Since we are a big family of nine, where we shop for groceries can make or break our budget when it comes to our time and money.
Large families shop for groceries at the following places:
- Wholesale Clubs such as Sam’s Club or Costco
- Walmart
- Aldi or area equivalent
- Online such as Amazon
- Local discounted grocery stores
Time and money… those are two words most of us can relate too especially big families. Over the years, we have created a certain formula for where we buy things. We have worked hard to revise how we shop to continue to get the most for our money while saving time. Let us share with you what we have learned so far.
Wholesale Clubs
What is a wholesale club?
A wholesale club is a retail warehouse-style store that sells a variety of merchandise from office supplies to clothing to groceries. You can even buy furniture and electronics there too! Now, there is a catch… You have to pay an annual fee in order to maintain membership.
Let me break it down for you. We love our local Sam’s Club. You can purchase a membership from Sam’s for $45 or a Plus Membership for $100.
Whenever a business tries to sell me their perks for more money, I tend to disregard it immediately but I was glad I stopped and listened to their sales pitch because I essentially get our membership for free. Let me tell you how we make this work for us.
With the Plus Membership, you get $10 back on every $500 spent. Now they cap this off at a total of $500 in rewards per year. Our family spent approximately $8,500 during our last membership year which resulted in $160 in rewards. So I paid for our membership and still had $60 leftover which went toward a carpet cleaner. But that’s another story for another day.
Plus, you also get free shipping on the majority of their items. This works great for things I don’t want or don’t have the room to haul home. For example, diapers, laundry detergent, fabric softener, and toilet paper get shipped unless I need them right away.
Just a quick note, in order to pay for your Sam’s Plus Membership then you need to spend at least $5,000 per membership year.
We put together some pricing comparisons between our local Sam’s Club and Walmart.
| Product | Sam's Club Price | Sam's Club Qty | Sam's Club Price per Qty | Walmart's Price | Walmart's Qty | Walmart's Price per Qty | Unit of Qty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Pepper | $8.68 | 18 | $0.48 | $9.94 | 18 | $0.55 | oz |
| Boneless Chicken Breast | $17.98 | 10 | $1.80 | $18.83 | 10 | $1.88 | Lbs |
| Coffee | $8.98 | 51 | $0.18 | $7.48 | 30.5 | $0.25 | oz |
| Diapers | $34.84 | 150 | $0.23 | $36.38 | 240 | $0.15 | Count |
| Facial Tissue | $11.98 | 1900 | $0.006 | $3.94 | 480 | $0.008 | Count |
| Hearts of Romaine Lettuce | $3.98 | 6 | $0.66 | $3.46 | 3 | $1.15 | Count |
| Instant Rice | $5.54 | 72 | $0.08 | $4.44 | 42 | $0.11 | oz |
| Lunch Meat (Oven Roasted Turkey Breast) | $7.27 | 40 | $0.18 | $7.78 | 22 | $0.35 | oz |
| Lunch Meat (Smoked Ham) | $7.27 | 40 | $0.18 | $5.98 | 16 | $0.37 | oz |
| Napkins | $10.98 | 1200 | $0.009 | $3.97 | 300 | $0.013 | Count |
| Shredded Cheese (Mozzarella) | $13.37 | 5 | $2.67 | $12.64 | 5 | $2.53 | Lbs |
| Sliced Cheese (American) | $12.98 | 160 | $0.08 | $5.76 | 72 | $0.08 | slices |
| Small Fajita Flour Tortillas | $3.58 | 40 | $0.09 | $2.88 | 20 | $0.14 | Count |
| Spaghetti Sauce | $3.97 | 104 | $0.038 | $7.98 | 192 | $0.04 | oz |
| Toilet Paper | $19.98 | 1,254.0 | $0.02 | $20.97 | 762.7 | $0.03 | Square feet |
Now, I was a little shocked to see shredded mozzarella cheese is cheaper at Walmart right now. I have noticed the price at Sam’s has gone up. It is so easy to check prices on the apps before I make my purchase.
Another item that was the same price was the sliced American cheese. I buy it at Sam’s because their cheese comes unwrapped in a big package versus the individually wrapped ones at Walmart. I learned this one the hard way when I bought the wrapped ones and then made grilled cheese sandwiches for the kiddos. It took forever because I had to unwrap every slice of cheese! Also, it’s better for our environment because it is less waste.
There are some items that I may choose to pay a little more because I get a better product. For example, the table is comparing Member’s Mark diapers (Sam’s Brand) to Parent’s Choice diapers (Wal-Mart’s Brand) and we pay considerably more at Sam’s for our diapers. I get a much better diaper from Sam’s and we have found they don’t leak. After several kids, this is a big deal for us and one we are willing to pay for.
Why do we shop at a wholesale club?
