I went to Sam's Club yesterday to price out some items that I want to start using a lot of. I found a great recipe for Chewy Raisin Granola Bars, and I thought perhaps they might have better prices on some of the ingredients. The result: not really... The only items that might've been a better price was honey and raisins. I still have yet to price these items out at Walmart. And I've heard of a local honey maker in town that I might go with as well.
So, as I scanned the store, and being much more aware of the prices I can get (w/coupons) for most of the items I purchase, I found most items to be quite overpriced! Don't get me wrong, there are definite deals to be had at Sam's Club, but do some research before you go. Just because you're getting a lot of one item doesn't mean it is less expensive than buying it in smaller quantities. It can be a little deceptive. However, I do have to agree that their chicken has a fabulous price sticker at only $1.97/lb!! AND, it claims to be All Natural and minimally processed. Since I'm still pretty stocked with chicken from a few weeks back, I didn't purchase any, but it's a definite possibility for future.
I went to check out and couldn't believe what I saw in the lady's basket in front of me... She was "buying" toothbrushes!! If you've been following The Coupon Game for any length of time, you'll know that you don't have to spend a penny for toothbrushes. I saw those same 6-8 pack of Colgate 360 toothbrushes in her cart for around $13! How I wished the world knew how much money they could be saving with just a little clipping and scanning of weekly ads...
Can you tell I'm passionate about saving money?! Funny thing is, I wouldn't have batted an eyelash over that purchase a year ago! If I needed something, I would buy it regardless of the price.
If you shop at Sam's Club, please share the great deals that you've found! I know there's more than just chicken, right?! I'd love to share the deals here!!
I went to check out and couldn't believe what I saw in the lady's basket in front of me... She was "buying" toothbrushes!! If you've been following The Coupon Game for any length of time, you'll know that you don't have to spend a penny for toothbrushes. I saw those same 6-8 pack of Colgate 360 toothbrushes in her cart for around $13! How I wished the world knew how much money they could be saving with just a little clipping and scanning of weekly ads...
Can you tell I'm passionate about saving money?! Funny thing is, I wouldn't have batted an eyelash over that purchase a year ago! If I needed something, I would buy it regardless of the price.
If you shop at Sam's Club, please share the great deals that you've found! I know there's more than just chicken, right?! I'd love to share the deals here!!
15 Comments:
I haven't shopped Sam's in awhile... my parents usually pay for my card on their account so it's not out of my pocket. :)
My favorite purchase is their chocolate chocolate muffins from the bakery. :) It's a splurge!
I usually thought their price on fresh french bread and the huge boxes of Minute Rice were decent. Sometimes the fresh fruit is fairly cheap too. I do think a lot of it is overpriced.
I had the same revelation the other day! I'm new to the coupon game, and went to Sams after the grocery store. I was kicking myself for not going to Sams first... and then I priced what I had just bought at Bi-Lo with coupons... baby formula... bottled water... laundry detergent... electrasol tablets... etc. ALL were more expensive. Usually by pennies to $1-$2 but still. I was pretty proud of myself for getting things cheaper than Sams. And I'm NEW to this game. :-D
Items that you can't normally buy with a coupon are usually a better deal at Sam's. I buy a lot of milk, meat, and produce there, but I am very aware of the sale prices at other grocery stores, so I can tell right away if it's a bargain or not.
Any type of staples will also usually be cheaper – rice, sugar, flour, nuts, etc. However, you have to be able to use such large quantities before they expire. We usually don't have a problem with our large family, but you might consider buying in bulk and splitting with a friend if your family won't use everything in a timely manner.
Batteries, more specifically rechargeable batteries, are something else we purchase. It's hard to find deals on the rechargeables, and the Sam's Club packages usually come with an extra charger as well. We're slowly switching over to rechargeable batteries in our household.
Now if only Sam's would start taking coupons like BJ's . . . I keep telling them they need to!
Tara
We don't shop at Sam's for the reason that you mentioned. I don't even shop at Walmart very often for that same reason. I can usually get things for much cheaper at grocery stores with my coupons. My friends are always bragging about how cheap diapers are at Sam's, but I've priced them per diaper, and they are a great deal cheaper at Target, especially when they run their sale! That is definitely a good deal on their chicken though! We eat enough chicken that it might be worth it just for that! :)
Hi Stephanie,
I've been seriously couponing for almost a year now and these are my thoughts. I'm in SC and so pricing and sales sometimes are different here. I CVS, and do the Grocery Game, and this has helped me tighten up the grocery budget. I only buy a few things at Sams anymore, so I go only once a month. I always get cheese at Sams, the 5 lb. bricks of mozz. and cheddar and also wedges of parmesan. Whole milk, pork loin, bananas, pepperoni, flour, sugar, olive oil, some spices, juice boxes and gallon size tea bags. Most of these I very seldom see on sale or have coupons that will make the price lower than Sam's. I always go with the lowest price or have a certain price point in mind so sometimes I get stuff at the grocery store instead.
Diapers and Sams brand of powdered formula are cheaper if you cannot combine sales/coupons at CVS or Walgreens.
I've also found that most of Sam's meat is higher quality than most grocery stores, so I buy 10 lb rolls of hamburger, the whole pork loins (less than $2.00 a lb before Easter and Thanksgiving--just use a sharp knife and cut into chops and freeze in ziplocs), round steaks, etc and divide and freeze for later use.
I also go to Aldi for a few things such as cottage cheese, yogurt and frozen juice concentrate.
Hope thats helpful to you. God bless you in your efforts to serve your family well.
Also, could you post the recipe for the chewy granola bars? I've been looking for a good recipe.
