I'm going to Sam's Club....

**baxjul** · 02-25-2009, 02:51 PM

and want to know what things I should get. We are going on Sunday. What are the best "cost effective" things to buy there? I'm hoping to vamp up my stockpile a little.

**wife2lt** · 02-25-2009, 03:12 PM

We went last Thursday, and I bought flour, sugar, salt, ketchup, coffee creamer, pancake mix, chicken and alot more stuff. But for the most part I bought stuff that I could restock smaller containers, like the flour, ketchup, salt, creamer and sugar. I get so sick of running to the store, because you may have everything but maybe not enough ketchup. I wish now that I would have stocked up on some rice and beans though.

**craftypam** · 02-25-2009, 03:20 PM

To be really honest with you I don't buy much at Sams because most of it is cheaper at the store on sale. I just bought lipton tea bags there yesterday (3 pk of 100 ct) for $8.26. After I got home I looked at the ads and a drugstore has them for $2.50 a box. 76 cents cheaper. I find this all the time; so I'm really careful what I buy at Sams. I have a small notebook with all of store prices in it so I know what is a good deal albacore tuna is $1.07 a can. This week Meijer has it for 90 cents a can.

**pinetree** · 02-25-2009, 03:43 PM

You have to watch what you pick up, sometimes the grocery store is cheaper, but we buy, cheese, eggs, milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, look at the friut & veggies. Cat food is most aways cheaper than anyone. Bread also.

**TigerGirl1226** · 02-25-2009, 04:48 PM

Definitely dairy is cheaper at Sam's for us.

**lisettelovebug** · 02-25-2009, 06:01 PM

Let's see. I buy Nesquick chocolate mix ($6), 8 o'clock coffee for dh ($11), sometimes cans of pineapple or oranges (less than $1 a can), milk runs pretty cheap there too and we get enough for the week (4-5 gallons), some of the frozen veggies are a good deal (I look for $1 a pound or less for most veggies), diced tomatoes and tomato paste are a good deal, also their pasta is a good deal too (I just make sure I'm paying $1 or less a pound for it), their fresh fruits and veggies tend to be a good deal but only if you eat it or freeze it before it goes bad, 5 pounds of grounf turkey for less than $2 a pound and last time we got chicken breast for about $2.50 a pound, 2 huge jugs of apple juice are around $4, 32 bottle of water for around $4.

My advice to you is to take a set amount of CASH with you and that is all you spend. When shopping there, the total can go up awful quickly and next thing you know, you are over $100. Oh, also, you can go online to Sam's club website and look at the prices. You can even have them pull your order and have it ready for you to pick up(i think if u do it by 6 it is ready the next day).. this is a great idea if you are afraid you might spend too much. I've done this before and it also helps you get out of there quicker because you only have to go up to the service desk to get it and pay for it.

**LeeCee** · 02-25-2009, 08:42 PM

I usually buy the big bags or solid blocks of cheese there. bread is a good deal also.dvd's are a good price,baby formula which I used to buy for my grandson.you just have to know your prices

**thefrug** · 02-26-2009, 08:04 AM

Dairy is cheaper here also most of the fruits and vegies. Bread has started to go up. Which is dumb, because flour is going down. I get a 30 pack of Scott TP and it comes out to like 63 cents each. We prefer that brand because it breaks down really fast for the septic and it lasts longer. Dog and cat food are cheaper here. We need 50lb and 20lb bags for the critters and alot of the regular grocery stores either don't have that size or they want too much money. Hubby's potato chips are cheaper. We get the huge bags for $2.44 each ( saves like $2 a bag). Sam's club brand of dishwasher soap is cheaper that the others they carry and it works just as well. Hubby's snack crackers that he eats for break is cheaper in the bigger packs.
It's just a matter of checking the unit prices and knowing what stuff costs in the regular stores. Take a calculator with you so you can juggle the numbers.

**Buc-O-Mama** · 02-26-2009, 08:22 AM

If you bake, their bulk yeast is a great buy. Flour, rice, salt, baking soda, Splenda packets are too. Aldis is still cheaper on canned veggies and fruit. We buy their tortillas, bags of apples, potatoes and onions and sometimes frozen bagged chicken breasts. Oh and if you have cats, the litter that comes in light green buckets with blue lids is really good.

**mombottoo** · 02-26-2009, 08:34 AM

Member's Mark Toilet Paper, paper towels (I prefer Bounty), paper plates (if you use them), aluminum foil, hot chocolate mix (cheap), cappuccino mix (if you use it), coffee creamer, coffee (is usually cheaper), spices, baby diapers or wipes (if you use them) and Simple Green.

**Grainlady** · 02-26-2009, 08:41 AM

1. To save money shopping you really need to keep a Price Book so you can always compare prices. As already mentioned, Sam's Club isn't always the least expensive, I have to run the calculator, like thefrug mentioned, and check my Price Book.

http://organizedhome.com/make-price-book-save-money

Just because you can purchase a 12-pack of something doesn't necessarily mean it's less expensive than another brand from the grocery store.

2. I tend to save money by buying ingredients, not prepared food. As an example, someone mentioned they buy pancake mix. I make my own pancake mix or make pancakes from scratch for less money than a mix will cost. I would purchase the ingredients to make a casserole, not a boxed casserole mix, as another example.

3. We eat a lot of whole foods, so I find dried fruit a good price at Sam's Club. I almost always purchase dried apricots there. I also purchase almonds and pecans. We consume a LOT of nuts and I keep them vacuum-sealed in canning jars in storage. I buy a lot of nuts at the grocery store when they go on sale after Christmas, but I also purchase lots of nuts from Sam's Club.

4. Check those use-by dates. Can you realistically use 12 of something by that date?

**homeschoolmom23** · 02-26-2009, 11:47 AM

We get our sliced cheese there.Baking cocoa,scott paper towels and toilet paper.Dishwashing liquid.

**Michelle** · 02-26-2009, 12:06 PM

Tons of information in this thread:

[ame="http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110510"]Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it be a member of Sam's Club..... - Frugal Village Forums[/ame]

**rainbowgc** · 02-26-2009, 12:13 PM

All baking goods plus if you want to OAMC Italian - hamburger plus large cans of tomatoes.

**Libby** · 02-27-2009, 12:22 AM

The Sam's Clubs in Canada are closing very soon

The things I used to buy there that were actually cheaper then the regular Walmart stores were:

* Members Mark Shampoo & Conditioner $3 for 2x1L bottles
* Members Mark Hand Soap Refill
* Feminine Hygene Products
* Cold Fx
* Some baked goods - croissants and sometimes the odd brand of bread
* Whatever they had on the door crasher flyer - usually BOUNCE was way cheaper there for a huge box
* Media - books, CD's, video games
* Milk and Cream only - not cheeses

Produce was a rip off in my opinion but I am able to shop at the asian grocery stores and other discount grocery stores.

You really should make a list of what you need in your stockpile and price them out online using the store's online flyers and then have a list so when you go into Sam's you can compare the costs/unit. Sometimes the regular stores are cheaper - I found that my local Walmart had better sale prices then the 'club' store.