Do you find that Costco saves you money?

[Gingerbread Mama]

DH and I are debating a Costco membership. Is it anything like Sam's Club - where we could go in ANY Costco and shop with a membership card? Also, if you find that you save money by shopping there - what do you find saves you money? I'm seeing it more as a way to buy bigger lots of stuff (say paper towels, toilet paper, etc...) and not necessarily as a mega savings thing. If it helps, we don't eat much in the way of pre-packaged/processed foods. Mostly fresh produce, boneless skinless chicken breasts, occasional pasta.. I find that those things just kind "are whatever price they are".

[VeganCupcake]

I think it does for us. We buy loads of produce, rice, beans, quinoa, olive oil, fish and meat for the omnivores in the house--stuff like that. I like to buy the big bottles of laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent, and a box of the kitchen garbage bags will last us more than a year.

 

Their gas is also cheaper than anyone else around here. Prescriptions are a good price, too.

 

You can use your membership at any Costco in the world.

[meggie]

Yes you will be able to use your membership at any location.

 

Things I buy that are cheaper than Walmart

 

red peppers, carrots, apples (the big 10# bag of red delicious), spinach, spring salad mix, onions, potatoes, ground turkey, milk, eggs (5 dozen for only $5ish), cottage cheese, sour cream, frozen fruit, tortilla chips, tortillas, tomato sauce (huge #10 can), chicken base.

 

Things I buy that are not cheaper than Walmart or Winco but are better quality so I buy them at Costco anyway:

 

Chicken breast, ground beef

[Desert Rat]

We save money using Costco.

 

Here's some things we find are cheaper there (I comparison shop):

 

Meat (the quality is better)

Cheese

Eggs

Milk

Chips/Crackers

toothbrush heads (Philips sonic care)

Generic zyrtec

Mac n cheese

coffee

lemonade

hot chocolate

spices

fruit/veggies

rotissiere chicken

take and back pizzas for parties

butter

hotdogs

lunchmeat

 

We live in an area that sales at grocery stores aren't great. They do not double coupons, etc. Produce is high because we are in the desert (as is dairy). So, the membership pays for itself in savings within 2 months.

[Gingerbread Mama]

Well, huh, it looks like we might actually save on a lot of what we buy. Anyone else? I guess I was thinking you just shopped less often, since you got bigger amounts :D Saving on gas right now would be EXCELLENT!

[meggie]

Oh yeah, gas is also cheaper there than anywhere else in the area. Also, you can phone in an order for a HUGE pizza and it's only $10!!!! $10 for a ginormous pizza with all the toppings (it's the same price for cheese or pepperoni). So much cheaper than fast food on those days you have dinner emergencies.

[Gingerbread Mama]

We save money using Costco.

 

Here's some things we find are cheaper there (I comparison shop):

 

Meat (the quality is better)

Cheese

Eggs

Milk

Chips/Crackers

toothbrush heads (Philips sonic care)

Generic zyrtec

Mac n cheese

coffee

lemonade

hot chocolate

spices

fruit/veggies

rotissiere chicken

take and back pizzas for parties

butter

hotdogs

lunchmeat

 

We live in an area that sales at grocery stores aren't great. They do not double coupons, etc. Produce is high because we are in the desert (as is dairy). So, the membership pays for itself in savings within 2 months.

 

Oh, see, you probably just sold him. We are staying with him in his work apartment right now, so fresh produce and whole grain have taken over. When we aren't here, though, he actually lives on hotdogs, so far as I can tell. If I tell him he can save money on them there, I'll probably be in Costco before the week is out :lol:

 

I had heard about the rotisserie chickens, but forgot about them. Are they a pretty good deal? We love rotisserie chicken (used to do Boston Market once a week LOL) but haven't gotten one in years. I'd loooove to have an easy supper night!!

