There was a "One day pass" to Sam's Club in the Wal-mart ad I received in the mail last week. I have been a member in the past, but not currently. Since we have a brand new chest freezer that was waiting to be filled, off we went to Sam's Club.

I was surprised by how high some of the prices were! I can do so much better by stocking up on sales and using coupons. When we checked out, I had 8 items in the cart (all food), and the total was $70!!! My dd was so astonished! She kept saying "We are NEVER coming here again, mom!" She is used to us getting 8 or 10 bags of groceries for $70. The items we got yesterday filled one small box!

To be fair, this did include 5 lbs. of seafood, (three pounds of salmon fillets, and two pounds of jumbo cocktail shrimp) but still, YIKES! Other items were a large jar of cocktail sauce, 20 oz. container of seafood seasoning blend, 16 ct. package of hotdog buns, 4 lb. tub of red potato salad (these last two items were for a cookout we were having Sunday), a 16 ct. package of low-fat sorbet and creme frozen novelties, and a box of six frozen philly cheesesteak sandwiches for DH's work lunches. That is it! I feel bad for getting the salmon and shrimp. They were offering samples of both, and we are seafood lovers at my house! The salmon was cooked with the seasoning blend, so I "had to" buy that. LOL. Same with the shrimp and cocktail sauce. Never go to Sam's Club hungry! We could smell the salmon cooking when we walked in the door. I said, "Mmmm, smells like they are cooking salmon!" dd added, "With lemon and herbs!" We followed our noses to the source of the smell. We were both right. We are cooking salmon for dinner tonight. :rolleyes:

I found the same thing. Last year during my quest for slashing my grocery budget, I joined sam's club. I found I could get things cheaper (and much closer) at my local grocery stores with coupons and sales. Live and learn.

We go to Sam's about once a month, maybe a little less. For some things-- such as bulk chicken and pork, we find it cheaper. For other things, the convienience factor wins out-- buying a case of juiceboxes, for example-- sometimes it comes out a little cheaper that way, sometimes it's just easier to buy in bulk. Then, there are still other things that we know are cheaper in the grocery store, so we don't get them at Sam's.

Pays to know your prices. I shop different stores for different things & Bj's is one of my stops.

I know what you mean about the prices. Usually to buy one item, it's going to cost you at least $5. For a large family, Sam's is probably great! There is just two of us so we rarely go grocery shopping there. I have a membership that I use to stock the school store with junk food. While I'm in there, sometimes I buy a few things. Their photo processing is a good deal though, and usually the gas prices are a few cents cheaper. I don't think I'd buy a membership if it was just for the two of us. I share mine with my sister. We get two cards and she has one of them.

I find better deals at my grocery store and Aldi's and even Ollie's Bargain Outlet.

i love the sams club in whichita falls. (we get free membership thru my husbands work.) i use alot of flour, bread flour, noodles, brown sugar and could get all these things at our sams for 4.88 and under. the sams in sherman was a different story. i couldnt believe the price difference for the same items. first time we went i got an entire shopping cart full of stuff for 90. so i guess it depends on what part of the country your in, i make it a point to go at least once a month now.

I live alone, so I don't use Sam's/Costco for food, but I do use it to stock up on paper products, trash bags, etc. I haven't found better prices elsewhere. I have a friend who has a membership at both, so I just tag along and add my items in - no membership club fee! :-)

I agree, i.m.cheap. In all my years of homemaking, I've been to Sam's maybe twice and I just don't see the point of going. I have to drive several miles to get there, and it just doesn't seem worth it to me. I can do better elsewhere.

We belong to Sam's Club, but I only go there for certain items. I buy oil for our cars, for example. We use an expensive sythetic oil, and it's cheaper to buy a case at Sam's than to buy the quarts individually at another store. I buy my ground beef there. I can get 90% lean beef for much cheaper than my local grocery stores. I buy frozen fish there. Seafood is expensive here in Dallas since we're not coastal, and I can buy frozen seafood at Sam's much more cheaply than other places. I buy birdseed for my feeders there, too. They have the shave gel I use much cheaper than at Walmart. Some OTC meds are way cheaper there, while others aren't.

I've learned that other things are rarely a bargain. Soft drinks aren't cheaper, cereal isn't cheaper, clothes detergent isn't cheaper, etc. You really just have to watch prices both there and at other stores, then figure out who has the better deal.

