What do you buy at Costco?

[Mamaoftwins]

Just wondering what groceries others buy at Costco to help save money, time, and sanity because your not running out of things. And do you shop several times a month or only once a month? Thanks

[LuxLiving]

I don't buy anything at these types of stores anymore.

I find that I do a main shopping at the beginning of the month, one at the grocery and one at the dollar store for household laundry/papergoods - with a short weekly fill-in grocery shop during the month and it works out fairly well. Max is four to five grocery shops a month, sometimes less if I can squeak an extra week without in there. This is plenty enough shopping for me. UGH!

I'd do one buy it all dealy-who if I could, but alas my crew would eat ALL the snacks, chips, fruits for the month in the first day or two,



...so, unless I'm willing for the Hubster to build some cabinets w/locking doors then this will have to do for now.

[PrincessPerky]

everything, or I would if they had it. and Weekly.

We get the best price on milk there, and with 5 drinkers that is significant, however we HAD to fight the 'bulk' trap. buying in bulk is nice, but if I have it I will use it (eat it), so I have to be careful not to buy it...which is the same as any store, but buying a box of cookies at the regular store is a 2$ 3000 calorie lapse in wilpower..the same style at a bulk store is a 20$ 40,000 calorie lapse! (see good deal, 10,000 extra calories!)

Unfortunatly we can't get yogurt there (no plain sold) or rice (no brown sold) or frozen vegetables (no one eats their brands)..so we also go to a regular store...also lettuce, bread, and chicken nuggets are cheaper at aldis..so we go there everyonce in awhile.

[sweeps]

You have to be very careful shopping at Costco. Some things are great deals but many things are ripoffs. Their huge birthday cakes are a great deal. Their photo department has some great deals (Check out their new custom calendars!). The food court has unbelievable deals. Gallons of milk are well-priced.

But many other items are just pure rip-offs. They count on people buying stuff because they assume that it's at Costco it must be a bargain. Also don't get too attached to a particular item -- it might be there today but gone tomorrow.

[PauletteGoddard]

Just wondering what groceries others buy at Costco to help save money, time, and sanity

Toilet paper, pasta, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, clothes detergent, canned green beans, canned corn, disposable paper towels, bulk chicken breasts or bulk salmon when we're lazy, bread, vitamins, HP ink cartridges, apple juice, Cheerios, tomato paste, ramen, Talking Rain water, and ConAgra cream puffs when nobody else is looking.

[scfr]

Kirkland Signature (Costco's private label) brand is very popular in our house:
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
Facial Tissue
Laundry Detergent & Dryer Sheets
Shampoo & Conditioner
Vitamins
Dog Food
Olive Oil
Coffee
Yogurt
Milk
Almonds
Tortilla Chips

We also buy brand name items:
Feminine Hygiene Products
Toothpaste
Cleaning Supplies
Office supplies (toner, paper, etc)
Cereal (cold & hot)
Pasta SauceSalad Dressing
Wine
Frozen Fruits & Veggies
Frozen Burritos

And there are many, many other items I'm not remembering.

I go about once a month.

[mom-from-missouri]

I quit the COSCO and Sams Clubs. I did them for years, and for the last year, I carefully kept track of money spent for membership dues, the extra time & gas to get to them, and the amount per ounce or item for what I was buying. I compared that to the weekly sale ads minus coupons I could have used, or generic, and found out I was spending much more by shopping there.
I started shopping there when I had my daycare center, because of being able to buy the food in bulk that contained the FDA approval nutritional stickers that the state of MO requires to be on food items if you participate in their food program for early head start. Then I got into the trap of getting my home items while I was there. I save much more now staynig away from them.

[pretty cheap jewelry]

Cat litter
Gasoline

BTW, we wait for our membership to run out and they usually beg us to come back a month or two later with a REDUCED fee ($10 or so lower).

Sam's did this for us too. We bounce back and forth every few years.

