Super Savings Saturday: Sam's trip, Dillon's trip, green peppers galore, diapers, Snuggle, and a Baking Day!

First things first, I promised you a report of our Sam's Club trip last Saturday. Here's what we ended up buying:

48 10-inch tortillas--$4.46 (this was about the same price as Aldi, but the tortillas were much nicer than theirs)
10-lb bag of pinto beans--$6.23 (beats Aldi price by about $0.30 per pound, I believe)
72-oz bag of Nestle chocolate chips--$9.34 (beats Aldi price by a few cents per 16-oz.)
1 pint pure vanilla--$6.88 (I'm not entirely sure if this beats the store prices of vanilla since I never buy vanilla but I've been told this was a good price. Is it? Anyone know?)
1 5-lb block of cheese--$10 (beats Aldi price by $0.60 per pound)

Total: $39.26 (We used all of the leftover grocery money from September to make these bulk purchases as well as a few dollars from this week's grocery budget.)

So far, I was very under-impressed with Sam's Club. Yes, we saved a small amount of money by shopping there, got a bit higher-quality food than Aldi offers, and got it all in larger quantities. However, some of these prices I can beat with a good sale and coupon on occasion. In addition, I was very careful to only buy those items which would truly be a better deal than the prices I normally pay. I found such deals to be far and few between.

Most of the items at Sam's Club were priced much higher than I usually ever pay. And that's not even factoring that it costs at least $35 to buy a year-long membership to Sam's Club. I am not convinced at all that in our area, it would be worth spending $35 a year. In fact, I am doubtful that I'd break even in savings. However, we are blessed to live very close to Aldi and to stores which double coupons. If we didn't have either of these, I can see where it definitely might be less expensive to buy a lot of your groceries at Sam's.

I'm not giving up on Sam's Club yet. I'm going to try a few more times and see if my perspective changes at all. I'll keep you posted!

*************************************

In other savings news for this week: we had Great Flu of 2009 at our house this week and everything was a bit topsy-turvy, including shopping. I couldn't really get out to do any shopping because I was taking care of two very sick little girls, but I still managed to get some great deals without even walking into a store!

My husband went to Dillon's late Tuesday night to buy some drinks for the girls to help them stay hydrated so I also had him get a few of the deals while he was there. Here's what he came home with:

After coupons, he spent $23.54 for everything pictured above.

Some friends gave us a bunch of peppers from their garden.

We used some of them this week and I chopped and froze the rest to use this Winter. That will definitely save us some money to have plenty of peppers ready to use in casseroles, stir-frys, and so forth.

I also got a box of diapers free from Amazon thanks to Swagbucks and I got a 64-oz. bottle of Snuggle for $0.40 shipped thanks to Alice.com. (I thought this deal was no longer available, but a reader said she was able to get it. Login/signup here and then go here to see if it shows up for you. I'll be posting more deals from Alice.com as they surface! They offer free shipping and coupons every week so some of their deals are the same or better than what I can get locally with a store sale and a coupon. But you have to pick and choose as many of their prices are much higher than most of us usually pay.)

And last but not least, I had a Baking Day and stocked my freezer. What was most exciting to me about this Baking Day was that I was able to make a lot of dinners and breakfasts and I didn't spend any extra grocery money to do so. I've just been stocking up on good deals for the last 6 weeks or so and I had enough stuff on hand to make almost a month's worth of meals--all on a $40/week budget!

All totaled this week, we spent $63.20. However, $35 of that was leftovers from September's budget so we're starting week one of October out a little under our $40/week budget again--and our freezer is filled. I'm totally loving that! It just goes to show how a little creativity can certainly go a long way in maximizing the mileage of your dollars, can't it?

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Did you snag any great deals or bargains this week or save money in other ways? If so, be sure to post about them on your blog and leave your link below. Please remember that this weekly round-up is to share deals you personally got and/or money you were able to save this week. In order to keep this weekly round-up focused on helping and inspiring others in their efforts to save money, links which have little-to-no content other than promoting affiliate links, etc. will be deleted. Also, to make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Super Savings Saturday post.

Comments

[Misty Arszulowicz]

I do not have an Aldi near me where I currently live and I miss it. The stores where I live also do not double coupons. I used to be a member of Sams Club and I do agree that some of those items really are not cheaper than what you could get on sale with coupons.