Our Sam's club is called BJ's... go figure. You REALLY have to know your prices. DH shops there all the time... thinks he gets great deals.
I try to show him my price book to compare ounce for ounce. He just feels that the package is bigger-therefore he shops less- therefore he spends less.

Further, you can only use one coupon for a huge box of widgets. Even though it has 3 'boxes' of widgets in it.

Whereas the smaller widgets, despite it's smaller packaging (landfill problem) goes on sale, and you can use a coupon for each individual little widget. Thereby making the grocery store/pharmacy/Aldi's a cheaper way to go.

We love our Costco, the prices are so much better than the grocery stores in our area. The membership ends up being free after we get our yearly 2% back rebate.
Food and other items are much higher here so there is a tangible difference in cost for us- family of 5, 2 dogs and a cat.
During the terrible rains weve been having we didnt go for a month and my budget went up shopping at our local grocers :(

We use to shop Sams but Costco always turned out to be a better deal all around for us.

There are only a few things I buy at Sam's Club. But they do even out with the membership fees. Eggs in the 7.5 dozen boxes are cheaper (for me) than the eggs in the grocery stores or the commissary. Not to mention I'd have to buy three to four 18ct eggs just so I wasn't stopping for eggs every week.

Bananas are 3lbs for 99c. Can't beat that with a stick anywhere else. Except maybe Aldi for 25c/lb...but those are hit or miss. Not worth my time to go specifically to Aldi only to find the bananas are green or full of fruit flies.

We also love the Sam's Club pizzas (from the deli) take & bake. Yum! For $7 it's cheaper than Pizza Hut :D

Other things we have bought/will continue to buy at Sams:
-mattresses
-printer cartridges
-DVDs
-video games
-books

And I love to shop their clearanced aisle. We got our Snowblower there a few years ago. It was the floor model & without the instructions, so we got it for $300 off the MSRP. And the instructions were printable off the internet.

Someone mentioned gas prices are cheaper at Sam's - and this is my mini-rant about that: You can't pay for gas with cash. Credit card only. I use the envelope system, so I can't/won't buy gas there. I think they should HAVE to take cash. ok - end my mini-rant

Someone mentioned gas prices are cheaper at Sam's - and this is my mini-rant about that: You can't pay for gas with cash. Credit card only. I use the envelope system, so I can't/won't buy gas there. I think they should HAVE to take cash. ok - end my mini-rant


Doesn't the Sam's gas station also take Walmart/Sam's Club gift cards? Why not use your cash to get a gift card so you can get the cheap gas at Sams? The Sam's here doesn't have gas, nor does our Walmart. I miss that about the south....

Its similar at Costco, you cant pay cash directly. We buy the Costco cash cards at the register and they can be used to purchase gas (they have those card readers). Generally speaking the gas is less at Costco, theyre a ways away though so we dont always buy there.

Another thing I find there is the 25# bags of all purp & bread flour. I use to buy 50# bags at a food supply place but prefer the smaller sizes for quicker turnover.

One thing I havent been lucky with is the appliances. We've not had good performance from the Costco branded washer & frige we bought, even though they were made by a major brand for them.

I'm single and I love Costco. Their rotisserie chickens are only $4.88 and they are huge compared to the ones in the grocery store. I get 4 meals from it, plus soup! Also I have found that their sugar and flour is cheaper and I have a rice cooker and you can buy 20 lbs of rice for $8.00. Being single, it lasts me a long time and I have rice a couple of times a week. Also, I compared the vitamins and Excedrine with coupons and at costco, and it's much cheaper to buy them in large quantities at Costco, than even with coupons. I also agree with the bananas. I got 4 lbs for $1.30. Ate some, made banana bread with some and froze some. Their dog biscuits are a pretty good deal also, and with 3 large dogs, I go through alot of them!!

We are members at Sam's and there are things there that we definitely cannot purchase cheaper elsewhere. Some of the things we buy...

- contact lens and saline
- cd's
- cat food
- freezer bags
- yeast
- vinegar
- baking soda
- pure vanilla extract
- olive oil
- tilapia
- organic apples
- organic pasta sauce
- organic sugar
- organic coffee beans

We are a family of 5: 2 adults 1 cat and 2 large breed dogs.
We shop costco every week, and are Executive members....
We buy:
Contact lenses
shampoo
dishwasher soap
laundry soap
paper products
pet food/bedding/treats
water
food
meats
We aslo get coupons from Costco and save even more!
:grwave:
We did try Sam's Club but went back to Costco
DH bought tires there and we also buy gas there.

When we needed formula, we used a free membership.

