Is Costco worth it in your opinion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m gave up my membership and go there with gift cards I purchased before leaving. Why pay the annual when I can still give there with a GC and you suckers can pay the annual for me?

Because most of us can get our membership back+ through rewards.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm looking for ways to cut our spending this year and I'm thinking of finally getting a Costco membership. Is it worth it? What types of items are cheaper there? I'm looking for a good amount of savings because (like everyone else) we have limited time on the weekends (which is realistically the only time I could go). Two kids and working parents. Trying to buckle down and save a lot this year so this seems to be a next step. Interested in folks thoughts. (I searched this board but didn't find much)

No.

I went there to check it out once.... I really couldn't imagine buying much there. It's just excess stuff you don't really need.

Do you not eat?

Shop at Costco like you play craps - stick to the bets on the perimeter, stay away from the middle, that's for the suckers.

The whole idea of costco is : BIG. You need a Big car to haul all those Big lots of stuff, so you can store it in a Big frigde/freezer/pantry/basement, and become bigger eating all the stuff you bought so cheaply! I don't need to supersize my life that much. I can buy a family pack of chicken or ground beef at wegmans and divide it into 6-7 freezer bags...I don't need 20 lbs of ground beef! I can buy the 12 rolls of TP at Wegmans. I don't need to store 80 rolls of TP. I don't need a 90in TV. I don't need an 18in apple pie! I don't want to buy 12 jars of peanutbutter at one time. I don't need a gigantic anything!

Honestly, the gross consumption just made me sick.

This is so ignorant that the person sounds like they never set foot in Costco.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm looking for ways to cut our spending this year and I'm thinking of finally getting a Costco membership. Is it worth it? What types of items are cheaper there? I'm looking for a good amount of savings because (like everyone else) we have limited time on the weekends (which is realistically the only time I could go). Two kids and working parents. Trying to buckle down and save a lot this year so this seems to be a next step. Interested in folks thoughts. (I searched this board but didn't find much)

No.

I went there to check it out once.... I really couldn't imagine buying much there. It's just excess stuff you don't really need.

Do you not eat?

Shop at Costco like you play craps - stick to the bets on the perimeter, stay away from the middle, that's for the suckers.

The whole idea of costco is : BIG. You need a Big car to haul all those Big lots of stuff, so you can store it in a Big frigde/freezer/pantry/basement, and become bigger eating all the stuff you bought so cheaply! I don't need to supersize my life that much. I can buy a family pack of chicken or ground beef at wegmans and divide it into 6-7 freezer bags...I don't need 20 lbs of ground beef! I can buy the 12 rolls of TP at Wegmans. I don't need to store 80 rolls of TP. I don't need a 90in TV. I don't need an 18in apple pie! I don't want to buy 12 jars of peanutbutter at one time. I don't need a gigantic anything!

Honestly, the gross consumption just made me sick.

This is so ignorant that the person sounds like they never set foot in Costco.

I agree. There are not 80 rolls of toilet paper in a pack. I buy peanut butter in packs of 2 and have no trouble using that up. Ground beef (or at least the organic kind) is sold so that you can detach packs and freeze them separately. No need to get out ziploc bags and divide manually.

However if I had a Wegmans nearby I might do the same as the PP and forgo Costco. Wegmans does have family packs for a lot of items.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm looking for ways to cut our spending this year and I'm thinking of finally getting a Costco membership. Is it worth it? What types of items are cheaper there? I'm looking for a good amount of savings because (like everyone else) we have limited time on the weekends (which is realistically the only time I could go). Two kids and working parents. Trying to buckle down and save a lot this year so this seems to be a next step. Interested in folks thoughts. (I searched this board but didn't find much)

No.

I went there to check it out once.... I really couldn't imagine buying much there. It's just excess stuff you don't really need.

Do you not eat?

Shop at Costco like you play craps - stick to the bets on the perimeter, stay away from the middle, that's for the suckers.

