Bulking Up

BULKING UP DOES STOCKING UP AT PRICE CLUBS REALLY SAVE MONEY-OR IS IT ALL JUST A WASTE? With TV shows and blogs devoted to extreme couponing and buying in bulk, many consumers are wondering if they really can make ends meet by buying industrial-sized packs of toilet paper. BULK BUYING Despite their drawbacks, warehouse clubs are popular. The three stores combined have more than 122 million members. BASIC MEMBERSHIP FEES $50 $55 $40 122 million Combined membership at three largest warehouse clubs, Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's Sam's Club BJ's Costco SO, IS IT WORTHWHILE? Yes ... And no AVERAGE AMOUNT OF ITEMS IN STORE COSTCO 4,000 $2,395 EWHOLESALE 4,900 Annual savings for average family that spends $150 a week at price clubs Sam's BIS 7,200 31% United 50,000 Supermarkets How much less warehouse prices are compared to other stores Walmart 100,000 MAKING IT WORK Successful bulk shopping depends largely on what you buy. Here are the smartest (and dumbest) bulk club purchases you can make: Buy (-M. REEN BEER Cereal Os ALCOHOL MEAT 35% 25% Spices CEREAL 78% Batteries 50% and light bulbs 63% savings on hard liquor savings on ground beef (assuming you have freezer space) (assuming you use it before it spoils) 25% savings savings on beer savings Toilet paper and paper towels Toothbrushes and toothpaste 35% 35% savings savings Don't buy RICE Soda Promotions can often be found at non-bulk stores with good deals toward the middle of the month. Beauty products The shelf life is often six months to one Brown rice It typically expires in six months compared to white rice, which can last up to 30 year and unless you're a makeup artist, it'll probably go unused. years. Condiments Unless splitting among a huge household, these items usually expire before they can be consumed. Bleach It degrades after six months, so unless you do a ton of bleaching, it's not usually beneficial. SOURCES • http://money.msn.com ● •http://www.npr.org O http://www.controlnroll.com O http://money.howstuffworks.com • http://www.cnbc.com /www.consumerreports.org O ht 'www.dailyfinance.com O http: www.learnvest.com O http://www.costco.com O http://www.samsclub.com o http://www.bjs.com cheaponlinedegrees.org