::Is it worth it to pay the $40/year Sam's Club membership fee? Brandy shares why she thinks it is here. By the way, if you have a minute, be sure to poke around her site. I think you'll really enjoy her pages on a well-stocked pantry and how they have been eating from their pantry for months on end. (She has a helpful page with meal ideas for eating from the pantry here; I'm inspired!)
::Need some cardboard boxes for an upcoming move? Check out FreeCardboardBoxes.com. Jessica emailed me this link and I think it's a fantastic idea.
::Did you know you could make your own microwave popcorn? Head on over to Frugal Freebies and Deals to learn how.
Have a link to a money-saving idea or inspiring frugal post you'd like me to feature on my blog? Shoot me an email so I can consider including it in an upcoming "Worth Reading" post round-up.
We have had a membership with SC for many years, we have decided not to renew it. I am able to do much better at CVS, Walgreens and Fry’s. We don’t have Aldi’s here in AZ. Great tips and photos. Thank you for sharing!
I love the link, Thanks! I am a Costco member (The prices in my area are about the same as Sam’s), and use it mainly for just a few items: Milk, cheese, eggs, bread, some spices…But we use Costco mainly for the entertainment factor. Free samples on Saturday and cheap hotdogs make for a fun date with five kids!
We are very blessed to have a Winco near us. Their prices are actually better than Costco’s on most items. Even the fancy bread is cheaper. Even without Qs, I’m able to get most of my canned goods for less money and in bulk, too.
I looked at Brandy’s Sam’s list and I don’t think I”ll be joining anytime soon. In my grocery market I can get just as good or better deals at Woodman’s and I don’t have to buy a membership and they take coupons (they recently started taking limited printables). It was good to see that I can get as good a deals from a fairly local and employee owned chain vs. Sam’s
Brandy’s homecanned stash was very cool and impressive.
Crystal,
Thank you for the link!
Kay,
We don’t have Aldi’s here in Las Vegas. Also, none of our grocery stores do double coupons. We do have one store (Smith’s) that has case-lot sales twice a year. I have compared those prices with others who have Aldi’s and they are about the same. The difference is that I can only get those prices twice a year and I have to buy whole cases, and at Aldi’s you can get those prices every day.
If you live near an Aldi’s, that is a great blessing for your budget!
I do compare items as prices change; Walmart has recently been cheaper than Sam’s for vegetable oil. However, Sam’s is much better for salt than Walmart (twice as much for less than Walmart!) . There are several things at Sam’s that are much less than Walmart; it just depends on what you buy.
Maria,
I’m glad you like my site! Thanks!
Brandy
http://www.theprudenthomemaker.com
I have a 1 year Free Sam’s Club Membersip & $25.00 gift card giveaway going on right now too! Thought your readers might be interested in that after having read that wonderful article.
I too go to Sam’s at least once a month and I buy many of the same items you do. However, you need to be careful as some of their prices are higher than Walmart. I shop many places and still get great buys at Sams. As far as
Aldi’s, I find their produce, eggs, buttermilk (which our Sam’s does not carry) to be the cheapest around and the produce is great quality. Sam’s has a wheat bread named Milton’s that I will make a special trip to buy if I run out and that’s a 50 mile round trip for me. Also have bought many special pieces of clothing there and I LOVE the cookbook selection. If you see something you want, better not wait for the next trip as it won’t be there!
I think Aldi may run about the same. Some items are much cheaper at Sam’s (HELLO MILK AND CHEESE!) and some things are cheaper at Aldi (granola bars, cereal, crackers), but if you are looking for very high quality produce, meats, baking goods, etc. Sam’s is your place. Plus they really do have GREAT prices on diapers.
Brandy and Trish — my question is how does Sam’s prices compare to Aldi? I don’t notice ALDI on Brandy’s price chart. Any idea?
I have seen that microwave popcorn on http://www.instructables.com, it’s a site with all sorts of do it yourself tutorials. It’s a great site with lots of frugal ideas. I highly recommend it to everyone.
hooray! more people promote sams club, thats who pays our bills 🙂
Thank you for sharing Brandy’s site. It is so full of information I had to bookmark it.
Great article and really inspiring! I have a Sam’s club membership and I agree wholeheartedly with Brandy. Not only is Sam’s Club great for food staples, toys, clothes, and many other items are exceptionally priced. Thanks for sharing!
I make microwave popcorn from “scratch” using a large silicone mold and a Silpat lid. It’s easy to clean!! Let me know if you want the recipe for homemmade kettle corn and information how to get the mold and silpat. bakingwithmeg@gmail.com The paper bag was a good idea too from frugalfreebies.
I also regularly see moving boxes listed on Craig’s list in the free section. I think because so many people are trying to reuse things you can find them without paying an arm and a leg…
We love making our own microwave popcorn. We got the idea from one of Alton Brown’s cookbooks. We use the brown paper bag method. We buy a bag of popcorn and a large package of bags at Sams and it last us forever! It tastes better and is better for you. Give it a try… you will love it!
Thanks for allowing others to share. Brainstorming is a great way to save even more money