One Snarky Chica with Issues

I have a membership to Sam’s Club that I have had since I was 16. My father added me onto his business membership because he wanted me to be able to get the cheaper gas at Sam’s as well as things like tires.

Each year before Christmas (which is my renewal date) my father asks if I would like the membership to be renewed as part of my Christmas gift or if I would like to cancel it and have something else. I always take the membership renewal. And I would pay for it myself if I had to.

I definitely think that warehouse clubs are worth the membership fees. However, you have to be careful and not assume that everything they sell is a great deal.

I never buy things like paper towels, toilet paper, breakfast cereals or sodas at Sam’s. I can get those items far cheaper with coupons at other places. And that is the real key to shopping wisely at places like Sam’s. You need to know the price that you pay at other places and you need to know if you can use coupons (or double coupons) for an even great savings some place else.

There are a lot of really great deals at places like Sam’s. We eat a lot of oats in my house. And at Sam’s I can get 9 pounds of Quaker Oats for about the price of 6 pounds at the grocery store.  Bananas are amazingly cheap at Sam’s, as are 5 pound bags of red potatoes. Overall, I tend to find better prices on produce at Sam’s than at the grocery store. The key is only buying what you can eat before it goes bad! We only eat Eggland’s Best Omega-3 eggs in our house. You can get a pack of 12 at the grocery store for $2.54 and I can get a pack of 18 at Sam’s for $2.58.

Sam’s is also a great place to get tires for your vehicle. Last year I needed to buy tires and Sam’s was cheaper by over $100 compared to other places. Plus you get lifetime free rotate & balance there. In the past I have bought computer from Sam’s at great prices. And their video games, DVDs and CDs are usually cheaper as well. Mattresses are another thing that I have gotten cheaper at Sam’s.

You can even find nice clothing at cheap prices at Sam’s too. The last time I was in one they had Levis’ and Calvin Klein jeans at super cheap prices (around $20).

So, if you can avoid the temptation of buying everything that you see at warehouse clubs AND if you are keen on what normal prices are at the stores then you really can come out ahead by having a warehouse club membership.