Warehouse Stores--good deals or not?

Have you ever been to Costco or Sams Club and walked out spending $150 and wondering what in the world you have bought? There is a distinct difference in the amount of money I spend each month on groceries on the months I don't go to Costco, verses the months I do. Needless to say it is always MORE when I go there! This month I swore I would not go to Costco and so far I have only spent $50 on groceries!

So..a common question asked to me is whether or not I think people should shop and have memberships to 'warehouse' stores. I do have a Costco membership (Sams Club is not close to my house), and I feel it is worth the $100 year membership (I do the 2% back because so far it has paid for itself with the Amex. card). However, there are MANY items at Costco that are NOT a good deal and several items that you should never buy there. I have a post below that tells you which long term storage items you should be buying at Costco and adding to your year supply, that are LESS than grocery stores, the LDS Cannery and Walmart. Some of the items that are a good deal and that I buy there are: rice, spices, soy sauce, lemon juice, yeast, cheeses (feta, parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, etc.), string cheese, raisins, craisins, nuts, butter, lettuce, apples, salt and sugar. Nearly every other item will eventually go on sale for LESS if you watch the ads. If you are a member, then the RED deals are LESS than Costco, Walmart and the LDS Canneries. When items go on sale for red/great prices, the idea is that you stock up and buy your year supply of that particular item. The reason is that most grocery items only go on sale for these red/great prices once or twice a year. If you buy your years supply of these items, then you will NOT have to buy that item at regular price and it will save you TONS of money in the long run.

An example of this is pork n' beans and ketchup. At Reams this last week pork n' beans were on sale for only .29 a can--that is as low as you will see them go! Ketchup was on sale for only .59 for a 24 oz. bottle! These two items will NOT go on sale again for this low until next summer--if at all. When items go on sale for prices like these, don't just buy one--buy 24 and you won't have to buy it again for 1-2 years! For less than $20 you can have your families 1-2 year supply of ketchup and NEVER have to buy it at full price. Fabulous! Remember, the idea of food storage is that you are creating your own grocery store in your basement. Little by little as you stock up on items that are on sale, you will eventually have all of the items you need for your families cooking and necessities in your own store in the basement. Doing this saves so much money and helps you feel peace of mind that you can feed your family in ecinomic hard times or in an emergency. Food storage is for everyone--it is awesome!!

So...there is a place for warehouse stores, just don't get caught up in all of the extras you can buy there and get sucked into buying processed and expensive items. Making items from scratch will save you SOOO much money and be better for your families health in the long run. Yes...I do have frozen pizzas in my freezer, but those are for a dinner emergency--usually when my cute husband is in charge ;)