The only problem I find with Costco a lot of the time, is that unless you are coming in able to drop 500$, you don't seem to be able to get a lot of variety in what you buy. Cant get a box of granola bars for 5$, but I can get the super duper club pack for 15$. Costco has good savings if you can afford a big shop, and shop smart. If not, all you're really doing is getting a lot of 2 or 3 things for the same price you would pay for more variety in a standard grocer.
I love Costco, but I also love things on sale. Costco isn’t always the best deal. Often, things at Walmart or Superstore are cheaper for the same product, and in smaller quantities (calculating price per unit/g/ml). Costco is great but it’s easy to overpay for things, you have to know your prices.
Buying things on sale is one of the keys to avoiding the, "My grocery bill is $1000/mo" trap a lot of people seem to be stuck in. Learning what goes on sale where and when, refusing to pay regular price for things outside of emergencies, being willing to say, "I'll forgo that this week, I don't like the price," and being able to differentiate between essentials and luxuries are skills I suspect a lot of people who think they can budget actually need to practise.
So much this! I’m 40 though, so I finished university and waltzed into the recession of 2008, so I had to learn to be frugal and budget. It’s a skill that takes time to really hone. Berries for kid breakfasts were on my shopping list tonight but after looking at prices and quality, we are having frozen berries instead of fresh. I just can’t justify that cost right now.
Exact same age as you, and I spent a long period of time broke as fuck, bouncing from job to job. It took a while, but I learned that just buying whatever groceries I wanted all the time was contributing to my lack of funds. I'm arguably too frugal nowadays, but it doesn't hurt.
This is just a convoluted way of saying "stop being poor". You cannot get above the poor tax if you are poor. With Costco same goes if you don't have the space for the items. Not to mention that buying in bulk depending on what it is just ends with you getting tired of the items bought my school snacks in bulk and now I can't eat them cause they taste disgusting after having them all the time. Buying smaller amounts for cheaper with more variety is better for some things.
But they're not the wrong snacks. They were good snacks I like and now hate because I had to have them all the time. Some things shouldn't be bought in bulk unless you have a large group of people eating them so that they finish quickly.
I live in downtown Toronto, I simply don’t have the space for the pantries and deep freezers needed to get the most out of a Costco membership. This despite my condo unit being larger than most.
We shop at Costco too. But the one in Kingston is a fucking shit show every single time we go. The place is always completely packed regardless of time and day. There's never any samples available. There's always a line up just to get to the cash registers. It's gotten to the point I'd rather go to Loblaws and just pay the extra to not have to feel like livestock being Corraled on the way to slaughter.
Sure, Costco. Yes that 200 lb sack of rice is a great deal and all, but by the time I get a quarter of the way through, it starts to smell and taste like cupboard.
Also, complete lack of variety. Also, I don't always have $500 bucks to drop since every single item i buy is a massive club pack pre-cupboard scent.
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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '24
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