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The first Costco store in Australia opened recently in Melbourne, and has attracted a fair amount of hype. Someone I know has entertained the idea of buying a new freezer (maybe at Costco?) to store all the frozen goods that they will buy there. That defeats the purpose of saving money by buying in bulk: if you factor in the added expense of the $60AU annual membership fee, a new freezer and electricity to keep things cold, you probably aren’t saving very much.
Entertaining the thought of getting a membership yourself?
Read Are You Wasting or Saving Money with a Warehouse Club Membership? before you do so. There are some great points and excellent comments as well.
Here’s what they say:
1. Warehouse prices are not necessarily the best.
We realized that we could get cheaper prices at local grocery stores or stores such as Target if we just looked for weekly specials. When you pay a membership fee you expect that the prices are low, but that does not mean that you always get the lowest price. Many people just assume that the wholesale club has the lowest price and ignore other stores, and that could mean missed savings.
2. Quantities are too large.
Buying too much of something is a problem for small families. We live in a 1000 square feet apartment and large piles of paper towels had to be stored in the living room, and that was a bit ridiculous. We also do not have a large freezer so a lot of frozen foods just will not fit.
3. The fee is not always recouped.
In the past few years we visited the warehouse club less than 10 times, and we are pretty sure we did not save enough to cover the membership fee. This is because it is just much easier to buy foods at grocery stores that are close by.
4. Shopping at a warehouse is stressful.
A big reason why we do not like visiting the warehouse store is because it is so crowded every single time.
Warehouse clubs make a lot of sense for families with a lot of storage space and the ability to consume large quantities of food without waste, but for us it just was not working out. Interestingly enough most of these warehouses make a large part of their profits through the membership fees, and not through their merchandise. So it would seem that many members may be underutilizing their memberships.
I can also add another reason:
5. Petrol and time counts too.
If you live in the outskirts of Melbourne, you may spend more getting to and from Costco than you save shopping there: after paying for petrol, toll charges and the added time spent getting there and back rather than picking up that extra item during your weekly grocery shop.
Hope that helps, and happy shopping!
Today afternoon, P and I saw a brilliant performance of The Red Tree by the ACO.
We enjoyed every minute, commencing with an atmospheric Shostakovich String Quartet in the first act, and the special composition by Michael Yezerski featuring the impressive Gondwana Voices children’s choir blew us away. Shaun Tan’s amazing art work was projected on a giant screen in both acts, enhancing and magnifying the magic of the music.
It was encouraging that many children attended, and they came out making positive, happy noises. I couldn’t believe they sat through it without creating a ruckus. But maybe I’m just too cynical.
Saving Money
Thanks to the Entertainment Book, we got 1 for 1 tickets. Which is reasonable at $70+, but would have been expensive if we had to buy 2 tickets. The books are used for fund-raising and are generally released in April-May every year. The current Melbourne issue cost $65, expires on 1 June 2009 and we’ve already made our money back.
Anyway, we’ve got an MSO voucher to use, and we’re probably going to beg/ borrow another ACO voucher. If you’re not using yours, let me know! 
I don’t like the commercialism of Valentine’s Day, but I love the sentiment of enjoying a romantic time with your partner or expressing appreciation for your loved ones. Peter and I never go out for dinner, or buy flowers or have a romantic getaway. We save that for our anniversary, when it’s cheaper!
Here’s my 5 Valentine’s ideas that are cheap, but not cheapskate!
- Bake some yummy cookies. We first baked these with Lizzie. It would be better if they were heart shaped, but these were so good we didn’t care! Besides, they’re too sticky to make into any shape: You’re lucky if they’re round. But they taste so goooood it won’t matter. Or check out these ideas from Epicurious.
- Have a romantic picnic. Find a nice patch of sand or grass, and grab some supplies. Peter and I used to lay the blanket outside on the back lawn and have a breakky fry up. It was alot of fun, and very relaxing and pleasant.
- Send an e-card. Hallmark has some good ones that are free, and you save paper (and trees) too.
- Decorate the house. Light some candles and scatter rose petals to create a romantic atmosphere. Petals are cheaper than flowers, and cheap candles are everywhere.
