Buying In Bulk

     Several times a month I visit Sam's wholesale warehouse to pick up staples and other things.  Sometime I plan to buy alot and other times only plan to buy one or two items.  Most of the time the shopping list is routine but always in the back of my mind is the savings I expect to receive.
     Warehouse clubs like Sam's are not your garden variety big box stores.  They are sparsely decorated and their products are usually displayed stacked to the roof.  No coupons are allowed and payment methods are somewhat limited.  Yet despite these drawbacks  warehouse clubs like Sam's are very popular even though a yearly membership fee is required to shop at such stores.

     Paying for the chance to save money is debatable.  I'll be the first to admit that the membership fee causes me to spend more than I should.   From the minute I pay Sam's the $40 membership fee I begin dreaming of expensive items to buy so I can recoup the yearly $40 fee with the savings from the items.  About mid way through the yearly membership I start bragging to myself about how good a shopper I am and how much money I've saved.   Sometimes I think if I was anymore self centered a Boy Scout could use me as a compass because no matter where you stand with a compass in your hand your in the center.
     The revolving wheel "Spend more to Save more"  keeps turning and turning for a full year each and every membership period.  Buying in bulk is cheap but how much bulk does one person need?  Spending more to save more usually works out in the long run but along the way it can send you to the poor house if your not careful.  According to Consumer Reports, prices at Sam's are 33% lower than major supermarkets chains but my savings are probably closer to 15%-20% when you figure in everything I buy at Sam's.  Trying to stay away from impulse buys helps but sometime the temptation is too great.  My membership fee is due in October so I better figure out what expensive item I'm going to buy myself for Christmas because there is only so much toilet paper one person use.