Changing the fuel filter in many vehicles means changing the fuel pump, since both are often collocated in the gas tank. All my cars are like that and I don’t have a lift. Dropping the fuel tank would be quite a job for me.
you can ask friends and family if they have a Costco card. That’s what my wife and I did- borrowed my mom’s to go in and look, and we decided we like Sams selection better.
in our city, however, there are 4 Costco’s, and only 1 Sam’s Club- so convenience is lost. 
You are the lucky winner to get into Costco for free, just tell them you are going to the liquor store 
These states allow you to legally buy alcohol from Costco without a membership:
Arizona
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Hawaii
Indiana
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
New York
Texas
Vermont
TIP: Most employees don’t even realize you can buy alcohol without a membership, so expect that they’ll need to check with a manager before you’ll be allowed to buy.
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/tips/finance/6-things-you-can-do-at-costco-without-a-membership
It’s BJs that is near me. The problem there is the coupons. If you don’t collect the coupons, the prices are high.
I’m a member of BJ’s (Sams and Costco are too far away). You have to know your prices. Some things are real cheap…others are not. Buy in Bulk.
I prefer Walmart, as they have no coupons. The coupons require that you collect and use them, a time consuming task that I’d rather skip, or keep track of hundreds of prices.
I don’t drink much but suppose I could have my hearing checked. Like I told them before though, why do I need my hearing checked, I already know I can’t hear?
1 Like
huh . . . ?!
My GF and I are Sams members because there are more of them in nearby cities than Costco, which is only in one nearby city. Plus I can always go to Costco with my parents if I want so figured that Sams was better for us. I do think I like Costco better though, but like you, convenience/location won out with Sams in our case. Southern Missouri is basically Wal-Mart country so Sams seems way more common. The quality of products at Sams seems better than Wal-Mart though. It is definitely a notch or several better in quality.
Can I order one of those things on Amazon I wonder? And do they come with a belt hook? 'Spose I’d have any trouble getting reimbursed from my HSA?
1 Like
I have never been to a BJ’s and think they are more on the east coast. Costco and Sams are it around here. Yes, you definitely get large quantities of certain things. It may be a great price per unit but I know that a gallon of powdered garlic is going to spoil before I use it so I am best to buy normal sizes at other stores. I only buy toilet paper like once a year. Laundry detergent is also a similar deal. Everything just comes in such a large size. I know that is part of the deal but still.
As for car topics, they do sell batteries and tires at these places. My parents have used Costco for batteries and tires and seem happy with the service and price. I have also seen large quantities of motor oil. The problem was that it wasn’t a weight that I commonly need so don’t want to buy and store that much.
I was reading one of those clickbait type articles where you have to click though and avoid all the ads to actually see what you want about warehouse clubs. There are some tactics that they use to trick you like re-arranging things slightly every month or so. This makes you have to look around and possibly walk past something that you have to have once you see it the first time so you spend more money. They also put the shiny flashy things upfront. You always see that 72 inch bigscreen right when you walk in the door at any of them! Then there is the fact that the building is really stark and plain. The walls are all white and the floors are concrete. Then they put things out on pallets and the large cartons that they were shipped in. This makes the place look like you aren’t paying for the extras so think you are getting a good deal when it might not really be so great. Yes, warehouse clubs are nice but you have to be careful that you don’t buy things you don’t need or spend too much on other things.
Years ago around here they had a Bonanza grocery store which was a warehouse type with the stuff in cartons and so on. Pack everything yourself and not services. I guess the prices were lower and we were broke so we used them. But after a while other stores seemed to compete pretty close with prices and you soon got tired of the pallets and cartons and concrete and dank surroundings. They went out of business and now all are pretty much full service. In business class we used to talk about the pendulum going from stark no service and then to full services as people tired of doing all the work. I think part of the charm of the warehouse places though is you think you are getting such a good deal when I think in reality the prices probably aren’t that much better than someplace else if you watch yourself. I dunno though, some businesses seem to stock up on soft drinks and noodles though so guess I’m no expert.
I need tires but I think I’m going to just stick to my tire shop though.
UPDATE: The kid’s grandpa (who is a long-time customer here) called today, told me he has talked his grandson into selling this truck and looking for something more reasonable for him. He called to ask me what I thought the truck was worth. I told him I’d call him back in the morning. Now I have the unenviable task of telling him the truck is worth less than the cost of the repairs he has put into it.
2 Likes
BJ’s is owned by TJ Max. They own a conglomerate of stores (mostly in the East).
Used to have Zayre around here years ago. Wondered what happened to them.
I wondered what happened to Ames, too. I like both of those stores.
They just got merged into the TJ Max brand.
I liked Ames and Zayre’s also.