I think if you don't have time to shop sales (or don't want to waste gas running to different stores), can maintain basic level adult discipline (have a list, follow a list), Costco can be a real source of savings of both time and money. It is our primary grocery: We go grocery shopping roughly every two weeks, focus on core staples, and don't get drawn in by "extras" that don't make sense for us. We buy some produce there that we either burn through (giant bag of spinach) or that last (giant bag of organic carrots). We then just pick up additional fresh ingredients quickly elsewhere in places where we already are at (e.g., the Asian grocery near DCs swimming lessons, milk from Target when we're there). We fill up our gas tanks there also. We've never had a year where the cash back savings hasn't paid for the membership and we spend less on groceries overall with a Costco membership than we did prior (even though our kids are now teens and we added a dog to the mix).

I'm not generally prone to impulse purchases, and this helped make it worthwhile.

Items that stood out for savings: gas, stamps, gift cards near the holidays, good cheese, roasts (often would freeze half or one of two), paper towels (same brand I'd buy elsewhere), trash bags (different brand, not noticeably different quality), and lots of fresh veg -- I try to eat primarily fresh plant-based, and you can get larger volume & get through it if you eat a lot of it. However, if you aren't eating a lot when it comes to produce, the amounts you buy will rot.

No not worth it. You leave with half a dozen things and it costs $400. You still have to go shopping afterwards. And to the "cheaper toilet paper" people, that toilet paper, even the same brands, are not as soft. They don't feel the same as you get in the grocery store or Target. It's some kind of Costco "crap special".

Contact lens savings pay for membership.

If you lack impulse control, as apparently most pps do, you can order online for the savings.

It's worth it for toilet paper and a few other staples. I also find the occasional article of clothing I like at good prices. It's easy to go overboard shopping there unless you are careful. We have the executive membership and just got our annual rebate, which is nice. Free money to spend on our next trip there.

Random things are not necessarily cheaper but better quality like meats and berries etc. it's worth it to us just for gas and alcohol.

Anonymous wrote:The savings on paper towels and toilet paper alone is worth it for us. Then there are the savings on knick knacks like lunch boxes, books, halloween candy that add on to the "worth it" value for our family.

+1 We are family of four.

We also buy their organic chicken in packs. It's sealed in individual packs, and we freeze it, and I like some of their prepared foods, cooked and uncooked.

cooking oils - olive, canola
sea salt
body wash
toothpaste
floss
detergent
cereal (DH eats it every morning)
kids' jackets that they outgrow every year

Oh, and their optical department has great frames for 59.99. I no longer buy frames from my optometrist.

Gas savings are big too!

The savings on paper towels and toilet paper alone is worth it for us. Then there are the savings on knick knacks like lunch boxes, books, halloween candy that add on to the "worth it" value for our family.

Anonymous wrote:When we were buying their dog food, the savings on the dog food alone paid for the year-long subscription fee. Now that we don't, I can't find anything comparable that would make it worth it.

There are A LOT of things at Costco you'd never buy if you didn't see them, or wouldn't spend that amount of money on if you weren't there. In many ways, we ended up spending a lot more by going there than just going to the store.

There's also a lot of junk food that is hard to resist -- frozen takitos, frozen burgers. Lots of snack foods better avoided, etc.

I posted a thread a while ago asking what items paid for the subscription and couldn't find any that justified it for us.

Agree. Savings on some items but too much temptation to impulse buy. Unless you have a big family and eat a lot of food (and you all like the same foods), a lot of the food purchases end up being wasted.

That said, savings on tires and glasses are significant. So if you are planning to buy those items this year, it’s worth it. Just limit your trips to the warehouse to curb impulse spending.

Car rental at a popular spring break location last year saved us 3 years worth of membership.

There are at least a dozen recent threads on what people buy at Costco.
But if we don’t earn more in rewards than the cost of the annual membership — we can return the membership for a redund. Check that this is still the case as we’ve never earned less that $100 in rewards.
So there’s no downside to membership.

When we were buying their dog food, the savings on the dog food alone paid for the year-long subscription fee. Now that we don't, I can't find anything comparable that would make it worth it.

There are A LOT of things at Costco you'd never buy if you didn't see them, or wouldn't spend that amount of money on if you weren't there. In many ways, we ended up spending a lot more by going there than just going to the store.

There's also a lot of junk food that is hard to resist -- frozen takitos, frozen burgers. Lots of snack foods better avoided, etc.

I posted a thread a while ago asking what items paid for the subscription and couldn't find any that justified it for us.

Not worth it for my family of 3. I have little self control, so I always came home with "extras" that looked good. I think their regular prices are better than grocery store/target on paper towels/laundry detergent, etc, but not better than sale/coupon prices other places (and I'm pretty good at utilizing sales).

I go twice a year when my mom visits and stock up on ground turkey and chicken breasts for the freezer. When DS was in his video game phase, I bought batteries there too. That's it though. Everything else I find cheaper elsewhere.

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)