5 Best Winter Deals at Sam's Club Right Now

A Sam's Club membership makes the most financial sense when you maximize it all year long. Here are a few wintertime deals you'll find at Sam's Club right now.

1. Winter tires

Winter tires outperform most all-season and all-terrain tires for snow and ice, making them safer for folks driving through months of winter weather. They can definitely be worth the investment -- but an investment it is.

The Sam's Club tire centers offer competitive prices on winter tires, and you can get an extra $100 off when you buy a full set (through July). The best deal comes from paying a bit more to have them installed, however. For $20 a tire, you'll get a host of perks such as lifetime balance and rotation, road hazard protection, and free flat repairs. Sam Club even throws in access to roadside assistance.

Pro tip: If you're going to plonk down the big bucks for a set of new tires, consider opening a new rewards card first. A good welcome bonus could net you $200 with a single large purchase.

2. Winter wear

Winter weather wear can be expensive, especially if you're buying specialty clothing like ski pants. But Sam's Club offers very affordable ski pants for men and women, currently on sale for just $19.98.

While these probably aren't the thing to buy if you're an avid skier and hit the slopes every weekend, reviewers say they're decent quality (especially for the price). They'd be a good pick if you want to try snowsports for the first time. It might also be a good pick for something you can throw on while shoveling the driveway.

Sam's Club also has a very reasonably priced array of winter jackets -- none of those $200-and-up price tags. It's not off-brands, either; options include several popular names like Columbia, Marmot, and Eddie Bauer.

3. Space heaters

I love space heaters for keeping my energy bills down. Instead of heating the whole house, we can tuck these efficient little heaters into bedrooms and offices to keep things cozy.

Sam's Club has a variety of types and sizes, from ceramic tower heaters perfect for bedrooms, to propane-powered outdoor heaters that make your porch more family-friendly during the winter.

Prices are comparable to other retailers, if not better, especially the models currently on sale. (And you get Sam's Club's awesome return policy should any of your heaters kick the bucket over the summer.)

4. Hot drinks

Sure, we all love our legal addictive stimulants any time of year. But there's something about that first cuppa on a cold day that really sets the mood.

Member's Mark coffees are very well-rated, averaging about 4.7 out of 5 stars from thousands of reviewers. It's also very well priced, with single-serve pods ranging from $0.28 to $0.31 per pod, and bags of ground coffee just $0.32 to $0.44 per ounce.

You can also find other toasty beverages for a good price. If the family loves Swiss Miss hot chocolate, for instance, you can buy it in bulk for much less than the grocery store. And while I can't recommend Sam's Club for tea snobs -- it's not the place to get quality loose-leaf -- you can get great prices on bulk bags of Bigelow green.

5. Soup (premade or DIY)

You can get great deals on multi-can packs of a number of popular canned soups, from classic Campbell's to Panera to PhoLicious. Or give Sam's Club's own brand a try: Several varieties of Member's Mark premade soup are on sale through the end of January for $1 off.

If you prefer to make your own soup, Sam's Club can be a fantastic place to pick up your ingredients. Normally, I'd say stay away from buying wholesale club produce; unless you have a very big family, it's almost impossible to go through bulk produce before it spoils.

Soup is the exception. You can pack a ton of veggies into a good soup, make it by the cauldron, then freeze it for easy, delicious dinners all winter long.

Don't forget Scan & Go!

A lot of Sam's Club perks can save you money. (Heck, a Sam's Club Mastercard can pay for your membership in rewards alone.) But my all-time favorite Sam's Club perk doesn't save me a dime. Instead, it saves me something more valuable than money: time.

That's right, I'm talking about Scan & Go, perhaps the single greatest use of a mobile store app I have yet seen. This feature lets you scan items as you shop, right in the Sam's Club app. Then, when you're ready to check out, you can pay and get your receipt in the app. No need to even look at a checkout line.

Shaving that five or 10 minutes off the end of my Sam's Club trip -- when I'm already tired of battling other shoppers and their giant carts -- makes the entire trip better. It's the perfect way to improve any Sam's Club experience. (Plus, it gives me valuable time to chuck a few snowballs at the neighborhood kids when I get home!)