[meggie]

Oh, see, you probably just sold him. We are staying with him in his work apartment right now, so fresh produce and whole grain have taken over. When we aren't here, though, he actually lives on hotdogs, so far as I can tell. If I tell him he can save money on them there, I'll probably be in Costco before the week is out :lol:

 

I had heard about the rotisserie chickens, but forgot about them. Are they a pretty good deal? We love rotisserie chicken (used to do Boston Market once a week LOL) but haven't gotten one in years. I'd loooove to have an easy supper night!!

 

They are 4.99 at mine. All the ones at the grocery stores are at least $8.

[stansclan89]

On top of all the great deals (basically the same stuff everyone else named), if you have an executive membership (costs twice as much to begin with) you get 2% back at the end of the year. Our 2% is usually more than the cost of the membership.

 

ETA--And they have the best refund policy.

[VeganCupcake]

On top of all the great deals (basically the same stuff everyone else named), if you have an executive membership (costs twice as much to begin with) you get 2% back at the end of the year. Our 2% is usually more than the cost of the membership.

 

ETA--And they have the best refund policy.

 

:iagree: Yes, the refund policy is wonderful. And we like getting the rebate check each year.

[missmoe]

I find some organic stuff at Costco for about the same price or less than I would by conventional food at the grocery store. Pasta and chocolate milk are our favorite organic foods.

[Ali in OR]

The yearly membership is $50. We easily make that up in savings on just one or two items. Cheese sticks would probably be one example--both string cheese and cheddar cheese sticks are way cheaper than the grocery store, and since my kids eat a lot of them, I'm sure our savings on just cheese would pay for our membership fee. I was thrilled to find generic zyrtec this week--$17 for 365 tablets. I've been paying $11 for 30 (generic) at our grocery store. Since both dh and I use it for several months of the year, we'll have no problem using it all up before the expiration date. Another example--kids' swimsuits at $12 a piece. That's about half what a Lands End suit costs, and with three kids the savings would pay a large portion of the yearly fee.

 

We don't live close enough to Costco to shop there often--I make the drive about every 6 weeks and gas up every time I'm there too. Costco membership is easily worth it for us. Regular items we try to get at Costco:

 

vitamins

contact lens cleaner

shampoo, conditioner, lotion

CLIF Z bars

goldfish crackers (way cheaper than grocery store)

tortillas (fresh that you cook at home)

string cheese

cheddar cheese sticks

turkey sausage

turkey bacon with no nitrites/ates

chicken breasts

flank steak

french bread baguettes

olive oil

vanilla

cinnamon

brown sugar

applesauce (4 big jars at less than $2 per jar)

chicken noodle soup

giant can of crushed tomatoes for < $3 for marinara in the crockpot

Aidell's chicken meatballs

always a pizza for dinner

 

Plus some seasonal stuff:

Christmas gifts (cameras for our girls this year, books, dvds)

swimsuits

exercise clothes for dh

pillows

throw blankets

Christmas lights

stamps

t.v. a couple of years ago

printer a couple of years ago

we order checks from Costco online

Got the girls' beds online several years ago (no shipping, great beds)

 

Not everything is cheaper at Costco, but some things are amazingly cheaper. And it's just kind of fun--always an outing we look forward to.

[swellmomma]

It would if I stuck with a list, but I don't so I go in thinking I will buy $50 of meat and walk out having spent $300 on random stuff and no meat. I have not had a membership for 2 yrs as a result. It costs me too much money :lol:

[caitlinsmom]

We just renewed our membership at the beginning of the month. I went shopping once and spent $350. This covered us for nearly the whole month minus some fresh fruits and vegetables ($150 at a local grocery store). So my total grocery cost this month was $500. I purchased quite a bit of snack food because of our schedule this month. I would say I could shave nearly $100 off the monthly total since I won't be buying those again. So for us we had a $300 savings from April to May.

 

I think I was able to save so much because I was able to buy in large quantities that lasted us the entire month (plus some). We still have some chicken, beef and frozen vegetables left. I meal planned for the month and went with a list. I'd say you can easily save yourself quite a lot especially if you are a meal planner.