But I stopped going there after we stopped using formula.
The reason being, my bill at the end of the trip was huge.
Because everything is sold in such mass quantity, every item costs big bucks and just put a few things into a cart and you've spent tons. So especially when I go into justification mode, the total was just way too big regardless of whether it was cheaper or not. And since I didn't do all my grocery shopping there, I was now making extra trips to a store. And sad to say, the best way to keep me on track is to keep me out of stores.

As I develop a price book, things I find cheaper at Sams are:

Olive Oil
Flour
Dishwasher soap
Hamburger (90% lean) nearly half grocery store price
the rotisserie chickens are 4-5 lb birds for 4.88 (salty, but good--great cuz you don't have to cook, and per lb less than average grocery uncooked)
trash bags
books and videos if you are buying those...
vanilla, spices (large containers though)
some produce, but have to check it carefully
PRILOSEC--way cheaper than anywhere else, unless you get a really good sale

I only go about once a month, or else I spend too much--but for some of these daily items I can't beat the prices. :catfly:

Forgot about YEAST! And spices. I can buy bulk spices there (and no where else sells them in bulk) for cheaper than even the commissary.

My step-father just bought me a membership to Sams Club. He was worried about gas prices being so high -- after walking through and looking at all the prices, I wish he had just given me the cash!

I've found that the off-brand at Sam's is alot cheaper on some things. TP, dish soap, laundrysoap, trash bags, etc.

The flour and sugar are the same price as my grocery stores, but a much better quality. I used to buy the 5 lb bage of generic flour at the grocery store and I see an HUGE difference.......and it's about the same price within a penny a pound or so.

Normlly, though, meat & food aren't cheaper...just more convienent. I don't use alot of those things, though.

Some things are good and some are no-so-good. But sometimes, one thing is REALLY good and it makes all the difference. Case in point: I went to Costco last evening (with my friend, as I deliberately let my membership lapse), and found their store brand of Claritin (a non-drowsy antihistimine) for $12 for a 300 count bottle. The name brand Claritin was $22 for 40 count. Even if we don't use it by the expiration date (which is 2 years away), and even if I throw away half the bottle, I'll still be WAY ahead.

I LOVE my Sam's. (The closest Costco to me is 2 hours away, so I've never been there to compare).
I did the math on a seperate thread, but if I ONLY bought 2 milk, 2 oj and 1 bag of chicken (6.5lb), I save something like $180 a year! But I also save on eggs, cheese, meat, deli, pizza (fresh and frozen), paper goods and snacks (2 large--HUGE--bags of chips for under $5!).
Plus, where else can you get a 32 oz coke Icee for a buck? hehe

We shop at costco because they are politically aligned on the same side as us, and are known as a company that treats their employees well -- they tend to have good prices on organic goods ... We get the best deals on: string cheese (much cheaper than reg stores even with coupons/sales), other cheeses, fruits (I often split the quantity with a friend), chicken potstickers (ds lives on them), frozen edamame (ds lives on this too), bread, and bagels. We are also teachers and sometimes treat our students to breakfast on presentation days and the $5.99 huge muffin box is well worth it!!

:) Annie

We shop Sams for our paper goods, puppy food and office supplies. We don't purchase a lot of food there unless we are purchasing for a specific occassion, such as a party or a cookout. We are a 2 person household so it is just not real cost effective for us to buy in the huge quantities.

Car batteries!

When our KMart battery died within the warranty period, KMart didn't have our replacement in stock, so they refunded our money (about $60).

DH took the money to Sam's Club and spent approx $45 on a new battery. Better brand too.

We have a business membership to Sam's. It allows us to shop 1-2 hours earlier than a normal membership would. In that time frame the meat department puts out the discounted cuts for the day. (90/10 hamburger meat at a deep discount, boneless skinless chicken breast as well.) Another plus for us is our membership is paid for by my step-father's business, so no cost to us.

We also do a lot of our grocery shopping there. Things like butter, shrimp, salmon, cheese, soy sauce, mayo, ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, fruit 20 drinks, Propell, bottled water, dog food, cat food, dog treats, mushrooms, etc....

We always get out tires from Sam's. We have been known to buy a shirt or pair of shorts. Last year I bought my deep freezer from there.

Gas is a must from the Sam's gas station. I like the fact it is always pay at the pump and you do not have to deal with someone blocking up a pump while they go inside a store to shop or to pay (major pet peeve of mine).

