Is a cosco or BJ membership worth it for one adult?

[Radiance]

Everybody tells me costco is cheaper than the supermarket
I live alone, dont each much in quantity but in variety (I am 100lbs)
I have my picky toddler son with me half of the time.

I guess some potential items for the week are:
Eggs
Fruits (something like 6 apples, 6 oranges and 6 bananas)
Veggies (1 celery, some lettuce, 3 tomatoes, 1 big avocado, maybe one eggplant)
Almond milk (lactose intolerant)
Whole grain Pitta bread
Hummus (can I freeze hummus?)
Organic baby yogurt (I discovered I can eat these)
Chicken breast
Brown rice or barley or lentils or beans
Apple bars
Cheese sticks

I think that is it. What do you think, to Costco or not to costco?

[disneysteve]

We are a family of two adults and one teenager. We've checked out BJ's and Costco and see no point in joining. We just don't buy much of the stuff that they sell and the things we do use, we don't need in the quantity we'd have to buy them.

Warehouse clubs make people think they are getting a great deal but it often isn't true. A good sale at the supermarket, using coupons and buying store brands can save you just as much if not more.

I'd suggest visiting your local Costco and taking note of the prices on the items you use. Compare those prices to what you typically pay. Take into account if you'd be able to use the quantity of product in enough time to avoid it going bad.

[mom-from-missouri]

I don't see the advantage--Same with Sams Club.
I can find the same items cheaper elsewhere
they don't take coupons (at least when I was there)
if you are a business, you can still be tax exempt elsewhere

[MonkeyMama]

I'm with the others.

That said, everyone's shopping habits are probably pretty unique. I think the only real way to know is to visit Costco and note prices, as suggested. Do the math and see if it makes sense in your case.

[nck4857]

If you buy just your milk at Costco, you'll pay for your membership throughout the year, let alone gas and everything else that's cheaper. Some of the stuff, however, is not cheaper and it obviously doesn't make sense to buy 38 pounds of baked beans. Some of the medicine and stuff is a lot cheaper, also. We have a Costco about 5 minutes away so it makes sense for us, we just have to make sure we don't buy too much of anything and not buy stuff they sell it.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by nck4857

If you buy just your milk at Costco, you'll pay for your membership throughout the year, let alone gas and everything else that's cheaper. Some of the stuff, however, is not cheaper and it obviously doesn't make sense to buy 38 pounds of baked beans. Some of the medicine and stuff is a lot cheaper, also. We have a Costco about 5 minutes away so it makes sense for us, we just have to make sure we don't buy too much of anything and not buy stuff they sell it.

Not all Costcos sell gas. Ours does not and even if it did, we'd never go there for gas because it isn't located in a place convenient to us. Location is an important consideration. Even if things are cheaper there, will you actually go there to get those items? I don't care if the milk is free at Costco. I still wouldn't get it there because the store isn't close enough to my house to be worth the trip.

[nck4857]

I would agree that the location should be a major consideration. I like Costco and I feel that it defiantly saves us money, but I would probably not keep a membership there if I had to drive even more than 10 miles.

[tan fish]

I'm currently single and have the annual $50 costco membership. I would agree with the others that whether or not it pays to have a membership there for a single person is a highly context-based determination. If you happen to live near one, I would think that getting your gas at costco would help pay back the $50 fee big-time, but that is certainly not always the case if its out of the way for you.

Meat might pay off for you if you are into doing a lot of freezing. If you are a regular drinker, the cost of premium beers and wine there would also be a big draw if you imbibe regularly. I also buy bulk non-perishable items from time to time, like mega boxes of triscuits, etc. I've also bought things like the mega packs of shampoo and body soap. Bam, no need to worry about that for a year. I've also been impressed with their generic kirkland brand as well for various items.

Oh, and they also have their $1.50 footlong beef hot dogs and $1.99 slices of pizza.

They do use coupons at costco (they are only available to costco members and are sent to you in the mail on a regular basis) which can be very helpful.

Since I will be getting married later this year, I expect that we will be getting more benefit from costco. I'd advise you to find a friend with a membership and tag along for a visit to check it our for yourself. They do let visitors in so long as they are accompanied by someone with a membership.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by tan fish

I'd advise you to find a friend with a membership and tag along for a visit to check it our for yourself. They do let visitors in so long as they are accompanied by someone with a membership.

You do not need to be with a member to go check out Costco. They will give you a visitor pass to enter. I don't think you can buy anything but you can browse all you want to see what they've got and check prices. We did that just a couple of months ago at our local store.

[msarro]

Originally Posted by Radiance

Hummus (can I freeze hummus?)

