Wondering if a Costco membership is worth the price? Or wondering if you are really getting good deals when you shop? It can certainly be confusing to shop… you need to do quick mental math to compare bulk sizes to standard grocery sizes. I find that impossible when the store is super crowded and I am trying to get through the crowds and just get the heck out.
Usually my kids are whining or poking each other and really it is all I can do to keep them happy, check off my list and not have cart rage when people stop to chat or clutter up the aisles waiting for samples. (Grab n go people, Grab n go!) So I thought I’d make an easy guide for you with some of the best deals I find at Costco AND some of the things that I personally think are overpriced. I have been a coupon blogger for about 7 years now and I have gone through stages of heavily using coupons and following sales in stores to just occasionally using coupons and trying to simply buy things at good prices. At this phase of my life, I seem to have become a professional chauffeur for the kiddos in addition to my other responsibilities and so that means I need to figure out ways to save money on groceries without spending as much time cutting coupons or running to different stores. I do find myself in Costco about once every three weeks or so stocking up on things. So this is a list that is just my opinion after watching prices as a coupon blogger for several years. You may find some slight variation in pricing at your local store.
Best Deals at Costco
. 1. Condiments: Not all condiments are great deals and sometimes it is just too much to buy and store in your pantry but many are great deals at Costco. Some things to watch for:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil– this is an excellent price at Costco
Coconut Oil- this is an excellent price but the tubs are actually more than we need and I can fit in the pantry. So again only a good deal if you actually use the quantity they sell.
Pure Maple Syrup– the cheapest I see anywhere on pure maple syrup
Agave– if you use it regularly it might be worth buying in bulk
2. Dog Food: We used to use Kirkland Brand dog food- but after lots of readers mentioned quality issues, we upgraded to the premium dog food at Costco. I still think this is an excellent price and you can check the comments below for lots of feedback from readers.
3. Spices and Seasoning: Another great stop is the spices and seasoning section. I buy vanilla, cinnamon, cinnamon sticks, lemon juice, salt, pepper and more. Often the giant container at Costco is cheaper than the small container at the grocery store. The vanilla especially is one to look for- you get real vanilla not the yucky imitation vanilla you see at the grocery store. The flavor difference is amazing. This is an easy way for Costco to suck you in! Don’t buy if you won’t use the entire package within 6-12 months or if you really don’t have the storage space.
4. Organic/Green Cleaners: The big two for organic and green cleaning- baking soda and vinegar. You can buy these two items specifically in bulk and use them to clean just about everything. I use vinegar all over the house to clean and also just switched to vinegar instead of fabric softener. So much cheaper and the clothes are just as fresh at a fraction of the price of fabric softener. Plus no nasty chemicals and one less container to store in the laundry room.
5. Canned Goods: I always stock up on canned tomatoes, beans, olives etc… when I shop. Often the prices can be cheaper than if I used coupons at the grocery store. If you like canned veggies these are a fantastic price as well. You do need to buy by the case so I only get the items we use a ton of- but any extras make great food bank donations! For example, I get the organic S&W black beans at Costco for $.84/can. At the grocery store I would pay $.99 for conventional beans. The exception to this rule is during the holiday season. You can often get Del Monte canned veggies and such for about $.50 a can or less in the grocery store.
6. Organic Produce: Organic produce specifically can be an excellent deal at Costco. I buy large containers of mixed greens, power greens and spinach on almost every trip for about $3 a container. I also find the best prices on organic apples, grapes, raspberries, strawberries and more depending on the season. I find the quality of the produce not quite as good as a Farmer’s Market but far superior to a grocery store. Not everything is a great deal- they do offer convenience packs of pre husked corn, chopped butternut squash, chopped mango etc… that are a little more expensive but the convenience of getting meals quickly to the table might be worth considering. Costco tags will have a per lb price listed on the lower left corner of the price tag. I typically try to stay somewhere close to $.99/lb for in season conventional produce and $1.99/lb for in season organic produce. This varies by item so it is absolutely worth checking the fresh produce when you stop in. Consistently Costco has the best prices on bananas that I see anywhere. Oh and note if you see a big markdown on something just note it needs to be eaten RIGHT AWAY. I just bought 3 lbs of organic peaches for $4.99 at Costco (great price) but I was kicking myself 2 days later when every last peach was covered in mold and we had only made it through about half the box. (So it isn’t a good deal if you are tossing things out!)
