Gas made it worth it for sure @ the DC one. But we didn't have an extra freezer - and had a relatively small fridge. Now we have two fridges and a small deep freezer, and it's definitely worth it. I have had a membership for ~ 15 years. I had it as a single woman in the early 2000s, it was good for booze and books on discount. Then as a married person in DC, definitely booze, staples like chicken broth, diced tomatoes for cooking. Then baby comes along and you need a whole bunch of stuff. I will say I split the membership with my best friend when I was single, so that made the cost more bearable.

Anonymous wrote:Is it still worth it if a) you live in a small space and don't have room to store a years' worth of TP/garbage bags/frozen food; b) your local Costco doesn't have gas; c) you're vegetarian? In theory it sounds great, just not sure the math would still work in our favor under these conditions.

And 10:28 I'm not sure what's eye-roll worthy about that. I think it's great that Costco treats their employees well and all else being equal, that makes me want to spend money there instead of Amazon.

Probably not. I would say the storage space is the biggest issue, mostly for paper and dry goods. If you're organized, you can dole out the dry goods into portions and use them gradually - but you need to have space to keep the extra until you need it. We also buy all the paper goods we can there, and 12 rolls of paper towels at a time takes up a lot of space. We are not a vegetarian family but haven't yet gotten good at taking advantage of their meat pricing (it's our first year of membership) and I think there is probably substantial room for saving there as well, so that might hurt your value too. And, of course, you need to be able to freeze a lot of it.

Anonymous wrote:Costco pizza. $10 for a huge combo pizza! Rotisserie chicken for $5 is a good deal too.

I think when I buy apples there it's $.89 a lb. vs. $1.69 a lb. in the grocery store.

Also, I split a membership with my parents so my mom and I each have a card and it only costs $20 each.

If your mom lives in different address, this is against Costco policy.

Otherwise, people will put their relatives on their membership too. Sure, I like to split it with my cousin who lives in California...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are much better to their workers than Amazon. So that helps make it attractive to us.

Not pp, but why the eye roll?

Is it still worth it if a) you live in a small space and don't have room to store a years' worth of TP/garbage bags/frozen food; b) your local Costco doesn't have gas; c) you're vegetarian? In theory it sounds great, just not sure the math would still work in our favor under these conditions.

And 10:28 I'm not sure what's eye-roll worthy about that. I think it's great that Costco treats their employees well and all else being equal, that makes me want to spend money there instead of Amazon.

Costco is what, $55/year? $110 for executive?

I pretty much only fill my tank at Costco. I conservatively save 25 cents a gallon (premium), maybe more.


Let's say I drive 12,000 miles a year... but there are times where I'm not at a costco, so we'll say 66% I am... 8,000 miles.

Let's say I'm averaging 25 MPH (which is high for an AWD sedan, but keep it simple).

8000/25 = 320 gallons of fuel from costco per year

320 x 25 cents is $80 a year.

Now if my fiancee also does the same thing, that's $160/year.

Not counting the discounts on other items. I've had great success with their travel - saved a lot of money on a resort that I priced online at other outlets... Don't forget, part of paying for the membership is the generous return policy. I find it worth it for me.

Anonymous wrote:They are much better to their workers than Amazon. So that helps make it attractive to us.

Anonymous wrote:How do you get the executive membership?

See customer service desk and ask for upgrade.
It costs $110/year now I believe, but it's well worth it - I always get check back for $100+, so free membership.

We buy fruits and veggies when farmers markets off season, meat, cheese, bread (love La Brea multigrain for $4.49/2 loafs), nuts, olive oil, spices

How do you get the executive membership?

We are huge Costco shoppers (family of 6). Lots of groceries including fresh fruits and veg, dairy products, chicken, frozen fish, canned goods. We get our beef from a local farmer and in summer we get our vegetables from a CSA, so we aren't relying on Costco as or sole source of food, but it's well worth it. Pajamas and play clothes for kids, lots of paper for art projects, vitamins, you name it. We're there once a week and get a big check once a year (executive members) that more than pays for the membership. I'd rather but electronics from them than from elsewhere. Or any major product - they have great return policies.

Yes. We are a small family but buying in bulk there usually assures the best price and then I rarely worry about running out of:
Toilet paper
Garbage backs
Dishwasher soap
Frozen chicken
Paper towels
Butter
Olive oil
Tampons

I also buy applesauce pouches, beer, produce, milk, children's clothes, mens boxers and undershirts, tvs, snack food, Tupperware, salmon (smoked and fresh), hamburger meat, eggs, Advil...

The snack bar has fed my family dinner more times than I feel comfortable admitting. I can feed us for less than $10, which is awesome. I love their pizza.

So we've enjoyed it, but ymmv!

Costco lover and member here. It is worth it for us (family of 4), we go once a month or so to stock up on meat, chix and fish as well as staples (toilet paper, water, you name it). The onyl caveat for me is it really depends which Costco you are thinking of. I am in MD and highly envious of VA Costco since they sell vine too. Also, I live walking distance to Gaithersburg Costco, but HATE going there, the savings, etc. are just not worth the hassle of that parking lot and danger being run over by carts. We shop at Frederick Costco - less crowded, self checkout lines and gas station.

PP here. We also go a lot more since one opened just down the street from us and its not a big deal and doesn't have to a be a big trip. i can literally run in there just for a chicken. its great.

It is DEFINITELY worth it. But you have to be a careful shopper just like anywhere else - not everything is cheaper just because costco sells it. We are a family of 4 but that includes 2 toddlers. We don't buy their diapers but we regularly buy paper goods, wipes, bottled water, soy milk, deli meat, spaghetti sauce,cereal, toiletries, kids snack things like goldfish and animal crackers, detergent and party items (like large bags of chips, platters etc). Their rotisserie chickens are meatier and fresher than any other grocery store and are only $4.99 vs giant,safeway or whole foods where they are $8.99 for a scrawny hours old bird. They have a lot of quick prepare stuff which is good for family in a rush. Their ribs are the meatiest around. They also sell chicken breasts sectioned in packets of two breasts each which we've been buying since before we had kids since it was perfect for 2 or so people to have dinner. Considering membership is only $50 it pays for itself EASILY.

We go at off times - first thing on a sunday morning or 7:45pm on a weeknight and can easily get in and out in under 45 minutes. We avoid the crazy crowds waiting in long lines for samples. We love it.

Costco pizza. $10 for a huge combo pizza! Rotisserie chicken for $5 is a good deal too.

I think when I buy apples there it's $.89 a lb. vs. $1.69 a lb. in the grocery store.

Also, I split a membership with my parents so my mom and I each have a card and it only costs $20 each.