For a family of two, the mini-french breads in the bakery (sold in packs of six) are great. They are the perfect size, great quality, and easy to freeze individually. Fun post!
9 Things That Are Worth Buying at Costco
Photo: Greenwenvy08
We all want to get a good deal when we shop, and warehouse stores are some of the most popular places to make that happen. One of my favorite ones to shop at is Costco. The trouble is, some deals are better than others, especially when large amounts have to be purchased at one time. Here's a list of some of the items available there that work nicely into our eating style, budget and rate of consumption.
Organic Strawberry Jam
Costco carries seriously large glass jars of low sugar, certified USDA organic strawberry jam/fruit spread for less than half of what I can get it for at my regular grocery store stops. Since organic strawberries are steep anyway, this is a great way to integrate them into our menu planning via sandwiches and various other recipes you can whip up with jam such as sauces, thumb print cookies, etc. It's been a while since I stocked up, but I recall the price being around five USD.
Almond Butter
Whether you just enjoy almond butter or need a financial break from the exorbitant cost of having to buy it if you have a child with peanut allergies, you can grab it for a comparative song here. For under eight bucks, I can score a glass jar more than twice the size of the ones I see going for twenty dollars or more at my favorite health food store. Definitely a bargain, as anyone who's ever had to shop for almond butter can attest to.
Tapenade
Got a last minute party to plan and don't want to pay five bucks for the teeny little jars at the grocery store? Costco also has large jars of the artichoke variety for around seven bucks. Use it to toss in pasta or get through several weeks of holiday party season by using it to spread on toasted baguette slices from the toaster oven. Easy elegance on a dime. Gotta love it.
Ecos Brand Planet-Friendly Laundry Detergent
They sell the giant 210 fluid ounce jugs for around 12 bucks, and it's suitable for regular and HE machines alike. That's less than half of what that same brand costs at my favorite health food store. For those who haven't tried it, it's a seriously slammin' soap. Costco's the only place I've found that offers any sort of reasonable price break on it.
Fresh Seafood
Every other weekend, you'll find cases of fresh seafood items on special. Many of them are still a bit pricey to include in the menu regularly, but they routinely have mussels and clams in the two dollar a pound range. Definitely doable for a jazzed up dinner party in the form of a pasta dish or combined with mixed frozen seafood for paella on the cheap.
Organic Chicken Broth
A case of one-quart cartons of broth lasts a long time in the pantry. Having it on hand for those times I haven't had a chance to make stock from scratch really helps things run smoothly at home. Also, those who cook often likely realize, as I do, that many recipes call for chicken stock but not chicken. Even if you are one to make the stock from scratch regularly, you're eventually going to be out of balance with your supply. Having this stuff on hand will help keep things flowing.
Organic Soy Milk
We buy the cases of nongenetically modified soy milk that's USDA certified organic. Like the chicken stock, this stuff comes in shelf-stable one quart cartons. Perfect for the way we tend to use it.
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Lunch Deals
For $1.50, you can score a full quarter pound all beef hot dog or Polish sausage and an extra large fountain drink. Deli mustard and other toppings are available on tap in pump dispensers. So if you arrive hungry and don't want that to be a cause of overspending, grab a dog deal before you hit the aisles. It's affordable, packed with protein and available without a wait. It's also a quick to eat lunch deal that you can snag without plastic packaging if you skip the straw and cup cover.
Glass Food Storage Dishes
I just picked up my second set of glass storage dishes for leftovers at Costco the other week. The first set was from Sam's and is one of those multi-piece Pyrex sets. You know, the ones that are casserole dishes mixed in with round storage dishes and have the snap on lids? They are working great, but I'd been wanting to find an affordable square set to the mix as I needed a few more anyway, and the round ones were a tad less efficient with regards to space. Costco has a case of multi-sized square glass containers with snap on lids for the same price. These can't be used in the oven, but are fine for everything else and they are great for being able to see what's inside.
Related Readings:
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- Hanging out at Hannaford
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- Getting It Done at Dollar Tree
- What's to Love About Kmart
- Save Daily at Travel Smith
- Big Savings at L.L. Bean Every Thursday
- Tips for Perimeter Shopping at Target
Do you have a favorite bargain item at Costco? Do you shop there for anything specific that costs more money elsewhere? Don't forget to shout about it in the comments section below.