7. Eggs/Milk/Butter: Again you are buying in bulk so this will depend on your consumption but I find the best overall prices on eggs and milk to be at Costco. My store has organic milk (2) gallons for $11. That is slightly less than the local grocery store where organic is $5.99/gallon. I go back and forth on buying milk at Costco just because 2 gallons takes up so much space in the fridge. The one thing we always get is the organic eggs. Costco has great prices on organic eggs. You might also consider almond milk- my Costco has (2) almond milk for the price of one at Target and the brand Costco carries (Califia) is far better then what I find elsewhere. The butter is an excellent, excellent deal as well. About $12 for 4 lbs and I typically see 1 lb for $5 at my grocery store. You can freeze butter so don’t be afraid to grab it.
8. Cheese. Goodness our family loves cheese and I find great prices at Costco. We regularly buy bricks of mozzarella (or sometimes fresh mozzarella), bricks of cheddar, sliced Tillamook cheese, Laughing Cow and more at Costco. It is by far the cheapest prices I find. They also have excellent prices on gourmet cheeses but again you do need to buy in bulk- so only a good deal if you eat it all.
9. Frozen Fruits and Veggies. The prices can be similar to the grocery stores but the quality at Costco is excellent. I make a lot of green smoothies and I find the organic fruit at Costco in general to be a lot cheaper than the grocery store. Plus I get larger bags so I am not running out every few days. We love the frozen peaches, mango and blueberries specifically. The blueberries are great for tossing into pancakes, smoothies or my kiddos love frozen blueberries as an after school snack. Again just watch the per lb price on the price tag so be sure you really are getting a good deal (most likely you are).
10. Wine/Alcohol. I tend to buy wine at Costco- they have lots of good brands for very reasonable prices and I tend to get Bogle or Liberty School as our house wine for about $6-9 per bottle. The Kirkland Margarita Mix is awesome as well. Just add ice- no tequila needed. And those are just some of the things I love to buy at Costco. There are many other great deals of course including tortilla chips, bread, grains, juices/lemonade/coffee etc… As for the Costco coupon book- not everything is a great deal in the coupon book but many of the items are. Unfortunately the only way to tell is to do the research- for example as of posting Costco has a coupon for Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. The price is $3.99 after coupon for (2) 24oz bags. Now that sounds good right? But to tell if it really is a good deal- I just Google Cinnamon Toast Crunch and click on images. I can see a standard size box and see that it is 12oz. So the Costco price is $.08 per oz which is like paying $.99 for a standard size box at the grocery store. That is a great price and if this was on my list I would grab it for sure. I also love to stock up on garbage bags, Ziploc bags, scrubbing pads, paper towels and toilet paper at Costco. I usually find the best prices when there is a coupon in the coupon book.
The Worst Deals at Costco
Again this is just my opinion and for sure there is something to be said for saving yourself some time shopping. These are the items that I don’t personally find to be a great deal and I typically avoid at Costco.
1. Fresh Meats. The prices at Costco on boneless, skinless chicken, ground beef and steaks in particular tend to be FAR more than I would pay at the grocery store. Note with these items it is very important to watch for sales at your grocery store and stock up and freeze the items. You will save a ton of money and save yourself the hassle of always trying to buy this stuff week after week. If you want something fancy, Costco might be the place for you to buy but for the basic staples I tend to buy at Sprouts or another grocery store on sale. (NOTE: You do need to watch the ads for you area in grocery stores and buy when things are at the cheapest. For example the price of boneless, skinless fresh chicken might be $3.49/lb one week and $1.99/lb the next week.)
Lots of people argue the steaks and beef at Costco are amazing deals. Our family has been consistently disappointed so I can only speak from my personal experience. You might take a look and see what you think.
