Calling all costco shoppers...

1krazykitty · February 2011

We are *thinking* about getting a membership but I'm still not sold. Do you save on things like toilet paper/pt? What do you buy regularly. And random but does anyone happen go know if they still sell frozen mini beef wellingtons?

Celyn · February 2011

Gas at my Costco is currently $3.19. I'm making my money back and then some at that rate. When we originally bought our membership, a roasted chicken was $2 less than the other local market -- so we figured if we only used it to get a roast chicken every other week, the savings would cover the cost of membership. You do have the know the going rate of things to some degree, but more dangerous is the random, impulse purchases you make there.

Roni.Cedra · February 2011

We go once a year. We have Am Ex through costco and get a nice rebate check in Feb that DOES NOT have to spent at costco. When we go we look at everything, but generally we buy a big thing of toilet paper, and it lasts us almost a year. When we had plastic razors we would buy blades there.

I check the clothing, and the electronics from time to time, and it is a great place to get athletic socks and garden items in the spring.

anneg · February 2011

can't help with the mini-beef wellingtons. we buy the following regularly: toilet paper, paper towels, milk, eggs, hand soap, shampoo/conditioner, razors, laundry and dish detergent, pet stuff (cat litter, frontline & advantage flea meds), allergy meds (zyrtec & zyrtec-d), chicken (whole roasters and breasts), ground turkey, beef, cereal, nuts, salad greens, berries, etc. we have the executive membership and the cash back rebate just paid for our yearly membership and then some. we only get gas infrequently... it's always a good buy but i can't always bring myself to believe it's worth the 10 - 30 cents a gallon to wait and wait and wait in line. also got a great deal on tires there. their prices on produce, meat are always much better than the store. there are the occasional things that aren't a better price, or more usually that we don't need massive quantities of. i'm totally sold on costco - love that place.

sm23 · February 2011

I used to go once a month and bought things like toilet paper and paper towels, dishwasher liquid, laundry detergent, dog bones, and occasionally random houseware type items. I was finding myself impulse-buying too much stuff, and didn't really find myself saving much money (pp above is right that you have to know the going rate for items elsewhere to know if they're a good deal at Costco.)

Now the only things we buy there are motor oil and contact lenses for DH once every few months. Otherwise I'd probably cancel the membership.

We tried to go there on Saturday night to pick up his contacts and the parking lot was so freaking insane I was pissed and cussing by the time we left. Not worth it.

pink.dutch.tulips · February 2011

if you have kids, costco has carters fleece footed sleepers and 2 piece outfits for less than $10 each .. i got 2 sleepers for dd for $12. that's CHEAPER than BRU sale prices !

we usually get the basics there - tp/pt, doggie treats, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, boneless/skinless chicken breasts, splenda, starbucks whole bean coffee (we grind n brew at home), razor blades

MadameD517 · February 2011

We go once a month and it's totally worth the $40 a year membership. We get paper products like paper towels and tp, meat (beef and chicken, occassionally fish), cheese, cereal, bread, crackers, sometimes fruit if it's in season and grown in CA, razors, vitamins and I get the pens I use at work from there. Depending on what's going on we also get other food if we'll be having a party or going to one where the food will get eaten in a reasonable amount of time.

Since there's only two of us we break up the meat packages into portions that fit our cooking needs better and freeze them in freezer bags. Oh, we also get freezer bags there.

RoxysMama · February 2011

my mom loves those mini beef wellingtons!! yes they are still there.

I think we definitely save by shopping there, we buy: cat food, litter, detergent, olive oil(uc davis olive oil counsel did a study on olive oils from all price ranges and the Kirkland brand was rated in top 3 ) meats, tampons, paper towels, toilet paper. etc

I agree that there are temptations floating around that place especially since they are always giving samples of things that you would never otherwise even consider buying. But I think it is worth it.

Hope that helps

SDgirl22 · February 2011

I may be the odd man out, but I don't buy TP, Paper Towels, etc. I buy that stuff on large sales at Safeway, etc. (I am a nerd and do cost comparison's and find this the better deal)

My faves:

Gas. Roasted chicken (in which I make my own broth afterwards, so it's almost "free"!). Greek Yogurt. Socks. Olive Oil. I buy those items often enough that membership pays for itself. Seriously.

I get my car insurance/renters insurance through my Executive Membership...it's through Ameriprise and they've been great as a compnay to deal with. Awesome rates, great customer service, and I also get free roadside and home lockout assistance. That alone saves me $$$!

The great thing about the Executive Membership is you get a 2% rebate check every year, and if you don't get more than $50, they will refund you the difference so therefore it ends up costing you the same as a regular difference.

Mrs.BoomBoom · February 2011

I think we save $$. I shop there regularly (go there more often than the grocery store) and I find the quality so much better that even if there's not a price difference, it's still worth it. Their meat is so much better. Their chickens are bigger than the grocery store's rotisseries. They have great prepared foods (chicken pot pie) Their fish is great and it isn't all slimy like the grocery store. We have the costco amex and the executive membership so we get cash back two ways.

I find that costco's prices are better than the everyday prices at the grocery store but not as good as the advertised prices at the grocery...so, if you're really a shopper, you can do better at the grocery store. I used to shop at 5 different places to get all the best deals. Now I do one stop shopping at costco.

leolyns · February 2011

If Costco was closer to me I would shop there but I go to Sam's Club. I usually get eggs, bananas, apples, frozen veggies, milk (for H since he loves milk), chicken, beef, bread, granola bars. Once we move, I'll probably switch over to Costco or ask my MIL if I could go with her and give her cash for the stuff we need. I buy my paper towels and TP at Target or WalMart or grocery store.

angelabbf · February 2011

If you go with a list and get what you need and know you will use, it can save money. We get all our paper goods (paper towels, toilet paper), a lot of our fruits/vegetables there, my greek yogurt, along with all our gas. So, for us it works.

The pitfalls of it are sometimes buying things you don't need or don't usually buy because it's there. Another thing is that sometimes the big quantity they are selling is the "brand" name of something but you are okay with the generic brand. Let me see if I can come up with an example... Like if you always buy generic hand soap super cheap, but costco only has the expensive brand. The generic is probably either the same or cheaper than the "brand" in a large quantity. Make sense?

SDgirl22 · February 2011

Oh, and dog food! Costco now has a high quality grain free food (Natures Domain) at a great price...$25 cheaper than you'd find at a local pet store...so membership pays for itself buy buying only a few bags of dog food a year! And there dog beds are also awesome...

Calling all costco shoppers...

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