5 Items Dave Ramsey Says to Skip at Costco or Sam's Club

Don't buy these items at a warehouse club until you've read Ramsey's warning.

Costco and Sam's Club have tons of great products for sale. In fact, house-brand items from these warehouse clubs are often fan favorites, with Costco's Kirkland brand especially having a devoted fan base.

But, before you break out your credit cards at any members-only big-box store, it's helpful to read Dave Ramsey's warning about items you should avoid buying from this type of retail establishment.

Here are five key things Ramsey believes you should skip next time you hit Costco or Sam's Club.

Don't buy these items in bulk

While Ramsey said you can get some great deals at warehouse clubs, he also warned that you shouldn't "buy anything in bulk you won't actually use."

In particular, he specified that perishable items can often be wasted if you buy them in bulk at Costco or Sam's and he listed a few specific items he believes you should skip including:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Dairy
• Condiments
• Spices

In cautioning against buying these items, he advised you should "go ahead and save yourself the heartbreak of having to toss food in the trash."

Should you listen to Dave Ramsey?

Ramsey is absolutely right that you do not want to spend money on food items that are going to go bad before you are able to use them up entirely. Even if a huge jug of milk or a giant container of fruit seems like it's priced fairly, there's only so much of these items you can consume in a short period of time.

Spending money on an item that's too big for your household isn't going to help you cut your grocery budget and, instead, you could end up wasting the extra cash (and food) when you would have been better off buying a smaller package at the grocery store -- even if the price per unit was higher.

However, there are ways you can take advantage of these bulk deals even if your family doesn't consume a ton of these perishable items. One of the best options is to team up with others. While your own household may not need an industrial-sized box of lettuce, you and your friend or family member might both be able to reduce your grocery bills by buying the big box and splitting it.

The important thing is to have a plan for how much of a specific item you're going to need and make sure you don't overbuy relative to your consumption habits -- unless you have an arrangement in place to split up the items with others. You can track how often your family needs to replace perishable products in order to get a good idea of how much is too much.

You can also try to get creative if you happen to find a good bargain. If you can get strawberries in bulk, for example, perhaps you could freeze some for use in smoothies later on. You don't have to write off bulk deals if you're willing to get a little creative.

Ultimately, though, Ramsey is right that it's a good idea to be careful about purchasing large quantities, so make sure you think carefully about whether a big bulk buy is going to be worth the money or end up costing you.