I'm trying to get a little closer to Once A Month Sam's Shopping. (OAMSS). And to avoid those mid-week Kroger runs.

So, this month, I made some menu choices and came up with a good list.

I spent $150 at Sam's:

2 pkg Parmesan tilapia 1 pkg frozen blueberries 1 pkg dried fruit 1 pkg chick Cordon Blue 1 pkg baby aspirin 1 large pkg band-aids 1 pkg frozen peas 2 pkg frozen Asian veggies 1 package pre-cooked bacon 1 package tortillas pre-cooked bacon 1 package hummus 1 tub pesto sauce 24-pack Gatorade 24-pack V8

I would love a business membership ... but they don't count homeschooler as a business. :(

i go to bj's. i use my moms card because i am not going to pay for something i won't use all the time. i do like it there because there are some things that can't be beat.i bought my water cooler there years ago and still use it,but i don't get my water there. i take off the cap and fill it at the water station.1.25 for 5 gal. is a lot beter than5.00. anyway if you check the racks you will find good coupons to use. 5.00 off and stuff. i have found buy 1 get 1 free coupons too.i have a family of 5 me husband and 3 sons ages 3,11 12!so when it comes to food they will eat it is a great deal.but the frozen ellios pizza is a no no. you can get store brand by the case at stop and shop for 6.00.my kids love to make these when friends come over.
tide is cheeper there too. you get 14 more loads for the reg price of 17.99.that lasts us for more than a month.

When I go I go with my dad so I don't have to buy a membership. I find that when we go I get more junk food then I would a the reg. store. Weird huh. Maybe because I am with my dad?

KAty

My fil gave us a Costco membership last Sept/October. It was free for him with his membership, so he gave it to us. I love it there! I think it pays to know what prices are at any store, and membership clubs are no exception.

I found phenomenal deals on milk ($1 less/gallon), yeast (I posted about this at some point--the price difference was amazing), dishwasher detergent, eggs, buter, and maple syrup. I bring a calculator with me as well as my current price lists.

I've only been twice since we got our membership, but I will be going back soon to stock up on paper products and cleaners.

I'm not sure if we'll be renewing our membership if my fil doesn't pay for it; it will depend largely upon how much we use it until then.

I have found some items that are cheaper at sam's than other places ....but there are some items that I won't buy there b/c I could get a better deal somewhere else

Yes, to a lot of posters above, you do need to know your prices or have a pricebook. If you are used to buying peanut butter for instance from the grocery store when the store brand is 3 for $4, then of course getting the double-pack of Jif is not a good deal. BUT, ther are deals to be found. On average, my grocery store has boneless skinless IQF breasts for a regular price of either $3.99 or 4.49 per pound, but Sam's has it for $2.08 per lb--and it's Tyson (name brand) at Sam's versus Publix store brand at that higher price.
Also, at my Sam's, the price tags will give you some sort of unit price--such as price per lb, per oz, each, etc. That helps for those of us who forget our calculators that day!
I see Sam's as my place for Meal Foundations. I don't buy huge Stouffer casseroles or potstickers, or anything like that. I get cheese, fresh meat, frozen chicken, eggs, milk, flour, sugar, etc--that I can CREATE meals from. I only need to go to Sam's probably once a month--if I plan my meals well and use my FoodSaver in conjuction with my chest freezer. For other 'goodies' or convenience foods, I surf the internet for my grocery store weekly ads and grab what's on sale that I need (like Hamburger Helper when BoGo-the HH is great used with chicken instead of beef--lower in fat, too...).
BUT--as we can see by 4 pages of this thread, to each their own. I love my Sam's membership, you may not--you don't have to.
Oh, and their 16" Take and Bake Pizzas are fabulous and less than $8! You can even order one and have it hot and waiting for you to carryout. Pizza and Icees--what a great combo.

I'm not too wild about Sam's Club (had a membership there years ago), but I LOVE our Costco membership. Saves us a BUNDLE!

We get:

~ frozen chicken
~ pasta
~ pinto beans (WAY cheap!!)
~ canned refried beans
~ cheese (MUCH cheaper than the grocery store on sale)
~ vitamins
~ skin care (they have a line that's real nice - and affordable!)
~ granola bars
~ nuts
~ yeast
~ brown/white sugar (sometimes I get this on sale at the store - usually Thanksgiving time)
~ spices
~ brown gravy mix
~ chicken/beef base for soups

Ok...this list could go on forever... The items are very affordable and since they're in bluk and it's only Dh and me...they LAST and LAST.