When you have a big family you need a huge quantity of certain items because what you buy goes quickly. Buying things in a larger quantity saves not only money but time too. For example, let’s say I am making a huge pot of chili and I’m quadrupling it. Now, it calls for quite a few cans of tomato sauce so it makes a lot of sense to buy a 105 oz. can from Sam’s than several little cans elsewhere. Doing this saves me time in transportation, putting it all away and then having the advantage of opening one can versus several little cans.
Wholesale clubs are used to big orders because they service businesses. In fact, we are the little guy in this big pond. So instead if me clearing out the entire stock of something at a traditional retail store (and getting all the curious looks and questions) it’s much easier to buy it at a wholesale club.
How does shopping at a wholesale club work?
I am so excited to share this part with you because it has reduced our shopping trips by at least an hour. When you become a member, you can sign into their website or app and add all the items from your grocery list to your cart including perishables, frozen food, and refrigerated items. Before you check out, you select the date and time you want to pick up your items. At this point, you can also add another pick-up person if necessary and check out using a credit card.
Before we go any further, I will say this takes planning because you generally have to place your order the day before. They do have some options for same-day pick-up but there is no guarantee they will be available.
When it’s time to pick up, check-in on Sam’s app. Most of the time, the staff is notified and will start getting your order ready to go. It’s that simple! You beat the crowds and you are not tempted to buy extra little goodies that are hard to resist. We have kept our budget intact a whole lot easier when we started doing this. Saving time and money- it’s a win-win!
Walmart
Walmart is a traditional big-box retail store that offers a variety of merchandise at generally unbeatable prices.
Best Items to get at Walmart
We generally shop Walmart for items like baby wipes, canned tomatoes, frozen vegetables, cereals, soda, drink mix, and eggs. Most of the time Aldi will beat Walmart’s price but they limit the quantity you can purchase.
CrewTip: The Concept Behind My Crazy
Shopping online has saved us about 2 hours on of our shopping. We live in the country so we plan to do our shopping all in one day. It definately saves on the budget too because you are not picking up little this and that’s which add up quickly.
How to shop at Walmart
Walmart has this awesome new feature where you can order your items on their grocery app (Walmart Grocery) and they will shop for you. You pick the store, the time you want to pick up and pay with a credit card. It’s that simple.
When you are heading their direction you check in on their app. It will activate your location and they will be notified when you arrive. They will bring it out and load it in your car for you.
If there is an item that is not available they will substitute it. We have had pretty good luck with the substitutions but I have a friend who has not. If you are picky about certain brands, I would just click that you will not allow substitutions on that particular item.
With these apps, it makes price comparisons easy because you can check to see who has the best price quickly and easily. And having a personal shopper is priceless because our time is valuable.
Aldi or Local Equivalent
In our opinion, Aldi can beat out the competition pretty easily on price and quality. However, they don’t always have everything you need.
Best Items to get at Aldi
Aldi is the best place for produce, bread, milk, eggs, snacks, baking items, beans, and dairy products.
Did I mention their produce? Their produce is amazing at an awesome price. For us, it always been very fresh and tastes good too!
You can save a ton in the baking aisle when buying items like sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and chocolate chips.
How do we shop at Aldi?
Aldi has a couple of quirky things that you need to be aware of before you get started.
- You need to have a quarter to get a cart. Don’t worry you get it back when you return it but it is something you need to be aware of. I’ve been stuck before with no quarter and needed a cart which can be frustrating. I guard my Aldi quarters!
- You need to bring your own bags. We have a stash of bags and organizers that we throw in the van when we are shopping. If you forget, they do sell bags or you can gather boxes as you shop to store your items in.
Online
You can find some good deals on groceries and other household items online. For example, Amazon is a good one to price check to see what they offer. We are members of Prime, so we get free shipping. It’s on our doorstep in just a day or two.
Best Items to get Online
We generally buy dry goods and personal hygiene products that we use often and are eligible for Amazon’s subscribe and save option.
How to shop online
You can select your item and if it is available on Amazon’s subscribe and save, you can get an additional discount. They will ship the product to you on the schedule you plan. Don’t worry, you can cancel if you have enough to last you until the next shipment date. A word of caution, you will need to double-check your “subscribe and save” orders about two weeks ahead of time because that’s when they start processing them. If you want to cancel, you need to give them sufficient warning.
Local Discounted Grocery Stores
Local discount grocery stores sell food at a really cheap price because they are close to a sell-by date, the packages are damaged or they got a good deal on a bulk of merchandise.
How to shop at local discounted grocery stores
You have to start with an open mind. I would recommend having an idea of how much you want to spend as well. You also need to know where to find your local store because not every area has one. One resource to use is Extreme Bargains Online Marketplace: Discount Grocery Store Directory
There will be a variety of items that will be close or at their expiration date. Knowing what items can be used and for how long is imperative to being successful.
Making this your first stop could be profitable because you could see what is available and let those items be your inspiration for your menu. You never know what you will find when you get which is the fun part. It’s like a treasure hunt!
If it’s an item that you love and you know you will use, stock up because there is a good chance it won’t be there when you go back.
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