[LBS]

I do a lot of comparison shopping on anything that costs over $30, particularly something I need to work. For example, the parents-in-law need a home blood pressure reader. I researched and shopped, and the best price for the one I chose, was $74 at Wal-Mart and $65 at Amazon. Costco had it for $60.88. I like that they frequently have the consumer recommended items. I like that, they often will add a feature (double sided printer ability vs. one sided) to a typical item. I guess this is to avoid price-comparison shopping? Not sure. Costco has the 2 year warranty on all TVs, etc., and a "concierge" service. I purchased an LED TV for my father-in-law recently and called the concierge service and the man we talked to was delightful! Very helpful.

 

We belong to Sam's also, and have used both when we travelled and there is a lot of variety in different locations of both of these warehouse sales places. I'd chose Costco, if I had to.

 

I did a complicated comparison on prices, a couple years ago, shopping at Wal-Mart, Wegmans', Ukrop's, Food Lion, Sam's and Costco. I live about 45 mins away from everything except Food Lion, "fast food" is when I pull something out of the freezer that will microwave. For the things that I have room to store, I really do save by shopping warehouse stuff....I love Costco quality of some things like t.p. and paper towels. I have not done price comparisons, but I did see Frontline Plus recently and am always impressed with the brands they get, just when I start liking them....odd, maybe I don't get out much. Ha.

[happygrrl]

Costco will let you in to wander about, so that you can see if there are brands there you like.

 

I love that it is a very ethical company, has won awards for helping small farmers retain their land, has great vendor relationships, and is almost always in the top for employee satisfaction.

 

I try to buy local, but when I can't I buy Costco!

[Splash]

I love Costco, I shop Sams because its close, Costco is a 40 minute drive.

 

Deals are better at Costco and brands and quality of items better. I do tend to spend way more when I go to Costco vs Sams though because they always have something I can't seem to pass up. This week it was summer pajamas for me made from the softest cotton. Their little girl dresses were cheap and awesome when my girls were little and would only wear party dresses. They held up to constant wear of two little girls then were passed along to another little girl.

 

We've bought TV's, computers, furniture, mattresses, etc over the years and been very pleased with our purchases.

 

Hope that helps.

[DawnM]

We use Costco almost exclusively for our grocery shopping. There are a few items we need to go elsewhere for, but we LOVE Costco.

 

Another tip for those of you looking to get the 2% rebate......we have turned it into a 4% rebate by using our 2% back American Express to order Costco gift cards online and pay with those. I order $500-$600 per month and that is our grocery amount.

 

Dawn

[kalanamak]

I don't know that it saves money, I haven't done a totting up, BUT I do know if it weren't for the prices I'd eat less fresh veggies and fruit because hubby won't buy it at supermarket prices.

 

The bags of bell peppers? I eat one like an apple every day. Lemon juice instead of vinegar in things: yup. Etc.

 

We also get garbage bags, ZIplocks, DW detergent, milk, frozen blueberries, and the occ. big bag of something junky for work to put out in the break room on bad morale days.

[Farrar]

We definitely save at Costco. I feel like the prices for paper towels, toilet paper, etc. are slightly better and the prices on dairy and the packaged foods like cereal that we buy are slightly better as well, but it's the prices on meat and produce that really make it worth it for us. Six packs of 4 chicken thighs for like $12. That's golden.

[Mama Geek]

We buy lots of food and paper products there, but we also buy paper products, cleaners, tools, printer cartridges, books, cloths, computers and we did buy our bedroom furniture there several years ago. We always spend enough to get the 2% cash back to cover the cost of the membership.

[Desert Rat]

Ha! We buy BallPark All Beef hotdogs in a 4 pack. It works out to about $2 a pack. The chicken is $4.99 here too. They also have a great deal on Hebrew National if you like them.

