We had a great question from a reader recently about Costco shopping. She was wondering if we shop at Costco, and what we buy there (how do you know what’s a good deal?).
Here’s the 2 cents I gave her:
What do I always buy at Costco? Butter. Flour. Sugar. Shredded and block cheese. Eggs (although they are often a bit cheaper at the grocery store with a sale it’s not by much). Produce (we have a big household so we can get through it before it spoils). Ground hamburger. Ground sausage/pork/turkey. Other meats? Can normally get cheaper on sale at the store.
So there’s my 2 cents. I’m looking for yours! I know we have many super frugal readers who are also warehouse shoppers. What are the best buys that you always know you’re going to get the lowest price on by buying at Costco or Sam’s?
18 Comments
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Christmas is coming, go there to find presents for your friends or family. They are on sale, limited time!
Costco is the happiest place on earth…we go there for fun! I would never buy a diamond anywhere else. Their policies and prices on diamond jewlery are amazing. Ive even traveled to countries where you “can’t get them cheaper”. NOT TRUE! My Wedding ring is a yellow and white diamond masterpiece! We paid $10k at Costco.com. I had it appraised here and it came back at $18k AND We got a $450 check back at the end of the year. If you are getting married I would consider doing your research and include Costco.com in your process.
Their return policies on everything make it a great place to shop in general.
My latest SCORE is the Olivia Moon t-shirts they have there right now for $11 and some change. I just bought a similar Olivia Moon T at the Nordstrom Rack for $24 and thought I scored because the retail price was $68! Needless to say I bought one in every fabulous color Costco is selling!
Produce is awesome too. Its so funny because I used to buy cereal there and get so excited because I was getting such an awesome deal. NOT ANY MORE MISTER! With coupons, I never pay more than about $1/box. Costco is approx $3-5/bag (two per box usually), that is no kinda deal.
SAVE ON DIVA’s!
I buy baby wipes (the have the best in town and you get 8-10 packages), Metimucil (you get two for about the same you pay at Walmart), Tuna (the albicore is wonderful), toliet paper & paper towels. Love the shredded & brick cheese. Best of all are the bulk sizes of peanut M&Ms, one of my husband's staples. They also have a gulten free trail mix (not Kirkland brand) that is wonderful. If you like to read, books are a great deal & Wii games are usually a little cheaper. Bulk batteries are great. So many things that it is hard to list them all. They also have a great prescription plan if you don't have insurance and they don't jack up the drug prices like many other pharmacys do. You can get drugs there even if you are not a member.
I've found that costco is cheaper on a few things, like cheese (block and shreds) and has a better variety of things like canned beans, sliced cheeses and foods for special diets (like gluten free/sugar free/organic, etc.) BUT, Sams has better produce (quality not variety) and a deal you must ask for; if you're not pleased with their produce or meat they will DOUBLE your money back. But they have removed the written guarantee. I asked about this and was told that they have not rescinded the offer, but simply not told anyone. Sigh. Stay informed.
Organic and earth-friendly! Way cheaper at Costco
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This is our general list now- it use to be much larger but I too have found better deals with coupons- ground beef, 10#chicken breast, soy milk, dog food (especially when they have $10 off coupon for IAMS), diapers (although I have been finding good deals at Walgreens lately), flour and corn tortilla's, coffee, garbage bags, toilet paper, AA batteries. Almost everything else I can do better with coupons but sometimes if there aren't any good sales and we are in need Costco is still less expensive for many items than the regular prices at the local grocery stores.
Costco definitely seems better than Sams in selection and price. we live in the bush and shop about 3 times a year and mail groceries home. the coupons are great. we got a great deal on laminate floor for our whole house (1000sf) with the coupon… no other place could come close to their price at their quality. We aren't able to shop around so i look at the grocery ads for sales and then hit the warehouse. produce is always cheaper at Costco Unless there is a great grocery deal. (we buy as much fresh as we can within our airplane baggage limits-usually 200 pounds- because it is so expensive and hard to get out here.) their frozen fruit is great for smoothies and priced right. many snacks are good priced- kids and regular clif bars, dry fruit, nuts, tortilla chips. at Christmas we looked at laptops and they were Not a deal! best buy was much better in selection and price.
i know Sam's had a booklet they send out to the bush of items but there is guarantee that they actually have those items or that price is accurate. haven't seen anything like that from Costco. but ask at the customer service desk- they gave me the name of place that does bush orders and they might get you a list.
