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WOOHOOO! Sam’s Club and Groupon are offering their awesome voucher deal again,which means it’s a great time to try out a Sam’s Club Membership! For $25 (wayyyyy less than the regular cost of a membership), you’ll get:
- Sam’s Club membership ($45 value)
- One complimentary membership for spouse or other household member
- $5 eGift Card (allow 5-7 days for delivery)
- Free Rotisserie Chicken loaded to membership card within 24 hours of activation
Take a minute to also download our free Aldi, Target & Walmart Price Comparison Sheet also while you're here.
You guys.
I am so.
sooooooooooo.
Seriously, SO.
. . . . excited about this! (Did you catch that?) 🙂
My awesome PPP team has put together this crazy fun (FREE!) reference guide for you if you ever shop Aldi. Or Costco. Or Sam's Club.
You're welcome. 🙂
I was shocked (seriously, SHOCKED) by the results. I really thought Aldi would win just about every price, but you know what?
They don't.
Case in point? Vanilla extract.
Don't believe me? Go see for yourself.
CRAZINESS, right?
After seeing these prices I was pretty surprised at which items Aldi sells way cheaper (canned veggies anyone?), which items Sam's Club carries for the very best price (butter sticks . . . ), and which items are worth making a trip to Costco for. (Need aluminum foil? Costco's the place to be!)
Of course, as in everything, there are some limits. The prices at Costco and Sam's may be higher (especially on produce) than Aldi, but the size of your pineapple (or watermelon, or whatever), is likely smaller.
And, there's no way to compare Costco's amazingly yummy Ghirardelli brownies to the Aldi Baker's Corner brand (which actually end up costing you more money. WHO KNEW???)
But, this is a great reference guide that we hope makes your life shopping and deciding where to shop for certain items just a wee bit easier.
So, head on over HERE and print your free list, and please leave a comment to share your thoughts! I'd love to hear which items you're surprised by (a bunch surprised me) ~ let me know what you think.
Note – these prices will vary some by region but this hopefully gives a starting place ~ would love to hear your thoughts on this!
Looking for more posts like this? Here you go . . .
- Free printable stock up price cheat sheet
- Free printable budget spreadsheet
- Free printable what can you freeze spreadsheet
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- Sam's vs. Costco: Who Really Has The Best Prices?
- 7 Items You Should Never Buy at Costco
- What Should You Buy At Sam's Club
- Sam's Vs. Amazon Diaper & Wipes Prices
- Free Stock Up Price Guide
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- 7 Stores You Need to Shop When Decorating on a Budget
- 7 Saving Secrets You Need to Know Before Shopping Hobby Lobby
- 7 Secrets You Need To Know Before Shopping Michaels
- 10 Things You Need to Know Before Shopping TJMaxx
- 22 Items You Need to Look for at Ikea
- How to Turn Your Smartphone into a Fitbit
we don’t have a Costco in our area…….soon to have an Aldi so super excited since its going in close to our Sams……this will b great. thanks
You’re so welcome Karen – hope it helps!
Love the spreadsheet; I have my own spreadsheet with just Aldi items but never compared to Costco or Sam’s club. Several areas where the clubs are inferior to Aldi in my opinion:
1. In most instances you have to purchase much larger quantities of something at Costco or Sam’s in order for the per unit cost to be comparable to Aldi.
2. You have to pay a yearly membership fee at the clubs.
3. You will spend more of your time at the warehouses because they are enormous compared to Aldi. And for me personally, it would take 10 extra minutes each way (20 minutes round trip) to drive to the nearest Costco. Aldi is considerably closer.
