wife and i are debating getting a sams club membership......we dont have a deep freezer yet...(where can i find a decent size one cheap?) but we want to know if you have one....is it worth it? i believe for meats, veggies and condiments it is totally worth to buy in bulk and freeze it.....have dinner for weeks. we cook alot at home, rarely eat out (thats what she said?) and we just are trying to weigh the pros and cons. so any help would be welcomed.....thanks in advance
If you have the space to "Warehouse" stuff, then yeah totally worth it. One other point, get ready to eat the same things over and over and over again. When my girls were younger, couldn't beat Price Club prices on Diapers and Formula.
I find Costco to be a lot more worthwhile; their Kirkland brand of practically everything is at least equal to, and many times better than national brands. And it's cheaper than anything else. Selection is good on national brands, too. Sam's seems to carry a lot of the same things you can get at Wal-Mart, especially in the big-box section. And often if you watch their sales, you can get smaller packages of staples just as cheap as if you bought the humongo packs.
well im in a tough spot....the closest costco is 30 mins away.....as is BJs.....so my only bet when it comes to these types of places is sams club cause its right down the street.
Well, of course Sam's is just that. HUGE Wally-World. And actually, Costco is where I shop, not Price Club...it was Price club about 25 years ago in Albuquerque...dont know that they still exist?
I'm in the same boat brother. I still make the trip to Costco. Realistically, you shouldnt be going more than once a month anyways.
I agree with Nabo and Az here Costco and BJ's are better than Sams, Costco being best of the three. It's worth the drive and you wont be going that often. If you're worried about cold or frozen goods on a long drive bring a cooler. A big one, or two. Keep in mind also that stuff wont last forever even in the freezer. Buying in bulk only saves if you aren't throwing it away. Like Nabo said the Kirkland brand has some good stuff. I recommend the chicken bakes. The Costco I frequent makes a decent pizza too.
Not to mention the free food they are always serving... Hell, you can go from isle to isle and eat a good mea.
only that i can add here is, dont freeze condiments! i dont thin ya need to. may coem out gross. and everyone by me prefers Costco to BJs. But the wife and I prefer BJs because they have better baby products. They have more variety of diapers, formula, etc... Costco only has huggies and kirkland, where we're pamper fans. actually, we like mixing it up between the two. Sams club is the same umbrella as walmart. keep that in mind, if you like the walmart product. and also remember, when you go to make your weekly or monthly haul...you dont usually go to these places to pick up one or two things. i would join the best one. scope em out, see which one has the best food, best variety and deals on your TP/papertowels/etc...then choose. its worth it to venture out when going to a place like this, ready to drop a couple hundred bucks. i prefer BJs to be honest. they have some organic foods, have nice produce, and a bit more variety. but like i said, a lot of people like Costco too. i think it varies from store to store to be honest. i think the Costco by me is just not managed well.
we are allllmmmmoosst done with the baby stuff. my son is 25 months old....and is very close to being potty trained. and hes done with formula. so we really are looking into this for frozen foods, hamburger meat, chicken, boxed frozen meals etc. (and seth i understand my original post made it seem like i will freeze condiments....but i didnt mean that. i just meant freeze the meats. i can just get bigger sizes of condiments to last longer) we will take a weekend and check them all out for sure.
As someone who works in the Grocery Industry, lemme just say, cheaper is NOT always better. The less you pay, obviously the less you get as far as quality goes. Id rather pay a tad more knowing the products I buy are handled with care(like meat) and the items have been properly rotated to avoid accidently buying something that is out of date or close dated. Wal-Mart I imagine, with their low-cost items and low-paid employees, you increase the likelihood of buying bad goods. Buyer beware!
Oh, and someone mentioned meat...all the meat at Costco is OUTRAGEOUSLY good for the price you pay. The beef especially, but everything - the pork, lamb - whatever you buy is of quality that you only get at a place like Whole Foods, where you pay 3-4 times the price for it compared to Costco. FS made a good point, too: buying at Costco supports a good company that takes exceptional care of its employees and pays them 2-3 times what Wal-Mart/Sam's pays their people. And you don't pay a premium in doing so. Win-win.
Well, AZ hit the nail on the head about warehousing stuff other than frozen products, the Sam's in my neck of the woods is not really much less expensive than the local Ingles when they are having a sale. However, they also offer temp memberships for one to see for themselves. I personally load up on things like pasta, soap, dishwashing liquid and olive oil, sliced cheese, but avoid the frozen stuff especially since they dropped Nathan's Hot Dogs in the 50 pack.
Exactly. I'd rather support a company that focuses on both customers AND employees. You don't always get that often from big retailers.
Certainly, I like the way Costco does things, imho they offer a good deal all around...problem is the only place in my town is Sam's Club and my employer offers membership as a benefit. I'm a big believer in the Inflationary Cycle (Pugsley's Alpha Strategy) and buy in bulk, that means Sam's Club as no place else offers the same prices for the quantity I purchase.
Well of course you gotta do things that benefit your direct interest. That's the way our economy is set up after all. We do things that benefit us first, if it benefits someone else then good, but otherwise we do gotta look out for #1. But I do like the idea of supporting businesses for reasons other than lower prices.
Well, I'd be more than happy to patronize Costco, however there is no Costco within 50 miles of my town, Sam 's is the only game in town. I personally do not mind paying more for a companies's product that views employees as assets and not liabilities..buy fair trade stuff as well when it is available...
Perhaps classically liberal, but it is what it is, 58 cents more is not exactly a high price in addition to whatever I'm buying.
I have a Sams Club membership. I like it. Just like everywhere, some things are cheaper and some things aren't. Huuge bags of iceburg lettuce are 1.88 for example. Not to mention, taking the little one there on saturdays is always fun, samples galore. I get my chicken from there, and the lettuce bags. And they have 5lb bags of EAS 100% whey protein powder for 29 dollars. You simply cannot beat that!!!!!
As someone from the land of the Waltons, of course I have a Sam's membership. The main thing I buy there is potatoes, you can get a fifteen pound bag of monster potatoes (the perfect baked potatoes) for four bucks. They are amazing and very good. I also buy chicken, chips, and fruit snacks there. lol. Overall, worth the money if they have things you would want at a good price.