Exception: The rotisserie chicken is always a great deal at Costco and a nice easy dinner!
2. Personal Care items such as shampoo, conditioner, razors, body wash etc… I personally don’t find these items to be a great deal at Costco. Often they are actually a lot more expensive than just watching for sales at Target or the drugstores. If you don’t mind occasionally clipping a few coupons you can probably get these items much cheaper at the drugstores. One exception is that I tend to buy Nexxus shampoo liters when there is a coupon at Costco. The shampoo is about $10. (Note: even for salon haircare I tend to buy it at Ulta when they run a big sale. I grab two shampoo and two conditioner at Ulta and that will easily last until the next sale. With the coupon, Nexxus conditioner is about $18 at Costco. Just to provide a comparison the Ulta sale mentioned above gets you a comparable product like Matrix for $9.49. A significant savings.
3. Books. I always check out the books at Costco and I snap photos of any books that catch my eye. I will usually keep them on my phone and when the time comes for me to buy a new Kindle book, I pull up the picture and buy the book. I find that Amazon frequently beats the Costco prices on books- especially if you like Kindle versions or paperbacks. Not always but it might be worth checking- you can download the Amazon app for free and actually just scan the bar code on the book to check quickly in store.
4. Cereal. I don’t tend to buy cereal at Costco unless there is a coupon and even with a coupon it isn’t always a great deal. We don’t buy the sugary cereals but I do get regular Cheerios and Kashi when they go on sale. Otherwise usually my grocery store has better prices (even without coupons.)
5. Household Cleaners. Not all the household cleaning items are a great deal at Costco plus you are buying in huge packages. Unless you are the Duggars or you have a small business or something you probably don’t need a lifetime supply of dish soap and Windex plus those packages are very hard to store. Here is an example of the prices I tend to see at Costco on cleaning products:
Tide Laundry Soap is priced at $19.99 for 170oz. That works out to $.11 per oz.
Tide regularly goes on sale for $5.00 (50oz) in my area. That is $.10 per oz. I try to buy Tide 50oz for $3.50- that is with a coupon and store promotion- so .07 per oz.
And you might be saying- well they offer coupons for Tide so that could be a better deal. The last time they ran a coupon book deal on Tide it was $18.49 or $.108 per oz- still more expensive.
So again this doesn’t apply to every single item but it can be worth checking out before you buy.
6. Candy and Treats. I thought I’d put this out there with Halloween around the corner. I don’t buy candy at Costco for two reasons- it is usually much more expensive than stores like Target and Walmart and the quantity is just too much for a standard size family. I love the chocolate covered raisins at Costco (they are seriously the best anywhere) but I find that I eat the entire vat of chocolate covered raisins so I tend to stay away :).
7. Diapers and Wipes. Yikes this is a controversial one and some people absolutely love the Costco brand wipes no matter the price. I have personally compared prices many many times and I always find Costco to be higher then a sale and a coupon at Target.
Pull Ups are $29.99 for 86 at my Costco. That works out to $.35 per Pull Up or like paying $7.70 per pack. At Target the regular price without a sale is $8.99 and I can always print a $2 off Pull Ups coupon. When there is a coupon in the Costco coupon book the prices are better but they still work out to be like paying $6.13 per pack or so – so not really a huge savings. A sale at Target is typically going to get you a better deal. So it doesn’t hurt to do the math before you buy.
8. Office Supplies. With the exception of ink refill cartridges- I don’t find the prices on paper and pens and such to be that great at Costco. The best bet is typically to watch for sales from office supply stores in the weekly ads or to just stock up on your supplies during the dirt cheap back to school sales in July and August every year. You’ll pay pennies on the dollar for your supplies.
9. Fresh Flowers. This is another controversial one. I hear a lot about how cheap flowers are at Costco and I just don’t find that to be the case. My Whole Foods, Farmer’s Market or Sprouts and Safeway all beat Costco prices on fresh flowers. (Update: I gave the flowers a second chance after people insisted they were wonderful. My $10 bouquet lasted precisely one day and then started to die. I will never buy flowers again myself but I am sure this can vary by local provider. You can also return the flowers to Costco for a refund if they die but really who wants to hold on to a dead bouquet and then go to the trouble of fighting your way back into the store for a refund. No thanks.)
