Does anyone else wholesale shop?

[funstuie]

Late last year I got a Makro card and used it occasionally but I was never impressed with what I could get there as a lot of the stuff was cheaper to buy at the supermarket but sometimes their deals were good.

Then Costco opened in Croydon so I joined them again I wasn't impressed except for their offers.

So we would pop in every now and then to get toilet rolls and whatever was on offer.

Since I was made redundant I have been doing all the shopping and watching the £'s and looking to use all the food we buy with no waste.

I have been shopping at Costco a lot lately. It took a while to get over the big spend but we are buying for a month at a time at least. The toilet rolls will last us about 3 months, the kitchen towels (best I have ever used) will last about 6 months. Walking round I can now spot when something is better value than the supermarkets. Like the double box packs of cheerio's work out half the price of sainsburys.

Their offers are sometimes really good, today I got enough washing powder to last us a year I reckon.

Also two huge 70 litre tough tubs (the rubber ones) for £7.50!

Anyone else embraced bulk buying?

[OllieMartin]

I've not been since I started driving, will have to nip down again.

I was always impressed at the giant sized tubs of peanut butter, but sadly I'm not allowed nuts anymore

[BarleySugar]

It's getting hold of a card. A neighbour of ours has a Mackro card, and has taken OH sometimes, but we can't just pop along when we feel like it/got the money.

[Two_Sheds]

Mr S got a Makro card, and we went a few times, but tbh it's no better than Aldi/Lidl/Tesco/Asda.

some things are on offer, most things aren't.

[zazen999]

I've just bought washing powder after my last lot lasted over 18 months. I 'dilute' it with soda crystals and/or borax depending on the dirt and use about 1/4 to 1/8 of what the box says. That in itself cuts down useage [and soda crystals are so much cheaper]....

Have you checked out the old style board on the MSE website? All sorts of ideas about thrift and making stuff last. It became a competition with me, and I then bought those washing balls that last years and just top up with a tiny bit of powder - which means this latest box which I bought last week should last another year. I bought the tablets and use 1/4 or 1/2 of one per wash, alongside the ball.

Old Style MoneySaving - MoneySavingExpert.com Forums

[vikkib]

I then bought those washing balls that last years and just top up with a tiny bit of powder - which means this latest box which I bought last week should last another year. I bought the tablets and use 1/4 or 1/2 of one per wash, alongside the ball.

I've been wondering about those washing balls but read such mixed reviews on the website selling them that I didn't bother in the end!

I've been 'trading down' as good ol' MSE calls it for the last year or so and it's really cut the cost of my shopping bills! There are some things that I like to buy locally and I'm more than happy to pay the full whack for but when it comes to things like washing powder it's now A*da smart price all the way!

Shower gel = 8p

Now admittedly I'm still using my lovely (and pricey) Lush stuff but OH isn't half as picky so 8p shower gel it is!

[jackie j]

My sister has a makro card and I have been with them but only when I needed stuff for a party I didnt buy any thing that I would normaly buy at the supermarket, I get 10% off my shopping anyway as I work for large chain so that saves us over £700 a year as it is capped on the amount you can spend, and I get points as well. Christmas time I spend about £500 and only pay about £50 by the time I use all my vouchers, discount and any thing else I can use.

[julesapple]

We've got both a Costco and a Makro card. I love Costco, but find Makro expensive.

I'd love to take advantage of a lot more bulk buy offers, but storage is a problem. I've got space for t-rolls but not for kitchen rolls. We also buy the Costco cat biscuit as the ingredients are the same as Iams, but for a fraction of the price.

Over the past year the prices in Costco have really shot up. I asked about this and was told that, as a USA based company, prices were increased for goods imported from USA (nearly everything then!) owing to the weakened dollar. I did ask if prices would go down if the dollar recovered, but was met with blank looks.

Makro is very expensive we find. It's also a pain to have to work out the true price of goods when VAT is added...at least Costco show both sets of prices on their tags.

We often buy a whole beef rump from Costco. A good sized one costs about £60, but will give us three bbq's for 8 people, with good sized steaks so no one goes short. One day we came across a similar sized rump in Makro for half the price so snapped it up...big mistake! It was boot leather, even when braised for five hours.

Yep, I'm a Costco gal through & through!