[Deb]

I do shop at Sam's. Here are some other things to look at: yeast, bread flour if you make bread, minced garlic, butter (we only use REAL butter and it was $4.78 for 4 lbs. yesterday), milk (cheaper than Aldi's and our grocery stores here in SW MO are not good on milk prices), shortening was cheaper than Aldi last time I compared, raisins, craisins, nuts, sometimes they will have a really good deal on a clothing item if you watch carefully, like a coat for $10 I got last year. I agree you have to watch the prices very carefully and most of what I see people buy there is not cheaper than Aldi, but the things I get there do save the $35 a year and it is convenient for me to buy larger quantities to not have to replace so often. I have three teenagers, though. =)

[Deb]

I meant to put ARE cheaper at ALDI in my last post. Sorry about that.

[Liz McGuirk]

For a PINT of vanilla??? That is defnitely an excellent price. You would easily pay over six dollars regular price for just a few ounces of vanilla at the grocery store.

[Amber]

I really appreciate your efforts in this Super Savings Saturday. I am such a visual person and it really helps me to sit and go through every link and see what others have done. It gives me great ideas and I get the opportunity to check out blogs that I many not otherwise.

Thanks so much for your hard work,
Amber

[erin]

Yeast is WAY cheaper at Sam's. I also love Honey Maid graham and they are cheaper there. But that is only if it is worth it to you to may more for name brand.

[Liz@HoosierHomemade]

Wow, it looks like you did pretty good at Sam's. The closest one to us is about 45 min. drive. Wish it was closer. I'm still lovin' Aldi's in the meantime.
Thanks for hosting!
~Liz

[Alison Armstrong]

My local stores don't double coupons. I live about 45 min from any stores. So CVSing and Wags isn't usually practical. I can't get there every week. I have a 3 yr old, a 1 yr old and will be have #3 in a few weeks so many stops just doesn't work out for us esp, when you consider the 1.5 hrs in the car we have to drive.

My MIL got a business card at Sam's and gave me the 2nd card that came with it. I watch what I buy there but I can save a lot of money on certain items (cheese especially). I also buy their brand of diapers if I haven't been able to get a better deal anywhere else. I really like sam's. I like their produce a lot too. Oh, and I always buy my whole chickens there. I go there about every 2 or so weeks. I hit Walmart matching ads and coupons every week or 2 and then Aldi about once a month. That is just what works for me right now in my area and situation. :) But I can agree that if you have better stores and sales Sam's may not be worth it.

[J. Noolan]

Costco is a wonderful place to shop if anyone has one nearby. In fact, we switched from Sam's to Costco because of savings. Coupons are often sent to members.

[Karen]

I went to Target this week and stocked up on Motts apple juice. Only .75 per bottle!

[Rochele]

You inspire me so much, and I just want to let you know that! Thank you so much for posting your Sam's Club prices, that was my next thing that I was going to start researching so that is tremendously helpful. I don't doubt for a second that the providence of a soverign God led me to your blog, you have inspired me to live like no one else and to do it for the glory of God, not so that I can have more things...Thank you so much again, God has totally changed my life (in the realm of money) by using you as a tool in that! To Him be the glory!

[Christy Carden]

We do not pay for our Sam's membership because we got tacked on to a family member's business membership.

Some things that definitely are cheaper at Sam's in our area -- we have shopped around: tires; Zyrtec (I have allergies and I can get almost a year's worth of generic Zyrtec at Sam's for less than $18);, diapers, wipes, pull-ups, swim diapers (I have only been able to do coupon match-ups that beat Sam's on a handful of occasions---I hardly ever earn any Swagbucks, so Sam's it is); gas--ours has gas, not every Sam's does; our TV came from there after much shopping around --- TV + longer service plan = cheaper than anywhere else with shorter service plans; mattresses.

I know you buy used furniture and we do too, but once there was a piece I was looking for for about 2 years---an entryway bench in dark wood. I found many for over $2,000 and found many in other colors that did not match our decor. One day there it was in Sam's $150---could have gotten it used cheaper, maybe?? but how much longer would I have searched?? We love it--it keeps dog leashes, towels to wipe dogs' feet (and sometimes toddlers'), diaper bags, shoes, etc. organized instead of in a pile!

Others tell me that no one beats Sam's on formula prices, but I never bought formula, so I never really priced it!

I'm sure there are other things that I am forgetting and of course, we don't pay a membership fee, so we are a bit different!