Other Perks:
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AND if you do have a gas station at your Costco that alone can be worth the price of membership. When we lived in Seattle I exclusively bought gas at Costco because they always beat out everyone else in price. Now that I am in California, we don’t have gas stations at our store so I do miss those savings.
The deli at Costco is awesome. I am a vegetarian myself but I know people love the hot dogs! Get a fountain drink for $.59, Churros, smoothies or pizza. You can’t beat the prices.
Gift cards can be awesome deals at Costco if you can use them for restaurants, activities and vacations! We occasionally get gift cards to local restaurants for about 20% off the retail price. These can be great gifts during the holidays.
The Pharmacy and the Eye Glass center are also huge perks. We don’t often get prescriptions but I always buy glasses and contacts at Costco- the prices are significantly less than if I bought through my Doctor’s office. If you do need glasses, watch those monthly coupon books. They occasionally offer savings on prescription glasses.
And now it is your turn! What are your favorite deals at Costco and the things you tend to avoid?
I visit Costco at least twice a month. The double seated carts make it worth it alone. This way I am not chasing one of my kiddos around the store. I tend to pick up a chicken and that covers a big part of dinner that evening. I also use Costco to buy my husbands protein powder and bars. Peanut butter and Prego are also great when they are on sale and I definitely stock up. The peanut butter I was thinking would be a great item for an earthquake kit.
Diapers are controversial. 🙂
We buy Huggies and I find Costco with coupon to be cheaper than Target sales, and even cheaper than Target sales plus a coupon, usually. Every now and then when I can stack coupons at Target, it is cheaper, but it’s definitely not as convenient, and you have to do it far more often. Ain’t nobody got time for that. 😉 The only other time I see an easy save on diapers is when Amazon mom runs a deal plus coupon on Huggies.
We’ve been buying meats at Costco, because I’m bad at remembering the different costs per cut at grocery stores and can never tell if Costco is a good deal or not. I am feeling challenged to look more closely.
Thanks for the post! Love these ideas!
You should also take into consideration the area your living in. I’m in the DC area and the prices on meats at Costco are usually $1-$1.50 cheaper a pound. We buy their flowers every two weeks, because that’s how long the blooms last. They may be less expensive elsewhere, but the quality of their flowers outweigh every ones, especially Safeway’s!
I do avoid their office supplies, except for printer ink and post it notes, if they have them on sale…
Thanks for all the tips. We don’t have a coctco in our area but we do have sams club. A lot of what you posted I agree with for shopping at sams. The best thing I have learned is you are not saving money if you don’t use what you are buying. I made the mistake (several times) of buying a huge container of fruit and ended up throwing it out. Just because you are getting something in bulk does not always mean you are getting the best deal. Thanks for sharing 🙂
We usually buy organic ground beef and Costco is the cheapest in our area. Sometimes Aldi’s carries organic ground beef too at a comparable price. Conventional beef is cheaper, yes, but there is a definite difference between conventional vs. organic when it comes to beef.
I get my annual flu shot and all prescriptions at Costco. They have been the best pricing with or without insurance. You don’t have to be a member to get prescriptions filled but the price may be a bit more. I got a terrific deal (with rebates) on my Samsung 3 smart phone a couple years ago. I find the rotisserie chicken to be the best price around and their chickens are larger.
I avoid most other food items due to the bulk size (unless a friend wants to split some). I’ve found most paper products cheaper elsewhere when using a coupon with a sale price (Target, CVS, grocery store, etc.).
Helpful list! So when you use the vinegar in place of fabric softener, how much do you add? I started doing this for the towels but want to start for our clothes as well. You use the vinegar straight up?
Thanks!