I'd suggest making your own hummus; stores charge a premium. Its super easy - chick peas, tahini, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Throw in any other additions you'd like. A massive amount ends up costing less than a dollar usually. The same container would cost 4-5 dollars in most grocery stores.

As for costco and places like that, I haven't seen any real savings there except for flour around the holidays. Buying 20lbs of flour for a few dollars ends up being a nice savings. Further, most of their good deals are on processed foods which just aren't that good for you.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by msarro

I'd suggest making your own hummus; stores charge a premium. Its super easy - chick peas, tahini, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Throw in any other additions you'd like. A massive amount ends up costing less than a dollar usually.

Do you use canned chick peas?

[Frugal]

I agree 100% with Disney Steve. My mother-in-law gave us a Costco membership as a gift, but i personally never go there! I have calculated out the costs, and they charge way more for two of us on most items than you pay in the regular grocery store with coupons! Just because they are buying in bulk, Costco tricks people into thinking they are getting a great deal. Even with the occasional Costco coupons, they don't have that great of deals. The store is always extremely crowded, and traffic around the store and in the parking lot a nightmare. If you have to go, I would recommend NOT on Sundays after church, when everyone seems to pile in there. It can be hard to find a space.

[frugalgirl]

OP I recall from some earlier posts that you don't like to cook and/or don't cook much. You may find some of the ready-made and heat-and-serve foods at Costco are good alternatives to takeout or cooking. I agree that you should take some time to look around at what's available at Costco and decide if you'd be interested in what they have to offer.

I occasionally buy some of the ready-made and/or heat-and-serve items for convenience purposes.
These include:
1) rotisserie chickens which I take home and remove all of the meat from. (These I can get two meals out of as they are larger and cheaper than at the local grocery.)
2) hummus
3) Tasty-Bite lentils (comes as a box of 4 pouches. just need to be microwaved and are much cheaper than those sold as individual pouches at our local grocery store),
4) Naan Indian flatbread (to go with the lentils - also much cheaper than the grocery store and can be frozen),
5) chicken floutas (just bake and serve - can be frozen),
6) chili (comes as a package of six, 15 oz. cans. I add a can of diced tomatoes to the chili to extend it more
7) ready-made pizza.

I also find great deals around the holidays for toys, books, DVD's, and seasonal items that I give as gifts. I have gotten many toys off my kid's/relative's Christmas wish-lists there cheaper than at the regular stores.

I enjoy going there when the seasons change to pick up things I will be needing. They always have a good selection of what most people will be looking for. Usually, the quality is also very good and much cheaper than the prices for the same brand in the average store. Things I have gotten: swim goggles for the kids, sled, good quality gloves, beach umbrella, boogie board, camping cooler, beach chairs, lantern, wrapping paper, weed killer, and a weed eater.

We have a lot of storage space at home so I am willing to buy a bulk-pack of something that may last us several months. I usually pass on the fresh fruits and vegetables because my family just can't eat that much of one type of fruit/veggie before it goes bad.

We live 5 minutes away from our Costco making this convenient for me.

I am a casual couponer. I buy things at Costco because I know they are cheaper there than the regular (and usually) sale prices at my local grocery store. If I was willing and/or interested in being more of a couponer I could probably do better on the price. I know what the best price without coupons is for the things I buy regularly so I have a standard list of things that I get at Costco because, for me, that is the best/easiest deal for me.

Finally, I just like looking around in there. The stock in the middle of the store changes all of the time. I hate to shop but I like going to Costco because there is always something new to see.

[MonkeyMama]

Originally Posted by msarro

I'd suggest making your own hummus; stores charge a premium. Its super easy - chick peas, tahini, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Throw in any other additions you'd like. A massive amount ends up costing less than a dollar usually. The same container would cost 4-5 dollars in most grocery stores.

I was thinking that too - I believe my dh uses canned chick peas - he has an awesome hummus recipe:

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

[Radiance]

OP I recall from some earlier posts that you don't like to cook and/or don't cook much.

Yes, this was the case for a while, too much going on. So many of the things you mentioned were on my daily diet

But now I actually miss cooking beyond pasta and scrambled eggs!

I think I will visit my neighborhood BJ's (costco is too far away. ) and compare against my local supermarket when they have sales and 2 for 1s

Thank you everybody

[PatientSaver]

I live alone and have a Costco membership. You really have to analyze what you typically would buy at Costco. It depends on how you spend your money. I've found Costco has GREAT prices on cat litter (I go thru a box of month). You get a 44 lb. box for $6.99, FAR better than anywhere else. They also tend to have good prices on certain staples like milk ($2.35 a gallon, compare that to supermarket), eggs and bananas.

The pricier gourmet type stuff you will NOT save more on.

I also buy my prepaid phone cards there for 2.9 cents a minute, no expiration. Hard to beat that.