Grocery shopping at Costco for 2

[Anonymous]

If you have storage and a deep freezer then yes. You can meal plan, freeze and buy some things in bulk to last you a few months.

[Anonymous]

I'm a single mom with one child and I don't shop for everyday stuff there. It would be too much food waste. I am on my mom's membership so I go there occasionally for a few items but not everyday stuff. If there was another person you could split up some of the food with or if you can be added on someone's membership then it could be worth it for some items that you know you like. My child is super picky and not a big eater so that is another reason why I don't typically shop there. I think Aldi or shopping the sales with a good weekly meal plan will be your best bet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it worth it to buy anything at Costco for a family of 2? Single mom and elementary age child. I’m trying to save on my grocery bill because I’m spending a ridiculous amount, but I don’t think we eat enough food all at once for Costco.

If you have any single mom friends I would see if they want to go halves. It would make more sense. You can get milk, butter, eggs, berries, grapes, etc. plus a roasted chicken, bagged salads, frozen fruit for smoothies, pasta, paper goods, jarred sauce, pre-made foods. If you got the 6pck of stuffed peppers that would be 3 weeks of dinner for one each. It is cost effective but it might be helpful to have some premade meals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Costco has great stuff but it won't necessarily save you money.

It can, if it's convenient to you and you do it right.

I can't do all of my shopping there, but alternate weeks between Costco and the regular grocery store. Milk, butter, eggs, half & half are all significantly cheaper, and keep well enough that I stock up there and only hit Giant for things like garlic, which I certainly don't need to buy in massive quantities.

That said, I'm able to go midweek when it's not insanely crowded and buy gas at the same time, which is also cheaper. If I were limited to weekend shopping (or the Pentagon City location ever), not sure I'd find it worth the hassle.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you have friends with a membership, ask if you could give them cash to buy you a gift card.

You don't need to be a member to shop with one, and you could give it a try to see whether you think it's worth it.

[Anonymous]

Or, if another friend will split the membership with you, do that. You get 2 cards (can be 2 different families, we give ours to my parents). You each pay half (no, I don't charge my parents)

[Anonymous]

It depends on your eating patterns. I did the math once and just the savings on milk for our kid paid for the annual membership as we were saving a couple dollars a week on milk. The other big savings items are meat, nuts, PB, fancy jam, berries, coffee, and some high end stuff like Raos, Kerrygold, pesto. If you buy any of those regularly, it may pay for your membership. I haven’t priced out the yogurt and sandwich bread for comparison but that’s another area where I suspect the savings would cover the annual cost, if you buy those regularly. The also often have great prices on kids clothes and coats but that’s pretty hit or miss so I wouldn’t get it for that. They also have decent prices on sheets, towels, and pans, but so does Target.
The trick is that you need to shop smartly — don’t buy a five pound bag of carrots, and stay away from the snack food and electronics aisles unless there is something you specifically need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it worth it to buy anything at Costco for a family of 2? Single mom and elementary age child. I’m trying to save on my grocery bill because I’m spending a ridiculous amount, but I don’t think we eat enough food all at once for Costco.

Especially Not for the elementary aged kid, could be ok for an athletic teenage boy

[Anonymous]

Family of 2 here. I have had a Costco membership for several years now and it's absolutely worth it. It only costs $60 which means you only even need to go to Costco a few times a year to get your money's worth.

Meat and alcohol are the two big things I save on, I actually made my membership money back in a single purchase this year - I bought a brisket for a BBQ which was $3.99/lb at Costco and would have been $7.99/lb at Safeway or Giant. That saved me $64 on one piece of meat! Beer saves a ton of money too. $25 for a 36 pack of beer at Costco as opposed to $19 for 24 at the grocery or liquor store. $32 for a 24 pack of Three Notch'd which would cost $60 buying six packs at the grocery store. $14 for a box of (perfectly good) Kirkland wine instead of $20 for a (significantly worse) Bota Box at the grocery. And it's not like beer and wine go bad, you can buy in bulk with no waste.

Also stuff like vitamins, antacid, cat litter, soda, paper towels, toilet paper. All stuff you can stock up on and use over time even as a small household and all stuff that costs significantly less at Costco.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes.

