Video: Warehouse Shopping Versus Grocery Store Shopping on Canned Goods (Where to Save the Most!)
If canned goods are a staple in your pantry, then this video is for you! In this video, I compare the cost of popular canned goods (like green beans, pineapple chunks, and crushed tomatoes) at warehouse stores like Costco versus grocery stores like Albertsons. Find out where to shop to save as much as 90%!
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syzU-bxAa6s&w=640&h=360]
If you can’t see the video, go here.
OMG! Is that your kitchen? I love the refrigerator!
Yes, it is. Thanks so much! 🙂
awesome! I’ve gotten away from couponing (missing the savings!)… life just got too busy. but this is a great way to save… thanks so much! 🙂
You are most welcome!
I love your video! Question – is there a way for this to be feasible for two people? I feel like I would throw a lot of it away??
A great way to make use of all of it is by splitting with a friend, family member or neighbor.
My friends and I split things all the time!
I buy things in bulk for a house for two. We freeze a lot. I sometimes make freezer dinner meals with divided, reusable plastic containers. Put the veggies in the smaller part, and some extra main course in the other portion. I also freeze the pineapples, which are perfect for when I make smoothies or Hawaiian pizza. The freezer for me is the biggest helper.
Thanks Collin! I just got back from Costco 2 minutes ago. Wish I would have seen this before I went. Next time I’ll have to check those out. We usually just get things like greek yogurt, eggs, milk, butter and honey there. It saves us a lot of money 🙂
Ya, I would highly suggest checking out the canned goods next time you’re there.
thank u so much for the saving tips. Collin u,r looking very beautiful.
Awww… thank you! 🙂
How long is canned fruit good once you have opened the can and repackaged (stored in the fridge)?
I would say about a week.
thank you Collin!
More like 3-4 days…
You could also bag it up and freeze it to use for smoothies.
Great idea! 🙂
I shop at BJs and instead of getting the huge cans, I usually get the box with multiples of the grocery store size (14.5 oz) and still end up with great savings. The cool thing about BJs too is that you can stack BJs coupons with manufacturer coupons.
I love their coupon policy. I used to shop their when I lived in Florida. They took food stamps so it helped us out a bunch. I once traded coupons in the mailed coupon booklet with another shopper in the store so I could stock up more on our favorite foods.
I’m jealous… I wish we had a BJs in Boise!
Your missing out! The apple gate bacon is 3 to a pack and stack 3 MF and maybe a BJ’s one with and its like paying for on package in the store! Also when there is high value coupons, like 2/1 axe Deo., and BJ’s, you can get it almost of close to free!!!
I go to Costco & a lot of times they have multiples of the regular grocery store sized just packaged together.
I didn’t know you can stack BJs and manf. coupons!
Tammie, I love that about BJs. Check out their website, click on the link for In-club coupons and you will see another link for guidelines for using coupons at BJs – explains it a little further.
Yes I love Bjs!!! The membership pays for itself in one visit. I love that you can stack coupons and that you can use multiple coupons on a product. For example if you buy a 4 pack of toothpaste shrink wrapped together, you can use 4 manufacturer coupons plus a store coupon. As long as the items have separate bar codes. So if you buy the double pasta sauce like Collin has in the video, you would be able to use two manufacturer coupons as well as one store coupon. Coupon savings on top of their great prices makes Bjs the best!!!
Great video, thanks Collin!
You’re welcome!
Great video! Only thing is I would never pay the full price on the small (regular size) cans at the grocery store. I only buy when on sale and with a coupon. In fact just recently my store had Prego Spaghetti sauce on sale for 1.30. Plus there was a coupon in an insert. The jar was 24 oz…..if I bought 6 jars with no coupon it’d be 144oz (which is more than the 134 oz one you have…..although I don’t know if it’s 134 oz for each or total) and the cost would be $7.80. My coupon was .40 off 2 and my store doubles. With 3 coupons I paid $5.40.
I’d love a video that compared the sale/coupon price to the regular Costco price instead of the full price grocery store items.
I’ve found that with coupons & sales, some grocery items are cheaper in the grocery store – but there are a lot of grocery items at Costco that are way cheaper, particularly if you’re into baking. Costco has also added a lot of organic items and higher end food items that typically are not in your grocery or are only at places like Whole Foods.
I would just look at what you normally pay (sale+coupons) for canned veggies and do the math… I am sure everyone’s buy price may vary from state to state or grocery store to grocery store, etc. I don’t pay more for name brand vs generic… Your local Costco and/ SAMs club may vary too! Good luck ! The bulk for me at that price would be a better buy.
Some warehouse items are a good deal. But you can stilI stock up whenever the smaller cans are on sale at the grocery. Target had a good deal around the holidays with a triple stack (manuf cpn, cartwheel & target store cpn) on Del Monte.
