Things to Stock Up On (and Skip) at Sam's Club

If you have a home full of athletes or sickly people, Sam’s is the place to buy your sports hydration drinks in bulk. 

They stock every flavor you can think of, and a 28-pack equates to .46 a bottle. That’s about as cheap as you’ll find name brand sports drinks. 

What? That’s right--skip the cereal.  All manufacturers issue high value coupons, and you’ll get the most bang for your buck at the grocery store.  

Also, club cereal packaged in such large volumes will go stale more quickly. The only thing worse than stale cereal is spoiled milk. 

If the pandemic taught us anything, it's that paper products are mass consumable and the first thing to go in a crisis.

While buying 48 rolls of toilet paper seems like a colossal waste of space, you’ll always have squares to spare. 

If you love a good book, skip Sam’s for that purchase and head over to your local independent books store or even mass retailer like Walmart or Target. 

You’ll save at least 20% and likely find the most recently published books by your favorite authors. The best deal would be your neighborhood library where you can borrow one for free!

Personal hygiene is paramount, and everyone needs a toothbrush (especially the kids that spend the night at your house without a bag). You can get an 8-pack for roughly $12, which will cost you $25 on Amazon. 

Another great thing is to purchase a pack and donate them to your local homeless outreach organization, who always needs toothbrushes. 

Don’t throw in the tooth cleaner with the brushes. For some weird reason, toothpaste is wildly overpriced at Sam’s. 

Head on over to a Dollar Tree, where you’ll pay $1 a tube versus $2+ and give the gift of fresh breath to someone in need. 

Sam’s partners with Murphy oil to offer the lowest priced gasoline in town.  Trust me, it’s worth a trip, and there's often only a short line to stop by and fill up or top off--especially when gas prices start to climb. 

 While 20 cents doesn’t seem like much, three fill ups will save you $10. Multiply that by 12 and now it equates to a really, really nice purse or pair of shoes. 

Everyone knows that the dollar stores (like Dollar Tree or Family Dollar) are the place to get your décor on. 

They have everything you need to throw a swell shindig with plenty of character or design options.  Sam’s Club variety leaves a lot to be desired.

Sam’s stocks a huge variety of tires, and they’re competitively priced to any tire shop in town. Plus, you can still get the manufacturer’s rebates. 

Plus, as a "warehouse member," you get all inclusive pricing. So, no tricky valves,wheel balancing, or tire disposal fees to add in. Sam's even offers complimentary tire rotation with your purchase. 

I know they look fantastic with the beach umbrellas in a display right up front. But take a moment to assess your actual need for those low slung Tommy Bahama chairs. 

And if you do need them, skip Sam’s until you hit a beach/lake town, where they’re literally cheaper at every single location, including your favorite souvenir shop.  

Hear me out--as long as you can store it properly, sugar is 25% cheaper at Sam’s in a 10 lb bag

This is particularly important during the holidays. Multiple trips to the supermarket can add up for this year-round staple, which gets a hefty markup at this time because of demand. 

Coffee has come a long way in the last 10 years, but it still remains a product with a limited shelf life. 

Coffee brands offer significant coupons for their canned or ground beans, and you’re better off at a store where you can take advantage of that opportunity. 

You will not find lower prices for Halloween or Easter candy than Sam’s.  Their super-big packages are filled with brand-name pieces at low prices.

The only way to get it cheaper is after the holiday at your local supermarket. But will the kids wait a day or two on the Easter Bunny?

Unless you’re feeding an army, buy your canned veggies and soups at the grocery store. 

They’ll always be on sale, and most stores usually offer loyalty points you can use for gas discounts or gift cards. 

College students rejoice! Yes, the epitome of all things cheap, ramen, is even cheaper at Sam’s Club.  You can pick up the eponymous square noodles or cups for as little as .10 each. 

And with 48 packages in a case, you can treat your date to a fresh hot, home cooked meal as well. 

There is such a thing as too much bacon when it’s not a good brand. 

Head over to rival Costco and grab that delicious Kirklands bacon--the smoky, porky delight will create the breakfast of your dreams. 

Do you love those little lemon bites from Walmart? If so, shuffle on over to Sam’s Club and get 3 times as many for the same price. 

They also have fantastic deals on brownies and cookies, keeping your freshly brushed sweet tooth happy. 

Don’t stock up on this Sam's Club staple. Walmart has the better offers for cheesecake, or skip on over to Target for The Cheesecake Factory brand. 

Your tummy and hips will be so happy with your consumption. 

The Sam’s multipack battery packs are far and away the best value out there for batteries. 

They also offer some options for size and brand. And, if you’re like this author, you’re forever looking for fresh AAs.

Our society is obsessed with chips--tortilla, potato, corn, or those wacky variety packs. The trouble is the freshness--will you eat 52 tiny bags of multipack chips fast enough? 

Your local grocery offers store brands that are 40% cheaper and rotated daily. Get your crunch on with those. 

If your family is nuts about nuts, shimmy on down the nut and candy aisle and stock up at Sam’s. 

They have name brands at almost half off (even the bougie almonds), and you’ll be shocked at how much cheaper they are than at the grocery store. 

I hate to write this, but clothing items are a tricky thing at Sam’s. For one, you can’t try them on unless you shuck down to your skivvies mid-store. 

You have to wait until you get home to try them on. If they don’t fit, returns are a hassle in the long customer service lines. And if you LOVE your item, you won’t be able to find it again. 

Yes, this is crazy unless you know all the magic properties that baking soda has. It cleans. It disinfects. You bake with it. You put it in the litterbox. 

And when you purchase a 15 lb bag for $7, you wonder why you buy those little 10 oz boxes for $1. 

Whether you say soda or pop, we know you mean cokes.

And your local grocery stores and mass retailers will have them on sale every single weekend at much cheaper rates and in better quantities than Sam’s Club. 

New (and old) parents listen up!  Baby wipes from Sam’s are roughly $.02 a piece. 

Diapers are one of the best values at Sam’s as well. Don’t you hate when you run out mid-blowout?  Buying from Sam’s ensures that doesn’t happen.

The aisle smells great. But the packaging is exactly the same as the ones you find at the grocery store or a chain mass market drug store, and they take manufacturer's coupons and even double them. 

You’ll also gain those valuable shopper's points for gas discounts. 

Sam’s routinely has better meat prices than your local grocery--they just come in ginormous packages. 

You can also repackage them yourself in the quantities you like with some inexpensive zipper bags from Dollar Tree and save a pretty penny.

Sam’s only stocks a couple varieties of pasta in 10 pound packages. 

Visit your local grocery where all store brand pasta will be $1 a box, and you’ll get the noodle of your dreams to complete your best soup or lasagna. 

Yes, buy those big ole bags of corn dogs or taquitos and break them into smaller packages at home.  Pizza rolls are a stellar value, and kids love them. 

You’ll save time and money and create easy-to-reheat snacks for the teens in your life. 

You will never get a better price on a TV than at a mass retailer like Walmart or Target, and they’ll almost always be in stock. 

The trouble with those advertisements for Sams is that they don’t do rainchecks.  Save your sanity and your time and shop online first.