We get a lot of questions about this and decided that it was time to address this issue. So, what question are we talking about? Well, although it’s in the title, we’ll mention it again. Does buying in bulk really save you money? The short answer is yes but we’ll go a bit more in depth for you. You see, buying in bulk at places like Sam’s Club or Costco is a great way to save money but it definitely isn’t for everyone. If you’re single or live on your own, you probably won’t save a ton of money shopping at these places. Why? Because it’s really not necessary to go out and spend a ton of money on items that will do nothing but take up space. There is an exception though. Anyone could benefit from buying bathroom stuff!

After all, you can never have too much toilet paper, body wash, shampoo, or tooth paste. If you’re a business owner or have a big family (or even just kids or a husband), you can most definitely benefit from shopping at places like Sam’s Club. You may only save a few dollars but as you probably already know, a few dollars can go a very, very, very long way.

This is especially true if you’re raising kids but again, that’s something you probably already know. Now, what about those of you that kind of fall into the middle? Should you shop at Sam’s Club or Costco or any other store like these? Well yeah, you still should. Here’s why.

Most places like this tend to have really good prices on stuff like televisions, surround sound, furniture, outdoor supplies, sporting goods, and even everyday essentials such as vitamins. In fact, we know a lot of people who exclusively shop at places like these even if it’s for something as simple as a DVD or a new pair of jeans. Walk into any Sam’s Club and you’ll see why. Outside of grocery items (and all kinds of other stuff) that come in bulk, they have some pretty darn good prices on almost anything that you could ever think of.

So, hopefully we’ve answered your question as to whether or not buying in bulk saves you any money. If you still have doubt, the best thing that we can recommend for you to do is to head into one of the stores that we’ve mentioned and see what you find. Compare prices and quantities to that of wherever you normally shop. Chances are, you’ll find that you like the difference. Well, at least we did! But we can’t speak for you or put words in your mouth. You’ll have to come to your own conclusion and as mentioned above, the only way to do this is to give one of these stores a shot. Either way, we’re pretty confident that you won’t regret it. If you do though, be sure to drop us a line and let us know why. It’s opinions like yours that keep us in the loop and besides that, we love hearing from you!

If you’re reading this right now then you probably love to save money and guess what. So do we! Saving money is what we’re all about here at Pinching Your Pennies so we thought that it was about time we throw something else together for our readers that just revolves around saving money and saving money only. Below, you will find some practical advice on how to spot a deal when you see one and what makes something a deal. All too often, we’re tempted to buy something just because it’s a deal. Let’s find out if that’s good.

Do You Need It?

The first thing that you have to ask yourself when it comes to figuring out whether or not something is a good deal is if you even need the product in question. It may be a good deal but if you’re not going to use it or it will never benefit you in any way, it’s probably not a good deal for you personally. It may be for someone else but remember, it’s not for you.

Is It A Gift?

Another possible scenario is the purpose of buying the product in question. If it’s a gift and it’ll be cheaper to buy it after the birthday, holiday, anniversary, or whatever the gift is, it’s probably not very beneficial to give the gift late. In that case, it isn’t a very good deal in the sense that you would have it too late. If this is the case, pay extra and miss out.

What’s The Shipping Time?

We’ll assume that you are buying this item online and it looks like a good deal. Let’s say that by buying it online from a specific site, you will save $10. What if it takes 5 days to get there and the shipping is $5? That means you’re only saving about $5 and you have to wait for 5 days to get the product. Is it still a good deal? How fast do you need it? This is just something else that you should ask yourself before you commit. When will you get it?

Will It Get Even Cheaper?

Finally, we have one more piece of advice for you on what makes a deal a good one. Is it a product that will potentially go on sale again? Is it something that they no longer make? Is the retailer in question going out of business? If something will be even cheaper in a few days, why not wait and buy it then? This is something else to take into consideration.

But at the end of the day, you have to trust your gut. Whether or not something is a good deal is just an opinion and we’ll leave it up to you to decide. We merely wanted to give you a few general questions that you should play around with before you make the final choice of buying the product and then being stuck with it. Now, let’s go save money!