What are your top “good buys” at Costco?
I get this question a lot, because in our area there are a lot of people who shop at Costco. One thing I have found at Costco and any other warehouse discount stores (like Sam’s) is that you must price the items out per unit. I have been very surprised to find many items, especially cleaning and paper products, to be priced higher priced than the grocery store’s everyday price.
** Costco also comes out with their store coupons each month or so. Many times they have good coupons for their meats (pork, chicken) and deli items.
I will list a few of my favorite items below, but if you have a great priced item, add it to the comments section. These prices will change, and I didn’t have all of them, but just listed the ones I remember.
Milk, gallon $1.99-2.29
Coffee, 64 oz. $8.99
Olive Oil – large plastic jugs
Spices
Lettuces – especially organic
Sandwich Meats (usually around $3.29/lb)
Specialty Cheeses (parmesan reggianno, feta, brie, and goat cheese in particular)
Ground Beef ($2.19/lb)
Pork Tenderloin ($2.79/lb)
Tortilla Chips
Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pine nuts and pecans)
Sun Dried Tomatoes (large jar in oil)
Dried Fruit (craisins, blueberries, mango’s)
Batteries
Chocolate Chips
Kirkland Frozen Salmon
Kirkland Trash Bags
Kirkland Pizza
Granola Bars (Fiber One – Nature Valley)
(Thanks Lori for these!)
Kirkland Toilet Paper $17.99 (36 rolls)
Honey
Maple Syrup
Turkey Bacon ($4.99 for 3 packs
Eggland’s Best Eggs (usually around $2.40 for 18) Unsalted Butter (usually about $1.60/lb)
Newman’s 100% Grape Juice (2 oversize containers for around $7
Organic peanut butter
If you are viewing this in a reader or via email, click here to view or submit a comment to this post.
Great List! I also buy Honey at Costco and it is a HUGE savings!
Hey Kelly,
I can’t find a 64oz. coffee at Costco. Could you tell me what brand you’re using? I only saw 48 oz. cans.
Thanks
We get the coffee bean bags, it says “Seattle Mountain Blend”, then we grind it as we leave. And oops, it is 40 oz’s, not 64 oz. Sorry for the confusion!
I have consistently found the Kirkland brand toilet paper to be cheaper than the grocery store, unless a 4 pack is on sale for $0.99 and you have a $0.50 off coupon that will double to give you the item for free. I just purchased a 12 pack double roll of Cottonelle (1 ply) at Publix…it was $8.99, on sale for $6.99 and I got $1 off. At $5.99 (for 430.8 sq. ft.), it worked out to $0.0139 per sq. ft. The 2-ply Costco toilet paper was $17.99 for 36 rolls (1912.5 sq. ft.) and worked out to $0.0094 per sq. ft. If I had purchased the same quantity of toilet paper at Publix it would have cost me $26.58 at Publix vs. the $17.99 I paid at Costco. It really helps to know your prices. I don’t think the deals are as good on tissues or paper towels. Other things we like to buy there are honey, maple syrup, turkey bacon ($4.99 for 3 packs), Eggland’s best eggs (usually around $2.40 for 18), unsalted butter (usually about $1.60/lb), Newman’s 100% grape juice (2 oversize containers for around $7), and organic peanut butter.
We usually buy our salmon at Costco. We can get 6-7 fillets for around $17. However, I just read recently that Wild salmon is better for you than Farm Raised. I am not sure which I am buying at Costco. If I had to guess, it is probably Farm Raised.
This is all such helpful information since there are so many prices out there to consider (and I’ve only recently started paying attention and trying to get the best deals…) – so thank you! Can someone tell me – does Costco accept manufacturer coupons, or just their store coupons or what? Thanks.
I also buy the organic Pacific chicken broth. 6 in a case for $9.99.
Costco does not accept manufact. coupons only their own.
I also like the organic “better than bouillon” they have beef and chicken. Great price!
