Being a junior in college I have started cooking my own meals. Unlike most college students who mostly chow-down on pizza and microwaveable meals, I actually cook dinners at night that have fish/chicken/beef and frozen or fresh vegetables. During grocery shopping I found out that we have a Sam's Club pretty close to my apartment. Being that I only cook for myself, I am wondering if it would be a good investment to become a Sam's Club member. For those who have experience with warehouse style grocery stores, what do you think of them? Do you get your money's worth? Do you think that a single, college student will get his money's worth? Considering that I sometimes buy pricey things such as Salmon, I have been wondering if it would cost less at Sams...
Nah, as far as I know, they're available to everyone. I think it's a worthwhile investment. If you go once a month and buy lots of bulk items(And you will, if you go), I'm sure it more than pays for itself. Just, please, please don't use Sams as your primary grocery store.
I wouldn't use Sam's as a grocery store for one person. Everything they sell that is of value is in large quantities. The stuff in smaller quantities is no cheaper than a regular grocery store. Problem is, for one person, you can't eat that much (I hope). We haven't been there in a while, but we used to use it for things we could freeze (Boca burgers), cleaning supplies, toilet paper/paper towels, cat litter and some non-perishable staples (flour, olive oil, etc). But, we found it wasn't all that much cheaper because we really didn't need to buy in bulk.
I think it will blow your budget... unless you are willing to eat salmon for a week. At Sam's you tend to have to buy in larger quantities. If you are shopping for yourself, you'll be stuck with larger quantities of perishable stuff than you would probably like. I shop at a local grocery store because of the sheer convenience, but I have heard numerous times that the food values at a Super Wal-Mart are great. I have also heard most recently that the meats are really good because they are very fresh due to rapid turnover of the inventory. Of course, Sam's and Wal-Mart are cousins.
He just means, don't buy those ostrich-sized eggs, and basketball sized heads of lettuce. They're not worth it.
I think buying snacks(granola bars, candy), frozen meats, and stuff like that you can actually use in a reasonable time frame at Sams is okay, but don't let the bulk prices mess with you. I distinctly remember a 6 month period that it seemed like my mom almost exclusively shopped at Sams, often coming home with Industrial-sized tubs of the most random stuff(Salsa, waffle syrup), just because they were on sale. I think you CAN use Sams as your primary grocery store, just be wary of buying stuff only because of the price. For perishable items(Produce, some meats), I would stick to HEB or Kroger.
Waffle Syrup. LOL. Yup, it doesn't matter how much it costs per ounce. Buying a gallon of waffle syrup is just a bad idea.
I'm a SAM'S member. When I moved into this apartment, I tried shopping at SAM'S for groceries, but it was way too much food. I wanted some corn and green beans, right . . . so I bought 20 cans of each, plus 12 cans of tomatoes. A month later, I gave half of them away in a can drive -- they took up too much space in my small pantry. I still have some cans left . . . SAM'S memberships are kind of pricey, but they have lots of great stuff. Good deals on electronics, and lots of very good quality stuff at better deals than you'd find elsewhere. I rarely buy food there, but I buy other stuff, like tools, furniture, DVDs, etc.
KRAMER: Hey, Jerry! Listen, I need you to come downstairs, help me get my stuff outta the car. JERRY: What stuff? KRAMER: I just came from the price club. I'm loaded up, baby. JERRY: All right. What are you, outta your mind? Look at this. What did you buy here? You will never be able to finish all this stuff. KRAMER: Course I will. These are staples. JERRY: A four-pound can of black olives? That's a staple? KRAMER: Lindsay olives, Jerry. JERRY: A forty-eight pack of Eggo waffles? A gallon of barbecue sauce? Ten pounds of cocktail meatballs? KRAMER: $17.50. You can't beat that. JERRY: Look...look at this can of tuna! KRAMER: Yeah. Star Kist, Jerry. Most tuna don't make their cut. JERRY: This isn't for a person. This is for Biosphere 3. KRAMER: It's Beef-A-Reeno..and I got fifty cans. You want some? JERRY: No. No thanks. KRAMER: Jerry, I think I bought too much at that price club. I don't have any room for it all.
I am single, and I have a Sam's club membership. As far as food goes, the only stuff I buy there are bulk items that I can freeze, and I make sure it's something that I know that I like and that I will not get sick of.
I would have a membership because on some things it would ultimately save me money (even if I were single). Nevertheless, Sam's is not the best place for groceries--in fact, their prices are quite high on some things. Other things (grocery-wise) have good prices though--and they have USDA choice beef, so you can get good meat there.
Sams and Costco are good only for buying in bulk. I think this may not be good for you for two reasons: 1) You may not be able to eat that much food 2) You may not have enough storage space to store all that food Costco and Sams have different membership plans. Some for businesses, and some for individuals. Links for membership info: Sams, Costco -- droxford
I have a Costco membership, my parents have Sams, so I go to both. I generally think Costco is superior, much better selection. Assuming you have some space to store things, they are best for things like TP, paper towels, cleaners, detergent, animal supplies, beer, wine, liquor, nuts, over the counter meds, and a very few perishables you really like to eat (basic stamples). Costco's Buffalo Jerky rocks too. Great buy on Soy Silk (the best mass market soy milk) in cartons that do not need to be refrigerated unless opened. Sam's Monster Energy drink is a hell of a buy as well.
Some Sam's Clubs also have gas stations with discounted gas. That alone more than pays for the membership. As for food, they do have frozen pizzas, microwavable stuff, fresh meat (that can be frozen), etc. You will need to go to a regular grocery store to get stuff that won't freeze or that you won't eat a ton of quickly. They've also got a cheap foodcourt thingy that's not bad.
I'd rather go to Whole Foods Market or even Central Market over any Walmart or Sam's Club any day of the week. I know it's a budget killer but where else can you get foie gras for 129$/lb. That's what I call a bargain.
I found out that microwave food are your best friend in college, they are cheap, easy to "cook", and come with different flavors. Now my freezer is stuffed with frozen microwave foods, they are awesome!