[michelle]

Contact Lenses are super cheap at Costco (our wholsesaler). Much cheaper than even Walmart. We also buy milk there for a better price than on sale at grocery stores. Hamburger and Hotdog buns are a good purchase from there too. And if you ever need a sheet cake for a party or shower...can not beat 16 bucks!! And it is SO good. (c:

[Abby H]

I have a costco membership and it souds like its a better deal then sams! I bought that exact same bag of chocolate chips at costco for 8.99 this week! I also think if you use your membership only for groceries...it may not be worth it. We buy gas when its cheaper there, some clothes, toys sometimes. Of course there is no aldi's here and stores dont double!

[Angela]

That's a great price for vanilla. :) Sams is best for the following items:

frozen berries
fresh produce
baking supplies (vanilla, yeast, baking powder (aluminum free too)
Nuts, raisins, tortillas
milk (hormone free) and eggs

Otherwise, all boxed and most frozen things are better elsewhere with sales and coupons. :)

[Marla]

We don't have an Aldi in our town. There is one in the next town, but I've never been there. We do shop at Sam's. Some things are cheaper, but I agree that many are not. You really have to pick and choose. As a family of 7, I love that I can get large quantities of the things we use most. The tortillas are one we always do. The cheese is too. I usually buy 2. I freeze one, and then cut the other in half. I shred one half in my food processor and put the other in the fridge for slicing. I agree with Deb on the butter deal. I can rarely beat there price for real butter. Although I have on occasion, and their prices do vary sometimes. I only go to Sam's about once every 3 months and then just stock up. I like to get the big boxes of Hunt's tomato sauce also. I don't know if the price is cheaper or not on that one. We just use a lot of it. My MIL says nobody can beat their prescription prices, although I haven't tested that one either. I think it really depends on what you buy as to whether or not it is worth the monthly fee.

[CJ]

I definitely need to start doing a baking day. I hate cooking so it would be fantastic to get it all done in one big scene.

You inspire me!

[Jessica]

I third (or fourth) the yeast at Sam's ...WAY cheaper!!

However, with Aldi's having their baking supplies out for Christmas - their MILK chocolate chips and butterscotch chips are WAY cheaper than anywhere else (including Sam's) - only $1.69/bag in WI Aldi's - I see that you got semi-sweet though, so that could be the difference - but we are milk chocolate chip lovers to the core, so it's all we buy. :)

[Amanda]

I went to Target on Thursday and was happy to see they have started price matching! We're in north Texas but I'm assuming it's at all Targets.

[Milk Donor Mama]

I share a membership with a relative, so between our households it works. I buy lunch meat, butter, nesquick (I know, I know... it's my DH's one vice!), tomato paste, flour, brown sugar, yeast, spices, veg oil and occasionally something else if the price is right.

Don't forget that they also have gas stations that are often cheaper than others, and you can get eyeglasses at SAMs too.

We got our DD's 'big girl' twin mattress and boxspring there, Serta, for under $200 for the set, and having priced them out all over, that was the best deal on a quality set by far.

[Lisa]

Does your Sam's Club have a gas station? We use Costco and always fill up for gas there, they give us cash back on our gas purchases if we use their american express card (that's all we use it for) and that ends up paying for our membership at the end of the year, plus extra. It's worth it for us for that.

What we always buy from them are tomatoes and spinach and carrots, we get huge bags for super cheap, I'm sure Sam's club is the same...and then toilet paper, even with coupons, I can't beat their price for toilet paper...yeah, it's not as fluffy or soft, but it is a good deal.

[Patti]

I agree with you, Crystal, about Sam's - I used to call it the $100 store but now I call it the $200 store - it seems like everyone is purchasing cartloads of stuff and thinking they are saving when they aren't. I only go when I am near it and have a list - except I always check their gas if I am near. Sometimes it is not cheaper but many times it is (this week I saved 10cents a gallon). Sam's is impulse buying at its best.

[Patti]

I loved your Baking Day and have a book to suggest you read: Mega Cooking by Jill Bond. She has stock-up cooking down to a science. I will never be on her level but she did show me some new tricks, such as chopping up a whole bag of onions at once and then freezing them (similar to your green peppers). Onions are BI bag GI free this week!

[Abbie]

For the first time, I stayed under budget this week for groceries! :-) (We even lowered my set amount.) I was determined to do so. I even bought over 8 lbs of hamburger. I think I am finally getting this!
I think what I have learned the most from this site, is to make the most of what you have. Use everything completely-try not to let anything go to waste. Thank-You!

