Sam’s Club Shopping Tips
If you are like me, you might feel like you are always running out of food! Always. We are about to hit a stage where we will spend the most amount of money on groceries ever. EVER. Our boys are 13, 12 and 10 and the amount they consume continues to amaze me on a daily basis! It’s absolutely unbelievable and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to understand how they are “always hungry”!
There are many things I try to be proactive about to try to avoid so many trips to the grocery store. But one thing that helps a lot is our membership to Sam’s Club (or any large warehouse membership club).
You definitely have to decide if it’s cheaper for you to buy items at a warehouse membership club site or the grocery store… For our family, because I am a big sale and coupon girl, I do a mixture of both. I have particular items that I like to buy at Sam’s Club and don’t buy the majority of my groceries there, just items I can’t get at the grocery store OR items that are better priced.
Let me share some of my Sports Mom Secrets about Sam’s Club with you:
I definitely have my favorites, but there are also some “hidden treasures” I want to share with you!
Have you ever had any of the yummy pizza from the front of the Club? It’s really delicious! Did you know you can make that same pizza at home!?
Don’t Skip the Pizza Dough
You can ask at the food counter to purchase a box of the pizza dough balls.
There are 20 in a box for only $17.95..that’s only $.90/dough ball! You might feel overwhelmed by filling your freezer with 20 dough balls! For me that is too many! I typically share the box with a friend or two! I have done this for a number of years and it always seems we both run out about the same time.
I don’t just make pizza with these dough balls…they can be used for lots of recipes! A few we have made on the blog and shared with you are:
You know you love the Soft Pretzels!
Actually, my favorite item at the food counter is the pretzels! Mmmm, the plain butter pretzels are yummy, but the cinnamon sugar are just over the top.
Did you know you can buy the soft pretzels by the case?!The pretzels are not actually even listed on the “sold by the case” sign. You just need to ask for a box at the counter (you get 40 for $32).
These are a great after school snack, fun for a kids party or you can even bring them for after a game! We just grab them out of the freezer and pop them in the microwave for a quick 45 seconds. Kid friendly.
Stock up on Meat
About 95% of the time Sam’s Club has the best price on meat. It does take a bit of time for me to bring my meat home and separate into ziploc bags and then toss in the freezer, but in the long run that bit of extra time makes it worth it for me to know that dinner is in the freezer.
The chicken breast is $1.88/lb all the time!
I vary on what beef I buy from trip to trip, but I always make sure that I have the pork loin! At only $1.99/lb it’s affordable and we can make many different types of meals out of an 7-8lb. package. Don’t leave the store without having the butcher cut your meat!! That large pork loin can easily make 3 meals! Just tell the butcher how you want it cut (I typically have them cut 1/3 into a roast, 1/3 into chops and 1/3 super thin for crockpot sandwiches) and they will re-wrap it for you!
Another big money saver for us is to buy meat when it is reduced for quick sale. I typically throw all my meat in the freezer or we eat it right away, so buying the reduced meat can save us lots. I have found that typically the best selection for reduced meat is first thing in the morning, it seems they mark it all down at the beginning of the day. I can save from $.50 to a few dollars/lb. when purchasing!
Do you have a few “secrets” for shopping at big box warehouse stores? We’d love for you to share them with us!