4. Way more temptations to overspend at Costco/Sam’s, buying things not on your list.
YES STEPHANIE!!! 🙂 I think you’re exactly right – the temptation to spend just too much is a huge reason to shop elsewhere most of the time too. Thank you so much for sharing your tips (such good points!)
but Sam’s club has in store pick-up. so I can order online the night before and just run in and pick it up the next morning….with 5 kids that is worth its weight in gold! so it saves me tons of time and no impulse buying-just what I need and was on my list.
you are right though to consider all those things…membership fees….locations of the stores…..etc. for me-Sam’s is totally worth it even though it is a bit farther then costco (we don’t have an aldi here)…(and sam’s membership is cheaper) as time is money and I spend WAY less time in Sam’s since I can just pick up my order. I do walk around from time to time to see new products and such and do notice I am way more tempted to buy unnecessary things-but do find it harder to ‘shop’ online for ‘new’ things they may have started carrying so it is nice to do a quick walk through now and then.
and the large quantity thing is not an issue for me since I nearly always need large quantities 🙂 but for many people it is not necessary when you can get smaller quantities for same or comparable price at Aldi.
I have the Sam’s plus membership and it is so worth it for me because of the lower prices on prescription medications
LOVE YOU!!! This is so amazing. I shop regularly at Aldi and Costco and kinda quess at what’s the better price. Now I’ll now!!
I’m so glad Lisa – that makes these lists so fun for us to put together- so so glad it helps! 🙂
On the actual spreadsheet it shows Aldi has the best price for eggs — unless I am reading it wrong. : )
Hi Karla! I’m not at my computer right now but will double check. Thanks for catching that for us!
The egg count is different at Aldi’s. There is 12 count vs 18 count.
Just updated this so it’s correct – the PDF printable was right, our graphics were wrong (we were trying to get the post ready to go today!) Should all be correct now 🙂
Just wanted to give let you know – eggs as of right now are 0.99 for 12 at Aldi, and a gallon of milk is and has been $1.58.
This list isnt really up to date any longer, prices do fluctuate depending on supply/demand.
Thanks Laurie! You are by far one of my favorite bloggers.
You’re so sweet Amy – that means so much to me and I think the list will come in so handy too!
Priceless !!! Thank you so much for sharing this !!!
You are so welcome Colleen – I’m so glad we were able to put it together!
I think theres something wrong with the butter prices vs quantity for Aldis…
It is Aldi policy to have the cheapest milk and egg prices in town. I have two stores fairly close, but the corporate view of their competitors in the two towns differs. The milk and eggs are significantly cheaper at one location than the other, all other prices appear to be identical.
you want to compare prices, dont compare immitation vanilla to pure vanilla extract. That’s why the price is higher! You have to compare exact items.
We made sure to mention that in the post (especially in the notes at the bottom of the list.) There was no way to do a perfect comparison since all 3 stores don’t offer identical items, but we tried to include any specifications so that people could see pretty closely how they really stacked up.
The McCormick vanilla for $8.98 at Sam’s is the PURE version. I think the spreadsheet needs to be corrected. The price on this vanilla is one of the reasons I can justify paying for the Sam’s membership! I go through a lot of it for my cake making hobby and those little bottles at the grocery store are way too expensive. I also find the big Sam’s bottles to be much more fragrant too.
Hi K – I looked at it and *think* it was the McCormick imitation vanilla? I need to go back and double check because I could be wrong on that.
I totally agree! It is clear in the photos that the 2 more expensive are PURE vanilla while the $4 bottle is imitation, and there is a big difference and they to me are not comparable. While you may not be able to compare the same brand or sizes it should be for the same product.
We updated the PDF – all of the prices are for pure vanilla now, in the picture Shannon had both the imitation and real vanilla and I hate that that was confusing. Sorry for the misunderstanding!
I Love this, but I wish it was in excel for additional customaization..
Thank you so much for this!! I just got a Sam’s Club membership, but have been a fan of Aldi for years. Looking forward to using this often!!
You’re so welcome Holly – so glad it helps!
Aldi’s brownies are the best ever!!!!!!!!
