I just received a great question from Heidi, a new couponer:
My family has a basic Costco membership (I think $40/year) and we shop there at least once a month. I also get my contact lenses there and we get some other household things there (toilet paper, etc.). Since I’m new to couponing, I’m still learning how to do the deals and combine discounts, but at this stage of the game, just running out to Costco seems a lot easier for some things (like TP).
Could you please address if Costco is or isn’t really cheaper than Walgreens, Target, Safeway, Albertsons (with coupons) and/or if it’s worth paying for the “privilege” to shop there.
Here’s the short answer: Costco is not cheaper than Walgreens, Target, Safeway or Albertsons with coupons. Of course, the answer is a bit more complicated than that.
Here’s my theory on Costco, as with all stores out there: it has it’s place in the frugal life as long as you’re intentional about what you purchase.
In my experience, Costco has the best non-coupon prices on (I’d added a few since the original posting):
- cheese (block, shredded & string)
- toilet paper
- diapers
- baby wipes
- butter
- organic raisins
- Foster Farms boneless, skinless chicken breast
When I’m running out of any of these items, Costco is my go-to place. I also use the prices on these items as my “base price” — the price at which I start stockpiling at our coupon stores (Safeway, Albertsons, Walgreens, Rite Aid).
After over eighteen months of couponing though, I rarely shop at Costco. I don’t need to because I’ve been practicing the art of stockpiling for so long. My TP never runs out before the next coupon sale comes around. I haven’t had to buy diapers at Costco for over a year, thanks to free or almost free packs at Walgreens. In fact, I’m thinking it’s time to give up our membership and save the $40 a year. If I’m ever in a pinch, I can always mooch a trip off my friends or family.
Until you hit the same point, where you are almost exclusively shopping at our coupon stores, it may be worth the money and most definitely the time and hassle to just keep shopping Costco as long as you can purchase ONLY the items that are cheaper than anywhere else and when you absolutely need them. Be careful not to “stockpile” items purchased from Costco.
When it comes to contact lenses, I know you can score better deals ordering on the internet — before my husband had his eyeballs lazered, he was getting dirt cheap contacts on the web with minimal research. Pharmacy items are available to the general public without a membership. And save money by choosing generic at Walmart instead of the oh-so-attractive plastic wrapped four-pack of toiletries.
There’s my take. Remember, there’s no right or wrong with this couponing thing. If you need Costco for awhile for the convenience, use it. You will be able to wean yourself off the concrete paradise in no time by strategically couponing and stockpiling.
What do you think? Do you use Costco or have you given up your membership?
This post may contain affiliate links. See the disclosure policy for more information.
If you have a no cost membership at Safeway, meat, like top sirloin is half the price per pound than Costco. It’s quality is at least the same if not better. Will never buy meat again at Costco!
Costco stinks. When you really do the math, almost everything is about the same as Safeway & Kroger. Plus it’s real fun when they move the eggs and milk all the way to the back of the store to get people to shop more. Thoroughly disgusted with the place after tonight’s “experience” at the Thornton, CO store.
Just an FYI for the organic food shoppers. Organic is most important for veggies and fruits that have thin skins and grow close to the ground (such as strawberries). Not worth paying the extra price for organic apples, carrots, or any high growing or thick skinned produce.
GMO Free is more important than Organic!!! Look for the Certification/Verification Stamps!! Pesticides are on the skin of fruits and veggies but GMO is in the seed. Therefore it is ALWAYS important to buy certified USDA Organic or Verified Non-GMO!! Foods without seals can lie and say they are organic or non-GMO… They can legally lie to you because it is not a law to label. Please encourage labeling GMO’s in the United States, A Law!!!!!