Best of Wise Bread
I have often been suspicious about what is really a good deal or not there. These are great tips -- next time I hear a friend is going I will definitely ask them to get me SEVERAL large jars of jam.
I would add to the list diapers and wipes. Serious couponers can get these things for cheaper elsewhere, but for those who want to buy diapers once a month and be done with it, the quality and price of the Kirkland brand are awesome. At least as I recall -- I haven't been a member for about 2 years.
Gasoline! This week I paid $2.25/gal. I paid with my Costco Business AmEx card that gives a hefty percentage back on gasoline purchases (yes I pay it off in full ALWAYS). The cheapest I could find fuel at other stations was $2.29/gal cash, 2.39/gal credit.
Thanks for the commentary, ladies. I also forgot to include plain old cheese. Many varieties can be purchased there for in the two dollar a pound range. Not the organic stuff, but the regular cheese. This is a huge savings from the grocery store price. Specialty cheeses can be found there and at Sam's for less as well. But for basic schredded, block and sliced, the prices are very reasonable, IMHO.
Keep the comments coming! Would love some ideas on other things to look for. The list in the article doesn't represent everything there that I think is a good deal, necessarily. It does represent those items I feel stand out as an exceptional value. Interested in hearing the thoughts / favorite bargains of others.
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Free range eggs are SO cheap at Costco! I was in a hurry yesterday and paid $4! At Costco they're somewhere around $2.
Also, they carry some tasty organic bread (my boyfriend thinks its too chewy, I like it). He goes there for electronics, I always stock up on eggs!!
The Kirkland drawstring kitchen trash bags are great. They're equal in quality to the name brands, and much cheaper. A box will last me a very long time, which means I only have to think about trash bags once a year.
Bread flour, chocolate chips, YEAST (by far the best deal per ounce at Costco), spices, milk, cheese.
My savings on just wheat flour, yeast, and sugar are enough to pay for my Costco membership - especially the yeast (I pay less for 2 pounds of yeast at Costco than I pay for a single tiny 4oz. jar anywhere else). I also save a lot on the powdered sugar and white flour that I use for my holiday baking.
The Costco rotisserie chickens are much cheaper, and much larger, than at any of the grocery stores in my area - and much yummier. I can make multiple uses of the leftovers, such as really quick chicken fajitas, for even bigger savings. Flour tortillas, white or whole wheat, are MUCH cheaper than any grocery store prices in my area, and their large quantity stores for a long time in the fridge with no ill effects.
I make my own pizza (and breads occasionally), and I've found Costco is the cheapest place to buy yeast, sliced pepperoni, as well as shredded cheeses - parmesan and mozzarella, as well as cheddar. The cheeses come in 3 - 5 lb bags, which I divide into smaller quantities and freeze the extra. There have been comments that frozen then thawed cheese loses some quality, but I haven't found this to be true, especially if you're using the cheese for cooking.
Costco is also the only place I buy gas. We have 3 different gasoline brands in our small city, including Costco, and their price is always cheapest, even when the prices spike upward. A survey of surrounding cities has proven Costco gas prices are regularly the cheapest in the whole area.
Cheese (which freezes really well, FYI) ~$2.50/lb,
very good dog food (high fat, protein content) for 40lbs/$22,
baby wipes (about 1/3 less than WalMart or Target),
butter ($1.65/lb, unsalted, yesterday),
dried spices,
organic salad mix,
yeast,
sugar,
basmati rice,
flour,
the pumpkin pies for $5 at Thanksgiving (huge!!),
padded mailing envelopes (20/$6),
men's dress pants (~$20/pr)
Birkenstocks ($40/pr)
nuts (almonds, raw, $6/3lbs)
hot chocolate
instant mashed potatoes (4x as much for the same price of the largest on the grocery store shelf)
bagels (ginormous ones, 12/$4)
.
Items that are a good deal that I don't buy:
-fruit. The quality is better than at the grocery store, and usually cheaper. However, I rarely find organic at my local Sam's Club and we don't have a Costco.
-eggs. We don't have a free-range option, but they're $1.96/3 dozen.
-diapers. My daughter only wears pullups now and they don't sell generic ones. So, I have a standing order at Amazon.com for pullups, which saves me 15% and nets free shipping. $23/case.
-paper towels. Cheap, but I'm trying to cut down on them.
-infant/toddler's fleece playsuits - cheap ($7 or so) and terribly useful!
-milk. No organic, and the soy isn't terribly cheaper.
