costco, you tease us so

Bulk buying has never, ever made sense for me as a single person. The Sam’s Clubs and Costcos of the world have been utterly and completely off my radar. “But you can save so much money!” say the frugal moms. “It cuts down my grocery shopping to once a month!”

Really?

Honestly, I’m way, way ahead of my game if I can visit the grocery store just once a week. Planning meals ahead of time for a single girl just isn’t really my M.O. And, even if I did save a couple of bucks on 98 rolls of toilet paper, the warehouse rental fee required to store it all would defeat the purpose.

And yet.

Two of my other single friends and I found ourselves drooling over all kinds of goodness in Costco when we were shopping for a service project recently. Flat screen TVs (wow, that’s pretty cheap!); treadmills (I wonder if I’d be more disciplined with that?); three boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios (ooh, we all eat that); a 12-pack of chewing gum (those average 50 cents per pack!); and well, you can see where this is going.

Yes, we all surrendered and decided that we would embark upon Operation Bulk Buying 2010. Tonight was our first visit. Here’s what went down:

1. We learned a lot about toothpaste preferences and other interesting facts about what vitamins, OTCs, and fabric softener habits we have.
 
2. We each did some cheating on brands to which we are loyal, for the good of the whole. The verdict is still out on Charmin Ultra Soft.
 
3. Transporting the goods to and from the car must improve prior to our next excursion. We cannot continue carrying 300 square feet of aluminum foil, detergent for 75 loads of laundry, 12 boxes of Kleenex, etc. etc. as individual items, and not somehow bagged or packaged.
 
4. We tried on some clothes there (just a cardigan, but still, true confessions here, people).
 
5. I definitely purchased a couple of items I wouldn’t typically buy, but who knows, maybe my friends’ cleaning tips will change my life.
 
6. We saved more money on some items than others, but savings nonetheless.
 
7. Ooooh, this is important – we utilized an app on our iPhones that allows us to share our grocery lists. This was crucial to successful and efficient bulk shopping.
 
8. The male in our group charmed the cashiers into giving us some coupons, which averaged to an additional $3.00 per person in savings.
 
9. I rolled the dice on a new flavor of Tostitos – Roasted Garlic and Black Bean – and might’ve found the best new snack of 2010.
 
10. We laughed a lot.

Whether or not Operation Bulk Buying proves successful or long-term or financially wise, I adore these friends, and for better or worse, I know a lot more about them than before the wild night in Costco.

And in September of 2012, when we finally run out of toilet paper, maybe we’ll go back.