But pineapple, I will never ever ever buy that canned junk again! Buy a fresh one! No acidic can aftertaste! Costco sells a fresh one cheaper than that big Dole can. I thought the spikes were intimidating, but its really easy to cut & make chunks, which last about a week in the fridge. Do give it a few days to ripen first! You won’t go back!
Plus there is that handy pineapple corer on Amazon that works awesome for pineapples. My kids love to watch me use it. I have been trying to get away from canned stuff so I buy a lot of frozen when I can. Sam’s is good for that too.
OBESSSED with the pinappple corer. 100% my favorite kitchen gadget. AND if you leave the pinapple upside down (balanced on the stalk part or leaning up against something) the juice soaks all the way through and you get the most delicous juicy pineapple ever. I swear by this trick!
Great tip!! I will try that the next time I get one.
I’ve thought about the pineapple corer, but I don’t know! I don’t need -another- gadget! DH and I have this thing, that if we have to buy something, something else has to go, (one in, one out), and well, right now, i don’t have anything in the kitchen that has to go!!!
The fresh meats, fresh fruits, fresh produce and dairy are typically a lot cheaper at Costco. And they have a lot of organic items.
FYI: Pineapple stops ripening once it’s picked… You can also weight them to make sure you get the most bang for your buck …
We eat a ton of pineapple in this house! Aldi runs a sale on pineapple for $1 almost every week. I don’t mind cutting it up, but I’ve considered the corer before. Does it get as much of the fruit out as cutting it regularly would?
A bit less, depending on your knife skills. However, I use a grapefruit spoon the scrape the walls of the pineapple shell, and I use that for pineapple rice.
Good to know. Thank you Erin!
Okay, and I have a friend who freezes the pineapple cores and throws them in her green smoothies (she uses a Vitamix). Nothing wasted. 🙂
Thank you for the video. I usually avoid buying too much at Costco in fear of overspending. Now I’m going to go my local grocery store and compare too…….And a comment on the comment above me – we have that corer too and it’s the best thing ever. My kids can use it and then they drink the juice that’s left in the shell.
I’ve just got to add that I regularly buy the 102 oz. tomato sauce, paste and crushed tomatoes at Costco and use them with the cook book Fix Freeze Feast……the sauce is in about 4+ recipes that make a TON of freezer meals. It’s a non-cooked tomato sauce that you add to your recipes (lasagna, barley beef soup, manicotti, veggie chili and beef chili, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce) and it gets cooked when you cook the meal. I feel like we’ve saved a ton the past few years buying this way!
Thanks for the tip!
Love that haircut, Collin! And of course the video, as always! 🙂 We have only Sam’s Club here in AR, but same principle. Thanks much for all your tips and the never-ending amount of time and energy that you give to this group. You have saved this family an untold amount!
You are so welcome! Thanks so much for the feedback. 🙂
Love all your videos Collin. You obviously put a lot of time, energy and research into this. Fantastic work!
This video (and about five thousand other reasons) is why I love Hip2Save!
You are so sweet! 🙂 Thanks so much for the kind words.
Thank you I missed your videos. I unfortunately do not have a bulk store nearby….45 min ride:(
Maybe Collin addressed this while I was away (I was running in and out), but buying store brands may negate the savings on the large brand-name cans. In the video it showed the store brand of crushed tomatoes at a much lower price than the brand name she was purchasing.
But, I AM for reducing container waste, so you have me there.
I found that finish 20pk tabs(3.99-2.15=2.85) but a 110pk at costco was 11.95, so even after coupons reg stores are more expensive than costco. The only was I feel coupons make things better is when there are money makes and we turn around and use that money on much needed items. Costco quality is great. Lately the things that I buy are either cheaper than with coupons or are better quality. Things I buy at costco are: nuts, olive oil, Splenda (17.99/1000pk), frozen produce, eggs, froze meat.
We have changed our eating habits significantly and eat lot of produce and meat. I know there are rarely some coupons for these, but I would love to hear what others do to save on grocery like produce and meat. Growing my own is not a choice, live in an apt and no green thumb:(
Check out aldis! It’s the best for cheap produce and they have some organic as well. Blackberries are usually $1.50 a carton! They have almost everything you could want but their own label. It can be confusing at first since it is German style shopping but if you give it a few tries you will love the savings! Same family as the guy who owns trader Joes just a different approach to having your own label 🙂
https://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/12/02/aldi_grocery_store_best_in_america_related_to_trader_joe_s.html
I have been getting my produce at Aldi’s too. Can’t beat the prices. I was getting the honey crisp apples there so much cheaper than regular grocery store. And of course the Pineapples for $1-1.49. Also, I just got eggs there last week and was so surprised to find they were actually ‘large’ unlike what I have been getting at the grocery that is labeled ‘large’.
