Sam's club "worth it" for 2 people

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[hsmamato2]

probably not unless you can grab one of the local deals I've seen online- where you get a membership for 45,then they give you like 40 in coupons to use that day...frankly I don't like Sams, so that's my bias- I have a membership b/c I got a deal to try it (it was free) but I rarely shop there (I like Costco)

 

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[Alesia]

You can save money buying personal care items there, but you need to have plenty of room to store it. For example: their toilet paper is cheaper, but the smallest quantity you can get is 36 rolls. I don't have anywhere to put 36 rolls of toilet paper.

As far as buying junk food there, you can save money, but you need to buy pretty large quantities. For me, that presents a storage issue, but also I just don't like having that much junk around because I'll eat too much of it. If you have better self control than I do, it may work for you.

I don't buy a lot there. Their frozen biscuits are really good. They have Wright's bacon, which is awesome. Their produce is usually limited, but good. Their rotisserie chickens are fantastic and only $5. I usually keep a bag of frozen fish fillets in the freezer and their prices on those are very reasonable.

 

[marthachick]

Sometimes there will be a 'trial membership' coupon in the newspaper or online. Or if you have a friend that has a card, maybe you could go with them. You could take your time and look at items you normally buy, and either take a pic of them or write it down. Then go home and decide if it is a bargain for you. Also, as a PP said you will need a lot of storage space for, say, 36 rolls of toilet paper.

 

[justafigment27]

It depends on what you buy. Go in there and take a look around before you buy (just tell them you want to use the pharmacy and they will let you in without a membership b/c you don't need a membership to purchase prescriptions). Sometimes you can make the price of your membership back with just one item you use on a regular basis. Sunscreen, batteries, allergy meds, razor blades and Atkins bars are things I purchase there on a regular basis.

 

[Jeff_G]

I have both Sams and now Costco memberships.

Bulk paper products and dish washer soap do save us money, the rest is a toss up. I dont like buying produce from either because the produce they sell tends to be physically larger in size which does not equate to better taste. And for many things we dont go through it enough to justify bulk produce before it would spoil.

I like the frozen broccoli from either place because its actual broccoli florets vs stems and broccoli fluff. I like the quality of meat for both Sams and costco vs my local grocery store, so we do buy in bulk and freeze meat.

Also we just switched over to not eating processed foods and find there isnt much to purchase at the bulk warehouse stores now.

 

[tvguy]

I used to shop at Price Club (now Costco) and Sams Club. But that was before we had ANY Walmarts here. Now that we have not only Walmart, but Super Walmart and Walmart neighborhood markets, I can get good prices on sizes of products I actually can use. And Smart and Final, and "non-membership" club store has expanded vastly in this area in the past year. They are pretty close on price too. And all those other options are a mile or two or three from home, where as Sams Club is 6 miles away, and costco about 8 miles away.

 

[TravelJess]

We belong but honestly never shop there, it's a good 50 minutes from out house and personally not really worth it. With six people living in the house, it would save us a lot of money if we lived closer. Buying in bulk works for us however I'm not really sure if it would be worth it for just two people. I would try the trial membership card and if you found it worked for you then I'd join. Just try it out first.

 

[ToddyLu]

It did for a short time...then we decided it was just too much money when I could go to Walmart and get a smaller amount that we would eat. Now, DH usually has some one pick up a case of drinks for him. I did like filling up my car with gas there though.

 

[Best Aunt]

OP, are you picky about brands on these things: "I was thinking I'd mostly be buying paper/cleaning products/personal care items. Things like toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, dish soap, Clorox wipes, windex, trash bags, toothpaste, tampons, shampoo/body wash."

They tend to have a limited selection as to brands. As someone else said, you need to check it out to see if they sell what you would buy.

I have found that the following items at Sam's Club are better than what I can get anywhere else in town: rotisserie chicken, corn bread, grapes, small size tomatoes (grape and cherry), white cake with white buttercream frosting, and "banker boxes." By "better" I mean taste, freshness and quality, not price.

 

[Narnia_girl]

We shop Sam's all the time. There are lots of things you can buy that are not bulk and get at a decent price including basic clothing, limited selection of shoes, books, movies, video games, holiday decor and gifts, electronics, furniture, small appliances, towels, etc...

And if you have even a small freezer, you can stock up and save.

 

[LJSquishy]

We are a household of two adults and get a lot of use out of our Costco membership. We don't have Sam's Club in our area so I have no idea what they carry, but Costco carries a lot of organic items which fits with our lifestyle so Costco works well for us. As two adults we don't have any problems going through the large quantities of produce, but we don't eat processed foods really so that's why we are able to make it through it all before it goes bad. We also buy toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, toothbrush replacement heads, etc.

 

[stsomewhere]

Sam's is 10 minutes away. I always get gas there. It is about $.20-$.25 cheaper a gallon. We like their pork loins, fruit, milk, razors etc

 

[DisneyHardin]

It is just DH and I and I feel like we get good deals at Sam's. I buy most of our meat there, and most of our paper goods.

 

[seashoreCM]

YMMV.

You may well find similar products for the same price at other local grocery stores, discount stores, big box stores, etc. But you may want to try out a membership for a year so you can go in anytime you want and do price comparison shopping.

The more finicky you are (in terms of ingredients, fat content, etc.) the less likely you will find what you want at Sams or Costco, etc.

 

[DonnaL]

There is a Sam's Club about 20 minutes from us, but, even when our three children were young and there were five of us ...we only bought a yearly membership once or twice. I've always found that by shopping sales and using coupons at two/ three grocery chains plus Kmart, Walmart and Dollar General/Family Dollar I save as much or more than I would from Sam's. Keep in mind I don't visit all those stores on a weekly or even biweekly basis, but, I do check out their fliers every week and compare prices against whatever coupons are available. I also tend to stock up on items like detergent, fab softener, toilet paper, paper towels, soap, etc when I hit a very good sale and maybe have multiple coupons......sometimes I have enough of those items for six months for the two of us. I also use Kmart's Shop Your Way program pretty extensively.....it's not uncommon for me to have $20 to $25 in ShopYourWay points accumulated to use toward the bulk purchase of the above items. It seems the more I shop at Kmart the more they email me "Surprise points". I'm very particular about meats and there is only one grocery store where I buy my meat, but, everything else is fair game if I get a better price.

 

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[msmama]

I have a Costco membership for just my 7 year old and I.

I do buy my paper products there. I buy paper towels about once a year, toilet paper a couple times a year. Trash bags can last more than a year. I shouldn't have to buy toothpaste for the rest of the year and I haven't purchased razor blades in probably a year and a half.

I also do buy a fair amount of food stuff there. They have chicken nuggets that my son likes. I some buy shredded cheese and then portion it out and freeze some. Their meat is really good quality - better than my grocery store I think so I buy there when I have room in the deep freeze.

I also usually end up buying Xmas presents at Costco. Usually get my Dad something there. We buy a lot of books there (kids books) and their prices on DVD's is pretty good if you buy that kind of stuff.

Where Costco is a problem is the impulse buys. At the grocery store an impulse buy takes up a little space and costs a little bit. It's too easy to come home from costco with a giant box of Rice Krispie Treats!!

 

[powellrj]

Not sure if you ever have down time and are looking for something to do, but we always enjoyed making an afternoon at Sams. They offer lots of samples and you can get a slice of pizza or a hot dog with a soft drink for very reasonable and a sundae is also a bargain.