Really Elizabeth? I haven’t tried them but you just convinced me (I always loved the Ghirardelli brand!) 🙂
My aldis sells Ghirardelli brand also. I bought them a couple years ago then just seen them yesterday but I’ve been gluten free for a year so can’t eat them now but they were soooooo good.
Love that Brenda – thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Actually, Aldi’s brownies will give Ghirardelli a run for their money. They are amazing!
Seriously guys – you all have me debating hopping off my computer to go get some brownies at Aldi 🙂
The other thing that you have to keep in mind as you look at these comparisons is the location, convenience, drive time, and gas. I’m not going to make the much longer trip to Sam’s for items that are only a few cents more at Aldi. Though I do love some of things I find there just by virtue of size, which means I am not purchasing as often.
I appreciate the list, but am not sure the comparisons being made really make the most sense. In general, the assumption has always been that buying in bulk is cheaper. So to me it makes more sense to compare Sam’s to Costco, and Aldi to another regular grocer. The reason for this is, while one of the bulk retailers may have a superior price on brown sugar than Aldi, I have no need nor desire to have 7 pounds of it hanging around my house.
If you want to use it just to compare Sam’s and Costco that’s fine too! We just found it interesting to consider how all 3 stores stacked up when comparing their prices by weight. That’s why we were sure to include the count – because yes, while a liter of olive oil may be a better price, it’s probably not worth it if you can’t use it quickly enough!
What states are Aldi’s in? Are they coming to California?
Kind of wondering what Costco you shop at……..at mine I can’t buy 18 eggs……our eggs come in 3 dozen packs and they are currently 8.99.
This error aside, the chart can be helpful if kept updated.
The other thing that is not factored in is how far you have to travel to get to Costco and Sams. We have an Aldi store 13 miles in two directions. It would be at least a 50 mile (one way) to go to Sams and 70-75 miles one way to Costco. Then there is the cost of storing the excess from the big stores. I will stick with Aldis . And believe it or not, I can get Ghirideheli brownies there.
I wish you had a comparison chart for WalMart versus Sav-a-lot. I buy all my meats at Sav a Lots (because they cost less AND taste so much better!!) but hardly anything else because it would take me all day to write down all the products we use at each store. Aldis is much further away from our country home but at least with your list we can see if it may be worth the drive. Thanks for sharing this.
Giant Hugs,
Marlene
Hi Marlene! We’re definitely looking at other stores to compare – thanks for the suggestion!
In some things you are correct, but I noticed in the “vanilla” photo above, it shows *imitation vanilla*, whereas at Aldi, it may be more expensive, but it’s the cheapest *REAL* vanilla extract I’ve ever found. So some of the things you’re comparing might be off a bit depending on quality. But overall, thanks! I still shop at Aldi ’cause there’s no Costo nearby, and Sam’s is 20 min away (Aldi is 5). Have a good one!
Try Boxed.com!! Its all of items that Costo or Sams but its delivered to your house for free. The only down to it is that its only dry items…no perishable. That I get at our local Aldi’s. I same time and money.
We have used Ladies and bought their canned goods but ended up throwing them in the trash because they has a bad taste to them. Yes I could has donated them but if I wouldn’t eat them I couldn’t expect someone else to. I have gotten a few other things there but I am just not as crazy about their products as Sam’s. We do not have a Coscos.
Something else to take into consideration is the amount of actual vegetables in the cans. They may all the 15oz cans, but there is no specifications on how much is say actual corn verses water. Costco has far more corn and less water vs the other two.
Love this!!! Would like to see comparison chart of name brands vs. store brands. Plus, like to see Kroger/Scotts vs. Walmart. Thanks!
The Baker’s Corner products are also not good. I’ve tried them and they would not be worth it if you did save money. The chocolate products at Aldi have a different taste, regardless of brand. Unleased it’s a name brand, I avoid it.
This was great! Would you do one with Aldi and Walmart????? That would be the most helpful to those of us who don’t have a costco near by. And include meats, chicken, beef, ground turkey exc…. =)
We’re working on it Diane – so glad it helps and can definitely see that being beneficial as well!
