I was the queen of Warehouse Shopping! I knew How to Save Money and that was buying in bulk. It was a much better deal than what I would pay at the regular grocery store and I knew I was getting a bargain every time. Who wouldn’t want more for their money? What was wrong with that?
Problem #1 – Impulse Shopping
Without fail, I would buy things we didn’t need. If I noticed a “good deal” on something I would get it. Even when I didn’t Need the item I would buy it, because I was saving money! These are the crazy thoughts that would go through my head. I was spending money on something I didn’t need, because it was a good deal, thus I am saving money. It is really addicting and the stores know how to play with our minds so well.
Hmmmm? Something doesn’t add up here. I am sure we have all done it and have rationalized our way into thinking we are saving money. You aren’t always! You are buying something you don’t really need. I am sure I can do an entire post on this one topic, now that I have changed my mindset… perhaps I will. Okay enough on this one for now.
Problem #2 – Storage Space
We all know that in the Warehouse Stores every item is a gargantuan size. I mean, I always think of the Giant living on top of Jack’s Beanstalk and think “this thing of Ketchup would work for him”. I had it all, monster size Shampoo, Vitamins, Condiments, Soaps, Dishwasher Detergent, Crackers, Cereal, and enough toilet paper to wipe the worlds hineys.
This is great, but what happened to us even with our huge pantry and kitchen? We ended up buying storage shelves for the Garage. We just moved on out and stored the “not every day” things out there. It was like mold spreading out to other areas of the house. I would stash things under the bathroom or kitchen sink, in the hall closet or laundry room. We had “stuff” stored everywhere. Is this really going to save me money? This leads directly into the next problem.
Problem #3 – Waste
I can’t tell you how many times I have purchased something that I didn’t know we already had. I had things “stored” all over the place and sometimes I would forget about it and then buy another. Without fail, I would then find the “stored” item the next day or shortly thereafter. Now why am I considering this “Waste”? Because there are items that do have expiration dates and sometimes we had to throw it out. Let me just recommend to you storing items where you can see them everyday. This is what will help you save money.
I can’t tell you how many light bulbs we had lying around, yes I did say light bulbs. Oh such an important item, right? I would buy them in bulk and not realize I had them stored in some magical cupboard in the garage or basement. Well, let me just say if you only have a few lamps and you purchase the fluorescent bulbs, you don’t need to replace often enough to warrant having them lay around your house. I had so many I ended up giving many away. Technically this isn’t waste, as they were of use to someone. Though it was a waste of my time, storage space and money.
Warehouse Stores, Can You Save Money?
I am not against the Warehouse Stores at all. I do love them! I think there are great deals, especially on big-ticket items like electronics, furniture and appliances and much more. If you want to Save Money, just make sure you go in and only purchase what you need. Don’t fall into the impulse buy trap. Have a list, know what you need and get the heck outta there. Just because that new patio set is nice, on sale and gets you thinking about replacing your existing, make sure you really need one.
I have to say, I did love purchasing items that we used often or unique birthday gifts etc. This is when we did save money on items like Sunscreen, Milk, Bread, Produce. These are the things that we would use daily and we would go through them quickly. It is tips like this that helped us save for our career break. We are loving our life living in Spain and every little bit saved, helped get us here. If you are saving for a dream, no matter how big or small, make it a priority. Think twice before buying “extra” or “just in case” and save money!
Are you addicted to Warehouse Shopping? Come on fess up….