| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Oct 02 2007 : 10:21:18 AM
My MIL just renewed her membership to Sam's and got an extra card for my hubby and I. I have never had a membership before. What kind of things do you all buy at these stores. What are the best deals?
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| Tammy Claxton |
Posted - Oct 04 2007 : 08:46:51 AM
I don't go to Sam's Club, but I do go to BJ's Wholesale Club (very similar). I usually get the same things from there in bulk like cat food, oatmeals, and juice boxes for the kids lunches and snacks at school. I think all of these "clubs" are high priced in certain things. You have to really compare the unit prices to the ones at the grocery store to make sure.
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| garliclady |
Posted - Oct 04 2007 : 05:50:04 AM
I am about 45 miles away from Sam,s so I go every month or so. Since I can't go every week I can't depend on it for fresh produce etc.
I buy peanut butter, mayo, and other condoments. I buy staples like rice, bread flour, Coffee, olive oil, nuts,dry cereal. I buy dishwashing detergent, Big bag of baking soda etc. We get some medications like childrens motrin etc Paper goods paper towels , toliet paper. Cheeses, butter,and Some times meat. I also will get things for our business (farm) paper bags etc. I do spend about 200-300 per visit.
Since some of the bulk items like paper towels may take months to use I don't buy everything every month. The first time you go you will be temped to get all the items just get a few each time. I have mine almost as a schedule now Paper towels one month, toliet paper the next month dw deterent the next month etc.
For a month or so pay attention to how much items that they have at Sam are compared to your grocery store and figure what is the best deal. Sam's meats are sometimes more than the weekly specials at the grocery store so I don;t buy alot of meats unless I want some thing special (sam 's sells resturant quality meat)
BTW pasta is cheaper at Sams but I like to buy the Barrilla plus that is made with whole grains and legumes and they don't carry it
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| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Oct 03 2007 : 09:40:21 AM
The checking the cart really doesn't bother me. I can not count the times I have seen people stealing. Sadly that is not the stores fault, actually by doing this they could be saving us money! If people steal things we get charged for it, because they have to make their money some how. And sadly we live in a day and age where people feel "entitled" weather they work and pay for it or not, and there's lots of theives. I've watched them braisingly open packages of food and eat and leave the empty package in isles!
Personally myself because of diabetes, I have a few times had to open something and eat it-otherwise I may not make it to the check out and be laying in the floor, sometimes the low blood glucose hits me fast and hard! However, I ALWAYS bring the package to the check out and pay! I always get a weird look, but explain I have diabetes, I got low and had to eat it, but I am paying for it! They still usually just look at me funny!
Any way, about the cheeses, I say yes, it's where I get cheese for sure!
However, I highly doubt the pasta is any cheaper. Pasta is cheap usually any way and seems that one brand is on sale every week, may be borillo this week and healthy harvest next week, etc. But, every week some grocery store has it on sale. So at least once a month my brand comes up in the sale! lol So I just buy it at the regular store when on sale. |
| KYgurlsrbest |
Posted - Oct 03 2007 : 08:30:59 AM
I know what you mean, Karen. I always thought it was kindof rude that they checked your packages when you'd just paid for items. I don't really understand the methodology, but it sortof turned me off--also that they were very large women, who put their hands up like crossing guards :).
I don't really shop in bulk--there are only two of us, and if I had a larger family, it might make more sense.
Also, when I was away at boarding school, Sam's had just opened in our area, and my mother was ALL about it, and now I can never ever again eat Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars or microwave popcorn , because she would buy them in these large bulk packages and ship them to me in my care packages. Total Burn Out!!!!
I do buy "bulk" packages of papertowels and tp at target (8 packs usually). That's about as bulky as I get.
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| therusticcottage |
Posted - Oct 03 2007 : 08:11:45 AM
We don't have Sam's Club here but have Costco. My husband calls Costco "The $200 Store". Seems that it's hard to walk out without spending less than that! We don't go often but do buy some things there.
I buy my olive oil there for soapmaking because it is much cheaper than anywere else. I also buy some bakery items and my coffee. The whole bean coffee at Costco is really good and it costs $8.99 for 2 1/2 lbs. Much cheaper than the premium stuff at the grocery store.
The misleading thing about these warehouse stores is that people think they are saving money by buying in bulk. That is not always the case. You should really know prices on what the regular grocery charges for things so you can compare the unit price at the warehouse store.
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| KarenP |
Posted - Oct 03 2007 : 03:14:35 AM
This might give you some ideas...
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/index.jsp
We quit our Sam's club because it would bust the budget every time we went.
Our store here used to also require someone to look thru your cart and compare to the sales slip (don't know if they still do that).
My husband felt very violated and would usually show his displeasure by standing with his hands up as if being stripped searched and make it an ordeal!