Jen- at one point organic beef was available at my Costco but they stopped offering it regularly. They had a package available at $1500 at one point. Have you ever tried the Whole Foods sale? Once or twice a year they offer organic ground beef at $5.99/lb. I try to be careful where I buy it from because sometimes the discounted grocers source from Uruguay and other countries.
Yup! Totally Dodi. I can’t stand to toss stuff out.
We buy chicken breasts at Costco because it’s routinely 2.50/lb vs. 5.99/lb at the grocery store.
But that’s in my area.
Yes I think I mentioned in the post that prices can vary a bit from place to place. Here the prices are $1-2 per lb higher at Costco on beef and chicken. The important note on that though is that I don’t consider the weekly price of those items at my store as the price can literally double from week to week. I consider stock up prices instead which are only offered about every 4-6 weeks. So chicken for example is $1.99- 2.49 in my area and at Costco it is $3.99. I buy a lot on sale and freeze it.
Quality is important for sure. I just bought flowers at Trader Joe’s and they died 3 days later- so totally not worth the savings. Two weeks is great :). I usually have good luck with Whole Foods flowers and Safeway though.
Danielle- yes convenience is a plus for sure and the last thing you need is to run out of diapers. We still buy Pull Ups for my littlest so I tend to watch those prices. I know I can get 2 or 3 packs at Target for $6.99 or less and that almost always beats the price at Costco.
Jenell- darn if those carts aren’t brilliant! I love them too. I grab a kid’s book and a smoothie and my little ones are reasonably content for the trip. Much easier then screaming at them every second at Target or whatever… and I don’t want to discuss the wrestling each other to the ground incident at Sprouts recently :D. If only more stores had those carts- and I don’t mean the double seaters at Target that are like driving a school bus. Hate those 😉
Thanks for this! I just got back from a Costco trip. I love getting workout gear at Costco! Good to know that Ulta can be cheaper than Costco for shampoos and such, I never would have guessed that. How often does Ulta have their sales?
The Costcos in Hawaii are the best place to get a quick, reasonably priced lunch AND more importantly the best place to get souvenirs at a better price!!!
Emily-
Not often which is why I just buy 2 of each at a time. I don’t like to fuss with always searching around for sales on shampoo so I’d rather stock up. I usually get Abba and Paul Mitchell for about $12 with the coupon and the sale at Ulta as those are priced a bit higher. They tend to run the sales in July and Dec. If I buy 2 shampoo and 2 conditioner, that seems to last me until the next sale. The Nexxus is not a bad deal though if you don’t want to deal with Ulta. The shampoo especially is only slightly more 🙂
Lori- I do use plain old white vinegar. I was resistant at first because I thought the clothes might not smell good but honestly I haven’t noticed a difference and it has been months. Plus I read somewhere that one of the most toxic things in your home is fabric softener (depending on the brand) and really it is just one less product I have to fool with. I fill the line in the machine to where it says for fabric softener. We have an HE washer so there is a tray for detergent and fabric softener.
Barb- I wouldn’t have considered the flu shot but that is a great point!. The chicken is like 2-3x the size so it is a great deal 🙂
Erin that is an awesome point! When we got married in Puerto Vallarta my friend made me go to Sam’s Club or maybe it was Costco to stock up on things like Mexican Vanilla. It was way cheaper there too.
Oh Kim, have you watched sale prices? Like I mentioned prices on chicken and beef fluctuate a TON at grocery stores. $5.99 is what I would expect to see for organic chicken breast not conventional. You are really paying through the nose there and probably looking at a high price at the grocery store. You might just take 10 seconds per week to glance at the grocery ads in your area and make a mental note of the price of meats. Every 5 weeks or so you should see a great sale and that is when it is time to stock up on chicken and beef and whatnot. It is easy to freeze in single serving portions. Oh and don’t buy at like Target because they will always be way higher and won’t offer the same sales. Look for Safeway, Sprouts, Kroger, Publix ads and the front page typically has meat prices.
Hearing aid batteries are a steal.