[Kris]

I just bought the same bottle of vanilla at Sam's this week! It's definitely a killer deal. I do keep a bottle of vanilla paste on hand, though, for usages where high-quality vanilla (complete with bean specks) really counts, like frosting and ice cream.

Butter and other baking supplies are a good deal if you have room for a 25 lb bag of flour (I don't). Milk is often cheaper at Sam's, and eggs sometimes are.

Another killer deal at Sam's is french fries. A 8lb bag of Ore-Ida crinkle cut fries are $6.54.

We are blessed to have Aldi's and SuperTarget near us, but our stores never double coupons.

[julie]

Sam's and similar stores can be a good bargain if you watch carefully what you buy and know your unit prices. I've seen way too many people do their regular grocery shopping at Sam's and walk away with a huge bill.

[Anne]

I shop at Costco and love their produce. The butter is also cheaper there than anywhere else (I don't use margarine) and so is the vanilla. I also regularly buy pinto beans there and some seasonings.

Besides groceries, things for the house like rugs and towels are priced very reasonably. I think it's worth having the membership (also for the photo lab) for these few things, but I definitely don't buy cereal or anything like that there!

[Diane L.]

It would be great if you would continue to let us know about deals you find on Alice.com. I've ordered from there once and got a few good deals. But I never seem to have a lot of time to hunt through the site. Thanks for all your hard work on this great blog!

[Meghan D]

The only way to get a better deal on vanilla is if you know anyone who travels to Mexico. We have a friend who goes each year and he brings me and my mom a HUGE bottle (about the size of a wine bottle) of pure vanilla (it lasts at least a year) and I think it's usually about $5-10.
Sam's is great for produce, cheese, bread, and larger items like furniture--even clothes and books. My husband and I have gone there when we need to eat cheaply and are out. We can each get a huge drink and a big slice of pizza (they have the best pizza) and it's only about $5.50.

[Sandy]

I think BJ's is the best of the "bulk buying" stores. They send coupons out all of the time, and they take mfg coupons as well. They allow you to stack them with BJ coupons, so its often a great deal.

[amanda]

Yesterday I bought a 2 oz pure vanilla extract at Target. It is the target brand and was $3.50!!! It sounds like you got a steal on the vanilla. I may have to consider joining Sams because the stores around here do not double coupons. I am struggling to get my grocery budget down to where I want it to be.
I am doing a pantry/freezer challenge this week, but I think I am going to start shopping at Walmart next week even though it's a bit of a drive. Hopefully the savings will make it worth it. The next few months will tell... wish me luck!

[Corissa]

I went and checked out Alice.com. I was able to get the same 64 oz bottle of Snuggle for $0.40, shipped today (Saturday, Oct 10th)! I've been making due without fabric softener for a couple of months now, so this is a special treat for me! Interesting site (alice.com). People might want to know that you can only check out if you are buying at least 6 items, unless it is the first time you buy something.

[Cheryl B.]

I stopped by your blog to verify that you were still hosting your Saturday "theme day".

In case you aren't sure why I would do that, please first go here: http://thehousethatlovebuilt.xanga.com/712911712/today--/

and then read this one:
http://thehousethatlovebuilt.xanga.com/712911311/sept-theme-days/

I see that you still are, so I shall leave you on the lists :-D

If you should wish to contact me, please do so via: pink bunnies (at) sbc global (dot) net

THANKS!!!
Cheryl B.

[supermommy9]

IMHO--for a large family...9 kids.. I do find that Sam's and Costco are very cost effecitve. I've been couponing for many years...but now that my family is large...I shop a bit differently.

Many of these regular grocery store deals are limited in quantity and for a large family---many times the time and energy..and gas to go get 3 cans of .10 cent greenbeans, One small .50 cent bottle of juice, Two small containers of laundry detergent for $1 each, ...that just doesn't cut it around here....

As for Aldi's--I've tried to like the store...but I can't stand Aldi's--the food quality is very poor ---I've returned more food there because of poor quality and I don't waste my time there anymore. Plus the small packaging was really problematic for our large family pantry...and the amount of trash from packaging was astonishing.

I use Costco coupons regularly and so far have been able to beat grocery store prices by a long shot. Yes..I still occasionally get my free couponing stuff---like toothbrushes, feminine products ...etc.. However, I have found that growing my own garden, buying bulk foods (grain,oats,rice,beans) and using Sam's and Costco save me a ton of money, a ton of time...and it keeps my family away from so many overly processed foods. ---And it keeps us away from the weekly store trips which is very helpful in the fall/winter flu season where it is very important to me not to be making little trips each week

In my opinion, if you have a lot of people to feed... Sam's and Costco are a great resource that you should consider that will be well worth it in saving lots of money and time.

