Saturday, March 10, 2012

Shopping with the King of Frugal

My father is hands down the most frugal shopper I have ever met.

I guess unconventionality runs in the family because my parents certainly have a non-traditional setup. My dad has been a "house husband" for the past 35 years while my step-mom was the bread winner. As part of their system my dad does all of the grocery shopping.


Now, I was raised by my mother, not my dad & step-mom, so while my dad has always talked a good game in terms of frugal shopping, I never really got to witness it first hand until this week.

This is because for my birthday my dad got me a membership to Costco. Well... actually, he got himself a membership to Costco, and signed me up as the 2nd person on the account. See what I mean about the frugal part?


Anyhow, after he paid the membership fee and we got our photos taken and our little ID cards issued, we hit the aisles eager for the incredible bargains we'd heard so much about.


I must say, it was a rather amazing experience. I guess this is to be expected when you unleash a PhD statistician into the wild world of grocery shopping, but I really was unprepared for the spectacle of His Frugalness in action.


First of all, with my allergies and my step-mom's sensitivity to citric acid, every ingredient label had to be scrupulously read. This was made all the more comical by the fact that both my father and I suffer from terrible presbyopia and neither one of us remembered to bring our reading glasses. Suffice it to say there was a lot of trombone playing going on!


But aside from the 2 Stooges-like visual that I'm sure we provided to the other shoppers, my dad has an utterly amazing encyclopedic knowledge of food prices. Literally every item we'd pick up, he'd be able to quote you the price at every grocery store in town, and that doesn't even count the salvage store where he is a regular.


So our process went sort of like this... Hmmmm... could we use a gallon jug of xyz product? Let's see... does it have any citric acid in it... how about undeclared herbs and spices. Let's see, what's the unit price? Oh, well I can beat that price at xyz store under xyz circumstance.


Now I've got a pretty good idea of how much things I regularly buy cost, but I can't hold a candle to Dad! And generally I don't worry too much about getting the best price possible... but if you're gonna buy a 3 year's supply of xyz thing, you sort of want to make sure that you're getting a good deal.


Anyhow, our general conclusion was that Costco isn't worth the price of the membership.


We found a few things that had a decent price, but nothing that was really a spectacular savings, and most of what we bought could have been gotten cheaper elsewhere by simply shopping at the regular store and buying generic brands.


Now, I suppose if you have a huge family to feed and if you don't have the luxury of shopping at a whole variety of different stores to get the best price, it might be OK. But seriously folks, it seemed like one could easily get oneself into deep trouble... I'm thinking of the candy aisle where I saw people filling their carts with enormous quantities of chocolate-covered-everything-you-can-think-of.


But the whole experience sort of made me wonder if people are really too lazy to do the math and just assume that they are getting a good deal because they're buying in bulk.


However, the fellow at the store mentioned that they also had a web site, so when I got home I checked it out, but had pretty much the same meh response. I got pretty excited when I saw the "bulk foods" section on the web site, but then I discovered that mostly what they have are huge quantities of freeze dried emergency rations.


Hmmm... what can it mean? Apparently Costco is the shopping destination for people who are preparing for the zombie apocalypse?


The trip was not entirely fruitless however. I did come home with a 13.5lb bag of baking soda and the world's biggest box of cream cheese. Seriously, I think it's three pounds... hmmmm... perhaps not such a good idea after all?


Anyhow, are any of you Costco members? What do you think? Do you find it to be a good deal? I'm really curious to learn what you think about it.

31 comments :

  1. Many years ago ( belonged to Costco & Sam's - not at the same time. I found myself buying stuff that I wouldn't normally buy - specialty items not found elsewhere that I had managed to live my entire life without. As a single person, I don't need a 12 pound bag of frozen vegetables or 50 rolls of toilet paper. Maybe if you're in need of some of their non-food goods, you might save some money. It's been ages since I've gone to one of the big box stores, so I have no clue what other stuff they carry now.

    I'm a big fan of Publix & their Buy 1 Get 1 Free sales each week. It's especially great when it's something I always buy: Lysol wipes (I get a bunch), Cheerios, bakery muffins & diet Mountain Dew.

