bigclipI admit,  I have never been a big fan of shopping at warehouse stores and price clubs. The need to buy a membership, the giant shopping carts, the economy-sized packages…it all just scared me. But I ventured to my local Sam’s Club this week, and I have to say – it’s pretty fantastic, and I’ll probably be going back soon.

To begin with, the quantities of food are larger than normal, as you might expect. But I figured samsclubsomething out while cruising the aisles – buying in bulk saves time, because it reduces my need to run to the grocery store because I ran out of this snack or that kitchen staple. More time is always a good thing, at least in my world. 

Second, buying in bulk allows you to take advantage of economies of scale. The packages at Sam’s Club, at first glance, look like they might cost more, if you just look at the price on the shelf tag.  But when you break it down ounce by ounce or serving by serving, it’s usually much cheaper to buy the big package.  Just looking at the prices, I estimate that a $40 membership would pay for itself within a few weeks.

Plus, if you have kids or care about schools, now is a better time than ever to buy at Sam’s. From now until September 4, Sam’s is partnering with several of America’s favorite grocery brands for “The Big Clip” campaign. When you buy participating products, such as Ziploc sandwich bags and Cheerios cereal, you’ll get packages with bonus Box Tops for Education coupons on them. Be sure to clip them and turn them in to your favorite school so they can get a little extra cash. (If you have questions about the Box Tops for Education program, visit www.boxtops4education.com.)

And now for the best part – the giveaway! From now until Sept. 4, you can enter for a chance to win one of five $25 Sam’s Club gift cards, plus a one-day pass so you can go and spend it! You can get up to four entries for this contest. Here are the ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post. Be sure to include at least your first name and email address, so I can get in touch with you if you win.

2. Tweet about FWotC and our giveaway on Twitter. You must include a direct link to this post. (It’s https://localite.com/?p=859.)  After you send your tweet, comment here and include your Twitter username for verification purposes.

3. Join our fan page on Facebook here. Comment here when you’ve joined and let me know your name to verify.

4. Become a subscriber here. Again, leave a comment here with your email address so I can verify.

I’ll take entries through midnight Central time on Sept. 4 and will announce the winners on Saturday. US residents only, and you must be 18 years old.

After you’ve cast your entries, be sure to enter The Big Clip Sweepstakes. You could win 500,000 Box Tops for your school!

Disclosure: This giveaway was sponsored by MyBlogSpark, who provided the gift cards to give away and a Sam’s membership so I can tell you about the great deals there. I have not been compensated in any other way by MyBlogSpark.