I would love for you do a BJ’s comparison. We have BJ’s, Aldi, Sav-a-lot & Walmart. Thanks so much!
I was wondering if you update the comparison sheet weekly, monthly, or yearly or is this the only one available?
Hi Lori! This is the first time we’ve done it, but our plan is to update it at least once a year and possibly once every six months. Hope that helps!
Yep it did thanks a bunch!
Thank you for all the time that went into this! People have to realize what a great starting point this is. I have tried to do local comparisons and can say it takes forever and just when I get done the price changes. So again a great big thank you!
I’m having fun looking through this! My engineering brain loves comparing numbers. I’m confused about the aluminum foil, though. Sam’s and Costco both show 500 sq. ft. and Sam’s shows a lower total price, but twice the price per square foot. It looks like it should be 1.7 cents/sq. ft. at Sam’s and 1.9 cents/sq. ft. at Costco. (And 2.6 cents/sq. ft. at Aldi – It can be hard to see the differences when they’re fractions of cents, but it can matter if you go through foil quickly!)
Thanks for all the work you’ve done.
You should check out resteraun’t depot. You can get a yearly subscription to kcbs for 35 dollars and enter any Rd location. They usually have hands down the beat meat / cheese / spices / standard supplies prices.
This is inaccurate. You are forgetting the ridiculous price of the memberships for Costa or Swms.
Hi Rebecka – both Sam’s and Costco occasionally offer special almost free memberships through sites like Groupon and Costco. You’re right that you typically have to pay for them, but occasionally they do offer free memberships which are worth watching for! (Right now new and expecting moms can get a free Sam’s Club membership, and hopefully this list helps people decide if it’s worth the fees as well!)
https://passionatepennypincher.com/2015/09/free-one-year-membership-to-sams-club-for-new-and-expecting-mothers/
You can also ask a friend/neighbor who has a membership at Costco to purchase Costco gift cards for you. You don’t need a membership to shop with gift cards.
Thanks so much for this! I had just joined Sam’s (though I like the products in BJs better (more organic and healthy choices) but the click and pull option at Sam’s and my Mom needing to go to the doctors in the area of Sam’s made me decide to check it out. Usually Aldi’s and Walmart are my other choices as well and I was just sitting here trying to figure out what would be the wisest place to buy certain foods and that it looks like you have done it recently! Yay! Hopefully it will help me with my shopping this week!
I see all the work that has gone into this. Bravo. I also see that several of the comparisons aren’t really comparisons. How does one compare conventional to organic?
Ara – as we shared in the post we tried to compare the same items as much as we could, but there were a few items that just didn’t have organic at all three stores. I just double checked the list and the only ones that I noticed glancing at it quickly (it’s been a few weeks since I updated it so I had to refresh my memory!) were syrup and jelly. All three stores carried organic coconut oil, bananas, and salad mixes, which helped. Hopefully that makes sense – as we shared we were somewhat limited just by what options they have but the bulk of the list is a pretty good comparison. Hope that helps!
Thank you! this was very confirming to my grocery shopping habits. Living in a rural area in which Sam’s and Costco are 40 and 50 minutes away while Aldi’s is in the same small town in which I teach, I am a tried and true Aldi’s shopper with a little Walmart/Kroger on the side. I have heard other women talk of how much they save at Costco/Sam’s and tried a very reduced membership at Costco this year. Finding my usual items was daunting enough, let alone doing price comparison’s. For the time, extra gas, and membership fees required to shop there, I believe I am still ahead to shop wisely at my local Aldi’s. I love it when I am already doing something correctly.
So glad it helped June – you can definitely save a bundle at Aldi alone! 🙂
Thanks for this overview.
