I used to think people were silly for raving so much about Costco. Sure, it was a fine place to do your bulk shopping but why did it merit such a high level of excitement?

When we moved into a bigger space and bought a bigger fridge I decided I would sign up for Costco to help build up our food storage. Our young family doesn’t really eat enough of most things to require bulk so the extra gets stored away for later use. Plus, who doesn’t HATE running out of something in your pantry right when you need it? Double plus, pushing that GINORMOUS cart around with a couple of kids and loading, unloading and then loading and unloading 20 items that weigh an average of 20 lbs each is a good workout for a Thursday morning.

I visit Costco every other week. Since the receipt is a little bit higher I offset it by alternating weeks at Walmart. Before shopping there, I’d grocery and toiletry shop at Walmart or Smith’s or Super Target. I would spend $125 a week = $500 per week. Getting started at Costco, the expense of buying more was $200 2xs a month and at Walmart it was $125 2xs a month = $650. Since building up a reserve and knowing what things I like to buy where, the bill has come down to $150 at Costco and $100 at Walmart = $500. So for the same price I’m getting more food and much higher quality food at that. I know that if Costco carries it, it’s gotta be pretty darn good (comparatively speaking). Here are a few of the Costco products I have come to love.

 

Izze is good. We don’t drink soda ‘round these parts so Izze gives you the “pucker” in a can but is sparkling juice. Izze is expensive everywhere else.

 

I normally use drugstore brands but I’ve tried a few salon shampoo & conditioner brands such as Redkin, Biolage, etc. But this stuff is THE BEST EVER. My stylist swears it’s Pureology brand which retails for a whopping $53 for the same size as Kirkland sells for $15! Plus, who doesn’t want a vegan shampoo? If you don’t, you must like murdering animals just so you can have shiny, more manageable hair 😉

 

I love pasta. At first bite of this brand, I was sold! I didn’t realize there could be such a discrepancy among dried pastas but, man, this is so much better than the other brands at the normal grocery stores!

 

We are cheesers over here. I can’t stomach paying the price of cheese at the supermarkets. It’s about double.

 

Soooooo much less expensive to buy these in bulk.

 

I bought this plastic wrap during one of my first Costco shopping trips almost 2 years ago. I’m less than 1/2 way through it. ‘Nuff said, except it’s not. Just the right amount of clinginess, thickness, and the slide cutter is just plain fun. Sure I have to heft it up to the counter when I want to use it, but that just builds muscle tone.

 

I like the pure ECO laundry detergent. I wish they’d restock ECO dishwasher detergent.

 

Chicken nuggets are gross but my kids inhale them so at least I can buy the healthiest ones I can find.

 

Like I said, we’re cheesers. We love anything with cream cheese but our favorite is cheesecake.
This brand is restaurant quality and I can taste the difference. 

My kids’ skins require super sensitive everything. Aveeno has been the best for us and way less expensive at Costco…when they sell it.

 

$3 #10 can of sliced peaches? Yep. Perfect when produce is out of season and lasts us a full week.

 

There are many more products I could unofficially endorse (their Take ‘n Bake pizza, their meat department, their photo lab, office supplies, etc, etc, etc), but I’ll stop at those. I don’t want to seem like a lunatic after all…

Now I know I could save even more money by shopping ads and couponing. The thing is, it’s just not my style. I’m all for a streamlined process. I’m all for getting in and out. I like knowing my budget is the same every week and I have other things I’d rather do, honestly. Nothing against people who coupon. I think it’s awesome you can save so much money! I just plan ahead and go to one store a week. If I forget something or find myself in need of something, I change my meals or do without until my next trip. Multiple trips drain my cash flow too much. I will inevitably buy something or a few somethings that I didn’t go in meaning to buy. Too much temptation in there!  

I’m not sure why I posted this. I guess I lacked anything interesting to post. Perhaps I like to keep some every day stuff in here so that in 40 years we can see how cheap everything used to be. Maybe I am just lame. But it’s probably just that I have a huge, almost stalker-ish crush on Costco and I’m not embarrassed to proclaim it from the blogosphere rooftop.