We purposely go there on the weekends because they have SO many samples out. It's like getting a "free" lunch. ;)

:cheergrl::cheergrl: Love it! :cheergrl::cheergrl:

I shop at BJ's once a month or so. I get big bags of Iams dog and cat food (I have a lot of pets) for cheaper than Petsmart or Walmart. Also their rawhide chews are cheaper. I get gas whenever I'm near a BJ's. And you can use manuf. coupons (if there's 3 smaller packages inside the 1 big package you can use 3 coupons!) PLUS a store coupon. They have good prices on paper towels, ground beef, some meds.

I just renewed a BJ's membership that I never used last year(not a thrifty move).I just never got around to going there last year.Not sure I will go again.I found the prices very high.I can do better with the weekly specials and coupons at the local grocery stores.However, the meats were beautiful.Maybe next year I'll see if I can share a membership with someone

I love my BJ's it is one of my regular stops for items i use most often that are cheaper: gas, milk, eggs, some bread items, cheeses and most meats. My dh always walks thru the dvd selection for the better prices, but i find the seasonal items tend to be hit or miss. I think the most important part of a bj's visit is to knowing the prices of the items I need. It has saved me much more than the cost of the membership and i have been a member for > decade.

I really like my BJ's & Costco too........for some things!;)
I always buy my eggs, milk, paper products, & cleaners at either BJ's or Costco. I always buy my dog food at Costco, I haven't been able to beat their price for the quality anywhere.
I do all of my other food grocery shopping at my commissary.:tay:

So I think that warehouse clubs can be a good savings for some things, especially if your like me and buy their name brands for cleaners and such and can stock up and only have to buy these things 2-3 times a year, we also save on gas this way as well, although our BJ's is literally about 4 miles from our house, so we are lucky on this account.:rolleyes:

Michelle

I go to Sams for the bargains so most of it I pass by.

I did get 2 pairs of pj bottoms for $6 and I get my Big honking electrosol tabs there--they last FOREVER.

Some things are great, some not so great.

A friend of mine belongs to Sams Club. A couple of times a year I go there with her to pick up a few things, like olive oil and Boca Burgers, which are cheaper there. I also got some large cans of diced tomatoes there, cheap, for cooking I was doing

One time I really needed some of those tomatoes and didn't have any. I went by Sams and asked if they offered one day passes for non-members. Finally the manager said that I could go and buy what I needed just that day. That worked out well for me.

I get my best sales prices at the Albertsons, just a block away from where I live. I check the sales flyers every week and they are almost always better then Safeway or City Market. FWIW: Albertsons is generous with rainchecks, I ask for 10-20 of an item on a raincheck (if price is really good) and they don't have an expiration date!

I had a 6 month old raincheck for frozen OJ for $.75 each, no limit. A great price after the failed orange crops. I ordered 3 cases of it (72 cans) and they had no problem with it. We use 1-2 cans a week.

I joined BJ's for DD's baby shower. We had a free spring trial membership. Some things were cheaper there but not enough for me to keep the membership.

We are Costco members. I love going there, but I will certainly page through grocery ads and use coupons on items first before going there. We are a family of 5, so we go through things quick.

A friend of mine has her own advice-agency and qualifies for a business membership card. She has made me her 'buyer', so I have my own card. I do not go very often and when I do, I make sure I know all the exact prices per unit (lb, each, etc.). As I usually buy generic, there are not many good deals there. What I do love, are the clearance items, but they are not in a single aisle, they are parts of shelves in the middle of the normal products, so I still have to go through the whole store to find all the clearance items! Also, I do not own a car, and being on a bicycle limits the amount of shopping I can do. Occasionally I will borrow my parents' car and take a friend along to really stock up on the deals in that week's brochure.

I dont have a membership to any club, but I have a couple of friends who do. I go with them a couple of times a year. The last time Costco was for a television and did get a good deal. I went to BJ's recently I didnt see any incredible bargains. I thought prices were almost the same as I can get at my regular stores on sale. I think no matter where you shop the key is to know the prices.

At the Sam's Club here you can use the eye care dept and the pharmacy even if you are not a member. I usually get my contacts there because they have the best price in town, although the last time I got my contacts at my regular eye care place as they matched Sam's Club price.

We have a Costco membership and we loveit....our dog food is cheaper there, t.p, is cheaper, paper towels...Ieat the laughing cow wedges and they are much cheaper, bananas,I can go on and on!!!...Love Costco!!!