Asking The Readers: Do You Use Costco (or Sams or BJs?)

One of my goals for 2017 is to eat well while cooking less (and hopefully not spending more).  A second goal is to generally streamline my life-in terms of time more than stuff. I want to spend less time on busy work and "to do" items and more time on home pursuits (sewing, reading, general down and family time) and outside the house priorities like volunteering, knitting. book groups and challenging fun stuff.  

This has made the frugal retiree consider returning to the stocking up and buying bulk lifestyle that she had when there were multiple teenagers and teenage friends, a husband with a hollow leg, and many very hungry dogs. I mean, I certainly don't want to buy things I won't use, nor do I want my home to look like an episode of Extreme Couponers. I just would rather purchase things that I use regularly on a multi month basis instead of every week, couple of weeks or even month.

In case you haven't guessed, I hate shopping and doing errands. I make an exception in the case of fabric and crafting supplies, but usually get those in large amounts online. I know folks who use errands for exercise, getting out of the house or socialization. That is not me.

Which leads me to  the topic of those warehouse clubs or Amazon subscription service. In addition to the non shopping issue, we have some very different dietary needs and eating times in this house on occasion. I have a college student with high cholesterol who should only eat lean meat and goes to school full time and works forty hours. His dinner time, when he is home is often at  midnight. I can eat all the meat and fat I want within reason, but cannot eat carbs. The person who shares this house has her own quirks. We have a working baby boomer, a retired baby boomer, an  a twenty something college student.

So on some level my goal I suppose is to have easy options for different people as well as shopping in bulk. My recollection from previous warehouse clubs is that, for example, you can get large packages of chicken breasts with each individually wrapped.  Yes, I could buy many pounds and repackage, but the chance of my doing it is slim to one.

Since I never said goodbye to my large chest freezer, my plan is to start buying large amounts of stuff one at a time each week, until I am where I need to be. In other words I am not liable to walk out of a warehouse club with five hundred dollars worth of items.

Since I would not be buying large amounts of everything, I'm trying to decide if the membership does in fact "pay for itself", in convenience, if not in money.  

Yesterday my son quipped that I should probably call this year the "year of convenience" or the year of "let someone else do it".  Yes, and no.  I am still the Frugal Retiree. I cut coupons, I clean my own house. I make my own gifts. But I did promise myself that I would spend as much time as possible on those things that bring value and as little time as possible on those things that don't bring value-busy work if you will.

Now, I have a friend who loves to shop and hates to clean her house. Her idea of streamlining will different. Right now I am happy to limit going into stores, cut down on cooking, and take advantage of the occasional fluff and fold service.

Meanwhile, talk to me. Have you ever belonged to a warehouse club? Do you now?  If so what do you buy? Have you ever ordered from Amazon subscribe and save (for say, something like large bags of dog food). What was your experience. Do you think it saved money or time? Both? Neither? Let me have it!