Anonymous wrote:For those that posted that you buy 25lbs bags of rice and buy large quantities, how many people are in your family?

One pp said that.

For those that posted that you buy 25lbs bags of rice and buy large quantities, how many people are in your family?

Clearly it is worth it to me! I was told I spent over 3K since July and that I need to upgrade to a different membership! I buy smoked salmon, jars of avocado, avocado oil, now mayo, walnuts, dd loves some coconut clusters, it is handy for tacos when kids have friends over, for water, for dog food and medicine. I really used to love their cheese selection but don't eat dairy anymore. I used to buy tires, but now stick with my regular mechanic, I found it too much hassle to book it and sit there. I got dd glasses there, and contact lenses. Toilet paper I get there too. I heard thought that Lidl is opening in Catonsville! I am at UMBC all the time, so might make me shop at Costco less. I never buy things I don't eat/use up at Costco and I never spend more than $100 per trip.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things that I have found that are much cheaper at Costco than other stores not taking sales into consideration because it is possible that something is cheaper at Target (for example) when on sale and not on sale at Costco....

Beer
Wine
Steaks
Ground Meat
String Cheese
Frozen Burgers
Allergy pills
Cold medicine
Oatmeal
Gas

Just these things alone make it worth it.

Yeah maybe we're drunks but we save so much on alcohol (not just beer and wine, but hard alcohol and now Truly) that the membership would probably be worth it even if we weren't addicted to the Sweet Kale Salad. We host a lot of parties and Costco makes that pretty easy.

We don't drink much--but alcohol is one of our must buys at Costco. It lasts us forever but the Kirkland gin is EXCELLENT. The amount we save on one bottle is a good chunk towards a year's membership!

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.

Have you ever been to Costco? They don't sell 12 jars of PB at one time--it's one or two (for an outstanding value for the quality). It's not 20 lbs of ground beef, you can buy smaller packs (of grass-fed, organic, if you want).

I've been a Costco member even when I had no car and would take the metro to Pentagon City. I don't buy toilet paper and such there. But the value for the clothes, berries, etc. is very good.

Anonymous wrote:The money we save on gas alone makes up for the membership fee.

Ditto.

Anonymous wrote:Things that I have found that are much cheaper at Costco than other stores not taking sales into consideration because it is possible that something is cheaper at Target (for example) when on sale and not on sale at Costco....

Beer
Wine
Steaks
Ground Meat
String Cheese
Frozen Burgers
Allergy pills
Cold medicine
Oatmeal
Gas

Just these things alone make it worth it.

Yeah maybe we're drunks but we save so much on alcohol (not just beer and wine, but hard alcohol and now Truly) that the membership would probably be worth it even if we weren't addicted to the Sweet Kale Salad. We host a lot of parties and Costco makes that pretty easy.

Things that I have found that are much cheaper at Costco than other stores not taking sales into consideration because it is possible that something is cheaper at Target (for example) when on sale and not on sale at Costco....

Beer
Wine
Steaks
Ground Meat
String Cheese
Frozen Burgers
Allergy pills
Cold medicine
Oatmeal
Gas

Just these things alone make it worth it.

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.

Um, we drive up in our hybrid sub-compact and the big things we buy are a big 25 lb bag of brown rice, a 25lb bag of flour, quinoa, etc. a big container of yeast, big bag of carrots and then we can bake our own bread and grains and rarely drive to shops. Yes, all that big consumerist stuff is there, but you are showing you lack imagination. We use far less packaging, eat less processed foods, and drive far less as a result of Costco. We supplement Costco with a 3 season garden and a few Asian markets.

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 ridiculous.

Some things I buy at Costco are below. Family of four. Two boys 13 and 11. Nothing below ever goes to waste!

