Bulking up
Cover art by Kent Harris
Written by Scot Meyer
SwitchYard Media, Inc. - contact | website
Designed and produced by Kent Harris
Tin Can Rocket, LLC. - contact | website
A production of SwitchYard Media, Inc.
Mazola
Mazola corn oil
If you do a lot of frying, it definitely makes sense to get your cooking oil at a warehouse club.
Buying big at a typical grocery store means getting the 96-ounce size of Mazola corn oil for $9.99. That works out to 10.4 cents per ounce, which is about 58%25 more than you'll pay if you opt for the 2.5-gallon (320-ounce) container of Mazola at Costco. It sells for $20.99, or about 6.6 cents per ounce. You save 3.8 cents per ounce.
If the money you save inspires you to eat more fried food, though, it may turn out to be no bargain for your health.
What you pay: $20.99
How much you get: 2.5 gallons
How long it will last: Mazola's recipe for crispy fried chicken calls for a quart of oil and yields four to six servings. If you make it twice a week, your 2.5-gallon bottle will last for five weeks.
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Colgate 360 toothbrushes
The American Dental Association says your toothbrush won't work as well if it's old and worn, and keeping new ones on hand is affordable if you buy them in bulk.
A Colgate 360 toothbrush will run you $3.99 at a CVS drugstore, where you can also get a four-pack for $12.96 ($3.24 each).
But Costco recently offered a 10-pack of the same toothbrushes for $14.99, or just under $1.50 each. That's a savings of $2.49 (about 62%25) off the drugstore price for an individual brush, which should give you something to smile about.
What you pay: $14.99
How much you get: 10 toothbrushes
How long it will last: The American Dental Association recommends changing your toothbrush every three to four months. So a 10-pack should be enough to keep your pearly whites clean for around three years.
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Honey Nut Cheerios
Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day, so you don't want to economize by skipping it. But that doesn't mean you can't save some money by buying your cereal in bulk.
Why pay $6.89 for a 25.25-ounce box of Honey Nut Cheerios at a typical grocery store when you can get a 49-ounce box for $6.08 at Sam's Club? You'll save 14.9 cents per ounce, or 55%25. And the cereal in the club-size box comes in two bags rather than one to prevent it from getting stale. Keeping it from getting soggy in the milk is up to you.
What you pay: $6.08
How much you get: 49 ounces, or just over 3 pounds
How long it will last: General Mills says 1 ounce (the amount in a cup) is a single serving. So even if you start all your mornings with a bowl of cereal, this box could last for seven weeks.
Lysol
Lysol disinfecting wipes
Nobody wants their home to be a breeding ground for germs, and antiseptic wipes offer a convenient way to fight bacteria by swabbing kitchen counters and bathroom surfaces.
If you take cleanliness to Adrian Monk-like extremes, though, you'll want to get a volume discount. At a Walgreens drugstore you can expect to pay $4.29 for a 35-count tub, which works out to 12.3 cents per wipe.
Costco recently offered three 110-count tubs of Lysol antiseptic wipes for $10.09 -- about 3 cents each. That's a savings of 9.3 cents per wipe, or more than 75%25.
What you pay: $10.09
How much you get: 330 wipes
How long it will last: Go ahead and sanitize your kitchen and bathroom counters every day. Even if you devote a fresh wipe to each and another to whatever else looks dirty that day, you'll still go more than three months before you need to restock.
Centrum
Centrum Silver multivitamins
These vitamins promise to give people over 50 years old the nutrients they need to protect their hearts, bones and vision. But to protect their bank accounts, they'll want to get the best possible deal, and that means buying at a warehouse club.
Centrum Silver costs about $15.99 for a 150-count bottle at a Walgreens drugstore, which is 10.7 cents per vitamin pill.
At Sam's Club, a 270-count bottle costs $17.85, which works out to 6.6 cents per pill. That is a savings of 4.1 cents (about 38%25) each, which should make those vitamins easier to swallow.