GMO is genetically modified org. Poisons and chemicals which are injected
Into food inside a lab. Creating Cancers/Tumors/extra limbs/shrinking of the brain/Demetria/leaky gut/IBS/Deaerates cells and DNA. GMO is also in many medications including Clartin Allergy Meds. Anything with non-organic corn/corn syrup, soy, dyes/food coloring/yellow-blue-red ingredients on candy or medications, modified: bread ingredients. For more information watch “Food Matters” and “Food Inc” on Netflix.
Costco has raised their membership fee to $55 Basic, $110 executive (2% cash back), pretty much only buy dogfood, bounty, paper plates, water, and charmin there , but we don’t pay for the card so totally worth it. Thanks Jim and Jeff.
We use cosco for milk when fredmeyer, albertsons, walgreen and rite aid doesn’t have sale on the milk. sometimes we find their toilet tissue comes out cheaper than the ones on sale from the stores mentioned above. Mainly we use cosco for filling up the gas and I buy the pack of bananas ($1.39 per package of 9 bananas) that’s cheaper than most places for sure.
We use it for gas because it is so much cheaper. If you divide the $50 membership out it only costs $4.16 a month and I know that we save more than that in gas a month. I will admit that I don't shop their as much since I have started hard core couponing but it is nice if we have a huge party and need a big cake…$16.99 for a sheet cake can't be beat even by Winco. I also like their huge $9.99 deli pizzas and sometimes after church we go and get the $1.50 drink and a hot dog!
I have to say that I think that Costco membership is worth it! We also have an American Express card with them (your annual fee is just your normal costco membership) and it earns you 1-3% cash back on everything! Also, I have to agree that you can't beat the gas prices! Also, we buy all of our large electronic purchases there because they have such an amazing return policy. We bought my husbands xbox 360 there about 5 years ago and every year it seems to stop working before the year is up! So we have returned it every year for 5 years with no problems!!! We don't shop there a whole lot anymore, but we love costco!
Lauren- I digress about the apples. For organic fujis, you're right- that is a rockin' price! I have seen non-organic 6 packs of apples there before that were a bad price, which is what I was picturing, but now you've sold me. I'll be looking for the fujis next time I'm there! I love fujis and I eat organic when I can.
And speaking of organic, I just had to concur with one of the other postings- the organics at Costco are awesome. We buy giant bags of organic veggies there, usually for about $4 or $5. I use their big bags of peas to make baby food. I also love their organic chips and salsa. And I have to agree with the gas too- it really is the best price around. We save several dollars whenever we fill our tank there, and that adds up pretty quickly. I also have yet to find a better non-sale price on frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts- 10 lbs for 19.99. I don't usually see coupons for these elsewhere, so I buy a bag at Costco (full price) once every 6 weeks or so and use them in a LOT of my meals.
For us it's worth it even just buying gas there!
Costco gas is the least expensive in town and also up and down the I-5 corridor in Western Washington. Also, I have the Costco AMEX card so I get a percentage back on all items we buy including gas. Also, good prices on prescriptions.
I absolutely love Costco… I think that the size of your family may also contribute to whether or not its a good investment. We buy gas at Costco (always cheaper than the gas stations here), we can get a huge pizza on a Friday night for $10, we buy milk, bananas, salad, tortellini (huge 2 pack for $9),and much more…ground turkey is a great deal there, 4 pack for about $13 (I just paid $5 for one pack a Safeway this morning, and that was their "sale" price) and our trampoline is the top of the line spring free version and we paid only $800 (+ free shipping). We got 2 $25 Godiva gift cards for the kids teachers as end of the year gifts for only $20, thats a $30 savings!We also have the executive membership for $100 a year but we get 2% cash back.
Sorry to go on and on….But to my family it's well worth it!!!!
I have only been shopping at Costco for about six months and have so far have gone on the membership of family or friends every time. I now go once a month and I do think they have the best prices on several organic items. I buy whole chickens, brown rice, frozen corn and peas, peanut butter, tortilla chips and salsa, all organic. I also think that the quality of many of their items is superior. If I did not know anyone who had a membership, I would likely try to go in on it with a friend, and I think that it would be well worth the investment.