I like to buy Ketchup there. Ketchup isn't a condiment in this house, it's a side dish. One of the #10 jars will last us about 2 months (if Im lucky) and at a bit over $4.00 it is a way better deal that I can get at the grocery store since coupons seem to be few and far between.
My #1 is COFFEE. The stuff you can grind up right there if you want at the end of the aisle…It's $9.99 for 3 lbs and it is SO good. Next would be Popcorn, Ziploc, Saran Wrap, Foil, Roast Beef & Turkey meat for sandwiches, Prego Spaghetti sauce, canned items, Tortilla's, Gold fish crackers, coffee filters, and much more I could go on.
I used to think that COSTCO had the best deals since it was bulk then I started couponing, so now I know when items I regularly buy are cheaper at regular grocery stores. Love the coupons & rewards! I would much appreciate having a list for COSTCO prices. I live out of town so when I plan a COSTCO trip its usually a huge list by then.
The Costco coupon booklet helps when you need some items, and the rewards check helps too at the end of the year. I love it. U basically get free money to shop.
We a got $30 check this year which means we spent $300 in one year (we only buy wipes and the occasional fruits ans veggies).
If you have ever been to the Discount Rural Center in Eagle River they carry the "damaged" or returned items that Costco carries. We got our Oreck vac from there for $182 when it STILL sells at Costco for $349. :-0 Nothing was wrong with it either, it was still in the box only issue was the box was smashed on one side.
Some items cost the same or less at Costco because I don't think they know exactly how much those items retail for when they think they are "discounting" them but still sometimes you can find a good deal.
Oh we buy our soy milk at Costco, can't find any better prices.
Sams has best price for diapers ONLINE only and shipping is free. Or so it was when I ordered. I got a box of 288 huggies for $34.00 which is cheaper than the huggies at sams club or costco. ONLINE ONLY! Shipped for free and got to me 2 days later.
Costco is better than Sam's for saving money because Costco has their own generic brand of certain products (Kirklands). We do 90% of our grocery shopping there and we LOVE it
For groceries I buy most of my canned goods at Costco and/or Sam's Club. The way my family will often go through them is just works better for us. Also since Anch. still has no sales tax, the Valley does, this just adds to my savings. I also buy my dish soap, both for sink and DW, laundry soap & fabric softner. I also get my TP, Kleenex, plastic bags (freezer, storage & garbage). Sometimes I guy my produce there but only if I know we'll go through it before it goes bad. I usually stock up on meats at the markdown bins in the grocery store (FM mainly) but I will get my frozen meats at the warehouses.
Office supplies – paper is cheaper there and with printing off all the internet coupons from this site I go through the paper!!
Elaine H Wasilla
The Costco coupons create some great deals
It's hard to beat the canned soda prices…24 cans for under $9.00. Sometimes you can get a better deal with a sale at one of the other stores, but then again maybe you aren't addicted to diet dr pepper like I am.
Yeah, the website does not seem to list the regular items. Would be great to have a price list.
Sometimes canned goods are better priced, also. Tomato paste, black beans, and refried beans are things I usually buy at Costco. Pineapple too, if I don't have any coupons for it.
Sour cream and cream cheese are cheaper there too.
Costco has a website too…
http://www.costco.com
Although, it is mostly non-grocery items, there are some meats and fruits. It seems to be geared toward food gifts.
Is it possible to get a price book type list from Costco and Sam's Club? Both do bush mailings of groceries, so I would think that they must provide some kind of catalog to interested customers…. If this is something that Costco and Sam's Club offer, would you consider posting it on your site? It would be a huge help. Thanks! -Amanda