I never expected to get a Sam’s Club membership again, but after a few years of you all telling me that I really, really should check it out because I could save money by having one, when the $20 Sam’s Club membership offer came up, I decided to go for it!
It was so easy to get the $20 membership online! It just took a few minutes to do. Then, you just go to the membership desk in-store and get your official Sam’s Club card. I added Jesse onto my account for free, too!
I went on my first Sam’s Club shopping trip on Thursday night around 6:15 p.m. and I decided that was a GREAT time to shop because there was hardly anyone at the store! The lady at the customer service desk told me that it was almost empty but many times throughout the week, the store will be packed with people!
I felt pretty proud of this card! Like, I’m official or something! 🙂 (Years and years ago, Jesse and I had a Sam’s Club membership because we had our merchant account — the account that allowed us to accept credit cards from customers for products — through them and one of the perks of that was having a membership. We didn’t keep out membership once we switched to another merchant account.)
I asked my audience to share what deals they highly recommend buying at Sam’s Club in this post, and one of the number one items suggested was the rotiserrie chicken! It’s just $4.98 so I absolutely grabbed one up!
This was really an exploratory trip for me to familiarize myself with the store, compare prices, and see what deals I found. I only had about 20 minutes to shop, but since there was hardly anyone at the store, I was able to make it through the majority of the store. I’m looking forward to going back again soon — likely this coming week — to search more thoroughly for deals and see what great prices I may have missed the first time!
I was really excited with the deal on cottage cheese — 3 lbs for just $5.88!!
And of course I had to stop at the free sample machine and get a free sample!
I also picked up some Bare Chicken Bites. We love these and this price was a little less than the best deal I can get at Kroger on sale!
The price I was most excited about was the Greek yogurt deal! We go through a LOT of Greek yogurt, especially since it’s one of David’s favorite foods and he usually has a big bowl at least once a day. You could get 3 lbs for $4.76! Aldi has a tub half this size for $3.76, so this is definitely a great deal!
I also picked up a 10-lb bag of sugar because we were almost out for $7.88. Here’s everything I bought above — my total (with tax) was right above $40!
Overall, I was so happy with the deals I found and that was just in 20 minutes! Now, I will say that there were a lot of items that weren’t good deals compared to what I pay at Aldi or Kroger. In addition, I see where it would be easy to get distracted with all of the sales on clothes and appliances and who knows what else they have in the middle section (I didn’t go there!) and end up spending WAY more than you would just shopping at a grocery store.
However, if you are careful, intentional, and strategic, I think you can definitely save money by shopping at Sam’s Club — and that the $20 membership fee will quickly pay for itself and then a lot more in the savings!
What are your honest thoughts? Do you have a Sam’s Club membership? Do you save money by shopping there? I’d love to hear!
We have Sam’s Club Plus membership. The free prescription savings on over 600+ generic drugs for a 30 day supply is what made us do it. Free shipping on $50+ orders. App has Whse pricing & in-stock/out of stock updates, so no futile Whse runs. Also we get the 2% Cashback rightaway unlike waiting for Costco’s annual rebate.
We buy Keto Ice cream 12 pk, Members Mark (MM) Almond Milk 3 pk (my DH is an almond milk snob, so that’s high praise indeed), Eggs, Portabella Mushrooms 24 oz, MM The Better Nut Bar 24 ct, Morton Iodized Salt 4 lbs – $2.18, Ole Net Zero high fiber Tortillas – 16 ct, MM coconut oil, USPS postage stamps 20 ct (Costco only has 100 ct and we don’t need that many), Taster’s Choice coffee when on sale. And their clearance deals are crazy awesome.
Sam’s accepts Discover card, which is offering 5% cash back at Warehouse clubs for Jan – Mar 2026, on purchases up to $1,500. I stock up on Sam’s club gift cards which can also be used at Walmart. I redeem the Discover Cashback for retail/dining giftcards at 15% – 20%+ off.
We have Costco Executive Membership too. And we shop way more at Costco than at Sam’s. Costco 2% rebate + Costco Citi credit card 2% rebate makes it worthwhile. We got Ove vanity (amazing quality), shower door, plumbing fixtures from Costco including free shipping at great prices.
I am very leery of Sam’s online orders. My experience with it has been a hit or miss. Costco online order shipping & handling is always well done.
Thank you for sharing!
We get ridiculously cheap gas at our Sam’s Club. It’s more than paid for the $20 cost of membership!
