Some of the items that I feel are
particularly good buys:
Diapers:
Having had a steady strem of three children in diapers for the last four years, having diapers on hand has been a priority for me. Because of the sheer number of diapers and diaper changes that I have every day, I have been grateful for disposable diapers (though I have used cloth at times, too). I am really happy with the Sam's Club diapers. The price is currenly $32.32 for sizes 3, 4, and 5. Size 4 has 176 diapers in a box, making them .1836 cents each.
Popcorn:
Popcorn in bulk is so much cheaper than microwave popcorn. In addition, you can grind it in your grain grinder and make cornmeal with it. A 50lb bag lasts us over a year, and we have popcorn once a week (as much as everyone wants). A bag is $16.58. We also bought the flavored popcorn oil they sell to put on it. The popcorn and the oil are both Act II popcorn; the same kind we used to buy as microwave popcorn from Sam's, but about 20 times cheaper! We bought a Back to Basics Stovetop Popcorn Popper at Target for $20. Now, popcorn is an inexpensive snack, and it never burns (we always had one bag of microwave popcorn burn each time we'd make our 5-6 bags for our Sunday snack). I store my popcorn in a 6 gallon food-grade bucket with a gamma lid (see the Grains page for sources for food-grade buckets in different sizes and gamma lids. If you're using buckets, you'll need a bucket opener, too).
Rice and Beans:
Sam's Club sells long-grain white rice in 50 lbs ($21.88) and 25 pound bags, and basmati rice in 15 lb bags. It's been a while since I've bought any, as they last us a while. I keep my rice in a food-grade bucket with a gamma lid for easy access.
If you're looking to stock up on pinto beans, they sell 25lb bags of pinto beans. If you buy one pound bags at most grocery stores, beans run about $1.25 a pound. They are much, much less than that when you get them in bulk. I empty these into a bucket with a gamma lid, just like I do for rice.
Pasta:
I can buy penne pasta and angel hair pasta for .89 a pound at Sam's.
Spices:
I use a lot of spices. (You can see what I like to stock here). I love having spices for so little! The prices of spices (including salt, kosher salt, and pepper) are much, much less than I've seen anywhere else.
In addtion to the regular herbs, Sam's carries some mixes that I particularly like, both in taste and price.
Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix: $7.04 for 1lb. Forget buying those expensive packets or bottled ranch dressing. Buying it bulk will save you so much. I used to hate ranch dressing. Then, one night my mother-in-law brought a salad for dinner with some dressing she had mixed up in a pint jar. I had no idea ranch dressing could be so good. To make dressing, you mix 3 Tbsp mix with 1 cup of mayo and 1 cup of milk. I use powdered milk for dressing, and undiluted evaporated milk to make a thick dressing, perfect for dipping fried zucchini from the garden. This mix isn't just good on salads. Sprinkle it on cooked pasta with some butter for some very inexpensive seasoned noodles, and you won't be buying boxed seasoned noodle mixes anymore, because this is even cheaper, and it's really delicious.
Taco Seasoning Mix: Again, this comes in a big container (1.43lbs; it still fits in my spice cupboard). This is much cheaper than buying packets. We use it to make tacos (of course) and taco soup.
Lawry's Perfect Blend Chicken and Poultry Seasoning: This is fantastic on chicken. It really makes the meal for this meatless meal.
Nuts:
Nuts in the largest packages at the grocery store are still a bad buy compared to the big bags of nuts at Sam's. Pecans are the cheapest per pound, though they also carry walnuts and pine nuts (homemade pesto, anyone?--make sure to freeze your pine nuts to prevent them from quickly going rancid). A 2 lb bag of pecans is around $10.50.
Peanuts and cashews come in a 3 lb 4 oz container. They're a great price, too! I use salted peanuts on my chicken curry.
Baking supplies:
Sugar:
C & H Brown sugar is $2.86 for a 4lb bag. This is cheaper than the grocery store holiday baking sales price, and I can buy it all year round. I dump 2 bags (8lbs) in a rubbermaid container with a terra cotta brown sugar bear, and it never goes hard. The bags on the shelf don't go hard, either. Store brands go hard very quickly, but the C&H lasts a long time.
I buy white sugar in a 25lb bag. This has always been a fantastic price, eclipsed only sometimes by the case-lot sale at Smith's (in which case I buy it at Smith's). Sugar is on the rise right now; expect it to continue going up.
