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Thursday 27 September 2012

Frugal Friday: Top 5 Things To Buy At Costco



Oh, Costco, where the food is plentiful, the deals are questionable, and the samples are always free. I have a love-hate relationship with Costco.   

What I hate most is that it’s always so busy and that the annoying and inconsiderate shoppers of the world tend to congregate there.  The other thing that frustrates me is that everything seems like such a good deal because you get so much of it.  20 pounds of apples? Well whatever it costs, I’m sure it’s a good deal- I mean you get TWENTY POUNDS! 

On the other hand, what I LOVE about Costco are the free samples. Obviously. And did you know that they don’t contain any calories? Well, in my opinion they don’t. Not that it’s really a matter of opinion, but I maintain that it is absolutely impossible to gain weight no matter how many Larabars and Nutella sandwiches you eat, as long as they are portioned into sample-sized pieces and served in mini muffin cups.  I came to this conclusion with the same logic I used to ascertain that twenty pounds of apples are a good deal regardless of the price. Still with me? Good. Because I’m not done yet.

The point I’m trying to make is that when you’re surrounded by all those free-flowing samples, those ginormous bags of chocolate chips, the fluorescent lighting and the crowds, it’s hard to figure out what you really should be buying at Costco .

Here are my top 5 things to buy at Costco:

Baby wipes
You get 900 wipes for around 20 bucks, sometimes cheaper if they’re on sale. I have never seen a price this good for wipes anywhere else. 

Avocados
$5.79 for five avocados, compared with $2 per avocado at the regular grocery store.  In addition to the fact that this is an incredible deal, the Costco avocados are usually bigger than the ones at the grocery store.  The avacados alone are worth the trip to Costco, especially given my daughter’s hardcore avocado habit.

Gas
Filling your car up at Costco is always cheaper where I live, so we fill our tank every time we do a Costco trip.

Bananas
$1.69 a bunch, and they’re BIG bunches. And if we don’t eat them all before they go bad, then I have an excuse to bake. Not that I need an excuse, but it makes me feel virtuous to know that I’m not wasting food. And that I'm putting banana in my baked goods.

Starbucks Coffee
You get a massive bag of yummy yummy Starbucks coffee for $22.99. It's not going to taste as good as when someone else makes it for you and puts it in one of those delightful paper Starbucks cups, but it's the next best thing.

What are your favourite things to buy at Costco?

If these don't seem like such good deals to you, it's probably because you live somewhere where you can actually get food for reasonable prices. Maybe Costco is even cheaper where you live too. Lucky you. But please don't gloat about it in the comments section because you might break my heart a little.



21 comments:

  1. My favorite thing to buy at Costco is the $1.50 hotdog and drink when we're finished shopping. The best and cheapest lunch in town.

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  2. True story - once my father-in-law was at Costco, he turned his back for one minute, and someone swiped his cart - with all the things he had picked up in the 45 minutes he had already been there. (Just to further prove your point that the annoying and inconsiderate shoppers of the world tend to congregate there.)

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    Replies
    1. Wow. Not just annoying and inconsiderate, but super WEIRD!

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  3. We went to Sam's Club (just like Costco) a lot when I was growing up. My parents couldn't afford to take all 5 of us kids out to eat every time we went shopping so we'd hit the samples at Sam's Club and finish our shopping with a full stomach. Lol!

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    Replies
    1. There's nothing better than free samples. Except for chocolate free samples.

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  4. yes, what is that about the coffee never tasting as good as when someone else makes it for you and pours it into a paper cup with a plastic lid??!

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    1. I must not have explained properly. I actually meant that it tastes better when someone else makes it and it's in a paper cup. There's something about those Starbucks cups that just infuse everything with taste. I know. It's all in my head. But I'm okay with that.

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  5. I did not know this about there being no calories in the samples! This is why I must keep reading your blog--to keep getting the important scoop. And I'm with you on the it sometimes being hard to tell how good of a deal you are getting when you buy in bulk, plus storage space can be tricky. This coming from the woman who just purchases 36 rolls of paper towels and had them shipped to her house...don't worry, I got them put away before my husband came home, so he doesn't know and we're good.

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    Replies
    1. Only 36? Come on, Meredith, you can do better than that! ;)

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  6. I wish there was a Costco near us! My parents have one and I love it. Their produce is so cheap. Great ideas.

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    Replies
    1. I guess I take having a Costco near me for granted. Best deals on produce.

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  7. I actually haven't been to Costco in about two years. It's a frustrating place to shop with a little one so I have avoided it. Besides I really don't need 20 pounds of anything....

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    1. It definitely can be a tough place to shop with a little one in tow. That being said, my daughter LOVES Costco! I don't know what's so exciting about it, but she could hang out there all day!

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  8. I'm literally too ADD to be very frugal and keep track of places to save so thanks for this because we eat about 1000 bananas and avocados each week, clearly we use gas to drive, and baby wipes, well I think they use themselves!

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    1. LOL. Well, I only know that these are the good deals where I live. It might be different where you are, but hey, it's always good to have 20 pounds of apples right? ;)

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  9. I love Costco. I wish there was one near me!!!!

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    1. It didn't even occur to me that not everyone has a Costco near them. How sheltered am I!

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  10. ummm...the mega pizzas that barely fit in your oven and the rotisserie chicken! Yes, please!

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    1. I didn't know about the mega pizzas. My husband is OBSESSED with pizza (what guy isn't). Okay, I better not ever send him to Costco unsupervised or you know what's going to be taking up my entire freezer...

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  11. um, Always S-napkins, when they go on sale at Costco beats every other store to death and 2 giant buckets of Kirkland laundry detergent is good for an year for me!

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