The whole idea of costco is : BIG. You need a Big car to haul all those Big lots of stuff, so you can store it in a Big frigde/freezer/pantry/basement, and become bigger eating all the stuff you bought so cheaply! I don't need to supersize my life that much. I can buy a family pack of chicken or ground beef at wegmans and divide it into 6-7 freezer bags...I don't need 20 lbs of ground beef! I can buy the 12 rolls of TP at Wegmans. I don't need to store 80 rolls of TP. I don't need a 90in TV. I don't need an 18in apple pie! I don't want to buy 12 jars of peanutbutter at one time. I don't need a gigantic anything!

Honestly, the gross consumption just made me sick.

This is so ignorant that the person sounds like they never set foot in Costco.

I agree. There are not 80 rolls of toilet paper in a pack. I buy peanut butter in packs of 2 and have no trouble using that up. Ground beef (or at least the organic kind) is sold so that you can detach packs and freeze them separately. No need to get out ziploc bags and divide manually.

However if I had a Wegmans nearby I might do the same as the PP and forgo Costco. Wegmans does have family packs for a lot of items.

There's a Wegman's right next to our nearest Costco and though they try to roughly price match on a few things, for our typical list Costco costs us 60% of their prices or less. And that doesn't include savings on gas, dog food etc. that there isn't an equivalent.

[Anonymous]

Not everything at Costco is big. Online I buy Creme de La Mer for 20% off. Boys snow pants are on sale for $14.97 with free shipping. My husband's $120 cologne was $56. I bought 2 sweatpants with reinforced knees for my son for $10 total.

Rao's pasta sauce is much cheaper there, spices are really cheap too. Beef tenderloin is good quality for a great price. Their beer, wine and liquor (if you go to DC) is always cheap. Allergy medicine and supplements are much cheaper too.

Their rental car discount is worth it alone.

If you are on a tight budget and really want to save money on milk, meat and produce and don't care about organic then Aldi is probably better for you. Otherwise, there are some great savings to be had.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one has mentioned that costco periodically has sales with items that end in $xxx.97. Anything ending in .97 is a mark down or will be discontinued soon. I snagged some post-thanksgiving treats like boxed stuffing for $1.97 and some fried onions $2.97.

The point is, on a per unit basis, you're saving more money if you buy in bulk but only to the extent if you are disciplined enough to use everything.

And to make me look crazier: I am a single guy with no car who takes the metro to Pentagon City costco. It's definitely worth the $60 annual fee. And seriously, $60....on an annual basis?! Some of you spend more time on DCUM boards (and multiply your time spent by your hourly wage) and you would be surprised that $60 seriously isn't that difficult to rally.

And, since we're on a finance board, let me help you find $60: every month, save $5. $5 x 12 months = $60.

You people are helpless.

Yes!!! I bought 2 massive planters that were on closeout for $11.97. Full price I think they were about $30. Something very similar looking (but lower quality) was available at Home Depot for over $100 each. I have been using these planters now for 5 years and they look brand-new and are great.

Where in the store do they have the .97 deals??

They are mixed in with everything else. There's no central location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one has mentioned that costco periodically has sales with items that end in $xxx.97. Anything ending in .97 is a mark down or will be discontinued soon. I snagged some post-thanksgiving treats like boxed stuffing for $1.97 and some fried onions $2.97.

The point is, on a per unit basis, you're saving more money if you buy in bulk but only to the extent if you are disciplined enough to use everything.

And to make me look crazier: I am a single guy with no car who takes the metro to Pentagon City costco. It's definitely worth the $60 annual fee. And seriously, $60....on an annual basis?! Some of you spend more time on DCUM boards (and multiply your time spent by your hourly wage) and you would be surprised that $60 seriously isn't that difficult to rally.

And, since we're on a finance board, let me help you find $60: every month, save $5. $5 x 12 months = $60.

You people are helpless.

Yes!!! I bought 2 massive planters that were on closeout for $11.97. Full price I think they were about $30. Something very similar looking (but lower quality) was available at Home Depot for over $100 each. I have been using these planters now for 5 years and they look brand-new and are great.

Where in the store do they have the .97 deals??

They are mixed in with everything else. There's no central location.

Right--they are mixed in, and the only way you can see that they are closeout is the last digits of the price. Go scan for .97!

