I really wish I had not gone with the 5 things, this could really be a list of about 100. For all the wonderful deals I get at a warehouse store there are so many that are not a good deal. Unfortunately, buying in bulk doesn’t always mean that you get the best deal. The most important thing to do when shopping at a Sam’s club or other store is to price everything out BY THE OUNCE. This will let you know if you are getting something cheaper then at the grocery store with or without coupons. Of course this means that you need to have an idea of what you are paying at the grocery store, that is your homework! Start keeping a list, or paying attention to it!
These are the top 5 things that I think are the worst deals at a warehouse store:
1. Razors! Hands down! This was what I would GO to Sam’s for. A refill for mens razors last time I looked was almost $50. That was for 15 cartridges, I won’t pay more then about $1.50 for a new razor that has 2 blades in it. I am looking at about $20, worst case for the same thing plus all the new razor handles.
2. Toothbrushes and Toothpaste – A pack of toothbrushes at Sams is $13.88 for a 6 pack. People pay for toothbrushes?!! They pay $2.25 for one? My price point for a toothbrush is FREE, if I am paying more then that I don’t feel like it is a good deal OR it better be a pretty dang nice toothbrush and cost me $1! 🙂 Toothpaste, is also pricey, at over $2 a tube as well. We are getting it free again this week at Kroger.
3. Gum and Candy – First, I don’t really want a bulk amount of candy around my house, I don’t want anyone eating that much sugar. Second, there are too many coupons out for single packs to pay $9.88 for a bag of M&M’s. Even if I really like the Peanut Butter kind! If I wait I know that I can get the single serve bags and packs for as little as free to $.25 a bag. Gum should also be one of those things where you get close to free, not $5 for a 3 pack for Trident, when Walgreens had them $.12 each last week.
4. Photos – Now, I have purchased 100’s of photos at Sam’s club in the past, and if I need them asap same day, I would have to go back. They charge $.13 a print. I can get 100 prints for $.02 a photo if I order online to one of the 20 different places that myself and other bloggers post regularly. When you get a bunch at a time that is the difference between paying $13 for 100 or paying $2.
5. Cereal! This makes me sick to think of how much cereal I have bought in the past at Sams without even looking at the price. They have bags and boxes of cereal priced as much as $4-$5 dollars a regular box! That same box I can get at the store with coupons for $1 – $1.25.
I could easily keep going… tuna, soup, spaghetti sauce, pasta, cookie and brownie mix, yogurt, etc. are all much cheaper at the grocery store with coupons.
Although you can get them cheaper at the grocery store, it means that you still need to shop smart. If you are prepared with or with out coupons you will know when you see a good price and maybe the best price IS at a warehouse store. The most important thing to do is start paying attention to the prices of the things that your family uses everyday, some things break down to price per ounce, so you can even compare that from grocery store to grocery store. OR grocery store to Walmart.
Here are some free printable sheets to help you get started:
- Price Book Sheet – Track you prices by date, store, item, price etc.
- Shopping List – You spend 40% less when you have a list!
If you missed my 5 things I WILL buy at Sams Club you can go HERE.
Part comedian, part Dad, part athlete. He will boss around your children while they play ball.
Just as angelic as she looks, this girl could easily raise a Village by herself, and all the children would grow up to be President.
Self proclaimed, she would be a webkinz dog. Because, "they're cute, and puppies are too. And they're sweet and they always get along with other puppies."
This mini-Martha Stewart can handle ANY craft you send her way. She isn't all bows and rainbows, she's got karate kid moves!
Not "Pick-Me-Up" like caffeine, she wants you to pick her up! AND NOW!
Anything that can be destroyed WILL be destroyed!
Practically Perfect in Every Way for now! Nicknamed "The Panda" she is rolly polly and lives by the motto, "the little one, is KING!"
The resident Labradoodle, Miller got his name because Mom won and got to name the baby! Need something chewed up? He'll take care of it. Especially if it's expensive..
When I first started couponing last August, I remember I read somewhere that toothpaste and toothbrushes were always FREE!! At that time I found it hard to believe but now not only I get them for free but sometimes they’re MM…..I always have enough in my stockpile to share with my family…. I no longer have a warehouse membership… Thanks Tiffany
Which toothpaste is free at Kroger this week?
I am a novice when it comes to couponing. By that I mean that I use coupons when I have them for the things I want, I am a full-time (outside the home) working mom so I have very little extra time so I do almost EVERYTHING online. I use ShopatHome.com to find coupon codes and to get the rebate check every 3 months! However, my beef with coupons is that the majority of the coupons out there are for processed, frozen, pantry, preserved, unhealthy stuff! Really makes me angry that many families have to make the choice of what is more important, healthy and fresh or the bottom line price. WHY CAN’T WE HAVE BOTH! Grrrrrrr…Anyway, my compromise is that I make my weekly shopping list and research to find where it is the cheapest and if I can find a coupon then GREAT! Even though I may not be saving as much as others, I know that I am getting the healthiest option for the cheapest price at least, until the coupon gods decide to do more coupons for the healthy stuff.
So, for some things (pasta for example), in my research, the better nutritional option is to get pasta made and manufactured in Italy. Marketing people jack up the price on some pasta because they put “WHOLE WHEAT” in big bold letters but in the US there is no regulation on actually how much or what kind of WHOLE WHEAT has to be in there to be able to market as WHOLE WHEAT. Italian pasta is regulated by law (seriously) and must contain 100% durum semolina flour and water. Durum wheat has a very high protein content versus other strains of wheat. If you choose Italian pasta versus American pasta – you are getting something that probably tastes better and is a bit better for you.
All that to say that even though I may be able to get pasta free at the grocery store, many times (there are some exceptions) the pasta pack at Costco is made from Italy and is cheaper than if I bought the Italian pasta without a coupon at the store. So I make the sacrifice of not getting free pasta or uber cheap pasta that is not as nutritious, for the more nutritious and spend a little more, but knowing that I got THAT more nutritious product the cheapest that I could – not sure if I made sense at all! LOL
I just keep looking and hoping that one day we could get fresh foods (fruits, veggies, etc), non-pantry preserved stuff as cheap or free that we can get the less nutritious stuff. BTW – I live in the city so farm fresh stuff is not readily accessible, however, I am growing some herbs and tomatoes so that is free and healthy for me – woohoo! LOL
What are some of the online places you get photos printed for .02??
I used to work at Sam’s Club and the tuna was the number 2 selling item behind toilet paper. Weird.