Warehouse Club Shopping vs. Couponing Which One Really Saves You More Money and Time?

After seeing all of the couponing shows it really makes you start thinking about your own grocery shopping. If you are a warehouse club shopper, you may already feel that you are saving lots of money. For example if you have a Costco, BJ's or Sam's club membership, you probably buy most of your items in bulk. Well I decided to take a look at the couponing my area, and compare that with the amount of money I spend shopping at Costco. I also spoke to other parents in the area who budget their shopping and have tried both. Below you will find the end results.

Time Saver

The first thing that I realized is that you can save a lot of time by shopping at the warehouse club. First of all you can find everything in one location. With couponing you may have to visit a variety of stores to really get the deals. You will not have to worry about extra traffic or traveling further. Also with the warehouse clubs you will not have to spend a few hours each week clipping and hunting for coupons, or even dumpster diving. The amount of energy you put into looking for coupons, you can instead save for other things.

Reasonable prices

Look at the cost of the bulk items at the warehouse clubs, and compare this with the items you may have a coupon for. One thing I did notice is that most of the items I get a coupon for are not healthy, and are the smallest size packages available. Stores like Costco only allow you to use their in store coupons but a good deal can really be had with this as well. Especially since you are getting the items in bulk amounts. For example instead of getting lots of small boxes of rice you can get a large sack for about the same price. Of course this does vary by location, so you may have to personally check your area. Stores like BJ's allow you to use manufacture coupons. Take a look at the prices where you live and see which one is really the better option.

Less shopping trips

Another plus that I found is that you can limit your shopping to once a month instead of once a week. With couponing many found that it quickly becomes a weekly deal. Of course you do have to run out and pick up the occasional bottle of milk, or loaf of bread, which you can use coupons for if you can find them in your area.

The bottom line is that you need to look at your own families expenses and also investigate the price clubs in your own area. Be sure to take into consideration any yearly fee you have to pay for the warehouse clubs. This should be factored into your yearly expenses.