Some things are great prices and others are packaged in strange qtys so you have to be on your toes to see if it was really a good deal or not.
We finally quit when over half the stuff we would buy at Sam's was actually cheaper at Walmart than Sam's.
Just my 2 cents.
KarenP
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| levisgrammy |
Posted - Oct 02 2007 : 6:17:30 PM
pretty much I buy a lot of the things that have been mentioned. I do buy my milk there at Sam's as it is cheaper than the grocers. Definitely bananas. Also We use some cold cereal so for me it is a savings to buy there. They are usually cheaper on their movies and books. Even though they and Walmart are the same company Sam's is always cheaper. Ishop there every other week. it is an hour away but my son works in a restaurant near there so when I take him to work I always plan to do my shopping then.
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| Hideaway Farmgirl |
Posted - Oct 02 2007 : 5:17:22 PM
You know, I have noticed that the romaine lettuce I buy there (usually 5-6 bunches in a bag) last a lot longer in my fridge than the smaller packs that I buy at the grocery store (2-3 bunches). I think the produce is much fresher there. Sometimes it is tough to buy those big quantities for just DH and myself but I do try to freeze what I can, and like Maggie, I enjoy being able to go shopping in my own freezer! I keep a list on the front of my big freezer of things in there - adding and deleting as things get purchased or taken out and used.
Jo
"Wish I had time to work with herbs all day!" |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Oct 02 2007 : 5:06:05 PM
I love fancy cheeses too but I have a wonderful cheese shop near me and buy them there. The fruits and veggies you mentioned are good suggestions too. They all last really long.
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| prairielandherbs |
Posted - Oct 02 2007 : 4:46:00 PM
I have a weakness for fancy cheese, and Sam's club cannot be beat for delicious imported cheeses adn brie! They come in rather large chunks, usually, so I will cut them into several smaller chunks and freeze the rest. Then the next time I'm in the mood for fancy cheeses, I go shopping in my own freezer! I also find they have *fabulous* deals on organic salad mix, and I get big bags of lemons, limes, oranges, potatoes, garlic and onions there too. |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Oct 02 2007 : 3:42:32 PM
Yeah my mother in law is the greatest! It was really nice of her to think of us. We don't really live close to the Sam's. It is in Little Rock which is about 70 miles from here so I'd like to go with a plan. I was thinking TP and brownie mix (hubby loves brownies) and pasta. I guess I will just have to go check it out and see what they have.
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| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Oct 02 2007 : 3:33:53 PM
Me too that's about the same things I buy. Especially meat, and fish! Also I get precut veggies for big gatherings when I have them.
TP for sure! Especially if they accept a coupon. (I used to go to Sam's but I haven't lived close to one in 7 years.) BJ's kind of like Sam's accepts coupons so that really helps!
I eat a LOT of eggs, and cottage cheese/cheese so those are a good deal at these places for me as well. And Mushrooms, I buy a lot of these (I eat them in omlettes every morning). I also use Splenda so the bulk store is also the cheapest for it.
Books are also like was already said a good deal, along with pc programs, videos/dvds, etc.
It's best to comparison shop though. And only get what you TRULY need or use.
Fruit is also a good deal usually. Especially bananas! |
| Hideaway Farmgirl |
Posted - Oct 02 2007 : 10:57:57 AM
Julie,
How nice of your MIL to think of sharing her membership with you! Usually additional cardholders are added for slightly less per card than the cost of a totally separate card. Spouses or housemates of the cardholders are usually added for free.
I use Costco vs. Sam's Club, but the bulk shopping can be a time and money-saver. You might want to stroll through the warehouse a time or two without planning to buy anything, just noting prices of things you already use, then compare with prices where you usually shop.
Some things come in 2-packs or 4-packs or 10-packs, if its TP you can stock up and not have to replenish for 6-12 months, other things that might expire before your family consumes it all might be shared with your MIL or friends (I am thinking 2-packs of jumbo bottles of salad dressing, tabasco sauce, condiments, or even the biggie paks of carrots, broccoli, etc. )
I do buy bulk packages of meat and also bulk boxes of Ziplok bags, then use the Ziplocks to repackage the meats into family serving size amounts for the freezer. Same with pantry items, you can buy large packages of Bacon bits, or croutons, etc., that can be frozen or refrigerated in smaller portions. Same with cat or dog food.
There are also some good deals to be had for non-food items, books, electronics, office supplies. Also, seasonal items, especially Halloween Candy and Christmas gifts.
The usual complaint about these bulk warehouses is that people spend way more than their budget so keep a list and try to stick to it. Also plan to write a check or take a fixed amount of cash vs. charging the stuff, to keep you from going overboard.
Enjoy!
Jo
"Wish I had time to work with herbs all day!" |
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