FYI — Costco's basic membership is $50 now — that is what I had to pay when I renewed the last time I was shopping. I don't mail in my renewal when it comes in the mail, I wait to see if I NEED a Costco trip and pay the fee when I check out — saves me postage! HA!
I still use my membership. I purchase most of my meat there and use the cookbook "fix, freeze, feast" cooking in bulk. I currently have a months worth of frozen dinners already prepped and ready to go in the freezer and that doesn't count the meatloaf, burritos, and chili I have in there – the teenager snacks on those.
Their quality is good and I have better results then using meats from other sources. Although I may start getting hamburger somewhere else.
When I need a vast quanity of shredded cheese, Costco has the best price and generally their milk is cheaper (however since I buy tons of milk – I only get milk when I am there once a month). Costco also has the best price on jumbo cans of tomato products which I use because I cook in bulk. Same with frozen vegetables. and chocolate sauce.
When I started cuponing, I did a lot of comparision pricing and shop accordingly. You just have to be aware of pricing.
All in all, my membership is worth it.
PB
I believe that Costco can most definitely be worth the money that you spend there if you routinely buy certain things! I have been couponing for about one month now and my costco trips have changed GREATLY (for the good), but I still go there for some particulars…I noted a post about the apples being a rip off, but I have to politely disagree….I have done the math and you can get 12 organic fugis weighing 5-6 pounds for 6 bucks…it isn't all that often that I see organic apples on sale less than or close to a buck a pound so if they aren't on sale elsewhere this is where you can always find them! Also, they have a HUGE bag of broccoli (not sure on the weight)for 2 bucks….now I just sale shopped broccoli and got three crowns for 2 bucks….so when my mother in law and i both need brocoli this is a GREAT DEAL! Also, they have a 3 pound bag of spinach for 4 bucks…not always the best deal, but I remember when they were out once and I had to make the decision to go without since a regular salad bag worth of spinach was priced at several stores around 3-4 dollars! Costco is also a great place to get milk since they have two gallon packs for 3.50….if you have coupons for milk this might not be a great price, but i have yet to acqure many milk coupons except soy milk or more expensive brands that make costco still a better price!
Now, all that said….I used to shop at costco for EVERYTHING and I have learned that there are things that I am simply not getting a good price on…like toilet paper, paper towels, and laundry detergent….these are the things that I was CERTAIN were better deals at costco than elsewhere, but with coupons they can be WAY cheaper at your basic stores…
Also, there are random things that you find there that are great deals. We recently bought a camera there that should have been 240, but we paid 180 for it. That alone covers the membership and we have 90 days to use it and return it! Also my husband and I are going to Disneyland/Southern California this summer and we found the Costco sells the SoCal city passes for 20 bucks less each than you can get them online…so even without food, Costco has already saved us 100 bucks this year!
My opinion is to try to find a friend to share your membership with you if you dont think that you will be able to get your 40 dollars out of it. For us, it has been well worth it, but that is not the case for everyone….
Remember, you can always go to "try out the store" occasionally to do your buying or to put together a comprehensive price list which has helped me to get a base price for many items figured out.
Sorry that turned into a rant….you wouldn't believe how long this post would have been had I written it a month ago when costco was my primary shopping source (and the source of hundreds of wasted dollars)….everything in moderaton, right?
Note-we also have the executive membership (100 bucks), and they told us when we signed up that if we didn't get a rebate big enough to pay for the difference in membership prices, they would refund us the difference! They have fantastic customer service!
Their eye exams are significantly cheaper than anywhere else I have found!
I love Costco, they have great deals on kids clothes and pajamas, shoes, books, toys at Christmas, candy at various times of the year. They also have coupon books once a month and you can beat the coupons price elsewhere. I have the executive membership and get 2% cash back on my purchases and it has always paid at least $80 of the $100 membership and usually the whole $100 plus some left over. So I haven't paid for my membership in years. hey have actually paid me to sop their. Also Costco is a great one-stop shop for any party or bbq you may be having.
