Sam's Club

I am up early. Not that it's a good thing today. I'm already counting the hours until nap time! But getting up early means that I'll get the laundry started and finished earlier which is a good thing. Jon comes back from Brazil tonight and I'd hate for the house to be a total disaster when he gets here!

As I was putting a load of laundry in the wash, I noticed I'll be needing to buy detergent soon. This is where's Sam's Club comes into play. We have a membership that was given to us by my saintly mother in law. When she's in town we make at least one trip there. When she's not in town, it's a nice way to spend 2 or so hours. The kids keep getting samples, I keep getting samples, it's nice and cool...it's an indoor outing!

Hey, don't judge. It's been triple digits for like 19 of 20 days here. You run out of things to do!

So at Sam's, you always wonder if what you're getting is a great deal. The answer is yes and no. It really depends on what you're buying. 2 things that are great deals: dish washing tabs & laundry detergent. If you don't use coupons, the Finish tabs are around $3.50 per box of 20 (.175 each) when they go on sale. At Sam's they are $13.78 for a container of 90(.153 each) for the exact same brand. If you buy the Sam's Club brand, it's even cheaper at .117 per tab. If you're not using coupons, Sam's is definitely the place to buy.

Laundry Detergent is another item that you can save on at Sam's. I had just bought a 110 oz. All Free & Clear bottle from Target for $13.99 thinking this was a good deal. The next day Mom Cavanaugh and I hit up Sam's and check the price while we're there. I was almost sick!!!! $10.98 for a 172 oz. jug of the exact same brand. I hate feeling like I'm throwing away money. But I'll know for next time.

One place where they aren't always the best price would be their whole chickens. They are $.98/pound, which is the same as my local grocery store, Reasor's. Sometimes they go on sale at Reasor's for $.78/pound.  Their produce prices, too are not always the best.

To sum it up, know what you pay! Don't just throw stuff in the cart without really paying attention to the cost *ahem dad ahem* because you could be throwing out your money.

One thing that may help you if you're looking into a Sam's membership, is to make a list of the most often purchased items in your home. Go to www.samsclub.com, choose your nearest club and check the prices. The next time you grocery shop pay attention to the price of those items. Since you know the price at Sam's you'll know if you're getting the most out of your money.