Costco Membership, budget or not?

[MomToOne]

I guess I am in the minority - I didn't find it worth the cost of membership for a small household (2).

There are lots of cool things there that I want - both food and otherwise - but rarely NEED.

5 lbs of cashews? A mega pack of Oreos? Yeah, I'd love them as I ate them all way too quickly...and that's the story with most things. I'm better off just having small sizes in my house. My willpower is weak I guess LOL

Same kind of idea with the non-food home or personal items - most of them I wouldn't go to the store looking for, they would end up just being impulse buys. I loved them, but didn't need them. Not a good situation when trying to maintain a budget

And paper products, cleaning products and stuff like that I found I could get as good or better deals shopping sales. And I have found gas stations that run almost the same price as Costco - maybe a few pennies more, but they are closer and I don't waste gas getting to them, so the price is a wash. (ETA: Just checked Gas Buddy. Today the place I usually buy my gas is $.02 cheaper than Costco. And that's the regular price - I often get another $.10/gallon off the regular price because of a grocery reward deal.)

 

[pigletto]

I just think Costco has great quality products. They're not the least expensive, but I'm rarely unhappy with anything I get there. I shop there about once a month.

I totally agree with this. I like Costco for a few reasons. One is unique merchandise. I can find brands and products there that I don't see in other stores. Two is quality. I've never tried a single thing at Costco that I think is poor quality. I love their Kirkland brand. I do find some great sales. Basically if you are going for the absolute cheapest price on food.. no, Costco isn't for you. If you are looking for decent prices and good quality then it makes more sense.
Lastly, their guarantee is outstanding. If you don't like something you take it back. The end. They don't ask questions and they refund you. Period. I am impressed with any business that will stand behind what they sell like that.

 

[robinb]

I also like the mega-packs of snacks for my DD's lunch and after school sports.

 

[savannie]

Costco is great for certain products. We buy dog food there. The Kirkland brand of dog food is so much better for dogs than Purina, etc., but it's not expensive at all. We've noticed that our dogs eat much less of it than the cheap stuff because they get full easier. It also makes their coats shinier and soothes their tummies. Organic milk is also cheap there, and they often have discounted gift cards that are a huge savings. We buy some frozen stuff in bulk there, but there are only two of us, so we don't buy a lot of other bulk stuff. Between the savings on gas, tires, dog food, and milk, we think the membership is well worth the money.

 

[romitaz]

We LOVE our Costco. We go every week just to explore the neat new things that may be there. We are executive members as well. In addition to the staples that we buy there, they have some of the best prime beef in town and at a better price. The biggest thing has been our large purchases. The tv went out on us before Christmas. No one even came close in price and quality on the TV, sound bar, and Blue Ray player that we got. The savings on the tv paid for the other upgrades. 2 months ago, they had some very nice leather recliners. We price, and quality, shopped all over town and wound up buying two there. They had a three pack of Samsonite spinner luggage for $149 not long ago. We couldn't get 1 piece for that price at the Samsonite outlet. We were looking for luggage for our upcoming Disney trip so in the cart they went! We bought our new family tent there as well. It was way cheaper than anywhere else, including online. They are very tempting with their offerings and yes we have impulse bought a lot of other things there that was not on the shopping list. I do not regret a single purchase. Then there is the gas savings and the warranty. The sound bar we got just didn't do it for us so we brought it back and got a different one. No questions asked. They refunded us immediately. I highly recommend them, as if you could not tell.

 

[crisi]

I guess I am in the minority - I didn't find it worth the cost of membership for a small household (2).

There are lots of cool things there that I want - both food and otherwise - but rarely NEED.

5 lbs of cashews? A mega pack of Oreos? Yeah, I'd love them as I ate them all way too quickly...and that's the story with most things. I'm better off just having small sizes in my house. My willpower is weak I guess LOL

Same kind of idea with the non-food home or personal items - most of them I wouldn't go to the store looking for, they would end up just being impulse buys. I loved them, but didn't need them. Not a good situation when trying to maintain a budget

And paper products, cleaning products and stuff like that I found I could get as good or better deals shopping sales. And I have found gas stations that run almost the same price as Costco - maybe a few pennies more, but they are closer and I don't waste gas getting to them, so the price is a wash. (ETA: Just checked Gas Buddy. Today the place I usually buy my gas is $.02 cheaper than Costco. And that's the regular price - I often get another $.10/gallon off the regular price because of a grocery reward deal.)

One way for a small household to make it work is to have a Costco buddy. Our family of four Costco shops with another family of three. Then we split the huge bag of Oreos or six heads of romaine or two huge roasts. And a Costco buddy can keep you focused on the stuff you are there to get. But if it isn't convenient for you to start with, then shopping sales and couponing can work out MUCH better.