- Buy a nice pot plant, instead of expensive flowers. P and I have a tradition of buying a shared rose plant every year. It’s cheaper than a bouquet (that dies anyway) and we get tons of flowers over the years. This year, we bought a Delbard “Sister Emanuelle“. It’s got beautiful pink-purple flowers and smells wonderful!
Have a great Valentine’s Day!
I love it when people come up to me and say: “That looks great on you”; inevitably it’s followed by: “Where did you get it?” and I am always proud to say: “At the op shop“.
Everyone knows I am an incurable op shop whore. I will invade any second hand shop with a vengance! On a good (or P will say BAD) day, I can stay in one shop for up to 2 hours and exit $60 poorer, with an armful of clothing, shoes, housewares, what have you. I love it for 2 reasons: I’m a tight arse and I’m a greenie. Recycled is better than new – even if they came from the same sweat shop.
Some of my favourite booty – Seven jeans: $6.50 (retailing at DJ’s for about AU$299) from the Slavos Salvos in St Kilda; wonderful silk tops from the Vinnies in Port Melbourne; Cole Haan kitten heels (with Nike air technology): about US$25 from Crossroads in San Francisco. There are some great op vintage stores in SF and the last time we visited I planned everything around food and shopping (poor P).
Actually, I buy loads of other stuff at the op shop. If you don’t mind mismatched plates, wineglasses and pre-loved garden and homewares, you’ll find treasure too. Just remember these tips:
- Go when it’s quiet, preferably when everyone else is working so that you have time to dig around.
- Find a store in a posh area. Goods are usually donated locally, so the smarter the neighbourhood, the smarter the stuff.
- Dress smart. Wear stuff that is easy on, easy off. Be prepared to get dirty.
- Sizing. Most of the clothes are either tiny or large. Therefore, it’s best to be an ideal op shop size of women’s 8 or 10 Australian. However, I have stuff from a US 2 to an Australian 14, so if you think it might fit, try it on. If you think it’s too small or large, try it on anyway. You never know!
- Take your time. If you’re the kind of shopper that loves to get in and out in 5mins with what you want, forget it. Be prepared to weed through a big bunch of duds, and try everything on.
- Quality Control. I look for any holes, tears or fraying seams. Think about where clothes tend wear out. When buying shirts, check cuffs and collars. Open and close all bags and check handles, zips and bottoms. Look at the hems of skirts, pants and jeans. Also ask yourself if it will cost you more to dry clean, fix or alter than the price of the item.
- Keep an open mind. You can try on that pink furry jacket and have a laugh. You can even buy it. The op shop is a great place to make affordable mistakes. If you don’t like it, just give it back.
- Visit often, because you never know what you might come across!
Some links:
- The Treasure Hunter’s Guide, Melbourne
- Tickets to trouble, theage.com.au
- BEST op shops in melbourne, Vogue Australia Forums
Good luck, and have fun treasure hunting. If you have a favourite op shop, let me know!
You can get up to $1500 if you contribute $1000 to your super. Yes – a FREE $1500, who wouldn’t like that?
The Super Co contribution scheme was set up to encourage people to add to their retirement income:
For every $1 that you chip in to your own super in the way of personal after-tax contributions, the government will chip in up to $1.50. Of course, conditions and eligibility criteria apply.
Firstly, to be eligible, your total income must be less than $58,000 and you must make one or more personal contributions to your super during the financial year. Those earning less than $28,000 can qualify for the maximum co-contribution amount of $1,500. Thereafter, the closer your income level gets to the upper threshold of $58,000, the smaller your potential co-contribution.
This post is a bit late: you have about a week or less to get your contribution into your account, but it’s worth a shot!
Remember to check with your super fund about how you deposit your contributions. For example, P has to send a cheque in, which will take about a week or two. Whereas for my super contribution I can just BPAY it from my bank account, and it will go through in about 48hours. The last business day for June 2007 is the 29th, not the 30th. If you are even one day late with your payment, it will not count for this financial year.
Here’s a great article about it from MoneyMinded. If you scroll down the page, there is a useful table about how much you Super Co-contribution will be depending on your annual income and after tax contribution.