Yeah….our membership expires in October and aside from cat litter, I can’t think of anything we can’t live without. Except it is nice to buy bulk paper products since I tend to forget until its too late. I actually stocked up on litter and told hubby we can always restart it if we need to. But I think its worth it to try. Plus we moved this year and are just out of convenience range in my opinion. That said I’m near several but didn’t have to go as far before. Yes a few coupons here and they will make it worth it to shop at a closer store instead. Savings enough in gas to counter act any price savings. I do love their rotisserie chickens and seasonal items though.
Toilet paper: I know drug stores/target sometimes have good sales, but the size of a roll of tp at costco is 425 sheets. A double roll of the others is around 180 sheets. 30 rolls for $15 at Costco, makes it really hard to justify dealing with ECB’s, gift cards, and coupons. (Sidenote, I watched a dateline or 20-20 about Costco about a year ago, and the exec they interviewed said that Kirkland toilet paper is their number one selling item).
I know you are vegetarian and you try to do organic for much of your food, but the price on their all beef hot dogs and hot dog buns can’t be beat. The best price (with a sale) I have been able to get lately on regular, store brand buns has been about 1.29 with 10/, and I can get the Costco pack of 24 for 2.49 every day. I know it isn’t that much cheaper than the grocery store, but I can buy it anytime without coupons. And 36 all beef hotdogs for 9.99 really can’t be beat.
The price for Huggies wipes isn’t bad when there is a coupon. It works out to be about 1.8 cents per wipe, which is below my buy price and I don’t mind doing that because I don’t have to worry about rolling ECB’s, or clipping coupons.
Cereal is controversial, but my kids love Honey Nut Cheerios, and when Costco puts it on sale here it is about 5.99. But the size of box is the equivalent of about 5.5 of the small boxes that go on sale at Safeway, Raleys, etc.
I almost forgot trash bags!!! I haven’t had to buy them in a while, but I think they are around $11-12, for 200, high quality drawstring bags. I about choke when I am between Costco trips and I look at buying those at the grocery store.
I can’t believe you’ve replied to everyone already. 🙂
I came back because this post got me wondering…I live (sort of) close to you, I think (I am just south of Sacramento). Do you have a price list for various cuts of meat that you go by? I feel like between the Sprouts, Trader Joes, Target and Costco in my area, I have a good handle on what “good” prices are for dairy, produce, and the few convenience items we buy, but I honestly have no idea about meat…
Also want to add – Kirkland brand formula is the cheapest way to go when it comes to formula.
Kristen- yup I formula fed two ladies and you are absolutely right :). Our pediatrician recommended it.
I buy all our coffee there; I think the 3# bag of beans is about $17 now. You might be able to find a deal somewhere now and then for less but I like the brand I find at Costco and the price is consistently lower than elsewhere.
I have bought our dog food there the past two times because I didn’t have time to run to the feed store for our regular brand. I used to use the Costco kind all the time but our vet cautioned against it because it contains animal by-products.
Photo! I got our Christmas cards last year, 50 for something like $26…way cheaper than Walgreens or any other local stores. Plus I didn’t have to order and then wait for shipping (and pay for shipping!) from online sites.
LOVE the photo center at Costco!
Really? Isn’t that odd because our vet recommends it. I’ll have to check into that 🙂
Yeah Laura I mentioned those. I always use them too. They are far better then the ones I get at the store too 🙂
I know there are cheaper wipes available but I love the Kirkland ones. I try to stock up when they are on sale, they are totally worth it to me!
I agree about the toiletries and other things. Better prices to be had elsewhere but you can’t beat Costco for butter/sugar/cheese/produce and other staples.
About the meat pricing- I too stock up at Sprouts on sales. Costco is more expensive than sale prices elsewhere but I think the quality is much better than Safeway and other regular grocery stores around.
And you didn’t mention the best part about Costco- if you don’t like it, you can return it! It makes me much more willing to try new things there. 🙂
Kirkland dish soap! The biggest dish soap I can find because we use a lot of it! Last me about three to four months!
