The Advantages of Warehouse Shopping
Even when my family was still living in Manila, warehouse shopping has always been my thing. Having a huge family has its downside obviously and one of these is the fact that there are more mouths to feed– meaning, more groceries… When we moved abroad, Makro in Thailand opened their arms and beckoned. There certainly are huge benefits when shopping in bulk.
In my monthly budget, I shop once in Makro for the items that I needed to buy in bulk. These are milk, juice, diapers, laundry detergent, meat and pasta. (I buy locally milled rice. It is much cheaper than the imported rice from Thailand or Vietnam)
I noticed that it is cheaper to buy diapers in bulk. I buy my babies diapers by the box and I save at least P600 when doing so. I also buy milk by the box. (12 in a box). Since our consumption for milk is high– 1 container a day, I buy 2 boxes for one month. Cooking oil is also cheaper when you buy it in bulk. I save P10 per liter than buying oil in the local sari-sari store. I also buy my son’s favorite canned tuna from Makro and buy them in packs of 6, which is 30% cheaper if I’d buy it in a regular groceries.
One of the most obvious advantage is the fact that most items have less packaging. In Makro, I box my items as follows: wet, dry, and chemicals (laundry soap, etc). I did not have to lag alot of plastic bags and it is environment friendly since I always opt for their free boxes to keep the lose items. There is also the option to buy generic food products which is a tad cheaper than the branded ones. With Makro, they have the Aro brand and the SavePak. These are imported products sold cheaply in Makro. Like for example, I choose to buy bond papers and school supplies by SavePak. It is P40 cheaper than other brands. With Aro, I like to buy their houseware goods like cling wraps and tissue paper.
Ofcourse one of the downside of warehouse shopping is over-shopping. There are just too many tempting offers in Makro. Those cheaper electronics appliance, discounted power tools, and household items. So remember, if you don’t need it, don’t buy it.
If you have other frugal ideas, share it with us by commenting below.
