What should I buy at Costco?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, people are just putting down their grocery lists but do you know for a fact that it's cheaper than say Safeway or Giant or Trader Joes or Aldi? I buy everything at Costco but I have no idea if it's cheaper than other places. I just shop there because I hear that it's cheaper. With that said, the things that I think are cheaper than other places (except maybe Aldi not sure) are...

Gas
Beer (Miller Lite 36-packs)
Wine (Kirkland)
Organic Milk
Cheese Sticks
Eggs
Maple Syrup
Rotisserie Chicken
Steaks

But we buy all of our produce etc from there. I'm surprised so many families have trouble with the portion sizes of their produce that it goes bad before you can finish. We have a family of 4. Two parents and a 11 and 13 year old. No problem finishing bag of Brussel sprouts, bag of asparagus, bag of 5 avocados, pack of 3 cucumbers, bag of broccoli, some times we don't finish all the berries. But in general, we rarely have to throw anything away.

On the flip side, I don't know of anything specifically that I know is a bad deal. Anyone?

One of my kids loves Pepperidge Farm cinnamon raisin bread, has it toasted for breakfast every day. At Teeter its like $3-4 a loaf. I never really get groceries at Costco but after reading this thread I went around that section last weekend and saw that they have this bread there and its 2 loaves for $3.50. !!!! Literally half the cost.

On the flip side I got a bag of six avocados and they are still hard as rocks, a week later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, people are just putting down their grocery lists but do you know for a fact that it's cheaper than say Safeway or Giant or Trader Joes or Aldi? I buy everything at Costco but I have no idea if it's cheaper than other places. I just shop there because I hear that it's cheaper. With that said, the things that I think are cheaper than other places (except maybe Aldi not sure) are...

Gas
Beer (Miller Lite 36-packs)
Wine (Kirkland)
Organic Milk
Cheese Sticks
Eggs
Maple Syrup
Rotisserie Chicken
Steaks

But we buy all of our produce etc from there. I'm surprised so many families have trouble with the portion sizes of their produce that it goes bad before you can finish. We have a family of 4. Two parents and a 11 and 13 year old. No problem finishing bag of Brussel sprouts, bag of asparagus, bag of 5 avocados, pack of 3 cucumbers, bag of broccoli, some times we don't finish all the berries. But in general, we rarely have to throw anything away.

On the flip side, I don't know of anything specifically that I know is a bad deal. Anyone?

One of my kids loves Pepperidge Farm cinnamon raisin bread, has it toasted for breakfast every day. At Teeter its like $3-4 a loaf. I never really get groceries at Costco but after reading this thread I went around that section last weekend and saw that they have this bread there and its 2 loaves for $3.50. !!!! Literally half the cost.

On the flip side I got a bag of six avocados and they are still hard as rocks, a week later.

Aside: Put them in a brown paper bag and they soften up as needed. The hard avocados are my favorite because they last longer but after 24 hours in a brown paper bag one is ready. Sometimes I put an apple in there too if I would prefer it quicker.

[Anonymous]

WHERE DID THE SEAWEED SALAD GO?
I'm desperate. Send help.

[Anonymous]

OP here - I finally got my act together and went today, joined, and bought a whole bunch of stuff. I actually sat in the parking lot, with pen and paper, and read through every single post on this thread to make a list. I am totally drinking the kool aid; I only bought things that were substantially cheaper than what I'd pay at Giant, and I'm pretty sure I already made up the membership cost. Thanks so much for all the tips, seems there are a lot of believers on here!

[Anonymous]

The Kirkland Irish cream liqueur is fantastic and much cheaper than Bailey’s.

[Anonymous]

I hope you bought tiramisu

[Anonymous]

Solid albacore tuna. You can buy like 6-8 cans for $14.99. the one brand they have is like $3.99 for a single can at whole foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Solid albacore tuna. You can buy like 6-8 cans for $14.99. the one brand they have is like $3.99 for a single can at whole foods.

The oil packed one? That stuff is so good.

Part of what I like about costco is being able to get large enough sizes of things that I rarely run out. I buy 200 trash bags and it usually lasts the whole year. I buy laundry and dishwasher packs 2-3 times. We also get:
Coffee
String cheese
protein bars
kombucha
toilet paper
salad
dumplings
nuts
rotisserie chicken
toms shoes

[Anonymous]

The bananas are terrible. They go from green to brown overnight

[Anonymous]

I have never been to Costco! I imagine an enormous maze and I think I would be overwhelmed. They sell tires? Lol. Talk me off the cliff?

[Anonymous]

Costco Hearing Aids.

[Anonymous]

We buy:

-Toilet paper and paper towel & Kleenex
-body wash, shampoo, razor blades, vitamins, contact solution, cold medicine, protein shakes, bar soap, Olay retinal, body lotion
-dog beds and milk bones
- bed sheets and down comforter
-faucets
-flatscreen TVs & wall mounts
-printer ink & office supplies
-glasses
-socks & hoodies

-wine
-salmon, tuna, halibut, chicken, hamburger & steaks
-cheese, turkey & hummus
-yogurt, eggs
-frozen berries
-fruit
-salad, veggies
-chia seeds, walnuts & almonds
Peanuts & peanut butter
-candy
-salsa

Plantation shutters
Also bought 2 cars through Costco car buying program

[Anonymous]

Always rent cars through Costco. Free secnond driver and it’s always been cheaper than elsewhere. The savings on one car rental alone covers the membership. Also - tires and tire installation.

And of course, all paper goods, kids juice, winter clothes etc.

[Anonymous]

I buy a lot of the products already listed, but some of my best purchases have been online. I bought birkenstocks this summer and a couple of higher end foundations. We used costco's travel service for a trip to Europe and for car rentals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Considering joining and hope to reduce my very high monthly grocery bill. We are a family of 4 with small to medium amount of storage. I think I’ll make it there once per month or so. Any tips on what’s a particularly good deal? Thanks!

Buy stuff on sale at Giant and Safeway, shop at Aldi or Lidl. No need to join Costco.