Milk. 3-half gallon cartons per box
Eggs: Comes in double dozen packages
Organic Blueberries and Strawberries: Not sure of the size but we eat them all well before they go bad.
Cucumbers: Comes in a 3 pack
Avocados: Come in a 5-pack. Note Aldi sells these cheaper and one at a time, but if I'm not heading to Aldi I get them at Costco)
Beer: 36 pack of Miller Lite
Wine: 2-3 big bottles of Kirkland Chardonnay
Butter: Comes in a 2-tub pack
Steaks: Come in 4 steak pack
Ground Organic Turkey: We freeze what we don't need.
Cantelopes and Watermelons: Come in 2 mellon packs
Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup: Comes in an 8-can pack.

Just about all of the above is cheaper at Costco than at any other store and they are in very usable quantities.

Every week we buy

-Gas for both cars. We use our executive membership and Costco Visa (4% back on first 7k, then 1% after)
-Raspberries (2 pints for less than 4-5)
-Blueberries (18 oz for less than 4/5)
-Eggs (24 )
-3 pack ground beef
-3 pack chicken thighs/3 pack tenderloins


BiMonthly
-Applesauce and Fruit/Veg Pouches for travel/quick snacks
-Natures Bakery Bars
-Raos Tomato Sauce
-Vegan Protein Drinks

BiAnnually
-PT
-TP
-PB
-Foil
-Cat food
-Contacts

Random
-Snow suits/pants
-Clothing for myself or husband
-Christmas gifts
-Jackets
-Glasses
-Dog Rx

I think it depends on your shopping habits whether it makes sense. I’m sure it is possible to get the same amount of paper towels for the same price as Costco at another discount store such Aldi or Target. But I don’t want to shop at 5 different stores looking for the best price... don’t have time for that. And I’m not good at managing the Amazon subscribe and save. Our family of 4 gets bulk organic meats, milk, frozen organic berries, Kirkland shampoo and conditioner, rotisserie chicken, alcohol, paper products, tortillas, smart pop popcorn, and a handful of other things every few months at Costco. Otherwise, I shop at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. I am striving for best prices, but also high quality, organic options, and convenience, and also, just what I like. For me, the Costco meat is cheaper than Whole Foods, and better quality than TJs. Milk from Costco foams up for my lattes, unlike TJs or WFs. Produce from Whole Foods is best, but sometimes I forgo a bit of that quality for the convenience and overall pleasantness of our local TJs. With these three stores, I am able to get the best value for my family in terms of price, quality and my overall shopping sanity (value other than just $$). So it works for us.

Anonymous wrote:
Worth the membership price, when needed:
Tires
Contact lenses
Eye glasses
Razors
Car rental
Cookies & birthday cakes

Worth membership price, about every 2 weeks or so:
Organic ultra pasteurized Milk
Half & half
Organic eggs
Fruit & vegetables
Organic Meat
Pesto
Coffee
Wine
Rotisserie chicken

Worth membership price, but unnecessary
Fresh flowers
The occasional prepared food: white chili, spinach salad, shrimp cocktail, pizza, bread, cookies, etc.

All the other random stuff I like:
Real World Series and Stanley Cup champ t shirts the day after Nats/Caps won.
Pjs
Layer tshirts
Kids undies and socks
Kids winter jackets and snow pants
....

I get all these and nothing here is bulk that needs to go into deep freeze or storage. For meat, we almost exclusively buy the organic chicken breasts or tenders that come already divided into about 3 one pound packs. So one or two go in the fridge and the other in the freezer. But we go through them quickly. The milk is good for a month or more-we go through that quickly too.
For holiday or special meals we’ll buy the 5 lb tenderloin. I buy the tuxedo cake for special occasions. And about once a year we buy the ridiculously-sized cheese cake, apple pie, pumpkin pie.
There’s no 12 pack of peanut butter or 80 tp rolls or 5 lb jar of mayo. Have any of you been to a Costco in the last decade? Sure, don’t go but you’re exaggerating the bulk theme.

Costco is great for gas, tires, vacation packages, and appliances.

If you have a large family or freezer/storage space, they have great deals on eggs and dairy, bread, meat, and frozen foods. Their produce is just meh.

Also, I think most of my wardrobe was bought at Costco. I’m a SAHM and not a fashionista, so it’s fine for my lifestyle.

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.

Honestly, you sound very ignorant if that’s exactly what you think Costco sells.