine love fruit too! I always get a lot of bananas, then usually grapes or plums or berries (changes weekly). I keep applesauce stocked in the pantry in case we run out and need a fruit option and I also keep frozen fruit (they love mango) for them to eat or to turn into fruit smoothies. Mine typically have a banana with breakfast or lunch, a fruit with lunch, but not for dinner so it keeps it in check (for the most part- some weeks we eat more!)
Haley says
I have shopped Costco for a few years now and I love it, but I can’t seem to go without dropping $300 or more. I’m trying own to stick to a. Usher so I thought about going to Costco once a month that first week and then filling in at the grocery store. I love being able to buy organic beef and chicken and stocking the freezer with them to be able to pull out at they last minute. Costco has wxpnaded to so many organically offerings, which I love, and also some unique food that’s ok for my allergy kid. I’m still figuring out how to shop there and stay on budget, but it’s a learning but process and you’re right you have to realize what you have in your pantry/freezer before buying more food. But I love. I’ll shopping because there’s something gratifying about having plenty of food in stock π
Haley says
Forgive all the typos. Auto correct isn’t not on point!
Brittany Dixon says
I use talk to text all the time so I’m very used to translating typos π
I think I’m going to have to take a trial trip to Costco- I just hear so many great things!
Elizabeth says
In my opinion, yes, there is a huge difference. Costco is WAY better. I’ve been to BJs maybe 2x and been completely underwhelmed, I’ve been to Sam’s 1x and felt the same way. Costco’s quality and price cannot be beat. Every product that they sell is at the top of that product category. The meat & produce & dairy are great. I literally let Costco make my purchasing decisions for me (e.g. I need underwear – go to Costco & get the pack that meets my needs – I’m completely happy with the product). We buy so many things that aren’t food items from costco: furniture, jewelery, baby wipes & diapers, christmas gifts (always!), electronics, etc. They also have the best return policy – return it anytime with or without receipt (they can see that you purchased it on your account). Also the very best gas prices.
Elizabeth says
In terms of the budget, I keep a separate Costco budget/month. I know that I’ll buy lots of items at costco that I wouldn’t buy at the grocery store (paper towels, tp, kleenex, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, etc.), so it’s just easier to set up a separate Costco budget & track that.
Erica says
What type of laundry detergent did you get from BJ’s? That was one of my big complaints about that store, I missed my ECOs detergent from Sams. We did a free 3-month membership at BJ’s a few years ago and found we consistently spent $150-175 per week instead of the $100-$125 we had always spent at Sams. Plus BJ’s didn’t have rotisserie chicken which my husband missed having for his weekday salads. You may want to visit all 3 stores you are considering joining and see which one has items you are most interested in. I found BJ and Sam’s both had organic eggs, milk, chicken broth, and spinach which were my top priorities, but other items varied. Depending on what you buy, one store probably has a better selection for you!
Brittany Dixon says
To be honest, I’m not sure! It was a Free and Clear detergent that had a coupon- that’s all I remember haha π
Kim @ Kim Bocko says
Great pros and cons! We invested in a food saver to freeze all the protein we buy at Costco. Maybe not the best for everyone, but that way we always have a freezer full of lots of different protein to choose from!
Emily says
There is a BJs right in my town, so I have a fairly lengthy list of staples that I get there. The only I think I don’t like is that they keep swapping out their healthier options. I can no longer find avocado oil or my favorite snack chip (Way Better, Sweet Chili–soooooo good!!).
Our staples there include: organic whole milk, polar flavored seltzer, applegate hotdogs, organic tortellini, organic chicken sausage, avocados. We’re hit or miss on produce there—they used to have a decent organic section, but now its mostly packaged salad greens and bagged apples.
Our store just introduced beer and wine which I was super excited about until I realized its pretty much all Bud Light and super cheap Pinot Grigio. If our store carried Josh, I’d be a happy camper!!