Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Are you a member of Costco?  Have you thought about joining?  My husband and I just went this past Saturday and I looked at my membership card and was shocked that we have been members for 12 years!  

Do I think Costco saves us money?  Yes, but you need to be careful.  I also think you can waste a lot of money on things you don’t really need.  You kind of get swept up in the excitement when you enter a Costco.  I have learned a few things over the years and will try to share what I know with you.  

It’s important to note that they are awesome about returns.  I opened a 3 pack of deoderant and hated it – it felt like rubbing sandpaper on my pits!  I told them exactly that and they took it back and refunded my money.  I have opened up packs of socks that were the wrong size and they took them back.  

I have also learned that if you see something you like and it is a seasonal item, buy now and you can always return later because of their easy return policy.  I have gone back to get something seasonal and it’s been gone.  I don’t want that to happen to you.  

Here is a photo of a seasonal item that I took for you.  School uniforms won’t last long at 7.99 for the shirts and 8.99 for the shorts.  I’m not sure you would pay less at a consignment store or a school uniform sale.  

What I buy on the regular: (usually every 2 months or so)  

dog food – the price is great on the type of food we need to feed our dog

papertowels – Kirkland (store brand) select a size

Facial tissue – Kirkland brand

Toilet paper – Kirkland brand

kitchen trash bags – Kirkland brand

dishwasher tabs – Finish

laundry pods – Kirkland brand

Kirkland breakfast blend coffee K cups

grapefruit in individual containers for my husband

toothbrushes – great deal

toothpaste – great deal

Glide floss – great deal

I do think I save on all of these purchases and it’s nice not to have to put these things on your weekly grocery list.  You do need some degree of storage for these large quantities. 

What I buy sometimes:

King’s Hawaiian buns – the price is like half of what you pay at the grocery and I use these for my ham and swiss sliders

Rotisserie chicken – great deal – They are around $5 and they are the Arnold Schwarzenenegger of chickens as compared to the David Spades at the grocery store.  (First actors’ names to pop in my head – sorry!)

flour tortillas – great deal

bread – great deal

prepared spinach salad or other prepared meals

lunch meat

frozen organic chicken breasts

fresh organic ground beef

pretzel buns

frozen meals for convenience – my boys love the orange chicken

chips for lunches

breakfast cereal  – great deal

baking mixes – Ghiradelli or Krusteauz especially 

snack foods – nuts, jerky, cookies

gum – great deal on multi pack of gum that will last for a few months

clothing – great place to get my boys’ clothes and sometimes a cute item for me

birthday and Christmas gifts

I do not often buy the fresh fruits and vegetables because of the large quantities.  I prefer to get those on my weekly Kroger or Trader Joe’s trip.  

What I believe pays for the cost of my yearly membership alone: 

By the way, we have the executive membership which is about $120 a year but we get a check back based on our purchases once a year so it ends up being only about $40 a year.  There is a lower level membership where you don’t get cash back, too.  I’m sure someone talked us into this level and we just stuck with it.  

Christmas cards- You won’t believe the good deal if you like to send photo cards

Contact lenses – I think I saved half by ordering them at Costco instead of at the eye doctor

When to go:  

I usually go right when they open on a Saturday during the school year.  I don’t often bring my husband but sometimes he comes.  He is not a lot of help because the entertainment/technology section is right at the entrance and he is pulled in by the glowing big screen tvs calling to him.  Here he is Saturday gazing longingly at the section while trying to keep up with me and the cart.  

It does get crazy on the weekends.  Some people are all about the samples they have set up all around the store and you can hardly push your cart past.  This is why I like to go early.  But, you do you.  

I hope this helps someone out there!  I’m sure many of this applies to Sam’s Club, as well, but I don’t have personal knowledge of their products.  

What can you recommend to me?  

Thanks for reading!

Amy