    I have known some folks that will shop all the grocery ads and go from store to store to get the best bargains of the week. I figure the gas & my time isn't worth saving 10 cents on an item. And, I refuse to shop Walmart - period.

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    1. I know what you mean about the grocery ads... I'll give them a look and every once in a while it gets me to go somewhere I wouldn't have ordinarily gone, but in general I just tend to buy things when they're on sale and freeze them for later use.

      I think the fact that I don't buy any pre-packaged foods makes it less of a good deal for me... although I might be tempted on some of those 12 pound bags of frozen veggies...

      They had a fair amount of non-food stuff, but it was mostly like what you'd find at Big Lots... close out stuff... and since I'm too cheap to buy most of that sort of thing new, it wasn't terribly helpful.

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  2. I share my membership with my MIL. The things we do buy are significantly cheaper at Costco. BUT that's only because I try to buy organic whenever possible. For example, we can get 2 doz organic, free-range eggs for $6.49, and I have yet to find them anywhere less than $4/doz. The bread we buy is from a local company and is $6.89 for two loaves but at least $5 for one loaf at Whole Foods. Their organic coffee can't be beat either! However, the general name brand stuff that seems to be popular is usually over-priced. Gas can be a bargain too, but our local grocery store does $0.10/gallon for every $100 you spend per month (we usually don't do that since we shop at so many stores). I think Costco can be an amazing deal...depending on what you buy :)

    P.S. Their cat food is an AMAZING bargain, and something little miss priss will actually eat!

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    1. P.P.S--Whoever is the statistician, I am jealous! Such a neat profession!

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    2. That's an interesting point. I'll have to compare their prices on organic stuff. Actually, I think I'll have to make myself a price cheat sheet and come with a calculator in hand since I lack the mathematical wizardry of my father (he's the statistician.)

      And I fear my cats are WAY too spoiled and picky to eat any of the food we saw there... they only get ridiculously expensive premium foods like Weruva & Wellness, because their kitty mother is a TOTAL SUCKER!!!

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    3. Oh I am too...we've tried all the natural stuff. She HATES it! My cat that just passed and had crazy GI problems could only handle Purina One (and we tried every specialty food out there lol). At least our pup likes the good stuff lol!

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  3. I've never had a membership to Costco or Sam's, I have a mental block about paying a membership fee to shop somewhere. That said, I have bought insulin at Costco, because you don't need a membership to use their pharmacy. The insulin was for my cat btw...that only really confused the pharmacists!

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    1. Well actually, my step-mom, who is a doctor, says that the Costco pharmacy is the cheapest one. I think you can shop at their liquor store too without a membership. Hmmm... wonder what the message is... you can shop for booze and drugs, but food? You'll need a membership for that!

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  4. Thank you for this post! I looked into Costco online when I was doing my 30 days of no- shopping. Not sure it would fit in with my trying to eat fresh fruits and veggies most of the time.
    I was impressed with the freeze-dried stuff -- but wouldn't you need electricity or some other way to cook it? Wouldn't that be a problem if The Worst Happens and you have to huddle indoors while Zombies and Godless Liberals roam the streets?

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    1. Ha! I don't know that anything will save you from the Godless Liberals!

      I have a friend who is an avid backpacker & cave explorer, so he keeps a bunch of freeze dried food for those purposes. Once he was out of town for a month or so, and unbeknownst to him a little stray cat had wandered in and gotten shut up in the house. She apparently did just fine drinking from the toilet and eating all of his expensive freeze dried meals! Guess desperate cats can figure out how to open plastic packages!

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    2. they don't have to be desperate - my little madam can, when she chooses, open the plastic packages cat biscuits come in, and even open the foiled packages of premium wet cat food...

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    3. Oh my... even the foil packages? That's impressive!

      I just got a lesson in kitty package opening prowess last week. Bought a HUGE bag of their favorite dry food because it was on sale, and because they were out of our regular size. Only problem: it wouldn't fit in the cupboard where it usually goes. So I put it up on top of a 6 foot tall cabinet in the basement, figuring it would be safe from prying fe-lions for a few days until I had time to open it and put it into sealed containers for storage...