I am a loving Costco shopper. We get the 3lb can of coffee, instant oatmeal, bread, frozen chicken and beef almost every other month. The coffee is the only kind that doesn't upset my stomach and the bread is in in the BIG loafs which is wonderful when you can use one loaf of bread for two weeks worth of sandwiches. The toilet paper and paper towels are quality and a good deal plus its nice to only have to get it once a year for our household. Yes the 40 dollars a year isn't much fun to shell out but when you get your rebate for having the American express it balances out!
I just told my hubby last week that we will not renew our Costco membership – as I never shop there anymore either due to coupons. I agree with the non food item purchases, but I will just go with family or friends if I find something of that nature that I want to buy. We are building a new home and my hubby found our kithen sink there for hundreds of dollars less than we would have spent anywhere else. They have those random things that are really good deals. My 2 cents.
we've bought furniture and electronics there. plus video games and pots and pans. all of those things were by far the best deal around. so we have gotten our $40 worth many times.
plus – you absolutely cannot beat costco's return policy. with or without a receipt you can return it. and 90 days for electronics. also, they have a free concierge service on those items that you can call for questions and help with setup. i guess if you only ever used it for food, it might not be worth it.
We buy our coffee beans there ($3.67/pound), our butter usually, cheese and then only other things if I feel it's well priced. Man, you can spend A LOT of money there!
you gotta think about non food purchases too. we got wii fit at costco for 10 bucks less than everywhere else, they have books and movies for cheap, and tons of other stuff. looking around my living room i've got a flat pannel tv from there, a rug, books, socks (whoops-need to put those away!), fresh flowers, and wine glasses. just for food i don't think i'd need my membership.
also-your membership comes with two cards, and you can split your membership with anyone. so, if your spouse never goes to costco without you, share it with a friend and only pay half the cost! i split mine with my brother. one of my other brothers shares with a neighbor.
I gave up my membership in February, after 4 months of couponing. What I miss from Costco: coffee (the best non-coupon price), organic frozen veggies (the best price almost anywhere, with or without coupons), dried fruit (the best price on organic raisins hands down) BUT I can still go with my sister or parents if I want to, OR I can sometimes find these and other fun costco items at Eagle Bargain Outlet. What I don't miss: paying for the privilege to spend money 🙂
It is not $40 worth (cost of membership) of cheaper for me. And I don't have need for a gallon of mayo. No Costco here.
I think Costco has a good selection of items that you wouldn't find elsewhere, or wouldn't find with coupons. A random example… their bag of pine nuts is cheaper than bulk at WinCo, and when have you ever seen a coupon for pine nuts? I haven't. Now, of course, pine nuts don't justify a $40 membership (though I do love those tasty little things…) but if you have enough "favorites" from Costco that you can't find cheaper elsewhere, I'd keep the membership. Their rotisserie chickens at $4.99 can rarely be beat, and when I'm in a pinch for dinner, it beats fast food by a long shot. And I am a huge fan of their big jar of pesto for $7.99, which again, I don't see coupons for.
It all depends on what you consider your family faves, and if those items have coupons or not. Certainly toiletries are often cheaper elsewhere, due to coupons and generic brands. And if you're buying produce at Costco, be sure to really know your prices. Some of their produce is a killer deal, but those plastic clamshells of apples are highway robbery, as are a number of their other items.
Just a little FYI though… dollar for dollar, the paper products and disposable stuff (cups, napkins, plates, tableware) are much cheaper to get at WinCo. Even the TP is cheaper, though not by much. You might not get the bulk amounts… but you can get the same amount for cheaper, even if you have to purchase several small packages vs. one large one. I do huge amounts of bulk shopping for my church, and used to do so for my job, so I've done a lot of numbers crunching in this arena. 😀