Thanks!
Cheese(parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella), olive oil, spices, organic salad greens, cottage cheese, sour cream(unless it can be gotten free with coupons elsewhere),pepperoni, big bottle of store brand Tylenol(again, unless it's on a good sale somewhere else. The store brand laundry soap is a good price unless you can get it on sale elsewhere.
Their canned goods are usually right about the same price or a little higher than Aldi. Some are priced way high! I often buy pineapple chunks, tomato sauce and tuna there. It's not usually cheaper but close enough to what I normally pay. Sometimes, it's just nice to get a lot of something and not have to shop around when the price is pretty close.
Their breads and meats are always good quality. We like their bagels.
My sister liked their diapers for her son but that was before she began CVSing. They're a good price, though.
I think their organic spinach is a good deal. I don't know prices off hand but it is a lot cheaper there than it is at my WM with a coupon.
There are some good deals at Sam's (or Costco) if you know what to look for. Vanilla extract, for example, is about $2.00 on sale for one oz. at the grocery store and I usually have a hard time finding coupons for it. At Sam's it's $11 for 16 oz. I get milk there unless it's on sale at the grocery, but it only goes on sale about once a month. Apple juice comes in two HUGE jugs for about $4 (and we go through a lot of apple juice). They also have 12" sub rolls, I forget how many come in the bag, for $3 - they make great sandwiches or garlic bread. You can also find some great deals on clothes, beauty prod, electronics, books, and home items. Just look for anything marked down - that's the best bargain! Women's tee-shirts for $2.79, anyone?
I think for a lot of people, it is a time consideration. I know up until my son got sick, I could spend more time going to several stores and catching the bargains. Sometimes it "kills" me to miss out on bargains, but I just can't get out as often as I used to. I still plan and try to make it out whenever I can, and when I can't I just try to think that they will be on sale again somewhere...sometime again in the near future.
Hopefully, my son will continue to improve and we will be able to get out more.
Thank you for helping to make it easier for me when I do get out. Several websites to make the job a bit easier and for that I am grateful.
pscole3467 at gmail dot com
my post for my Sams Club Purchases this week (Vs. BJ's) Great organic deals!
http://thecozycountryhome.blogspot.com/2009/01/shopping-trip.html
Sam's Club is one of my favorite places to shop. I have made a price book for the things I buy, and Sam's is lower on a lot of things (but not everything, just like any other store). Compare prices per pound on staples and you may be really surprised. (I cannot say the same thing for Costco; they are more money than our Sam's on all these items; I have compared).
My favorite items (that I can rarely if ever get cheaper anywhere else):
All-Purpose Flour in 25lb bags for around $10 (prices of flour have been flucuating recently)
Bread flour in 25 lb bags
C&H Brown sugar in 4 lb bags for less than Walmart's holiday sale prices and less than Kroger's holiday sale prices.
Granulated Sugar in 25 lb bags
Balsamic Vinegar
Best Foods Mayonnaise. I buy the gallon size
Ketchup. We buy a giant container of "Fancy grade Ketchup" for less than summer sale prices at Walmart and Kroger
Rice. I get Basmati Rice and Long Grain white rice in the 25 and 50 lb bags
Spices. Giant containers for less than $2.
Dried onions.
Iodized and Kosher salt. I bought Kosher salt at Walmart one day, and then went next door to Sam's Club--and it was half the price.
Nuts. They have giant bags of pecans, walmnuts, and almonds for $9-$15.
Hidden Valley Ranch dip/dressing mix in a giant container. This is a great deal. I highly recommend making your own dressing with it; it's better than the Hidden Valley Ranch bottled dressing and doesn't have all of the extra preservatives the bottled stuff does. I used to hate ranch dressing--no longer.
Diapers and wipes--Sam's Club brand diapers are cheaper than the Walmart cheap brands and the Costco diapers, and they work just fine.
Popcorn in a 50 lb bag. It will last you a year and save you tons over the microwave kind.
Spinach and romarine lettuce--these are fantastic.
And that's just a few of my favorite things from Sam's.
Maybe the lady with the toothbrushes was going to sell them?? LOL
I like getting good deals too, but it takes a long time, for me anyhow, to seek out all the deals and the coupons. My time is worth more to me than the amount I can save...so much of what I need to buy does not have coupons...I use the coupons I come across easily, but other than that...I just get what I need. I think that is probably the case with a lot of people.
I'd rather play with my kids, or do other household chores. But I certainly appreciate all the links from you and Fiddledeedee!! :)
You should always get free toothbrushes from the dentist on each visit anyway...I do. Do you?
Not to mention how much better raw honey is for you.
I am also an avid couponer but still use Sam's Club to fill in the areas where sales and coupons don't "mix". Their milk is always cheaper (currently around $2.30 a gallon when the regular store price is $3.00 a gallon). For a family who can go through 4 gallons a week, that's worth the gas money just to make the trip. I also buy butter, flour, spices, produce, and meat. One meat that is considerably cheaper, that I did not see mentioned in the previous comments, is lean hamburger. If you buy a large roll (I think it's a 10 lb. roll) you can get if for $2.30 or so a lb. Obviously it changes with time, but when lean meat is currently $4 a lb., to snag it under $3 a lb. is an incredible savings! I bring it home, slice it into 2 lb. portions and freeze it into bags. I also freeze the milk. The milk bottles that they put their milk into stack beautifully. I just set it out on the counter to thaw for approx. 1.5 days and then shake it vigorously before drinking/serving. You can hardly tell it's even been frozen! So for our family of 6, Sam's definitely has it's benefits -- just the milk alone is worth the trip for us.
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