-ground beef/pork loin. They often have those big tubes of ground beef cheap, as well as $2/lb pork loin. I buy mine by the animal (1/2 cow, etc) organic, from a local farmer, for $2.65/lb, which I figure is a better deal.
“Almonds, raw, $6/3lbs” are cheap. Is this price current available for all Costco or just in your city?
Thanks again, folks. Lots of great ideas and additional shopping tips. I am definitely going to check out the free range eggs the next time we go there.
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A video game system, unlike computers and some other electronics, is a returnable item at Costco. (So are the video games). Xbox is notorious for failing. Mine has twice. Instead of sending it to Microsoft support, I boxed it up & returned it to Costco, then went and bought a new one at a greatly reduced price since the price is always dropping. I've done this twice.
I love your point about the returns. We have had problems with computers purchased elsewhere before, and the wait time while they fix it via mail service is highly inconvenient at best. Using the warehouse clubs for this is a perk I hadn't considered before.
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Okay folks I haven't seen someone mention the tortilla's. A STEAL at Costco! I am feeding 7 people and you can't beat their price for those!
Other big savings items:
Dog and cat food
Sourdough bread rounds - 6 for like $3.50. I put the garlic spread (big jar at Costco for $4 that you blend with butter and the jar lasts FOREVER) and use that as my garlic bread on spagetti night.
Butter
Eggs
Coffee! WAY CHEAP! Its worth a trip just to buy that!
Drugs - pain meds, allergy meds, etc. Can't beat their prices especially if you buy the Kirkland brand.
Diaper and Wipes (though we are past having to buy those!)
I love Costco! Saves me family a ton of money!
I mentioned the tortillas in my posting #9 - "Flour tortillas, white or whole wheat, are MUCH cheaper than any grocery store prices in my area, and their large quantity stores for a long time in the fridge with no ill effects."
Thanks for chiming in Janelle. Those sour dough bread rounds sound like a killer deal and the garlic spread is calling my name. What area do they keep that in? I think someone mentioned flour tortillas above. Are you speaking of the same thing, or are you talking about the big boxes of tortilla chips?
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The greatest deal is the enormous bottle of Old Vine Zinfandel for $9.99. They also have many excellent wine deals that even Trader Joe's can't beat for outstanding wine.
I have not priced the organic milk, but the Kirkland brand milk has no rBST (artificial growth hormone) and it is sold much cheaper than the local grocery stores (which all sell milk with rBST).
I buy the following items at Costco for less than at my grocery store:
cheese (block and shredded)
butter
yeast
chocolate chips
honey in bulk
eggs
Abuelita tortilla chips
ground beef (quite a deal!)
frozen strawberries
organic baby carrots (5 lb bag - too big for many families but not for mine)
bananas
I hate shopping at Costco because I really don't like the fact that they look at my receipt and cart every time I leave the store as that just slows things down. There can be quite a line at the door to get out.
But the deals are quite worth it.
Thanks, folks.
I'll have to check out the olive and wine tips. The baking goods are also a good deal there, as the person above mentioned.
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I second the rotisserie chicken idea. 3 lbs minimum vs. 2 lbs or less elsewhere. Fantastic deal for a quick and easy dinner.
Agree, food is tough to buy at Costco because unless buying for a larger party, the food will most likely go to waste. Better to buy goods that are not perishable.
We shop at Costco nearly exclusively, but one of my faves is their men's jeans. $13 for a VERY simple pair of jeans (5-pocket), no fancy designer add-ons. This is the kind of jean I actually prefer, and it's hard to find for anywhere near that price.
My wife and I would no longer buy any of the items you listed unless we considered it a nice monthly extravagance (eg. we were splurging for a dinner party or something). Saving money from the expensive grocery store no-longer makes it "worth buying" in our book.
We do have a membership at a Sam's Club. We buy kitty litter, cat food, flour, rice, pasta, and toilet paper in massive bulk quantities and weekly cheese and soy milk (non-organic) and occasionally some spices, but thats about it. We know many of the other items cost less than other stores, but we just stick to the staples now. It seems like our membership is worth it when we run the numbers.
We did buy topenade a couple of years ago, made nice little hors d'oeuvres on french bread with goats' cheese. But brother, that was then and this is now.
Agreed, that at different times in our lives we have and do shop differently. I guess in the end it all comes down to balance and priorities. Thanks for keeping the conversation going, everyone.