      But, within a few days I noticed that they weren't eating any dry food out of their bowls. At first I thought they had suddenly decided that they no longer liked their regular brand and were on a boycott, but then noticed an abundance of strange noises coming from the basement. But every time I'd go down there, I'd just find them in the middle of the floor looking a tad bit guilty.

      Finally caught them in the act... they had ripped a big hole in the bag and were up on top of the 6 foot tall cabinet stuffing their furry little faces. I guess they wanted something fresher than the stuff in their bowls?

      Good GAWD! I'm just thankful they don't have opposable thumbs!

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  5. My parents, while not at your dad's level, were also pretty darn good at squeezing the most value out of every dollar. We only went to Costco on their once-a-year open store days in which you didn't have to be a member. My mother calculated that membership wasn't worth it otherwise.

    I'd save more money on groceries if I weren't literally a mile away from a Grocery Outlet, which has ridiculously good prices on luxury foods I wouldn't otherwise get (mascarpone, brie, Ben and Jerry's, organic tea and snacks). We generally manage to keep two people and a cat well fed and happy for under $50 a week, but I know we could be doing better!

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    1. Oh dear... the Grocery Outlet sounds dangerous! Too bad we didn't know about the open store days... but knowing my father, he'll find SOME way to make it pay for itself, even if he has to stock up for the zombie apocalypse!

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  6. I have had a Costco membership in the past, but gave it up this year. I found that I often bought way more than I really needed to buy. That being said, there are some things that are absolutely cheaper there (in Canada anyway!), so I get my aunt to pick stuff up for me once a month when she does her shop. I always get my pure maple syrup (less than half the cost I've ever seen it anywhere else), organic natural peanut butter, and avocados are my biggest savers. I have never heard about being able to use the pharmacy without a membership - I am going to check that out tomorrow! Would LOVE to save some money on my son's monthly meds.
    I have changed the way I shop sooooo much and I have gone back to menu planning, buying only what I need and making everything we eat from scratch. That has eliminated the need of much more than a market for my grocery shopping. I also branched out this year and I now make all my own cleaning products (WAY cheaper!), so I don't even need the big box stores for that anymore. I'm really meant to live the simple life I think :)

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    1. Hi Diane,

      You make some great points... buying too much - I looked at the peanut butter and thought maybe... but seriously, it takes me a year to go through a small jar, I can't imagine being able to use up one of those ginormous canisters of it. And then there's the cooking from scratch thing. I'm not really a purist, but because of my food allergies, virtually all pre-made foods are off limits for me. So when 90% of the food is something I couldn't use in the first place, I guess it puts limits on how valuable it is.

      I was hoping maybe it would be a good place to stock up on staples, but I couldn't find either brown rice or whole wheat flour. Oh well...

      I am still fantasizing over the enormous 12 inch diameter strawberry cheesecake, but it would probably be easier to just adhere it directly to my hips rather than to bother eating it!

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    2. I hear you about the size of things! I, however, have teenaged boys at home, so we can go through the peanut butter in about a month - 6 weeks. I try very hard to keep as many chemicals, preservatives, etc out of my boys' bodies due to health issues, so cooking from scratch is much easier for me than dealing with ingredients in packaged things.
      Good one about sticking a cheesecake to your hips - so true!

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    3. Just FYI- there is a peanut shortage, so Costco has had to stop carrying organic PB. Now it's just natural, not organic. We still buy it though because it's STILL cheaper than other natural brands, is delicious, and produces less waste. Plus, we can go through the 2-pack in 2 weeks lol! I'm a PB fiend!

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  7. Completely OT, ECL but wanted to share this amazing post: http://skydancingblog.com/2012/03/11/women-of-courage/

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    1. Wow. Thanks for sharing that link. I have to admit it was somewhat horrifying to read... even more horrifying to think about the reality if it all...

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    2. Those women are amazingly brave. I can't imagine being that brave should I ever find myself in a similar situation. So much admiration for women throughout the world working & risking their lives to save women & girls.

