Sam's Club. Worth it or not?
Today I did something I felt like I ought to have done ages ago but never thought to do...calculate how much money I actually saved by shopping at Sam's Club.
Now, it's tricky. I'm careful about what I buy at Sam's Club. I only buy items for which I'm positive I would have definitely had to buy the bulk quantity eventually, which is the only way you actually save money. I don't buy stuff just because it's there and in huge bulk, or things I would not normally have bought. I'm that way with coupons, too. They only save money if I would have bought the thing anyway!
So today I had to renew my Sam's membership. I was curious how long it would take me to recover my $40 yearly fee. Today I bought the following:
Mini bags of microwave popcorn (I go through a metric shit-ton of these)
Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches
Disposable razors
Splenda packets
Trash bags
Then I had to go to Kroger for breadmaking ingredients, so I walked around and found the exact same items and wrote down how much they cost there. I totted up how much I saved at Sam's.
Care to venture a guess on which item I saved the most on? It surprised the heck out of me. In order of least savings to most:
1. Razors. Kroger = $6.69 for 3, Sam's = $26.88 for 14, for a savings of $4.34.
2. Skinny Cow. Kroger = $4.79 for 6 (sale price) Sam's = $9.88 for 20, savings $6.08
3. Popcorn. Kroger = $4.89 for 10 bags, Sam's = $7.88 for 40 bags, savings $11.68
4. Splenda packets. Kroger = $13.29 for 400, Sam's = $19.47 for 1000, savings $13.76
5. Trash bags. Kroger = $6.99 for 20, Sam's = $12.56 for 120, savings a whopping $29.38
So for God's sake, buy your trash bags at Sam's. That's for sure an item you'll always need. So for those of you playing along at home, I saved about $65 today compared to buying the same quantity of the same items at Kroger. Which means I've already saved more than my membership fee in one visit!
Now I find myself anticipating when I'll run out of laundry soap, dish detergent, paper towels and TP so I can compare those, too. God, I am such a nerd.
Now, it's tricky. I'm careful about what I buy at Sam's Club. I only buy items for which I'm positive I would have definitely had to buy the bulk quantity eventually, which is the only way you actually save money. I don't buy stuff just because it's there and in huge bulk, or things I would not normally have bought. I'm that way with coupons, too. They only save money if I would have bought the thing anyway!
So today I had to renew my Sam's membership. I was curious how long it would take me to recover my $40 yearly fee. Today I bought the following:
Mini bags of microwave popcorn (I go through a metric shit-ton of these)
Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches
Disposable razors
Splenda packets
Trash bags
Then I had to go to Kroger for breadmaking ingredients, so I walked around and found the exact same items and wrote down how much they cost there. I totted up how much I saved at Sam's.
Care to venture a guess on which item I saved the most on? It surprised the heck out of me. In order of least savings to most:
1. Razors. Kroger = $6.69 for 3, Sam's = $26.88 for 14, for a savings of $4.34.
2. Skinny Cow. Kroger = $4.79 for 6 (sale price) Sam's = $9.88 for 20, savings $6.08
3. Popcorn. Kroger = $4.89 for 10 bags, Sam's = $7.88 for 40 bags, savings $11.68
4. Splenda packets. Kroger = $13.29 for 400, Sam's = $19.47 for 1000, savings $13.76
5. Trash bags. Kroger = $6.99 for 20, Sam's = $12.56 for 120, savings a whopping $29.38
So for God's sake, buy your trash bags at Sam's. That's for sure an item you'll always need. So for those of you playing along at home, I saved about $65 today compared to buying the same quantity of the same items at Kroger. Which means I've already saved more than my membership fee in one visit!
Now I find myself anticipating when I'll run out of laundry soap, dish detergent, paper towels and TP so I can compare those, too. God, I am such a nerd.