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I love all the ideas about saving at Costco. In May, I added up my annual savings at Costco and figured I save about $500 per year there.
In the past, we saved a lot on cat litter and diapers. I think coffee is one of the best deals -- great-quality, fair trade or organic coffee beans at Costco (Kirkland brand) are under $5 per pound.
I also purchase flour in bulk (25-pound bags) to bake my own bread -- and the yeast at Costco costs 93 percent less than buying it in the little jars at my grocery store!
We buy clothes there, too -- not only for the low prices, but for the fewer choices which automatically limit what we buy.
Here's another blog with a good listing of what people like to buy, either for savings, value, flavor, etc., The really interesting thing is looking through the comments to see what you might be missing out on. I found a number of things that I hadn't even thought of looking for at Costco.
The blog author has also done a price study comparing Costco to three of her local supermarkets in regards to basic food products like bread, milk, butter, eggs, etc.
I like the giant size of Wyman's frozen blueberries (4 lbs for $10, that are at a couple of local Costcos, as well as baking ingredients, such as vanilla and nutmeg, which are so expensive otherwise. Nice!
However, today's find was a matcha green tea by an esteemed tea retailer, Ito En, for $12.99!!!
For every person, the Costco experience is different.
You mention the seafood weekends. The $8.99/lb shrimp are a size that Whole Foods sells for $15.99 on a good day.
The cheese stix (motzarella) are $2.66/lb, less than half the supermarket price.
The secret to my Costco success is knowing prices, and tracking the unit price of the items I buy. TP and Kleenex at Costco? Better than supermarket, but not as good as BOGO sale with coupons. Same with some detergents, dish soap, etc.
When my daughter was a baby, the diapers and wipes saved enough to pay the membership in the first couple months.
Costco keeps looking for the best deals, so many items won't have a huge selection, you may also fall in love with an item only to find they no longer stock it. So for those, I just enjoy it while they have it.
The Kirkland garbage bags are awesome. Also, the Kirkland 600 thread count sheets are better quality than the super expensive ones from Macy's, Bloomies, etc. They are not cheap ($69 queen) but they are AMAZINGLY durable and soft.
I suspect that prices may vary from store to store. I've notices when traveling that Costco will have items particular to a certain region, for example, the Texas Costco had Spanish/Mexican foods on the shelves that I never see up NorthEast.
The costco list was pretty helpful. I have also complied a list of what to buy at Costco. I have also included what to avoid at Costco as well. You can find the list at http://www.mewithoutdebt.com/2009/10/what-to-buy-at-costco-and-what-to-a...
In addition to eyeglasses, the three main things I buy at Costco are organic chicken thighs, organic spinach, and organic lettuce.
Think twice before you buy cheap gas at Costco. The fuel pump went out in my Honda Accord. My mechanic said it could have been caused by using cheap gas. I had been getting most of my gas at Costco. My mechanic recommends Chevron gas.
I wrote about this on my blog The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.
Rita
I am a coupon enthusiast so most times, I don't buy too much at Costco. Some things I find worth it are:
- Brita filters, especially with the Costco coupons they send out every month.
- Woolite Darks concentrate, with Costco coupon (you can buy up to 5 bottles with one Q), I buy 5 at a time, pay $65 (after Q) and use them for about 1.5 years before running out. My dark clothes stays nice longer :) There's no way I can afford this item from regular stores.
- Kirkland regular detergent, great huge container. Love it cause it's between $10-15 and we don't have many white clothes so the container lasts a long long time.
- Ziploc bags occasionally. Coupons for these have been sparse so if I need to stock up, I get them at Costco.
- Plastic wrap - I love the size and the slider that cuts the wrap!!! That thing saves me from wasting plastic wrap :)
- Costco gas.
- Costco paper for the office. I buy copy paper for work from Costco. They deliver it to the door so I don't have to lug 20 lb. boxes of paper and the price is quite good!
- Baking supplies like yeast and butter.
Most other things will go bad before my husband and I can use it and we don't have much storage. Someday, I would love to buy a Gouda wedge and freeze it :P
Thanks for the post! I will check out the strawberry jam and buy if the container can fit in the fridge :)
Be careful of Costco seafood, they have good prices but they have an unsustainable seafood practice and sell fish that are on the endangered list. They sell lots of farmed fish too and I question putting this on our family table----yuck.
