I have a love-hate relationship with buying in bulk. I love saving money and getting the best deal. I hate going over my weekly grocery budget, and buying meat for the next 3 months will definitely do that. I love having staples on supply in my freezer or pantry. I hated the pounds upon pounds of hot dogs that I ate as a kid because that's what we had on hand. I don't think I've purchased hot dogs since.
Recently I heard reports of cheap diapers at our area's warehouse club. So I started looking into a membership. Because they publish prices online, I was able to compare their prices with my usual grocery store price to see which items were big savers. I recently spent $54.02 to save $22.37. Of course those savings come with several footnotes. I've saved only if we don't use more than we normally would, simply because we have it. I've saved only if the products don't go bad in the pantry, fridge, or freezer. I've saved if I don't buy extra things we normally wouldn't get just because it's a good deal. And I've only saved if we don't have to buy a whole other appliance (like a deep freeze) to store my 'savings.' And then I have to consider the time (and gas money) it takes to drive to another store for groceries. Is this frugality really worth it? The jury's still out.
The real question is: Why am I saving money (if I end up actually saving)? Is saving money in an of itself a worthy goal? And now I'll stop writing before I get too philosophical.
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Your questions may have been rhetorical, but let me give you a nudge in the philosophical direction (and a few links to a blog I read fairly regularly for further philosophizationing).
I think most of us figured out pretty young that money is useful. Then, being smart whippersnappers, we figured out that saving money means having more money. And if having some money is useful (which as children we equate to "good"), then having more money is better! So if you can drive across town to save $5 (that's like half off!) on something, and you have the time, why not?
But what if we step back and look at money as a neutral tool? Then saving money isn't good or bad--it starts to depend on how the money is saved, and how that corresponds to your goals and values. If you're buying in bulk to save money so you can buy a deep freezer to store your bulk-buys, that's probably not smart. But if you're buying in bulk and putting the savings toward Caleb's college fund (because e.g. you value education), that makes sense.
For me, there are two reasons to buy in bulk (and your footnotes apply). One is frugality (saving money to pay off debt, etc). The other is time. Buying the mega-pack of, say, toilet paper is almost as easy as the 4-pack, and there's much less chance of having to make a trip to the store because we just ran out. Those "forced" trips to the store bug me. And so, because I value preparedness (or planning ahead, or laziness, or whatever it really is), I act accordingly.
So my answer to "Buying in bulk...worth it?" would be "Maybe...depends on your values and situation!"
Terribly helpful, I know.
I think I feel the same way. Normally a person might not save much money when they drive to two other stores because the bulk store didn't have everything they needed. If I had six kids, it might become worth it. But right now, I think I actually value my time more than money, so I avoid the bulk buying. Also because I suck at math and can't figure out if it's actually cheaper than buying the cheap brand. It usually isn't.
Ahhh, dear friend, we should be doing the shopping together! Alas, we cannot. I've been going through sticker shock around here, can't believe how much they charge for produce and the like. Found out, however, that we can get a whole fried chicken for $1.50 at the grocery store as long as it's after 7pm and they still have some left over. My dear husband is thrilled! So, bulk fried chicken it is. :)
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