[Joy]

Looks like some good deals at Sam's ... I'm looking forward to comparing those w/ a local BJs and see if there is further savings. I still think it's hard to beat sales combined with coupons!!

[Joy]

... speaking of BJs ~ are you aware of anyone in frugal blogging world that does BJs pricing w/ coupon match-ups? If not, would it be a possibility to toss that question out to your readers and see if anyone else knows??
THANKS!
:)

[Helen]

YES. I compared Pure Vanilla at the grocery store, Aldi and Sams and it was BY FAR cheaper at Sams. Especially with the amount of baking (it's almost Christmas!) we do, and for as much as you do, too!

[crygibb]

Do you do anything special to the peppers to freeze, or do you just wash and cut...do you let them dry off? and just freeze them in a zip lock? Ive never frozen peppers before.

****************
Money Saving Mom here: I just wash, core, chop, and freeze on a cookie sheet and then transfer to a freezer bag when they are frozen.

[Lana]

Our favorite at Sam's is the pizza crust dough balls. They are NOT a great price except for the fact that the pizza made from them tastes like pizza from out. Worth the price of $20 for 20 if your family prefers pizza from out. Pepperoni is a great price at Sam's. Just keep the entire bag in the freezer-it is useable right from the freezer and then just put it back before it thaws. I hate to tell you all that the active ingredient in fabric softeners is formaldehyde-do consider that if anyone in your family suffers from allergies or skin problems-my constant itchy skin stopped when we quit using it and we had less static and our clothes were softer-I think we've all been duped.

[Rachel M.]

Costco has saved us a lot of money on quality baking and cooking staples. And we are coffee drinkers and think their Kirkland brand Columbian Roast coffee (in the big brown can) is the BEST! Even better than Starbucks and an awesome price. I get olive oil, eggs, real butter, vanilla, sour cream, yeast, etc. I also think their spices are really high quality at a great price. Especially the cinnamon! Low quality spices just aren't worth cooking with so it is nice to get good quality spices at a great price. It is definitely easy though to overspend at wholesale clubs if you don't go in knowing exactly what you are after and sticking to it.

[Laura]

I shop at Sams every other week and I love it. It saves us a lot of money, especially in produce. I didn't, however find it to be worth the membership cost until I reached my 4th or 5th child. I now have 5 and one on the way, and we eat a ton of food! I'm blessed with very good eaters, so we really save on baby carrots, fresh spinach, bananas, cherry tomatoes, etc. There are some other things that I find a lot cheaper as well...feta cheese, hummus, pita chips, yeast, honey, some meats. All that combined with the fact that time is money makes Sams one of my favorite places. I used to be really big into couponing and shopping all the great sales at the different stores, but during this season of my life it's just not possible. My husband is in dental school and has a packed schedule, we homeschool, have five children and are expecting, and I just don't have the time or the energy to be dragging my children in and out of the van to multiple stores all the time. All that to say that Sams can be a great thing during certain stages of life!

[Deb]

I would research the Mexican vanilla, lots of information about it online that made me STOP going that route. I second the towels at Sam's. Got some there for us and at Target for kids, same time, same price, Target's didn't last. I don't have a HUGE pantry, but 25 lbs. of flour fits in a 5 gallon bucket, so I just have that in the bottom of my pantry where there isn't a shelf and it works. The boneless pork loin is also a good deal at Sam's. I used to think that tires were a good deal, but I just bought new ones last week and the small shop in my small town beat Sam's and was faster. If you REALLY go through Sam's sometimes, you can find some unusual items that are cheaper and are just what you need, it just takes time to find the deals, like walking the perimeter at Target to get their deals. Don't ya' feel like you spend half your life either looking for deals, couponing, cooking and freezing, pouring from larger to smaller containers (refilling), meal planning, budgeting, planning for future needs, going over bills to make sure they are correct, etc. etc. etc.? Some days, it is fun, other days, pure work, but it does save money. =) I did have a great one last week. I went in to get my elderly parents a cell phone and they upped the discount from my dh's employer from 8% to 22%. That was a huge blessing from God that allows us to bless my parents with a phone for free. =)

[kendra]

How much does it cost you a year to buy the paper and all the other coupons?