We have 2 kids who are off to college. I wondered if we would stop going to Costco, but it remains worth it easily, even as we buy a lot less consumables. As mentioned, gas alone, the travel and rental car. Recently I bought a jar of Rao's at Target in a pinch and I had to force myself. It's such a better deal at Costco!

[Anonymous]

NOT worth it. 1. Sams club is much closer and the drive is so far that we can't buy frozen food. 2. Can't really buy anything without spending hundreds of dollars there. We have a Costco card but ONLY because we get one for free because family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one has mentioned that costco periodically has sales with items that end in $xxx.97. Anything ending in .97 is a mark down or will be discontinued soon. I snagged some post-thanksgiving treats like boxed stuffing for $1.97 and some fried onions $2.97.

The point is, on a per unit basis, you're saving more money if you buy in bulk but only to the extent if you are disciplined enough to use everything.

And to make me look crazier: I am a single guy with no car who takes the metro to Pentagon City costco. It's definitely worth the $60 annual fee. And seriously, $60....on an annual basis?! Some of you spend more time on DCUM boards (and multiply your time spent by your hourly wage) and you would be surprised that $60 seriously isn't that difficult to rally.

And, since we're on a finance board, let me help you find $60: every month, save $5. $5 x 12 months = $60.

You people are helpless.

Yes!!! I bought 2 massive planters that were on closeout for $11.97. Full price I think they were about $30. Something very similar looking (but lower quality) was available at Home Depot for over $100 each. I have been using these planters now for 5 years and they look brand-new and are great.

Where in the store do they have the .97 deals??

They are mixed in with everything else. There's no central location.

Right--they are mixed in, and the only way you can see that they are closeout is the last digits of the price. Go scan for .97!

We have 2 kids who are off to college. I wondered if we would stop going to Costco, but it remains worth it easily, even as we buy a lot less consumables. As mentioned, gas alone, the travel and rental car. Recently I bought a jar of Rao's at Target in a pinch and I had to force myself. It's such a better deal at Costco!

Are you the wife that gave her husband a jar of that stuff for his birthday a few months back?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NOT worth it. 1. Sams club is much closer and the drive is so far that we can't buy frozen food. 2. Can't really buy anything without spending hundreds of dollars there. We have a Costco card but ONLY because we get one for free because family.

But would your opinion change if Costco was the close option and Sams was the far one? Do you have similar trouble spending uncontrollably at Sams? Haven’t been to a Sams in years so can’t remember how they differ in terms of selection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NOT worth it. 1. Sams club is much closer and the drive is so far that we can't buy frozen food. 2. Can't really buy anything without spending hundreds of dollars there. We have a Costco card but ONLY because we get one for free because family.

The quality of Costco products is superior. It is true that Sam's Club can be cheaper (but not a good value, IMO).

And I do not spend money at Walmart or Sam's Club because of the company's very unethical practices in many regards, including with employees.

In contrast, Costco is known as an excellent workplace and having more ethical conduct in general. It's a company I like supporting, and I like how much $$ I save.

[Anonymous]

We don’t go there strictly because the driving, parking, shopping, putting away is such a huge time suck and we have better things to do with our time especially on the weekends. If we had a closer one I’d definitely go at least occasionally since the savings on the massive amounts of mixed nuts, sparkling water, and Rao's we consume would easily pay for the membership.

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot, DCUM. At Costco today, for the first time I started paying attention to the closeout prices. Zebra brand popcorn (gourmet popcorn drizzed in chocolate) was $2.97 for a big bag. That stuff is crack cocaine!

[Anonymous]

We have a few items that we like buying in bulk and it makes sensse to do so.

We occasionally throw big parties so shopping at Costco is a big money saver for that.

[Anonymous]

We are a family of 6 and I bake a lot, so we get the big bags of flour, sugar, packs of butter, and oatmeal. All of that lasts forever (and we go through it) and is cheaper than any grocery stores. We find Costco is actually more expensive for eggs - we do those at Wegmans. Costco peanut butter is a good value, as is meat. Foil and parchment paper we do Costco. Ziplock and trash bags, also Costco. Got a good price on a stand mixer there. Costco birthday cakes are also a great value - huge and very high quality. Yogurts and apple sauces for kids lunches. Prosecco