Memberships: Are they worth it?

Paying money to spend money.  That has always been a difficult concept for me.  Although it seems counter-intuitive, we're asked to do that on a fairly regular basis.  Here is a look at some memberships that can cost money, and how we decided whether or not it would be worth it to us.

Costco/Sam's Club - When Jason and I first got married, one of the first things we did (after the honeymoon) was borrow a guest card from his mom and check out our local Sam's club.  We actually did this as we checked out just about every local grocery store we thought we might be visiting.  We kept a notebook of items we'd probably purchase regularly, and wrote down the prices for each.  We discovered that most of what we would buy we could get much cheaper at Aldi, and Aldi doesn't charge a membership fee.  If we had 8 children, the bulk pricing might make sense for us.  Until the octuplets arrive, however, we won't be spending money on membership fees for groceries.

Netflix - If you borrow movies from your local movie rental store regularly, Netflix might make sense to you.  We're great friends with a family of five who live in a very small house.  Finding room to store DVD's doesn't make a lot of sense for them, and Netflix is a very cost-effective entertainment source.  For us, we get movies from the lbirary.  If we really love a movie, we'll ask for it on our amazon wish list, and we'll probably get it for Christmas or our birthday.

Store Discount - Our favorite bookstore charges $25/year for their discount card.  The card saves you at least 10% on most purchases, and more when they have a special going.  However, we never spend that $250/year it would take to make it worth it for us.  Again, we get most of our books at the library.  If we really want something, we can usually get it at amazon for a cheaper price, with free shipping, and we don't even have to leave the house (or pay the membership fee).

AAA - A few years ago, our little old red car (which we still have) started having trouble.  It would sometimes decide it was too cold or too tired to actually start when we needed to get somewhere.  After that happened more than once, we decided it was time to get AAA.  Between the towing service, the discounts, and the travel packages, we have definitely come out ahead on our membership fees.  Like any insurance, part of what you pay for is the ability to not worry  if something goes wrong.  For us, this fee is definitely worth it.

Library - Okay, so the library isn't exactly a place you expect to pay money.  However, it is well worth it to take advantage of this membership.  If I see or hear about a book or film I'd like to know more about, I go to my library website, find it, put it on hold, and have it delivered to my local library.  It's difficult for me to look around at the life I have now and try to find some aspect of it that hasn't been enriched by our library system in one way or another.  This is not a request.  It's a demand.  If you haven't gone in a while, GO TO THE LIBRARY.  You'll be glad you did.

To summarize, look at what you spend (or don't spend) in membership costs carefully.  Don't just consider if it "might" save you money.  Ask yourself, "Will this definitely save you money?"

Did a forget I membership worth considering?  Let us know in the comment section below.