Costco is crazy cheap for some things that totally make it worth it. Boxes of pasta are now $2.99-3.99 for a decent brand. I got 6 1lb pastas for $9.99. Half and half at Costco is like $1.99 while at a regular grocery store it is often double the price. We drink a lot of coffee and buy 6 cartons of half and half at a time (it keeps for a long time). Cans of tuna, chicken, paper towels, cleaning products, tin foil, plastic wrap, trash bags...all so much cheaper. You can also find good deals for health products. There are many things way cheaper than a regular store unless you're going to Trader Joe's or a penny pinching low quality store like Aldi.

We shop for two people at Costo and love it. Yesterday I bought a big jar of pesto for $9.99, which is usually super expensive at a regular store for a much smaller jar. The quality is great. I also love going to Costco because they constantly change out their products and you're always finding hidden gems. I mean who'd ever guess they'd have yakisoba, street tacos, and indian desserts right next to their awesome $5 chickens?

1lb of pasta at most grocery stores is $1 or less. That's ridiculously overpriced.

[Anonymous]

If you only want to go to one store for your weekly grocery shopping it shouldn't be Costco. Costco is great for some things, but overall their prices are not stellar across the board.

Meal planning around cheaper items should be the easiest cost saver for you. For instance a large container of oats is a few bucks. I make various baked oatmeals for most breakfasts through the fall and winter. They are warm, filling and leftovers freeze beautifully. If I'm making a pumpkin version I'll make sure to have another way to use the rest of the pumpkin from the can (like in a butternut squash soup).

Costco rotisserie chickens are great. Croissants are a good value as well. You'll occasionally find items here and there that are a decent savings, but honestly rarely will you find their food prices so amazingly better than your local grocery store. You may save a few bucks, but your membership fee and gas to get there may not work out in your favor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes.

Costco is crazy cheap for some things that totally make it worth it. Boxes of pasta are now $2.99-3.99 for a decent brand. I got 6 1lb pastas for $9.99. Half and half at Costco is like $1.99 while at a regular grocery store it is often double the price. We drink a lot of coffee and buy 6 cartons of half and half at a time (it keeps for a long time). Cans of tuna, chicken, paper towels, cleaning products, tin foil, plastic wrap, trash bags...all so much cheaper. You can also find good deals for health products. There are many things way cheaper than a regular store unless you're going to Trader Joe's or a penny pinching low quality store like Aldi.

We shop for two people at Costo and love it. Yesterday I bought a big jar of pesto for $9.99, which is usually super expensive at a regular store for a much smaller jar. The quality is great. I also love going to Costco because they constantly change out their products and you're always finding hidden gems. I mean who'd ever guess they'd have yakisoba, street tacos, and indian desserts right next to their awesome $5 chickens?

1lb of pasta at most grocery stores is $1 or less. That's ridiculously overpriced.

You don't know what brand they were getting. Costco carries Garofalo and Rummo pastas which are ~$4/lb at regular grocery stores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it worth it to buy anything at Costco for a family of 2? Single mom and elementary age child. I’m trying to save on my grocery bill because I’m spending a ridiculous amount, but I don’t think we eat enough food all at once for Costco.

Get a friend to split produce, etc.

[Anonymous]

The "split with a friend" suggestions seem like a lot of work.

Costco sells in bulk, but the bulk is often divided: 3 one-pound packages of organic ground beef, say. Use one, freeze two. Same with boneless chicken parts. Similarly, I have kids who would happily go through the entire case of mangos or pears all by themselves, or who will definitely eat two melons' worth of cantaloupe in a few days. Costco also has prepared, refrigerated meats, already cooked, that just need to be reheated. They're vacuum sealed and will keep for a couple of weeks.

[Anonymous]

If you can make in big batches and freeze. Or only buy things you eat a lot of. Eg if you drink a lot of milk or bake.

For me, I’d buy the eggs, big tillamook block, sauces, rice, tortillas. Make a big batch of freezer breakfast burritos and freeze. Olive oil and maple syrup are well priced here too.