Here's Why I'll Never Get a Sam's Club Plus Membership

Sam's Club, a division of retail giant Walmart, offers two tiers of membership: "Club" and "Plus." Club is Sam's basic membership, offering services all club members have access to. Plus is the retailer's upgraded tier of membership, with special discounts for serious shoppers. As someone who determines whether I will purchase a Sam's Club or Costco membership based on where I live at the time, I can guarantee that I will never upgrade to a Sam's Club Plus membership. Here's why.

I'm over getting nickeled and dimed

Do you ever feel as if your paychecks travel directly from your employer into someone else's pockets? That's precisely where I've recently found myself. While updating our household budget, I couldn't help but notice how easily I've slipped into the habit of giving away money. I'd become like that elderly woman who used to sit a couple of pews ahead of us in church. She'd reach into her purse and dole out peppermints to anyone with their hand out. Only, instead of handing out peppermints, I was handing out cash.

While I thought I had a fair idea of how many upgrades and subscriptions I was paying for, I had honestly lost track. In addition to paying for six separate streaming channels, I was paying for a handful of mobile apps, satellite radio, a monthly car wash membership, and upgraded cellphone service.

It's easy to justify

In my defense, each expense seemed small when I took it on. After all, paying $5 a month for a British streaming channel feels like a steal, and I can't imagine how much more I would pay to keep my car clean if I hadn't signed up for a monthly car wash membership.

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In other words, I justified each purchase.

A basic Club membership costs $50 per year, while a Plus membership costs $110. At one time, I would have justified the upgrade by thinking, "Hmm. A Plus membership is only $60 more annually than a Club membership. That's only $5 per month more!"

However, updating our household budget is a beautiful way to confront reality. So what if $5 a month seems like a bargain? The question is how much we're out monthly when I add all those "tiny" expenses together.

The fix for me was to take a closer look at all those small expenses and decide which ones I could cut. The truth is, I haven't missed any service or upgrade that I canceled. Seeing how much I was spending on subscriptions and upgrades reminded me of how important it is to my personal finances to be picky about what I'm willing to commit money to.

Buying only what I'll use

The base $50 Club membership includes:

• Membership cards: A card for me as the primary account holder and a free card for my husband.
• Additional cards: You can add up to eight additional members at a rate of $45 each (each membership includes its own complimentary card).
• Scan & Go service: A Sam's Club perk I absolutely adore.
• Scan & Ship: This allows me to scan an item and have it delivered to my home.

I typically only shop for two and rarely make a warehouse run more than once a month. For that reason, I purposefully stop myself from buying more than I need while shopping. Why would I spend more for an upgraded membership I won't use?

Plus is attractive, but...

For $110 annually, a Plus membership offers all the benefits of a Club membership, in addition to:

• Additional cards: You can add up to 16 Club-level members instead of eight.
• Free shipping available on most online items: Other than floral arrangements, I rarely shop on the Sam's Club website.
• Free curbside pickup: I've never used curbside pickup at Sam's.
• Eyeglass discount: I typically find a better selection of frames elsewhere.
• Tire and Battery Center discount: We have two other discount tire and auto goods stores nearby.
• 2% back on qualifying purchases: Admittedly, this one is tempting, but I don't spend enough at Sam's Club to justify the extra expense of upgrading.

I recognize that some people drop a lot of money at Sam's Club every time they visit. If that describes you, you may find that a Plus membership pays for itself many times over throughout the year. As for me, I'm currently focused on being kind to my checking account. That includes being mindful of how I spend money -- even if it is only $5 more a month.