I'm new to bulk shopping and need some good advice on items I should buy bulk. I tend to forget about things therefore I go to the grocery store multiple times a week because I forget things LOL

I LOVE shopping in bulk! We have memberships at Sam's Club and Costco.

Below is a list of the items we regularly buy in bulk. It saves me so much time and money since we only buy necessities that we know we will really use. We buy almost all of our household staples this way, and only buy a lot of these items just a few times per year.

Paper towels
Toilet Paper
hand sanitizer
soap
toothpaste
toothbrushes
multipurpose solution for contact lenses (we also order our contact lenses and get our eye exams at Costco)
cereal
flour
sugar
baking soda
fresh fruit and veggies
beef and chicken
detergent (we have lots of laundry w/ a newborn and a toddler)
Soy milk (DD only drinks soy)
Snacks for DD such as: Goldfish crackers, cereal bars, Saltines, Cheerios, pretzels, etc.)
Milk
Eggs (much cheaper at Sam's or Costco than the regular grocer + we eat as many as 5-6 per day not to mention baking needs)
maxi pads
baby wipes
I usually get diapers online at Diapers.com, but will get diapers at these stores if I need to
dishwashing detergent & liquid
the household cleansers that I don't make from scratch
antibactertial hand soap

Okay...I'll stop there. I could go on and on. The key thing here is to only get items that are necessities for your household. Otherwise you aren't saving time or money.

what I would do is make a price book on items you always buy. Look at the sticker on the shelf not the price, but next to it I think it is the price per ounce or something and use that # to compare to items at your wholesaler. A lot of times it's cheaper to buy smaller packages at the grocers. But take in consideration that a lot of times you can use two coupons for one large item at the wholesalers. And also some grocers double coupons.
That being said we go to BJ's and I always buy my deli meats and cheese there. So fresh and yummy as well as occasion cakes.

__________________
"Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body." ~Anonymous

I went to Costco today and got about a months worth of food for $209.00. I think the only thing we'll have to buy at the grocery store is milk and bread because it's cheaper at our regualr grocery store.

dedicated gave a good list....

sams club is the bulk food store we shop at and we(my Mom and I)also buy

the bigger tubs of sour cream,salsa,butter,soy sauce(lots of this stuff is a better deal than at the store)drink mixes are also a better deal...like the country time lemonade and stuff if you use that.So be sure to really check out the refrigerated and freezer sections as well.

If you like sweets and breadsAVOID THE BAKERY SECTION AT ALL COST!!!(I could go wild there )


ooooh...also my Mom just picked me up a 10# bag of potatoes today for 1.95

A 10lb bag of potoatoes for $1.95!! Woah!

Yes that foodlist did help big time because it reminded me of things we use daily that we could buy. I bought more spinach and strwaberries, but I if I freeze them, will they be just as good when they're thawed? And, should I do the vacume freeze (I just bought a vacume freezer thing by Reynolds but am running out of baggies and that would require me to go BACK to the store just for them) or could I freeze them in regular baggies?

Here's what I buy at Sam's Club:
(by normal-sized I mean the size you can buy at the grocery store)

paper towels
toilet paper
bottled water
peanut butter (it comes in a pack of 3 normal-sized jars)
trash bags
frozen strawberries
frozen berries mix
bread (it comes in a pack of two normal loaves)
eggs (come in a pack of two 18 egg cartons-- the experation date on these is a lot farther in the future than when I buy eggs from the grocery store)
fresh blueberries and strawberries (when they're in season)
Bush's Baked Beans (pack of three normal-sized cans)
olive oil
multivitamin (Sam's Club's generic brand)
liquid soap to refill soap dispensers
deodorant (pack of 5 normal sized)
sponges

Sam's Club also has a number of things that aren't in bulk but are at good prices: clothes, book, magazines, video games, furniture

Our Sam's Club also has discounted gas. It's one of the 3 cheapest places for gas that I know of in town.

I **love** my Sam's Club. Good luck with your bulk buying!

__________________

You can also buy groceries in bulk at Amazon.com. If you spend $25 or more, you get free shipping. They have a big selection, and if you subscribe to an item-- for example, you ask them to send you one bottle of Tide every two months-- then you get an additional 15% off.

__________________

Actually if you are doing it to save money, check closely. When I lived in a bigger town, I used to shop at Sam's club until I figured it up that I wasn't saving any money at all since let's say Wal-Mart was charging say $1 for 1 item and Sam's club charged $10 for 10 items. So I was not saving and actually since I purchased the Sam's card, I was losing money.

__________________
Mommy to Nolan 7, Trevor 5, Kayley 4, Jessica 2, and Rebecca 1, and the newbie not born yet. Don't have a name picked out.

I was planning on heading to Sams Club next weekend with my Grandfather I use to have my own membership but canceled it when I didnt think the formula and diapers were saving me any that was 6 yrs ago with my 1st daughter now I would like to try it again and get some bulk items. I did NOT know you could order in bulk on Amazon. Im going to check that out

__________________
New SAHM to 3 girls(6,4,1) & 1 boy(2)
Working On Budgeting X-Mas&My Summer'09 Wedding