What you pay: $17.85
How much you get: 270 vitamins
How long it will last: The recommended dose is one per day, so if you bought a bottle and started taking them on Jan. 1, it would last you until Sept. 27 (except on leap years).
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Amy's organic soup
Many people believe buying organic food is better for the planet and for their health, but few would argue it's easier on their wallets.
Stocking up can help. A single 14-ounce can of Amy's organic minestrone or lentil soup will cost you $3.49 at a typical grocery store.
But Costco recently offered an eight-pack of 14-ounce cans (four minestrone and four lentil) for $12.75. You'd save about $1.90, or 54%25, on each can. Suddenly eating organic seems more palatable.
What you pay: $12.75
How much you get: Eight cans of soup
How long it will last: Each can is good for two one-cup servings, which means a couple can dine on soup for a week and still have a can left in the pantry.
Pedigree
Pedigree dog food
Being "man's best friend" is an important job, so you don't want to scrimp when it comes to feeding your pooch. Buying in bulk at a warehouse club means you don't have to.
At PetSmart, you can get 13.2-ounce cans of Pedigree dog food for 72 cents each. It's a good price, but at Sam's Club you can get 24 cans (12 beef and 12 chicken) for $15.64. That's a savings of about 7 cents per can, or 9.7%25. Use the savings to buy a nice chew toy.
What you pay: $15.64
How much you get: 24 13.2-ounce cans
How long it will last: Pedigree says a small dog (less than 10 pounds) will eat up to a can of wet dog food per day, so this multipack would be good for at least 24 days.
Budweiser
Budweiser beer
Televised sporting events, parties, cookouts -- these are all good reasons to have beer on hand. And buying beer is certainly more economical than buying champagne, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep an eye out for bargains.
You can expect to pay about $9.99 for a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans at a typical grocery store. But at Costco, a 36-pack of 12-ounce cans sells for $21.99. That's about 61 cents per can, versus about 83 cents a can at the supermarket.
You save 22 cents a can, or just more than 26%25. It's an even better deal compared with what you'd pay at a stadium or sports bar, providing more justification to splurge on that big-screen TV.
What you pay: $21.99
How much you get: 36 12-ounce cans
How long it will last: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which makes dietary recommendations, says you shouldn't have more than two beers a day. So a 36-pack should last you at least 18 days -- unless you have friends over.
Chicken of the Sea
Chicken of the Sea tuna
Nutritionists, including those at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, recommend that Americans include more fish in their diets. Canned tuna can be an easy and affordable way to do so, especially if you stock up.
A 5-ounce can of Chicken of the Sea solid white tuna costs about $1.99 at a typical supermarket. Or you could buy 12 6-ounce cans at Costco for $12.99. If you do, you'll get about 28 servings of tuna for about 46 cents each. When you buy individual cans at the supermarket, you're paying about $1 per serving (there are two per 5-ounce cans).
So buying in bulk saves you 54 cents per serving, or about 54%25.
What you pay: $12.99
How much you get: 12 6-ounce cans
How long it will last: About 2.5 ounces of tuna is enough for a decent sandwich, and if you eat two of them a week, you'll have enough tuna for 14 weeks of sandwiches.
Huggies
Huggies diapers
Babies need to be changed every two or three hours, so if you're using disposable diapers, you're going to go through a lot of them. Huggies size 2 diapers -- meant for babies weighing 12 to 18 pounds -- sell for $19.99 for a 72-count pack at a typical supermarket.
But at Sam's Club, you can get 264 for $36.66. That's 13.9 cents per diaper, about half the price of the supermarket diapers, which cost 27.8 cents each. So you'll have some money left over to set aside for that college fund.
What you pay: $36.66
How much you get: 264 diapers
How long it will last: If your baby needs to be changed 10 times a day, you'll have enough diapers for more than 26 days.