Jules

[SlugLobber]

I have a Costco card, but to be honest, the prices don't work out any better, by the time you add on VAT, the money you lose through lack of BOGOF offers and the extras that jump in the trolley (walking down the sweetie aisle is like a trip down memory lane and a debit card is a terrible thing!!). I don't eat enough meat to buy wholesale and I won't eat cheap meat anyway, for welfare reasons.

We go once a year, just before Christmas. That's normally enough to put me off for another year, lol!

Actually, this reminds me. Why DO they check your receipt on the way out? They never look at all your stuff, just a quick glance, then stamp it. Bizarre!

[Alison]

We've got a Costco card but I never really use it. A lot of the food is processed stuff which I don't eat and there is no information about the meat's source (except country of origin and that can be suspect due to the way the laws work). OH bought some chicken breasts in there once, they were pumped full of water and really horrible. Might have been cheap in theory but I'd never buy them again and would much rather buy a smaller amount of good quality meat. Tend to buy washing powder etc in bulk on the internet and they don't sell the varieties I want anyway and all the toiletries are the horrible chemical ones full of SLSs etc.

[funstuie]

I have a Costco card, but to be honest, the prices don't work out any better, by the time you add on VAT, the money you lose through lack of BOGOF offers and the extras that jump in the trolley (walking down the sweetie aisle is like a trip down memory lane and a debit card is a terrible thing!!). I don't eat enough meat to buy wholesale and I won't eat cheap meat anyway, for welfare reasons.

We go once a year, just before Christmas. That's normally enough to put me off for another year, lol!

Actually, this reminds me. Why DO they check your receipt on the way out? They never look at all your stuff, just a quick glance, then stamp it. Bizarre!

I go into costco these days knowing what I want to get and only occasionally pick up some extras if I think they are good value. I did almost buy a guitar last time I was in there though.

The local one to me checks the number of items on the receipt to the number of items in the trolley. When they opened this system wasn't in place and most of their power tool stock walked out the door. You now have to ask for a lot of the smaller high value stuff.

We've got a Costco card but I never really use it. A lot of the food is processed stuff which I don't eat and there is no information about the meat's source (except country of origin and that can be suspect due to the way the laws work). OH bought some chicken breasts in there once, they were pumped full of water and really horrible. Might have been cheap in theory but I'd never buy them again and would much rather buy a smaller amount of good quality meat. Tend to buy washing powder etc in bulk on the internet and they don't sell the varieties I want anyway and all the toiletries are the horrible chemical ones full of SLSs etc.

I am surprised at the comments on the meat in Costco, anyone I know who has bought meat in costco praises it. We don't eat red meat so have never bought any but it looks decent quality and is better than Tesco accordning to my neighbour.

We only have a small freezer so I don't bother with bulk buying meat but when I had family over a few months back I got some chicken and fish from there and I thought bought were excellent quality.

Also their packaged ham is fresh off the bone not processed and it's lovely but it does go off a bit quicker than supermarket stuff.

[blackkitty]

I find both Cosco and Macro quite expensive. I do a lot of shopping for food ingredients for school and find that the supermarkets are cheaper for basics such as sugar, flour etc. I worked it out that its cheaper (and gets the pupils into good habits) to buy fairtrade sugar from sainsbury's than ordinary from Macro.
I must confess that the only thing we tend to buy wholesale is wine....

[Two_Sheds]

I must confess that the only thing we tend to buy wholesale is wine....

We've had a couple of crates from Laithwaites/Virgin/Tesco/Times, using promotions, but tbh, it's usually cheaper to stock up when your favourites are on BoGoF

although it's nice to come home dirty & tired from the lotty and find a crate of wine on your doorstep

[vikkib]

although it's nice to come home dirty & tired from the lotty and find a crate of wine on your doorstep

There's far worse things to find on your doorstep, that's for sure!

Unfortunately we have a Majestic Wine Warehouse just over the road so we do tend to 'bulk buy' once a month! I'm not sure it's *that* much chepaer but they do some very nice wines for £5 to £6. OH has slightly more expensive taste in wine unfortunately.

[SlugLobber]

I am surprised at the comments on the meat in Costco, anyone I know who has bought meat in costco praises it. We don't eat red meat so have never bought any but it looks decent quality and is better than Tesco accordning to my neighbour.

The one time I did buy meat (years ago, now), I had the same problem in that it was pumped full of water. Same as Alison, it was chicken breasts. Likewise I don't eat red meat much and don't buy from supermarkets (exception is Waitrose) either, so can't compare!