 

We also use their photo center frequently. And if you digiscrap they do 12x12's for $2.49 and 8x8 for $1.49. I usually mail awa for mine and get them for a cheaper rate, but it's nice to have someplace in town I trust for spur-of-the-moment projects.

[Punks in Ontario]

With all the comments on cheaper gas, would you believe us Canadians cross the border to buy your cheap gas.:tongue_smilie:

[Maus]

We have the executive membership, and it usually saves us money. I had to learn to watch three things first:

1. Stay aware of prices/sale prices. at the other grocers. For example, the jarred spaghetti sauce my kids like best is frequently on sale on the grocery down the street for a much better price than Costco's best deal, so I watch for the sales and stock up.

 

2. On perishables, Costco's best price can be wasted if the package is so big we can't finish it before it goes bad.

 

3. Just because the sample was yummy and all the kids liked it, it doesn't mean I should buy it. No impulse buys. Tough sometimes, because by the time you check prices elsewhere and come back to Costco, it sometimes isn't there any more, but undisciplined purchases can really add up. Ask me how I know.

Edited May 27, 2012 by Maus
grrr. because autocorrect on the phone is an arrogant piece of software that thinks it knows more than I do.

[tammyw]

We've let our membership lapse in the last couple months and I'm hesitant to renew, though I know I will eventually. We try to buy 99% organic and they only have some things that are organic (most of their produce isn't). Plus I can't usually justify such large quantities of items, as they will often go bad before we use them. I do like their organic EVOO, organic whole wheat pasta, and various random things. I am so tempted to renew now because apparently they have the "You wouldn't want to be..." book series on deep discount at the moment.

[Slartibartfast]

I buy

 

Meat

Produce

Oils

lemon juice

Sometimes they have pacific foods broths, I will buy those there. I don't care for their store brand of broth, if the Pacific foods kind isn't there I buy broth at Trader Joes.

I buy bread there, they have some without dairy or hfcs

Cheese, they have some good deals. Since I am allergic I don't cook with dairy so I tend to just buy laughing cow cheese for the kids and sliced cheese for sandwiches.

Big packages of yeast for making bread

Nuts

Dried fruit

Lunch meat

Bags of frozen fruit for smoothies

Huge bottle of generic zyrtec, there was a coupon so I only paid like $15 for a bottle of 365!!

They have coupons and those are often good deals, coupons on big packages of Hebrew National hotdogs (one of the very few kinds of hotdogs without dairy) sweet potato fries and things like that easily deter me from sticking to my list

 

Many times I go there just for the produce and don't buy anything else. It is a twenty minute drive for me but it is worth it. My kids love to eat hummus and we go through a lot of bell peppers, cucumbers and carrots

 

We pretty much just shop at Trader Joes and Costco. Costco has made Forbes 100 top employers list several times. I have known people who have worked there and they are very good to their employees.

Edited May 27, 2012 by Sis

[SunnyDays]

There are some perishables I won't buy, because we only have a family of three and won't use it quickly enough. But all the frozen foods, the multipacks of meat and cheese, some of the produce, as well as all the non-food items... we've been happy with everything we've gotten.

 

We're another family who needs the generic Zyrtec... all three of us take it at least part of the year, I take it year round. That alone practically makes up our membership cost!!

[Slartibartfast]

We're another family who needs the generic Zyrtec... all three of us take it at least part of the year, I take it year round. That alone practically makes up our membership cost!!

 

You aren't kidding! :lol:

 

I can't believe how expensive it is. I was visiting my mom and she had run out of zyrtec, I gave her a ton of mine. She doesn't have a costco. :(

[Farrar]

Years ago, the Costco woman came up to me while I was checking out and in an effort to get me to switch to the Executive Membership told me how much I had spent at Costco in the last year. The amount made me go :001_huh: I was like, eek. I couldn't believe how much I was spending at Costco. And then, as I walked out, I realized it was all diapers and my twins had just potty trained. Whew.

