I feel my Sam's membership pays for itself after the second visit of the year there (obviously depends on how much your spending). You get a No. 10 cans of peach for less than $5, mixed fruit for the same, etc.

I also hit Aldi's up a lot - went there today and went nuts. Adds a lot quickly and not for much cash (grabbed a ton of tuna at .55/can, green beans and corn for .45/can, black beans for .57/can and a bunch of other canned items on the cheap with shelf life between 2013-2017).

 

I don't think the canned food prices at Sam's are anything particularly special. I think you'd do far better at Aldi's, if there's one in your area. Sam's has been better than Wal-Mart on most things, but there also often isn't direct comparable items. SPAM at Sam's is cheaper than at WM, for instance, but other items either aren't sold at Sam's or the brand or whatever is different.

The issue with Sam's is they sell in bulk, and a lot of it isn't necessarily the best size or packaging for LTS.

 

I buy the #10 cans of vegies and fruit from Sam's Club. Open it up, take what i want for a meal, put the remainder in a Mason jar in the frige for use later in the week.

 

Very interesting. Up until now I have never heard of Aldi's. Just looked up their store locator and saw that there is one 75 miles from me in a town I visit fairly regularly. I will have to try that out!

 

aldi's also has good prices on vegetables. i buy their 1lb bags of carrots and dehydrate them and vacuum seal them in to mason jars. other items they have at good prices other than the ones mentioned before...

hand sanitizer
potatoes
eggs
spices
medicines (unless you have a costco type store. they have the BEST prices on generic brand medicines)

 

I have developed a strategy of having a little bit of everything.
This is good. It sounds like you are most definitely on the right track. In fact you may have more than I do. I started about a year ago. One think I’d like to add, well, 2 things really: Sam’s Club will make you happy. You may even become obsessed. I have a Costco membership and I am that way. The cases of corn/beans and large quantities of flour, sugar, etc you can get is kind of hard to pass up sometimes but that’s only because of the bulk. The prices really aren’t that great. In fact, Fareway was advertising Corn and green beans at 3 / $1. I don’t know about you, but .33/can is pretty good.
I would suggest looking for an amish surplus or amish grocery store. I know of at least 3 of these in my area and I can get canned veggies / fruit for as little as .25. Yes, some cans are dented, some are expired, BUT…….it’s food. It will do. Also, look for an Aldi’s store. We have them in Iowa and they are almost as good as the amish ones as far as price goes, even better in terms of quality (no dented or expired items).

Finally, you can’t have a little bit of everything without starting to can. I have bit the bullet and am purchasing my lids and seals now. I kind of found out by accident that my wife got me a 23 qt Presto for Christmas. Oops.

 

I usually find better prices at Sam's, but last week I bought a 25# bag of Domino sugar there for $17+. A couple days later I was at Walmart and noticed that their brand of the 25# bags of sugar are $14+. It's not the Domino brand, but I'd be willing to bet that it's packaged in the same building.

 

Domino and C&H sugar are cane sugar. It will normally be a little more expensive because it is produced differently with different processes. I would suspect that the Wal-Mart brand was beet sugar, not cane.

I always buy cane sugar as it bakes differently than beet sugar. I also prefer brown sugar made from cane not beet.

Even in my pantry, I am sure to label which is cane and which is beet.

 

I feel that no, Sams club nor Costco are great for buying small cans of veggies or fruits....they have national brands or their own brand and I think you can do better at regular supermarkets....However, Costco's price on #10 cans of plain spaghetti sauce is under $3...I buy them a lot and add meat or sausage and lots of extras and seasonings....make one big have pot of sauce and it'll be good for several meals if used right....

they also have large cans of applesauce....okay tasting but then you'll have to be eating on it becasue even if refrigerated, it'll start to mold...

costco has large economical cans of tuna and when I make it up, we just plan on having tuna sandwiches that week...no problem when you have several meals out of it...

it all depends on your family size and your eating habits....

 

I noticed that big can of tuna at Sam's Club. Do you think a person could use what they need out of it and divide the rest up into tiny mylar bags? The reason I ask is that tuna is sold in small mylar packets (I think they're mylar) at the grocery store, so maybe it can be done at home (?).

 

I just can't justify the Costco/Sam's club membership fees right now. We've had to tighten our belts. Instead, we watch for the "free weekends." It's working for the short term.