Contact lenses! We pay for our Costco membership just in the savings from our contact lenses each year! I agree about the produce quality – way better than the grocery store. My understanding that it’s due to turnover – they sell so much that they’re constantly putting out fresh stuff. My daughter LOVES when I buy the giant bowl of cut fruit for a treat. (I know – I’m super lucky that a bowl of cut fruit is her special treat from Costco!) And if you’re buying a cake, you can’t beat a Costco cake. They’re DELICIOUS and a fraction of the cost of ordering one from a grocery store!
Remember you can freeze some of the fruits and vegetables rather than throw them out. That way you get more for your money.
A doctor called in a prescription for Aricept to CVS for someone I know. I went to pick it up and it was going to cost $194.00 for 30 tablets. I told CVS to hold off until I could call somewhere else. I called Costco and the cost was $14.93…. For the exact medicine–the exact number of pills and the exact strength. Needless to say, I was shocked there was that much of a difference!!! When I called CVS back they asked if the $14.93 was for 1 pill or the entire prescription. So, check before you buy…
We also get bread and tortillas at Costco–usually a much better price than our grocery stores around here. The contact lens solution I use is a great deal as well.
I’m curious what your vet’s response would be, it sure is cheaper at Costco! Someone else mentioned TP… I have been advised not to use Costco TP as we are on septic and apparently it doesn’t break down well. Not sure of the veracity of that but I like the $5 packages at Big Lots.
Hi Mara- yes I mentioned the contacts and I agree that alone pays for it. My little one wears glasses and the price at the optometrist was 3x that of Costco.
Wow! That is crazy Kay!
Debbie yes I could have totally frozen the fruit but I just wasn’t expecting it to go bad so quickly :). Next time I will know to eat it immediately or freeze it.
Has anyone actually used the Kirkland brand toliet paper? We uses to use Angel Soft but read a consumers report that WalMart’s White Cloud beat all others out in tests preformed and price- we switched and like it. We would like to try Kirkland but want some reviews first! TIA!
We’ve been able to get some amazing rental car prices through the Costco travel website.
I think Costco meat is the best next to earthfare. $9.89# for new York strip steak is easy better than $12.99. It is easy better tasting and tender. Hamburger $3.19 is much better than $4.05 and $4.59# at Kroger. $18.99# for organic 4# hamburger great deal. Pork and chicken not so much. It’s convenient. In there at least once a week 90%of my grocery,/ hosting is done there
We move and are no longer near Costco, so I make a special road trip a couple times a year for the following: organic natural peanut butter, Kirkland brand soy milk (hubby prefers it), Kirkland plastic wrap (I love it, and lasts long time), vitamins, and big tubs of hummus!
Thanks Charlene! This is great. I’ve followed your blog for about 5 years. Last year I got fed up with couponing plus I just don’t have the time anymore. So we joined CostCo. I have my price book for comparison to CostCo prices so that I can check to see if it’s a good deal.
LOL- I know Leanne. I am not fed up with couponing but like anything it goes in cycles with me :). I have tried to evolve the blog just a bit to offer more then just coupon deals and you’ll see more of that for sure in 2015. It just takes sooo much time and I don’t see the excitement from readers on the matchups and such anymore. I think a lot of my original readers have stopped coupons altogether now.
Thanks for all the tips, Charlene, and everyone else for adding.
Charlene, just wanted to gently point out that you are using the word “then” when you mean “than” (comparing things)…
I’ve had good luck with the dog food there. Some people don’t like it because the parent company, Diamond, has had some recalls. I stopped using it for awhile, but my dogs, and the foster dogs, do really well on the Nature’s Domain salmon, so I’ve gone back to it. We also buy the canned dog food. Been very happy with the price of tires, and the warranty on them as well. Allergy medicine has been a big saver for us as well.
Thanks for this, I was really into coupon in for a while, but now at 9 months pregnant and shuttling my 5 yr old around I just don’t have the energy to go to multiple stores. I use coupons when I can or when it’s a great deal, and otherwise I shop for good prices. I find costco produce, cheese, and organic ground turkey to be really worthwhile, and when they have snacks on coupon we pick those up as well.