We’re longtime Aldi shoppers who are considering adding Costco to our shopping experience and your chart is a great resource. The comparisons are mostly quite good, though I would say that putting Imitation vanilla and real Vanilla up as comparisons is a bit silly…
One interesting phenomenon is that some of the “better” things at Costco show up at Aldi periodically. At Aldi Gihardelli brownie and cookie mixes show up every month or two at-or-below the Costco price and have for years. This is not nearly as convenient as being able to get it for sure at Costco, but if one is already in the mindeset of buying a bit more in advance then perhaps it’s not such a chore.
In the end, after looking at the prices it seems that Costco does beat Aldi on a surprising number of things but not nearly as many of them are items that I want to store a large stock of. Perhaps a bi-monthly Costco run with friends who already have a Costco card is the best way for us to go.
Has this been updated at all since September of 2015? I don’t want to bother printing if it outdated. Thanks!
How often are the prices updated and where are the locations of the stores? The prices where I live dont match. For example eggs 12 ct aldies $1.69 and this print out is higher by $1.00.
Otherwise nice job for the research and format.
They’re actually on our list to update this Spring Lisa – we definitely want to get those updated (hope that helps!)
This is awesome, definitely adding this to my price book. Thank you for taking the time to put this together!
So glad it helps Crystal!: )
I think that if you’ll double check, the price of the shredded cheese at Costco is for a 5 lb, not 2.5 lb. They come as a bundle of 2, 2.5 lb. bags of cheese. It makes it an incredible price and cheaper by far than anywhere else I’ve seen.
The one IMPORTANT POINT ON PURCHASING ELECTRONICS at Costco is they ADD another 2 years on to the Manufacturers Warranty. I purchased a Samsung TV with 2 years and now it has 4 years on it. Now that is worth recommending them for sure on such purchases. They have their special stapes.
I love this! Was surprised how close (or higher) that Aldi is. However, Costco is quite a drive for me and the membership is a big dealbreaker for me. The little amount more would probably be made up in gas and membership costs which you also summed up. I also just love going to Aldi because there is not as much in the store to break your weekly budget.
So glad it helps Julie!
Thank you!!! I was going to do this and stumbled upon this while trying to see who had cheaper garbage bags. Thank you, thank you, thank you…a million gazillion times thank you! You have helped me tremendously!!!!!! Have a blessed day!
So glad it helps Heather! 🙂
Awesome researching I give you props! I do want to see if you have done a comparison for Kroger Vs Aldi Vs Sams club. Our local Aldi is gross inside… The next one is 40 minutes away and with 2 kids under 1.5, I would die mid isle. I usually shop at Kroger, Kroger brands, and use their app for coupons and sales. I mainly shop there for gas points. Wal-Mart is Ridiuclous, aldi is reasonable if it was cleaner ( we got stale food, and those little bugs in all of our dry good stuff from there, disappointing). Kroger always has the best produce and will exchange it if it is soiled.
Why are there no meat prices on this list? That’s what i was looking for specifically…. thanks
I have a Costco membership…. a e to this site as I wanted to see what frozen chicken breasts is better at Costco – Kirkland or Perdue. One plus about the Kirkland chicken breast is that they are individually wrapped, so we can take them out of the giant bag & put them in our freezer.
The syrup comparison is exactly a fair comparison because you are comparing artificially flavored high fructose corn syrup with 100% maple syrup made by harvesting syrup from a maple tree. The real stuff is always expensive but tastes so much better.
we shop Aldi’s a lot, because we don’t want to pay an annual fee at Sam’s, and don’t want to buy in bulk,. (we don’t have a Costco in our area) Also, there’s just the two of us, and when milk is $2.58 a gallon at Aldi’s, eggs are cheaper, bread is really cheap, canned veggies and fruits are a third less than Walmart (my only comparison) Paper goods are cheaper, laundry supplies way cheaper, and Aldi’s has some benefits (such as close-out prices on specialty items, etc.) we really believe we save a lot at Aldi’s.