 

Check out Amazon's grocery section. Canned vegetables can be ordered from them for less than a dollar a can with free shipping. I recently ordered canned tamales since our local grocery store no longer carries them. So they are also good for more exotic hard to find things.

Woodchuck

 

I have a Costco membership that expires in January and I won't be renewing it, with a few exceptions I haven't found much that I can't find anywhere else for a lower price.
Just watch the adds and stock up when things go on sale and you'll get more for your money in the long run, we don't have a large family so buying spaghetti sauce by the gallon or #10 tins of fruits is just to much for us to go through before it goes bad.

 

I usually keep alot of canned goods in my cabinets lol

 

Check dollar stores, look for sales, and use coupons. All of those will save you a buck here and a buck there. Also, dehydrated foods are a LOT cheaper than freeze dried and last about as long. In fact, the dehydrated veggies can work out cheaper than canned veggies. I eat them in my day to day meals rather than canned.

I don't find the canned goods at Sam's or Costco to be a particularly good value. I can get everything from Spam to veggies and fruits cheaper at Dollar General. And they take coupons. Also, sometimes Albertson's has good sales.

I wish we had Aldis here. I've been hearing about it for years now. All of our grocery stores are high priced. We have no real discount chains and no competition in the market. Even the Walmart here is higher than a lot of places...because it can get by with it.

 

MikeKs first paragraph below is is loaded with Gems!!!
Sams has some bulk items at much lower prices than Walmart. Since I pack Storage buckets as a "part" of the family food prep plan I have a membership. I also use a can rotation system. My food prep plan consists of bulk item storage, canned goods, Dehydrated #10 cans, and fresh food. We collect eggs each day from our chickens, breed rabbits for meat, and raise a garden for fresh veggies.

There are items at our local Sams that cannot be found elsewhere in the area here. Bulk packs of cans like Ravioli or other veggies are not cheaper but are convient. Other bulk items are much cheaper!! You have to know sizes/prices and shop by the item to get the best value. Pay attention to expiration dates. Dont buy dented cans (safety) as many cans have different internal coatings that protect the metal from acids in the food. I used to work for a can factory. The dollar stores are a good resource for canned goods. The Amish/Mennonite Pantrys have dried and bulk foods (I buy my wheat from them and bulk pack). Wal Mart here will match lower prices from an ad. They also take coupons. Wal Mart is cheaper than the local grocery stores here in Louisiana, though the meat is LOW QUALITY. No Aldis here either. Tip: Don't spend $15 in gasoline + vehicle wear and tear to save $10 on some food...

Check dollar stores, look for sales, and use coupons. All of those will save you a buck here and a buck there. Also, dehydrated foods are a LOT cheaper than freeze dried and last about as long. In fact, the dehydrated veggies can work out cheaper than canned veggies. I eat them in my day to day meals rather than canned.

I don't find the canned goods at Sam's or Costco to be a particularly good value. I can get everything from Spam to veggies and fruits cheaper at Dollar General. And they take coupons. Also, sometimes Albertson's has good sales.


I wish we had Aldis here. I've been hearing about it for years now. All of our grocery stores are high priced. We have no real discount chains and no competition in the market. Even the Walmart here is higher than a lot of places...because it can get by with it.

 

Do you have an Aldi's in your area? If so, you might try a google search to locate it, and then combine a trip to Aldi's with another errand. I remember that I drove near an Aldi's on the way to one of my kids doctors so I could go there on the way home.

Aldi's has canned vegetables at around 50 cents, and cream of mushroom soup at 65 cents.

 

Load up on creme of mushroom and chicken at Walmart right now Campbell's for 60 cents no limit. Also here they have an off brand of corn and green beans for
48 cents a can, well my store no longer has any since I bought the 3 flats of each they had on hand last night. 1-2 cans of corn left as stragglers.:thumb:

 

BJ's up here. Just got a real good deal on batteries and computer spray.

 

We have a Kroger/Frys here and I often get veggies 2 x $1, same for fruits. Or fruits that are normally over $1 I get 10 x $10 like dole pineapple.

 

I load up on the chunky style soups when they go on sale. Great for recipes other than soup, such as pot pies and casaroles(sp).