*******************
Money Saving Mom here: Kendra, I actually spend $0.00 on coupons--aside from printing costs which are very minimal since we have a laser printer. I don't buy the paper, instead I just get coupons from our local recycling bin and sign up for the free coupons online and print the high-value coupons which I know I'll use.

[Deb]

I forgot one more thing about Sam's. I am REALLY scatter-brained today as my parents are making their one week annual visit tomorrow.
If you want to "try before you buy", they always have days around Christmas where you can go in and browse for free. If you buy anything, there is a 5% surcharge, so you would generally be better just to get a membership but you can check it out for free.
Also, if you go to their website, samsclub.com, enter your zip code for the closest store, then go to the CIick and Pull section, you can see all the prices for your particular Sam's and see if they are a good deal. This is really helpful as it is impossible to remember every price. Their prices do fluctuate, for example, milk is up about .30 this week. I would not buy eggs there as they are .84 at our Aldi. If you do join Sam's you can use the Click and Pull and actually have them gather all your groceries for you FOR FREE and then you just pick them up and pay. The downside would be that you could not pick out the freshest or best items yourself. =) For example, I always get the milk with the best date, etc.
I agree that Costco is better, (they have chocolate cake and Ghiradelli brownies!) but we are only an hour from Bentonville, so Sam's/Wal-Mart rule this market. =)

[Wendi]

The other great savings I found at Sams was when I needed the battery replaced in my van. When you buy their battery they install it for free. Their prices were very comparable for the battery, but the best was the free installation. In my Chevy Venture van it is almost impossible to replace it yourself and in the AZ hot summer you wouldn't want to be out there doing it yourself anyways. So I definately saved on my yearly membership cost with this free installation.

[Joy]

I found that Sams Club in NJ is worth the yearly fee for our family (we have the two-card business membership). Princeton Sams Club has alot of organic produce, milk, butter (and some snacks!) that are much cheaper than the regular stores. We have found that Sams Club is better for veggies/fruit/baking supplies vs. BJs which is mainly expensive convience foods.

[Kate]

Some of the best prices at SAM"S Club are on the spices, like the vanilla you bought. But since they are not something that you'd buy every week I don't know that they justify the annual membership fee. You can always just shop with a member to get those prices. Their gas does tend to be the cheapest in town, usually by several cents a gallon. Since SAM'S is much more convenient to us than Aldi is, I do buy milk, eggs and bananas there often. Otherwise for most things it is cheaper to stock up at the grocery store when things are on sale and you have coupons to go with the sale items.

[LANA]

We are just entering the "flu realm" in our home. I have an 18 month old and a 4 year old that are feverish, coughing and NOT sleeping. SO, I am amazed with what you DID get done!

[Lea]

Our local grocery has 4oz of vanillia for $4.75. I think that's actually fairly cheap.

I agree - Sam's is not always as cheap as matching prices and coupons. Where we are it's usually cheaper on yeast ($7/2lbs), spices, milk ($1.79 compared to $2.50+ here), eggs ($1.48/18ct), yogurt ($6 for 12 6-oz organic), and sometimes coffee and the things you purchased. They have higher quality meat than anywhere else we have, so I'm willing to pay $2.50-ish/lb for high end 90+% lean mean (I don't buy anything less than 90% lean). If I'm going to buy meat, it needs to be high quality and very low fat. Occasionally we can find produce etc. on a better deal there too.

Diapers - even name brand - and formula were way cheaper at Sam's than anywhere else. About 22cents per diaper for Pampers (I don't have good enough sales to match that anywhere here) and $26 for a container of powder formula more than double the size you can buy anywhere else for about $15 (it's been a while so I don't remember exact sizes). Since we had twins and went through 2 cases of diapers a month and one of those huge containers of formula a week, it was so worth it.

We don't have an Aldi handy (there is one about 20 minutes away but it's in a very inconvenient location for us) and our stores don't do double coupons. Occasionally I will go to Aldi but find that I can match most things and that our local stores have better produce for about the same price.

Long way of saying, Sam's is worth it for us!

Thanks for your blog!

[Courtney]

None of our stores here double coupons...I don't shop at Aldi's because I have found the quality of some of their products to be lacking...our Target has gotten persnickety (and sometimes downright rude) about taking coupons...so for us, it's Walmart or Sam's (or very occasionally, Hyvee when they are having a great sale). I agree that you need to check prices, but for most of our staples, Sam's has the best prices.