I’m glad you commented on the egg size. My husband kind of laughed at me a couple years ago when I told him I swear they’re selling the medium sized eggs as large eggs now. I thought it was just me. 😉
funny! : )
Ask your grocer when they put out the must-sell-ASAP meat and produce. There may be a pattern/schedule. Saturday mornings (early) is a bonanza in one of my local grocery stores, and it’s all at least half off. I am cooking the stuff that weekend anyway, so fine by me if it needs using immediately. Same as if I’d bought it full price on Monday but did not get around to cooking it until the weekend, right!?
After learning to coupon I simply let my membership expire LOL
Awesome video! Thanks for the tip! Now I need to find a good deal on mason jars. 🙂
I love buying prego at Costco! Sometimes they have coupons too and you can get like $3 off and get the 2 pack for under $6! I’ll buy a couple when they’re on sale like that!
Do you ever include the cost of membership? I see a huge benifit to buying in bulk on some items but have a hard time shelling out the 50-100 for the membership. What are your thoughts on this?
Jennifer, it is usually around $50/year. But Collin has posted deals on these memberships as well 🙂 Groupon and/or Living Social did Sam’s and Costco deals where you pay the $50, but get a free rotisserie chicken, free case of water, etc making it almost free for the membership. Keep your eyes open for those deals! 🙂
I have a Costco membership and its the one step above the basic one. You get $ back for your purchases which I save and use when I renew my membership so it pays for itself! HTH!
I always split my membership with a friend or family member (since my husband and I don’t both need a card).
The gasoline discount alone makes our membership worth it.
Thanks for the tips, Collin, but I’ve never heard of eating cold green beans. Interesting idea!
They are so good… seriously try them! 🙂
Cold veggies — It’s the first thing I put on the table for my DD to fill up on while I get the rest of the meal on the table! 🙂 Huge hit. Especially green beans.
I love your new video, but I really LOVE the top you’re wearing in it more! Totally off subject, I know.
Awww… thanks!
Collin, this video was soo useful, thank u….!!!
I’ve a feeling coupons and sales are not as great as they used to be, plus they are so time consuming. These tips are so timely & handy.
But for me, warehouse buying is really not an option( live in an apt, no car and we are just two ppl & no family or friends nearby)
I know its crazy, but thats exactly why I need your advice. We currently get our staples at Aldis, but as of late they have been increasing prices too!
Would be great if anybody could give some suggestions!
Geena,
Shop your local drugstore! If you pair manufacturer coupons with drugstore coupons and cashback rewards( Up rewards, Register Rewards and Extra Bucks from Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS), you can almost always get personal items like toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, disposable razors etc. for free or at a very low price. I believe Collin may even have a video detailing this but I’m not sure.
re: I’ve a feeling coupons and sales are not as great as they used to be, plus they are so time consuming.
I have to agree with you there.
Yes! I stockpiled stuff back in the old-days (pre-recession, when not so many people were couponing) that we are finally tapping into. Stuff that does not expire, I mean, like shampoo, zip bags, Qtips, tissues. I am glad to be getting to use that stuff up. With a new baby recently it was nice to shop out of my own stash and not feel compelled to go scramble for one or two deals per store. Sigh, I used to be able to get a whole bagful of deals per store, especially the big grocery stores for toiletries. Times have changed! But that’s what I like most about hip2save — it is educating me on the NEW ways to find the deals. Especially the technology-based access to deals I would have never figured out on my own. Thanks to Colin!
Love your video!! But I’ve never paid more than .50 a can or less for canned green beans or Dole pinnapple. Dole pinnapple in 100% real juice always goes on sale here for 10/$10 and sometimes .88 cent, I think they are about that price everyday at Walmart. There is almost always a coupon to go with it too. I don’t have an Albertsons here, I mainly shop at Kroger/Smiths or Walmart but I’ve never paid more for those items – glad I don’t have an Albertsons, they are priced way too high! I guess I need to factor in my prices vs- Costco bulk because I’m thinking the price might be equal or pretty close for the small cans vs. the large, you have me thinking I need to check it out!! But I would never pay $1.59 for a can of green beens or $2.59 for a 20 oz can of pinnapple.
My family couldn’t eat that many green beans in a week. Could those be frozen also?
I was wondering the same thing! Would love to be able to freeze those….we’re just a family of two….. 🙂
Great video! One thing that helps me when I’m trying to bag liquids is using my blender jar (minus the blades of course!) to hold the bag. I fold the top of the bag over the edge of the jar and it works perfectly!