I buy veggies from Costco and split them up between my elderly neighbors who may not go and appreciate good food. It's so reasonable priced this is a nice way to share with friends and not allow food in those sizes to go to waste.
I went to Grocery Outlet in Seattle and the prices at TJ and Costco are much better.
I love hearing about the deals people get at Costco - it can be hard to spot in-store deals sometimes. I got my dad's 'extra' card off the membership, so we're stretching that membership. Only issue is that if I want to pay by credit card, I'd have to use the Costco AmEx and it would go on his account. Ones I like and have compared prices on are the Kirkland Organic tortilla chips, the 1L of Jack's Fresh Salsa or Pace Salsa (depending on what I feel like), bruschetta, ravioli, couscous salad (yum!), Starbucks frappuccinos (12 for CAD18), juice boxes, juice (especially specialty kinds like mango/veggies), milk, lemon juice (2L for CAD4), Neutrogena Dry Touch sunscreen, the occasional makeup deal, and, believe it or not, condoms. I live on my own, so there's a limit to what I look at when I'm in Costco. Always worth checking out the clothing, too. Looks like I should be getting my shredded cheese there.
I have a friend who gets her pet food from there, and another one who goes for edamame & razor cartridges. My dad likes the seafood and packages of naan or raisin bread.
I am an avid couponer, so i know that I can get a better deal on most items elsewhere. However, we maintain a Costco membership because there are some things that are a better deal. I also note that I live in a vegetarian household of two, so I cannot opine as to meat prices, and I don't take advantage of the produce deals very often, since we can't eat that much that fast!
- Onions. A big Costco bag works out to about $0.49/pound. We cook at home about 6 nights a week, and just about everything we make involves at least one. Onions last a while, too. Other produce items are a good deal, but you'd better be serving an army. Also, they lack organic options at my Costco.
- Gas. Totally pays for our membership.
- Movie tickets. There is a Costco located down the road from the movie theater we go to, so we swing by for discount tickets on our way.
- Cheese. We get goat and Parmesan at really great prices. Trader Joe's may be slightly cheaper, but it's not as convenient.
- DOG FOOD. Just as I do not buy junk food at the grocery store just because it's on sale, I'm not going to feed my dogs whatever junk happens to be on sale. However, I have two 55-pound dogs, and the Kirkland brand strikes a good balance between nutritional content and price. At about $25 for a 40 pound bag, it's a steal. It's also one of the only dog foods that my Darby doesn't barf up, which is a big plus.
- Meds. For a while, I was having to buy a prescription out-of-pocket, and Costco's price was about $10 cheaper than other pharmacies I checked.
- Condoms. The Durex multi-pack has about 40 condoms for less than $12. At drugstores, you pay $10 for 12.
- Gift cards. Spafinder cards are 20% off.
- Cakes. There are a finite number of sheet cake decorations, but the price is awesome. Also, a two layer red velvet cake is $10. Great when I need to pick up something quick for a casual dinner party or work function.
- Allergy medicine. The Costco brand Claritin is cheap and works well for me.
- Clothes. I have found some great items, like 2-packs of camisoles and Kenneth Cole cardigans for $17.
- Stamps. Where else can you get a discount on forever stamps?
- Credit Card. The Costco AmEx card is a pretty good rewards card, and the only one that gives you cash back at Costco that I know of.
- Flowers. If you need to grab a bouquet, Costco's flowers are fresher and cheaper than the grocery store's, and you get more for the money.
Random stuff. I have the Glasslock containers, too. They were a great deal at Costco. I've come across other things, like my vacuum, that were just cheaper at Costco. I've been eying those skinny closet hangers with fuzzy material that keep your sweaters from slipping. You get three times as many for the same price that other stores charge at Costco. Their bed and bath items are also a good deal for the quality.
Things that are not a good deal (if you are willing to deal with coupons and sales at other stores): paper products, soft drinks, detergents and cleaners, shampoo, soap, etc., electronics (Costco has decent deals, but I can usually find it cheaper somewhere else) However, for really quality brands, Costco will rarely steer you in the wrong direction), books (I buy used or use a swap site, and Amazon usually has a better deal on new stuff), most non-perishable food items, wine (Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have better options in the under $10 everyday wine category), and, of course, anything that will go bad before you get a chance to eat it!
I'd love to know what amazing Costco the author was able to find these products at. My local Costco in Los Angeles rarely if ever has anything organic.