BIH

 

Don't forget to rotate your stock.
http://modernsurvivalblog.com/preps/organize-and-rotate-your-food-supplies/

 

For me.....I like to know what things cost normally, what I can occasionally find them on sale for, and then with both those numbers, and the expiration dates, I make my final decisions whether or not I purchase some, none, or many.

For example.....Walmart has DAK hams at $ 3.89 per can almost all the time, with an expiration date of 2014 usually, and the other day Sam,'s had a three pack for $9.19. That means that Sam's price per can is $ 3.06. Having been watching these cans for a while, haven't seen them cheaper. So I grab a three can pack and turn it over and view it's "Best Used By" date. Sometime in 2016, so I got all of the three packs I will need for the next five years.....and done. (42 cans to be exact...the extras would be an excellent barter item )

The key was for me to 'need' some canned meat. I feel it will add fat to my diet when the deer, squirrels, and rabbits around here cannot because they are so lean- SHTF. It has a good shelf life and I actually enjoy the taste. It will go well in a pot of beans, or on a salad, etc. So a versatile food that eats well and will last for years and purchased at a significant savings- WINNER.

The green beans, corn, peas and such I rarely find deals at Sam's. I was getting plastic wrapped four packs of Green Giant brand cans at Winn-Dixie for $1+ a few weeks back, when using their savers card. The expiration dates were 2013 so- winner. Sam's typically wants to sell me that stuff for more money.

Chef Boyardee Lasagna at Sam's, bundled in an 8 can pack for $ 10+. Very tempting.....all bundled up like that. But that is what I call Sam's "Apparent" value. It isn't a real value, just looks like it would be. Because I have been obtaining those very same cans with a very respectable 2014 date on them at $10 for ten cans. Less money plus 2 more cans. If I didn't know what they were really worth I might have bought the Sam's product. So what- I eat Chef Boyardee.

So you could make a list of all the things you wished were in your stocks, and then determine what each costs normally, what you would expect to see them at when on sale, and then use that list to determine when to buy in bulk. Shopping all the stores in you area also is good. Obtain a savers card from each and look up their fliers on-line. The stores use attractive sales to get you in the door, so let them. Just make sure you only buy the sale items. LOL

To do this right, you must have a well stocked pantry. You want a well stocked pantry anyways- don't you ?

Don't go shopping when you need something because you are out, as this gets expensive. I used to go shopping that way and it was always expensive. I would wander the aisles- yeah I need that, need that, need that, and none of it was on sale. Nowadays I don't need that, don't need that, don't need that either, but at Buy One Get One ( BOGO )....... suddenly I do and will be getting eight of them thank you very much......and oh lookie here I have a coupon, too.

I leave the first store with only non-refrigerated items that were specials on sale. Hit the next store and do the same. Hit the third store and do the same but also grab some milk and meat and go home. My carts are full but the money paid is small. The people in line behind me gasp when they hear the cashier tell me how much I saved, even when I didn't even whip out my coupons. Get right with their cycles, and use coupons and you can slaughter them. That frees up money elsewhere in the budget. The prices we have today are high high high. Shopping smart is self-defense.

CouponMom.com helps me to organize my Sunday paper coupons and to know what I will get at each store. When I shop commando, half price is easy peasey pudding and pie baby. Seriously, you can push out a very heavy laden cart for surprisingly little cash. You just have to get determined to do it, keep your discipline, and use your head. The resources are readily available.

Soups are a great example for me. OK....not all soups are created equal. Let's talk Clam Chowder. Progresso's isn't as good as Campbell's in my opinion. I am the only one who eats it so my taste buds win. Why buy Progresso's when it is on sale ? Why buy Campbell's unless it is on sale. Normally $2.83 a can. On sale BOGO get 20 cans and be done. The only fly to watch out for is the expiration dates. Something that will not last is not a deal- get just a few. Maybe another store is also having that soup on sale....hmmmmm maybe their dates are better. You have to work at it. Often times multiple stores offer the same item at the same time. Most sales allow you a few days to re-visit, but once you bought it you are done.

I have taught several people how to shop like I do, and they love it. It doesn't require a great deal of effort or large three ring binders full of coupons, or extreme anything. I might go full extreme later, but for now I enjoy saving 30-70% off my grocery bill the easy way. I have already had to expand my pantry because I did so well. Feels good and I almost never have to go grocery shopping anymore.