This would be a good video for non-couponers. It’s almost always cheaper for me to buy canned goods at the grocery stores with their sales plus use of coupons.
However there’re things that grocery stores just can’t compete with warehouses, especially staple food like rice, flour, oil… etc. 1 little jar of 4 oz Fleischmann’s Yeast is usually $5.95 at the grocery stores, maybe $4 with a sale and coupon, but a 2 lbs pack of Fleischmann’s Yeast is only $4.39 at Sam’s– So you pay less to get 8 times more product. (Yeah I bake a lot.)
Some of the health food stores sell yeast in bulk so you only buy what you need (plus on a per ounce basis, it’s much cheaper than Fleischmann’s!)
Did no even think of that! Thanks!
Those cans are hug! Does anyone have any recommendations for a good hand can opener? They are so cheaply made now a days I can’t find one that will last long. Thanks!
I love the pampered Chef can opener my daughter gave me for Christmas. I had several can openers and was not happy with any of them.
This can opener has done me no wrong! I love it and so does everyone else that lays eyes upon it! 🙂 https://www.amazon.com/Kuhn-Rikon-Safety-Master-Opener/dp/B000B6NXL6/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1390869970&sr=1-5
I use this can opener and will never go back to a regular can opener again. I’ve had mine for several years and it still works like new. Plus it helps with my fear of cutting myself on can lid – there are no sharp edges with this one! https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Smooth-Opener/dp/B000079XW2/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1390881823&sr=1-1&keywords=oxo+can+opener
My OXO hand-held one is perfect. Padded round handles.
Thank You Collin for taking the time to give us more ways to save. It may not work for some but it sure will for me and my daughters to split and share the big cans. thanks again.
Is Prego all natural? I get confused when it says 100% natural or all natural! Please help!!!
I think local grocery store still offer better deal for me when they have their sales. 2 weeks ago Smith’s had a case (12 cans) of Libby’s canned veggies for 3.99. And I didn’t have to pay any membership fee like Costco.
I love BJ’s for the following reasons 1) Huge Organic or 100% Natural selection. 2) You can combine manufacture coupons and BJ’s coupons. Our last trip we saved an additional 39% by using 13 coupons on 10 items.
My father in law is gluten free, Brilla has had $1.00/1 coupons on coupons.com, our BJ’s has a 3pk for $5.99. We can use 3 $1.00/1 coupons which makes it $2.99 which is amazing price for gluten free pasta 🙂
I bought 12 cans of mushrooms for $7.99 which made them about 67 cents a can, the same cans sell for 88 cents each at Walmart. So I saved $2.57, we use a lot of canned mushrooms. Also if you create a log in for their website sometimes you receive coupons to try products free. We got a coupon for a free contanier of Earth’s Pride Organic Orange Juice. Especially welcomed this time of year. That being said sometimes its not cheaper, so I suggest to anyone who has a club membership to know the prices at your local stores. Sometimes its not cheaper.
Collin you are awesome!!! I love that you showcase different ways to save money (couponing, ordering online, warehouse deals, etc). I mostly eat and cook basic foods, but it can be hard to find good deals on meats, produce, rice, etc. Please keep the videos coming!!!
Collin, thanks for taking time to compare grocery store prices with club prices. It was very interesting and informative. I LOVE your videos since you offer money saving ideas that apply to (pretty much) everyone. You are awesome!
Thanks so much, Lori!! I sure appreciate your comment! 🙂
WOW I had no idea there was that much of a savings. I might have to get a Costco card now 🙂 Thanks for the info!
Hey Collin:
I love your site and enjoy all your good tips and savings. I wanted to pass along a nice little gadget that is a huge help with filling the freezer bags. I do a lot of bulk cooking and this was the best $8.00 I have spent in a long time. It holds your bag open while you fill, it adjusts for different size bags also. Here is a link (I hope I can do this)…check it out! You can find it on Amazon – Hands Free Baggy Storage Holder – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040LU3Y8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0040LU3Y8&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwhip2saveco-20
Love Costco. I have been hesitant to purchase those enormous cans, though. Has anyone tried freezing previously canned fruits and veges, and if so how did it turn out? Were the veges completely squishy after thawing? How did they taste? Only 3 peeps in our family, and no one would want to eat green beans or pineapple for 1 week straight… Love Jewels recommendation of the bag holder. For six bucks plus change vs. cleaning up potential spills, I may invest! =)
I do not have a Costco in my area, does anyone know what the cost of these items are at Sams Club?
Awesome plan. Thanks so much. I’m a fhp so my food cost is a business expense. I care for 3 adults and a 2 year old grandson. Now just to find a Cisco in my bowling green ky. Area. Thank you for all you do Collin.
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