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  8. We don't have a Costco, but we do have Sam's Club. The first year I had a membership, I called it the $200 store because I never left there without spending $200. It was insane. Vowing to do better, I have now whittled our purchases there to a select few things that cannot be beat price-wise in this area: 24 oz container of fresh blueberries (often organic) for $5-8, 6 lbs of peanut butter for $7 (higher now, I'm sure. Yes, that's a lot of pb but my hubby is a pb freak, and this lasts us quite awhile), 40 lbs of cat litter for $12, 5 lb bag of Normandy mix frozen veggies for $6 and on rare occasion a huge wedge of Gouda cheese for $8-$11. I used to buy books there for my Dad for gifts but Amazon is now a few $'s cheaper provided you can get free shipping. I've recently been told they have allergy syringes for rock bottom prices in bulk, and that will be on my list soon as I have two dogs on allergy shots. I think warehouse clubs CAN be a good deal IF you go with a select list and you know local prices.

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    1. I think you hit the nail on the head... "go with a select list and you know local prices."

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  9. I've had memberships to both Costco and Sam's Club in the past and found that they're just not worth it. Things weren't the best deal, and I found I could always do better locally.

    For groceries, I am a fan of Aldi. They are owned by the same parent as Trader Joe's and I think the quality of many of their stuff is above average. I am a fan of their frozen fruits, cheeses, and even some of their veggies. I am convinced many of their products are just private label versions of their more upscale cousins -- especially the snack crackers and some baking goods. I've found decent chocolate and wine there too.

    And discount clubs definitely cater to heavily-packaged goods (individual fruit cups, soup cups, etc.), which I generally avoid.

    In general, I'm always looking for the simpler and more frugal alternative -- like making my own cleaners with vinegar. Even the best deal on cleaners at the store is way more expensive than just mixing my own.

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    1. It's so funny to hear people talk about grocery chains... guess I never realized how local those things are until people started talking about stores I've never heard of... like Trader Joe's or Publix, or Aldi, or Hy-Vee. Here we've got King Soopers, Safeway and Save-a-lot!

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  10. I actually grinned when you mentioned the cream cheese. We go through that ginormous amount at least once a month or two. (I use it exclusively to make my boys' favorite grain free pancakes.) Of course, with three boys in the house, plus my husband and I, we go through a LOT of groceries. I don't buy many items pre-packaged, but there are a lot of staples that I rely on Costco for; organic tortilla chips, peanut butter, olive oil.

    We go through a LOT of eggs and Costco is by far the cheapest source for dairy as well. Butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, tillamook cheeses, are you seeing a cheesy theme here?

    I love their produce for most of our vegetable staples, grape tomatoes, baby cucumbers, mini bell peppers, carrots and sweet potatoes. If I don't get it at the Farmer's Market, the Costco quality is excellent as a second best option.

    For nuts and dried fruits, quality is better at Costco than at my local produce/health stores. Oh and I had better not forget to mention that they are my chocolate source. I go nuts stocking up on the bittersweet Ghiradelli when it is in stock. :P

    I used to be that person shopping the sales all over town. It's been several years since I played the grocery games and I do not miss it at ALL. The key to shopping effectively at Costco is not falling prey to the impulse purchases that Costco is known for always having. When we first started shopping there, I wound up with so many random purchases that could as much as double our spending there. I shop with a list now and rarely pick up things that aren't on it.

    Wow, as I started this, I thought to myself, I'm not that big a Costco shopper, but apparently, I am. :) LOL! Have a great night!

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    1. Hmmmm... I think I'm gonna have to do some research and look at stocking up on some staples. The butter was certainly cheaper, but I don't eat that much butter... guess I could freeze it.

      My best friend & I got together this week and it turns out she's a big Costco fan, so maybe I'll go with her and learn the tricks of the trade!

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  11. New South Wales got a Costco last year and I was living there and totally excited! Then I moved back to Queensland where there is no Costco and was down in the dumps. I wanted to check it out! I am now not at all worried. :)

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    1. I'm finding a few things that are vaguely useful, but certainly not fabulous deals. Organic meat is the only thing I've found that has a markedly better price than what I can find elsewhere.

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    2. Funny you should say that! One of our lame current affairs shows did an exposé on US CostCo and found that you guys get our best quality red meat and wines drastically cheaper than we do! So yes, I hear the meat prices are well good :)

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    3. Ha! Well, since most Americans probably scarf down at least one whole cow per year, I'm not surprised! As I'm sure you'll read later, I'm a "recovering vegetarian" so I'm still getting used to this whole meat thing!

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