So in review......know your product's normal market value, what you could expect it to cost when on sale, what it's shelf life would be normally, then be patient and wait for it to go on sale big time, then stock up and load up, and you are now done and don't need to buy anymore. Change your style. Learn a method that utilizes coupons, and use them when things are already on sale.:

Shop all the stores in the area....obtain their savers cards and let them email you their fliers for the week and specials. Make a list that has you going into this store and getting these specific items, then this store for these items. Don't get anything that isn't on the list....PERIOD. Don't budget your grocery expenses.....lower them by using knowledge. Then you just cherry pick stuff, on your terms.

Remember.....sometimes things seem to be a bargain when they are not. Just because the grocer lists something "2 for $3" doesn't make it a bargain. Normal price might be $1.59. LOL. Just because something is packaged in bulk doesn't make it a bargain either. They try to trick you visually, it is important that you know what something costs.

BOGO is usually a deal and they are popular right now. But usually only about a dozen items in each store will be BOGO. If it is something that you normally would eat, and it has a good date, and you almost never see it any cheaper, and you know that the store down the street doesn't have a better deal, get you some in quantity son, and then whip out that coupon and finish them. Stock it away. Laugh when you don't have to go to the store next week to get more of it. Kill three birds with half a rock. Spend your savings elsewhere, and after you get on top of your pantry, and it is packed full, you will see that things start to get really really cheap and you don't have to go shopping near as often as you used to. Then help others with what you learned along the way.

 

Git the #10 cans, always a cheaper way to buy than the small cans. A lot of reg. grocery stores are carrying them now. Aldi's is a good bet. BJs will GIVE you a trial (60day) membership if you go ask them. I find they are cheaper then Sam's and a better selection. Sam's used to be good but not anymore. (certainly not worth 45 bucks to me to shop there!) Then there's always the dollar stores.....watch their prices though, not always the best.

 

#10 cans are a great idea if you have a large enough group that is going to use them before they go bad. Smaller cans are one meal which may be more practical when there is little or no refrigeration. I do have #10 cans of some items that won't require much refrigeration but for everyday food I stick with the smaller cans.

 

Dollar stores, Aldi's, and Save a Lot.............havent bought canned goods from Walmart in ages.....I refuse to pay more than 55 cents for a can of green beans

My wife was just asking me last night when we could go back to Aldi's and get some more of the pasta sauce that we all like

We love their salad dressings too

 

I find it's hard to beat their prices on converted rice (less than $11 for 25 pounds) or long grain is about $17 for 50 pounds. I love their 25 pound cubes of Riceland rice, so easy to store. We use about 50 pounds of rice feeding the homeless every month and I can't beat the price. Also for chicken bouillon, various spices, dried beans (if they carry), their prices are great. If we didn't feed the homeless I'd probably just stock up on rice etc on a free weekend. Their soda is more expensive than the store, their canned items generally about what you'd pay at a regular store, you can do better with coupons and sales but if you want to go and do one big trip and get a bunch of stuff for piece of mind--especially rice, I would think it would be worth the $45. Also their canned chicken is really good and it's less than $10 for 5 cans.

 

History channel American eats : canned foods

I just watched this it is very interesting they found a 114 year old can of veal and feed it to some mice with no ill effect. Also a good trivia question , Chef boy-ar-dee was awarded the medal of honor in world war two. because his canned goods help win the war.

 

I think the chef was given a civilian award. The Congressional Medal of Honor is for extraordinary heroism in battle.

 

My wife and I installed some shelves in a bedroom, and then got some can rotation wire racks. Each rack holds between 10 - 12 cans, depending on the size of the can.

Related thread about stockpiling food - http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=39019

When we stock up can goods, we get sales papers in the mail and price match at the local walmart.

 

My wife and I installed some shelves in a bedroom, and then got some can rotation wire racks. Each rack holds between 10 - 12 cans, depending on the size of the can.

Kev, where did you get the wire can rotation racks? I like that they can be used on existing shelves!

 

i live in NE Kansas and i watch the local adds every week. last week Hivee had canned veggies for .49 a can. about every week there is a sale on something.

 

problem with that was HyVee limited you to 4 cans, thought it was good at first but it was the fine print that made me sad.