I am not typically a warehouse club shopper. I find that often I can save more with coupons and smaller items. But last Saturday, at the Walmart Saturday morning meeting I attended with my fellow elevenmoms, this opportunity intrigued me.
Starting today, you can test drive a Sam’s Club membership for 10 weeks (now through December 31st) for only $10!
I have heard that Sam’s has the lowest prices on milk and other staples. I am also curious about prices on Bulk items in general, since I would love to do a comparison. Maybe even a video about it is in my future!
Read more about the Sam’s Club Savings Challenge here. If you take the challenge, please share your results! Can shopping at Sam’s really save you money?
I shop at Sam’s for my business and (hate to be Debbie Downer here) their prices have gone up, their selection has gone down and I’m just in a state of overall disappointment with them right now. Their milk hovers around $3.50, which is $1 more than Walmart’s regular price (at least for now).
Also, shopping in bulk isn’t what it used to be. You have to be careful and check unit prices very carefully. In fact, I’m about to do a blog post on it next week – comparing shopping in bulk versus shopping with coupons. You want to go with me? It would be fun!
Kami- Yes, let’s go! I’ll bring my flip camera.
When I worked and outside-the-home job, shopping at Sam’s saved me time–I could stock up on certain items that I used regularly, especially things that were not always avaialable at my small town grocery store. When I was stocked up, I was less tempted to “just pick up some dinner on the way home”–or worse, try to stop by the store and pick up groceries during the dreaded after 5:00 rush, then still have to go home and cook, when I was already tired and stressed. Sam’s saved me money, because I knew I had things at home to cook that didn’t require too much prep. I just did not have the time then to chase bargains like I do today, but it was a good compromise for me. You do have to watch unit prices, but sometimes the time/money savings is worth it.
I am very fortunate that Sams is only about 5 or 6 blocks from my home. I shop there on a fairly regular basis. I also shop at “regular” grocery stores. Their ground beef is very good. I get the 90/10 and usually pay close to 2.00 a pound. For the same fat content at Kroger it is close to 4.49 a pound. So that is a savings of lots. I purchase usually 40 pounds a month, I then go home and package it into 1 pound size in zip bags for my freezer. I make them nice an thin, the whole size of a quart baggie. what is good about this is that it thaws in no time. I also love their meat balls, they are a good price for the amount you get. I make all kinds of things with them. I use the Uncle Bens rice it comes in I think a 10 pound bag, for the price I pay at Sams I get a much much smaller bag at Kroger. Some of it is convenience things. I try hard to cook from scratch, but sometimes convenience outweighs that. Like my husband is the only one that drinks coffee here, I hate serving him coffee with grounds floating in the cup. I have yet to figure out how to prevent it, but at Sams they have the coffee encased in it’s own filter and the grounds don’t get into the coffee, it is worth it for that. They have croissants there and you get quite a few there, and the price is about half of what I get them at Kroger (which I usually will not purchase there because of the price) Hope this is what you were looking for
I have been a Sams shopper for years and get all my medicines there as well. You do not need a Sams card for the pharmacy by the way. But one little trick I picked up a few years ago is Sams ends all the clearance items prices in .81. So if you see $1.81 etc… it is a clearance and I investigate further. Lots of times I send my 11 dd to look for the prices ending in .81 and it helps me and she has fun. I have picked up some wonderful deals this way. Last year after the Holiday’s huge 6lb boxes of oatmeal for 1.81 and organic sugar 6.6lbs for $1.81 I am still using that! I bought all I could find and shared with my friends. I still get most of my items cheaper at Kroger with coupons, but I easily pay for the Sams membership fee with the items I do purchase, you just have to know your prices.
i wouldn’t consider this a deal. the membership is normally $40/year or $0.77/week. this is actually more expensive!