Anonymous wrote:Do get trash bags, cat litter (if needed), shampoo, conditioner, coffee. Don't get things you don't need because it's a good deal

trashbags is one of the few things I get there.

Anonymous wrote:Socks! I used to buy packs of kids socks thinking they were a good deal. They'd get holes with a month. Don't buy socks at Costco.

Hmmm...I love the packs of cotton stride rite socks at Costco. I have never had problems with holes in them.

Anonymous wrote:Too many variables here! How many people in your household? Do you have a lot of storage space? If you do the paper products are a good buy but they take up a lot of space so I wouldn't recommend them in an apartment. If there's only 1-2 people in the house, almost all of the food will be in amounts too big for 2 people to eat before it goes bad.

We have two adults and a 3yo who can burn through a box of granola bars in 2 days. Storage shed and chest freezer. I'm asking for recommendations based on what's cheaper elsewhere, and what people have tried and not liked.

Looks like I should definitely not buy the Kirkland liquid dishwasher soap. Good to know!

Wash your fruit very well and you are fine. Organic fruit has pesticides on it too, just (drum roll please) organic ones. I wouldn't want to eat those either.

-- farmer who grows her own fruit without any pesticides, but when I buy it at the store buys conventional

Kirkland brand dishwashing detergent- your food will taste like it.

sheetcakes- you'll get the 'sugar 'betus'.

I think the rest is all good.

Socks! I used to buy packs of kids socks thinking they were a good deal. They'd get holes with a month. Don't buy socks at Costco.

Anonymous wrote:dumpy women's sweaters in easter egg colors by Gloria Vanderbilt

any of the acres of not-organic (but pretty) fruits and vegetables. Unless you're a pesticide denier like my sister, who insists there's not difference to the human body when one consumes 100 lbs of pesticide residues every few years.

The conventional fruit and veggies are just fine at Costco. I feel terrible about giving conventional produce to my kids. But we just can't afford to feed the kids much fruit if we don't buy conventionally grown produce. We've decided that it's more important to get the fruit than avoid the pesticides.

On the Don't Buy: the pre-cut broccoli and cauliflower in the refrigerated produce room is often already bad the day we get it home. Yuck. We also avoid frozen fish if it's from China or other countries with poor controls.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Beware of the volume you buy vs. the date of expiry. I cannot eat 400 strawberries in 3 days.

Exactly. Unless I am shopping for a party I do not buy any food that isn't non-perishable or can be frozen. I love buying coffee beans in bulk, enormous jars of organic jelly, 3 huge boxes of cereal, etc - all of those staples that we go through like they are going out of style. For produce I just stick to my CSA, the farmer's market, etc.

I only buy mushrooms and the 2lb organic spinach, my other produce comes from trader joes or csa

Do get trash bags, cat litter (if needed), shampoo, conditioner, coffee. Don't get things you don't need because it's a good deal

Anonymous wrote:Beware of the volume you buy vs. the date of expiry. I cannot eat 400 strawberries in 3 days.

Exactly. Unless I am shopping for a party I do not buy any food that isn't non-perishable or can be frozen. I love buying coffee beans in bulk, enormous jars of organic jelly, 3 huge boxes of cereal, etc - all of those staples that we go through like they are going out of style. For produce I just stick to my CSA, the farmer's market, etc.

Do not buy their knockoff Dove soap. That shit is awful.

Do buy the three carton pack of organic milk and freeze two for later.

Canned salmon. Awful!

Anonymous wrote:Kirkland brand liquid dishwasher detergent - horrible

+1 it made my drinking glasses opaque with residue

Too many variables here! How many people in your household? Do you have a lot of storage space? If you do the paper products are a good buy but they take up a lot of space so I wouldn't recommend them in an apartment. If there's only 1-2 people in the house, almost all of the food will be in amounts too big for 2 people to eat before it goes bad.

Kirkland brand liquid dishwasher detergent - horrible

Bread - good but too much

Fruit - actually it's pretty good but it goes bad before we can finish it

Bakery - delicious but huge and too much