We need to check that out!! Thank you!
Lactose free milk is my go to from Sam’s as well as snacks.
Thank you for sharing!
I have hesitated on joining but we had a neighbor who much preferred it to Costco. The Costco in our area is a nightmare for parking and the lines are horrible. I wonder if it’s worth a trip there for non-food items, like paper products, some cleaning supplies etc., since we get all our meat delivered from Seben Sons and our local farm produce CSA box from Farm Fresh to you. We’ve found a good local eggery and artisan cheese maker. We stopped buying commercially made cheese due to GMO microbial fake rennet and we don’t drink much milk. Occasionally I’ll make full fat organic yogurt in my instant pot. I have to use the boil method so I avoid it. We’ve been buying fermented cottage cheese since the other brands all contain additives. I’ve watched your struggles with food and I’ve had a few issues myself so swapping to a really clean diet has helped. I have a CGM also.
A lot of people say that Costco is better if you are looking for organic options, however, it sounds like that is not a great option for you with the parking and lines!
We have had the regular membership for years, and recently upgraded to the Plus. One of the benefits I didn’t realize was a prescription benefit for medications my husband regularly takes – they dropped to $0. The cash back also made it worth it. I regularly purchase the oats, rotisserie chicken, block cheese, tator tots, frozen berries, tortillas, red pepper hummus, and more. I love their Scan and Go app and feel like it makes the whole experience way better than Costco.
Also I do the Cole slaw mix which is 2.34 for 2 lbs. You can cook it down with ground pork for egg roll in a bowl.
I need to check the price of oats!! Thank you for these tips!
I buy the Sam’s brand toilet paper and paper towels, my dairy, splash water (when its not on sale at the grocery store) and my steaks (bc its a good thick cut)
Thank you so much!
So glad you had a good experience at Sam’s! I highly recommend getting their app. You can check the in-club prices on anything. I use that feature a lot when I’m at Aldi and want to compare prices. Sam’s prices do fluctuate, even if they aren’t advertised. I find that in general their produce isn’t a good deal, aside from carrots, potatoes, garlic, lemons, and limes.
That’s such a great idea! Thank you! I agree that I wasn’t impressed with most of the produce prices I saw with just a quick scan of the produce section!
My kids are very picky on yogurt now that they are teeenagers, so Chobani flips are one that I can get them to all eat and they are consistently less than a dollar at Sam’s. As a couponer, I watch my deals, and honestly can’t get a better deal (maybe very rarely) better than the Member’s Mark trash bags and paper towels. I am a paper towel snob and love my Bounty, and this is so close that I don’t miss them.
Thank you for that tip! I noticed the Flips were about the same price I pay when they are marked down at Kroger!!
We love the gas prices. BUT if you regularly shop Kroger (and have the Boost membership) you likely save more at their pumps. The $1 per gallon is pretty sweet.
It’s actually amazing that the cheapest is often times just what’s convenient for each individual person. Thanks for sharing.
We cancelled our Boost membership because they stopped offering free delivery with the Kroger trucks in our area (only InstaCart now) so we are definitely going to check the Sam’s gas prices!
I pay for the plus membership and then take advantage of the free shipping. I live 40 minutes away so I grab fresh and frozen stuff when I’m in the area. The shelf stable things, I have shipped to my house for free. We have done the math and the added cost pays for itself with the cash back we get and the other perks. Good luck on your Sam’s adventure. I love pricing things out there to see if things are cheaper. It saves time if they are since it’s bulk and won’t have to be bought so quickly.
Thank you for these tips!!
Nice!
Over the counter medicines can be an extraordinary value. Such as 12 hour decongestants. Many of the OTC options there, such as calcium, come in huge quantities (360+ tablets). So sometimes I shop elsewhere for those items on my list. For example, even if a per item price is lower compared to other stores, if I only have $5 in my purse I am not able to spend $20 for a bigger container even if it ‘saves me money in the long run’. In the short run, I only have $5. Sometimes having to walk away from a fantastic deal is still ‘frugal’. 😊
Thank you for that tip on OTC meds!
The app is a game changer! Scan and go is AMAZING! Also using it to get gas when I’m in the area, just scan the QR code and then you’re ready to pump. So convenient.
I agree with the deals, I usually get maple syrup, olive oil, chicken broth (when I don’t make it), 5 dozen eggs, Archer beef sticks, the same chicken nugs you got and the dark chocolate chunk trail mix.
I need to check out the maple syrup price!