I shop at Sam’s and I will have to agree with your good buys list. I did have a Costco card for a couple of weeks and found that after shopping at Sams for over 4 years it was hard to switch so I cancelled my Costco card and stayed with Sams. I did see that the prices at Sams and Costco are pretty much equal….some items that I got at Costco were a few pennies more than Sam’s but there was a few items at Costco that were a few pennies less than Sam’s…so you end up breakin’ even.
A couple of things that I would like to add to the list is bread flour, all purpose flour and rice. I have found getting them in the 25lb bags is a good buy. The flour goes on sale in the grocery stores sometimes around Thanksgiving and Christmas but I never get enough to last me the whole year so getting it in bulk at Sam’s works for me.
I have a membership to both and personallyI, like Costco better. Costco Carries more organic options for product choices. I haven’t found one organic item at sams yet. And with my executive membership I get 1 percent back which pays for my annual membership fees and some.
Great list – thanks for sharing!
One thing at Costco that saves our family money is the already cooked rotisserie chicken. At our store it is 4.99 — raw chickens of equal size are also 4.99. So for no more money, I have a basis for my family’s meal and can quickly add veggies and fruit. Some days just don’t go as scheduled and my meal plan flies out the window.
Of course it’s much better nutritionally (and psychologically to eat from plates sitting at the table together) , but the total cost for the meal ($5 chicken + $1 veggies + $1 biscuits + $2 fruit) feeds us all for less than the cost of getting value menu drive thru (and I end up with the leftovers in the crockpot for soup!)
Costco toilet paper has become thinner over the last several years. The size of the sheets has remained the same, but the amount of paper in a sheet has dropped by about 15%. Yes, the weight of a roll has dropped; there is less actual paper per roll.
I’ve found our usage has increased as my family members take more to compensate–to achieve the same bulk, if you know what I mean.
s&w organic tomatoes pack of 12 costs $7.50 at my local costco. I can not find a better deal for organic canned toatoes.
i really want to know the honey’s brand that you always buy, and the price alao.thanks for sharing
The honey brand varies, they usually only have one big container.
My family saves big by buying generic allergy meds at Costco. Family of five taking Zyrtec daily year round adds up quickly. The smallest member must still have the liquid which they now carry. I can’t remember exactly what I paid but it seems the last trip was a bottle of more than 300 for about $17 and the liquid came in a two pack for slightly more than what I paid for 1 generic Wal-Mart bottle.
The tortillas are a great deal at 3 packs for $2.99 or $3.49 depending on the kind you want.
I’m a college student so I really appreciate learning ways to stretch my $$$. I know that from what I’ve found, Kirkland Mexican style blend shredded cheese is a great deal at (approx.) $5.75-6.50 for a 40 oz bag. Now from what I’ve compared to other grocery stores, this is an excellent deal! If anyone knows of a better deal for shredded cheese enlighten me please!
Hot dog and hamburger buns are cheaper than I have found anywhere. I also buy their Hebrew National all beef hot dogs.
We buy turkey hot dogs 6 packages for $5.99 at our Costco. That’s the same price per package as BarS hot dogs with out all the extra fillers, and different kinds of meat. We also buy our frozen chicken breasts there. Tyson’s chicken breast is the cheapest per ounce, however, we buy the Kirkland brand and spend the little extra to buy them individually frozen and individually packaged. (That way when we pull some out to thaw, there’s no nasty chicken goop to contend with.) Plus, there’s no added water to their chicken breasts, so there’s virtually no shrinkage when you cook them! =0)
I just took my price list to Costco yesterday. These were the best deals we found! Everything is cent per oz unless noted. Whole Grain bread K-Brand was 7, Cheese was 17, Coffee pods were 20 cents each!, Shredded Wheat cereal 12, Tortilla chips 8, Sparkling juice 9, fruit snacks 8 cents a bag, Chocolate funsize candy bars 11 cents each, 88/12 ground beef 3.19 /lb. , The best deals were on OC medicens.