 

But it does still easily pay for itself. :D

[gardenmom5]

I'm from costco country (I must laugh. kirkland is a city. issaquah is a city where costco now has it's headquarters. all their brand names are local places:lol:). and we've been members for 28 years since #1 opened in Nov '83. we now have a costco executive membership - so we also get 2% back. that 2% more than pays for the annual fee. you can go into a costco in any other country. (or state). dh jokes it's our favorite store becasue we spend more there than anywhere else. ;) We have a few costco gas stations in the area (attached to costco stores) and they generally have among the best prices.

 

while there are many deals at costco and costco's brands are generally good - just like anywhere, know your prices as some things are better prices other places.

 

to truly decide, you need to decide what you are likey to buy.

[gardenmom5]

You aren't kidding! :lol:

 

I can't believe how expensive it is. I was visiting my mom and she had run out of zyrtec, I gave her a ton of mine. She doesn't have a costco. :(

costco.com has an online pharmacy for non-controlled substances.

 

Oh yeah, gas is also cheaper there than anywhere else in the area. Also, you can phone in an order for a HUGE pizza and it's only $10!!!! $10 for a ginormous pizza with all the toppings (it's the same price for cheese or pepperoni). So much cheaper than fast food on those days you have dinner emergencies.

 

and if you go inside:), and not just the fast food window, they have the same size pizza in hawaiian; tomato/basil/fresh monzarella; and one more I don't remember. however, you will have to bake it at home. (not sure if it's year round, or just certain times.)

 

 

Another tip for those of you looking to get the 2% rebate......we have turned it into a 4% rebate by using our 2% back American Express to order Costco gift cards online and pay with those. I order $500-$600 per month and that is our grocery amount.

 

Dawn

I"m going to pass that on to dh - he loves those types of tricks. Edited May 27, 2012 by gardenmom5

[Rbsmrter]

In our area, the gas alone makes it worth the membership cost. We sat down and figured out how often we filled up our tanks and then used the average gas price at the local gas station to figure out about how much we would spend in the year. On average our local Costco is .15 cheaper a gallon, so in just a year alone we save $150 by filling up at Costco. I look at it like the gas savings alone pays for our membership and anything else is just icing on the cake. We've bought a few impluse buys, but I'm glad we did. Just the other day we bought a 3 pack of goggles and the kids have used them a ton. I priced them at Target and we saved about $10 by buying that Costco pack. Yes, I do buy things that arent necessarily on my list but I've yet to purchase something I've regretted. We don't do any processed foods, so we stick with mainly produce, baking necessities, and dairy. Their prices on organic milk and eggs tend to be a few cents cheaper, but nothing amazing. I've found some great deals on spices and raw sugar. We don't have a ton of room for huge packages, so we don't buy a lot of paper goods. Luckily food goes quickly in our house. I find that if I take the produce home, wash it and cut it before even putting it in the fridge we are more likely to eat it. Obviously this doesnt work with all produce, but for certain things it makes me more likely to use them in my cooking.

 

As a PP mentionened, I like knowing they treat their employees well. We've known quite a few people that have worked there and they have nothing but good things to say. Just the fact that Sam's is owned by Walmart (and their less than desirable business practices) makes me avoid it at all costs. Of course I understand why someone would want to shop there, it's just a personal preference on my part.

[shinyhappypeople]

Oh yeah, gas is also cheaper there than anywhere else in the area. Also, you can phone in an order for a HUGE pizza and it's only $10!!!! $10 for a ginormous pizza with all the toppings (it's the same price for cheese or pepperoni). So much cheaper than fast food on those days you have dinner emergencies.

 

The savings on gas really adds up for us (DH commutes, I drive a gas hog :tongue_smilie:). Definitely covers the cost of the membership over the course of a year.

 

Other things we normally buy that are cheaper: flour tortillas, most produce (love the huge container of organic mixed lettuce, apples, broccoli, strawberries... oh, shoot, I'm getting hungry...), milk, eggs, butter, 5# (?) bag of shredded mozzarella, yeast, pancake mix.

