Frugal Friday: Ten Things I Like to Buy at Sam's Club

We have a Sam's Club about a mile from our house and another two within pretty close proximity. We don't have any other warehouse clubs nearby, so I can't say on how the prices are at any other place. But, there are some things that I have found to be much cheaper at Sam's.

Now, typically I don't buy a lot of name brand prepackaged things.I usually get stuff like that cheaper and with a coupon at Walmart, or grocery store with a good sale. But, overall, Sam's club has a good quality store brand, and if you typically buy the name brand prepackaged things, you can find them cheaper at Sam's.

These are the things I've found to be about the cheapest and best quality.

1. Toilet Paper
     Member Mark is the Sam's brand and is very similar to leading name brands in quality. I can get a 36 double roll pack for under $17 or so. That's 23 cents per single roll and under the 25 cent price point most couponers have for a single roll. I can pick up a pack that will last us a almost a month and not have to worry about waiting for a sale and clipping a coupon.

2. Water Bottles
     Now I know that eveyone is going to the refillable bottles with filters, and mostly we just use water out of the faucet, but sometimes we need to have water bottles on hand. Sam's offers 36 for equal to or less than the same price of 24 at another store.

3. 90% Lean Ground Beef
     With the leaner ground beef, there is very little fat to drain off so you aren't losing the bulk of what you just purchased, and it's healthier because there is less fat.

4. Lunch Meat
       I know some people worry about nitrates added to their lunch meat, so just be cautious here if that is something you are concerned about. But, otherwise this is the best quality lunch meat for about the best price I've seen.

5. Milk and Yogurt
      Now, I could make my own yogurt, and I would like to someday, but at this point I'm just buying it. I do like to buy Greek yogurt for myself and the kids like regular, but at least they are getting the probiotic.
     
6. Cheese
     Cheese has gone up in price so much lately, but Sam's still has about the cheapest price. You can also buy in bulk and if you don't use cheese almost daily (like we do) then you can shred it, bag it and freeze it.

7. Eggs
     I really prefer to use cage free eggs for the quality and taste (and health factor) and since we are at a point in time where we can't raise our own, I've found the best price for these at Sam's. Maybe you can find them cheaper from a local supplier or farmer's market, but Sam's has been the best option for us at this point.

8. Baking Supplies
     I just bought a huge bottle of pure vanilla extract (I know you can make this, also, but I haven't had the time to try it!) for a small fraction of the cost I've paid in grocery stores. I know yeast and spices are also especially good bargains.

9. Fruit and Vegetables
     I can get about the best deal on lettuce at Sam's. Typically the usual Sam's price is the grocery store's sale price on many fruits and vegetables. Again, your local farmer's market may be the best bet, but if you buy produce from a grocery store anyway, Sam's is your best bet.

10. Gasoline
     Sam's usually has about a 3 cent per gallon discount on gas as compared to our local corner station. Not always, but usually. Today, gas here is $3.50 per gallon at the corner station. (Crazy!)

Sam's has a basic membership cost of $40, but you can easily make up that in savings. We make that up just in gas, since my van has a 30 gallon tank! But, if you are not sure you want to join, or if it would be worth it to get the membership, you can always go on a guest day or with someone else who has a membership to price compare first.

No, Sam's isn't paying me to say this. (Although they should, don't you think?)