Yeast, baking powder, soda, and cornstarch:
Buying these item in bulk, at fantastic prices, save me a lot. Yeast comes in 2 1-lb bags. This is considerably chaper than buying it in the grocery store, and really cuts the cost of making your own bread at home. Baking soda is in a large bag (which is helpful if you use it in cleaning as well) , and baking powder comes in 3.75lb container. Cornstarch is $2.28 for 2.19lbs.
Flour:
I buy 25lb bags of all-purpose flour and bread flour at Sam's. The flour is ALWAYS fresh; constant restaurant supply buyers make sure these items are rotated regularly. The prices are wonderful. Sometimes the case-lot sales at Smith's beat the all-purpose flour prices, and sometimes their 25-lb bag of Kroger all-purpose flour is less. It is never as fresh, though, and goes rancid within 6 months. The flour from Sam's Club has stayed fresh for 1-2 years for me--just in the bag in my pantry! I keep my opened flour in a 3 gallon food-grade bucket with a gamma lid (one for bread flour and one for all-purpose flour). Flour prices vary with the market ups and downs, but Sam's Club's price is usually much better than the grocery store price. I use bread flour to make French bread, rosemary olive oil bread, and pizza.
Ketchup and Vinegar:
Sam's has Bakers and Chefs brand ketchup. It's a refill ketchup. We use it to refill 3 large ketchup bottles. It's 7lbs, 2oz and costs $3.38. I was a Heinz fan before; this tastes just the same to us, and it's half the price.
Balsamic vinegar is a great price at Sam's for $4.97 for a liter (that's about 60% less than the same size at Costco; this is one reason I have a Sam's membership instead of Costco).
White vinegar comes in a two-gallon package for $3.38. I use it primarily as a rinse agent to cut the hard water in each load in my dishwasher. This is cheaper than Walmart's price.
Cheese:
Cheese prices vary, as dairy is always fluxuating.
However, I find that cheese is always well priced at Sam's.
I buy the 5-pound blocks of cheddar and mozarella. I have bought mozarella for as little as $1.51 a pound, and cheddar for $1.86 a pound. They are usually priced under $2 a pound. This is cheaper than combining sales and coupons at the grocery store. If I want the cheese grated, I run it through my kitchen aid grater attachment and freeze what I want to use on pizza, chicken devan, etc.
If you want to buy cheese from all over the world, Sam's has a great selection, and the prices are much less than what you would pay at the grocery store.
For shelf-stable cheese, parmesan cheese is a great way to keep cheese on your pantry shelves. Sam's has fresh grated parmesan, too, which I used to buy, but for budgeting reasons, I've switched to using the shelf stable variety. The largest container (they do have 2 smaller sizes) of shelf-stable parmesan cheese is 4.5lbs for $18.88.
Butter:
I buy unsalted butter for less than $2 a pound. I store extra butter in my freezer for baking.
Pork Roast:
On any given day, I can go into Sam's Club and buy a boneless pork loin roast for $1.88 a pound. Sometimes, it even goes lower; I have seen it for $1.49 a pound! This can be cut in half or thirds for freezing and serving. It can be cut in chops if you want (just ask the butcher!). The cheapest grocery store price, on sale, is $1.89 a pound, but that's usually only twice a year. I don't have to wait for a sale to get it for $1.88! It follows my rule of not spending more than $2 a pound for meat. Our favorite way to eat it is with fig sauce, seen above.
Other items:
There are other things that I have bought at Sam's Club that have made the membership price well worth paying; many of these items alone did so.
Toner cartridges for our laser printers (at home and at my husband's office) are $25 less EACH than anywhere else he could buy them.
Clothing:
I bought a wool and cashmere blend pea coat for myself for $50. I have also bought Speedo brand one-piece swimsuits for my daughters ($12.44 each). I bought a winter church dress for my 2-year-old on clearance for $7.
Books and toys:
I don't buy a lot of books at Sam's Club, but they often have some great books at wonderful prices. Before Christmas time is when I often find some good deals on children's book sets, including American Girl books.
When the toys come out for Christmas, I look. I bought a huge box of tinker toys for $30 (that regularly retails for $120!)
Garden extras:
I bought some beautiful pots to put by my front door for $11.88 each.
And then there is my sundial. One of these would normally cost about $400 or more. I paid $75.
Sam's Club items and prices vary by location. Check out your local prices on their website.