[Mommie_Jen]

Our nearest Costco is 2 hours away. This thread makes me sad! :)

[gardenmom5]

people have said alot, but some other things we've bought:

luggage - the kirkland brand was orginally modeled off a tumi

smoked salmon norwegian style - I was ecstatic to find it. very high quality and a real bargain

seasonal fresh sockeye salmon or seafood roadshows

lots of different cheeses

shrimp cocktail tray

large ceaser shrimp salad that will easily feed two for $9

gf cereal my picky son likes that was I was paying through the nose for at the health food store

sheepskin boots - very warm

men's dress shirts for $20 and italian wool dress slacks with teflon coating for $50. (less than the dept store sale price for the quality they were)

plants

wrapping paper (huge roll for cheap), ribbon, tags

holiday candy - they've got the best deal

dh gives out see's gift certificates. he buys them at costco. when we buy see's, we use a gift certificate from costco

toll -road passes are discounted through costco

egg nog - better than most of the grocery stores

 

things we've found to absolutely NOT be a deal - cars and windows.

[gingersmom]

I think a lot of stuff is cheaper but I have really pared down what I buy there.

 

I buy food store brand paper towel and toilet paper which is the same price/quality or cheaper than Costco (when foodstore has a sale). Same for ziploc type bags.

 

Books are still usually a really good deal. Shampoo/conditioner is good. Laundry Detergent is cheaper unless I buy on sale at foodstore.

 

None of the Costco's in my area have gas stations attached.

 

I usually spend $100 or less when I go now.

[KrissiK]

Gas is much cheaper. I save on refried beans, milk, chicken broth, diapers, bottled water, butter, cheese, soy milk, bread, tortillas. I also think the quality of their meat is superior to our grocery store. I buy their individually frozen chicken breasts, but their tri-tip is much better, as is their ground beef and pork products (pork tenderloin and pork loin roasts). I'd die without Costco.

[Gingerbread Mama]

I read DH the replies, we are going this week to check out the nearest Costco :)

[Blessedchaos]

There are enough good deals at Costco for us to keep our membership, but I think many items are more expensive than where I can get them elsewhere, so I do recommend comparison shopping with other stores in your area. I shop at Aldi a lot, and in many cases their items are cheaper than Costco. However, I have found for our family the following are good deals for us:

 

milk

soy milk (most of us are lactose intolerant)

coffee

eggs (usually, though sometimes I can get these cheaper elsewhere)

butter

string cheese

frozen berries

lunch meat

cat food

garbage bags

bottled water (only buy this on occasion)

toilet paper

tissues

Christmas cards

spices

vitamins

gas

chips

mandu (dumplings)

waffles

 

Costco has their own coupons which makes some items I don't regularly buy a good enough deal to buy. I do find their produce and meat to be very expensive for our area. Do comparison shop to find the items that are good deals for your area and your family. I will say that Costco has really excellent customer service.

[Karen in CO]

My truck gets 13mph and my dh commutes (with better gas mileage). The gas price difference pays for the membership, but other things we buy there that are cheaper:

grain-free dog food - one of my dogs has allergies

TP & paper towels made with recycled paper

olive oil

organic sugar

kosher salt

brown rice

vanilla

[Bassoonaroo]

I guess there's no need for me to list everything we get there but the big bargains for us are:

 

gasoline

generic Zyrtec (like everyone else)

laundry detergent (we use the Boulder brand which might be regional)

frozen waffles

eggs (local farm)

orange juice (fresh or frozen)

greeting cards and gift bags

cloth basics (shorts, jeans, dress shirts for dh)

printer ink

some produce

some meats

nitrite-free sausages and lunch meat

Quaker old-fashioned oats (10 lb box)

feminine things

disinfecting wipes

Ticonderoga pencils

Postit notes

pizza