[PRICEPLUS]

The wife buys a goodly number of things there. I don't have a breakdown. In a pinch we buy prepared foods there for dinner.They are reasonably priced and have been surprisingly good.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

everything. Tires were a good deal after calling around to lots of other places. Also contact lenses are much cheaper than even online, I wear Focus Toric Lenses, substantially about 30% cheaper. Other stuff like movie tickets, shampoo/meds, mostly non-perishable stuff. They sent out coupons again Costco, so I'm buying dog treats, buy one get one free.

[shelbylovesmelby]

we don't have a costco here, they are supposidly comming into the area in the future.

We have a sams club, I don't like paying a memebership fee & our membership was up in Dec & we didn't have the $ to renew anyways. I don't miss it.

[boefixepa]

Gas, and anything else that is less there per unit. I price shop carefully. Canned goods, spices, paper products, toiletries, and the such all win out over what I can find elsewhere. The gas alone though recovers the membership cost if I had to pay it, but right now work does that.

[PRICEPLUS]

Well, I spoke to the wife and she used the word "everything". Fruit, canned goods, prepared goods, and on and on! I get the picture somewhat now. I really must get more involved with the Costco trips.

[boefixepa]

I will add that you need to be able to resist the desire to impulse buy,buy, buy. I also have 'trained' myself not to buy prepapred foods. I don't even look anymore. I know that's hard for some people. Also I know where to buy things like flour, rice, sugar and such that are less expensive at other places and I try and only go a few times a year, but I can buy alot on those trips. However it may be over a year before I buy those items again.

Just know that
1.) you are getting a good price
2.) the item is a REAL need - if you didn't buy it here you'd buy somewhere else and
3.) you will not 'use' more of it because you have more of it - that eats up any savings.
4.) you will use it before it goes bad if applicable

[Ima saver]

I have never been inside one, or a sam's club. there are none around.

[rickatheslicka]

At least once a month:
Gas (it's on the way home from work)
Milk
Rotissiere chicken ($5 for a plump and tasty one that lasts us 3 meals!)

A few times a year:
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Napkins
Kraft Mac and cheese (a rare guilty pleasure, usually one case lasts a year)
Pasta and Pasta sauce
Frozen fish (love those individually sealed fillets)
Frozen brocolli
Steaks (we break the big packs up into smaller ones and freeze them)
Slimfast (MUCH cheaper than at the grocery store or Wal-mart, quick breakfast)
Cat litter
Cat food
Soda (in cans only, the 2-liter bottles are NOT a good deal)
Bottled water

Yeah, you definitely have to watch the impulse buys. We will NEVER use all of the Windex we bought (though other people might, and it's not like it will go bad), and we definitely don't need the mega-size ketchup in my house. I am better off buying the small jar at the grocery store for $2 even though it's twice as much per ounce. And all those prepackaged foods look so yummy, but often we are not impressed with the taste, so now we pass.

Live and learn!

I haven't had a chance to check out the center stuff - you know, the books and clothes and such. One of these days...

[mbhunter]

I got a number of Christmas presents there (Costco). We buy dog food and dog biscuits, some kinds of soap, and some vegetables there. Spices are good prices there as well.

I recently found an organic tomato soup that my wife can eat (she doesn't react well to high fructose corn syrup -- massive headaches). It's the best price we've found.

I usually do not get soda there; there's usually a better price in one of the supermarkets.

[LuckyRobin]

Toilet paper, dishwasher soap, dish soap, detergent, omega-3 eggs, fresh produce, cheese, and sometimes fresh seafood depending on the price. On occassion a book. Sometimes shampoo and conditioner if they have a brand I like. Gas, but lately its been cheaper at Fred Meyers with their 10 cents off per gallon if you hit their amount spent per month in the store.

I used to buy diapers there back when the kids used them and video tapes back when we had cable, but obviously don't anymore.

I am not sure if I am going to renew my membership when it expires next month. We found a source for organic eggs out in the county and everything else "can" be bought elsewhere if I pay sharp attention to sales and coupons.

[scfr]

MSN Money has an article today with tips on shopping at warehouse stores:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com....aspx?GT1=8998

[Mamaoftwins]

Thanks for everyones input and ideas. Its great. It really has helped. Im going to write down the things people have listed and start comparing it to my local grocery store.