Is Costco worth it?

[emmababy]

Our family is expanding and growing. We are thinking of joining Costco, but wondered if it is really a money saver or not?? We went and toured it and I noticed some things be cheaper- bread, meat, some produce. But, milk, diapers and such were not any cheaper. Please give me the ins and outs!

 

[megs193]

If you have a child that drinks formula they have good prices on formula. I have heard good things about the Kirkland brand of formula and diapers but I have never tried them. They also have good prices on meat considering the quality (much better quality than you would find at the grocery store imo).

 

[jspahn]

My husband and I belong to it - no kids. My dad bought us our first membership, and i wondered if it would really pay for just 2 of us...

Some things are great - the quality of meats are excellent. I find Costcos prices to be cheaper than our grocery store's regular prices, BUT if our local store (Publix) has a sale, it tends to be better than Costco. We buy frozen fish at costco too. i was never a person to cook fish before, but the vacuum sealed frozen packs really are great!

We do use costco for things like laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, aluminum foil etc. The pricing works out better, though of cuorse with 2 of us it takes a while to go thru the quantity from Costco.

We also like the other random items that rotate - i have 2 of the comfiest kitchen mats ever now, and they were like $10 each. We saw similar ones in bed, bath, beyond for like $50.

And of course, if we throw a party, costco is great with veggie platters, shrimp platters etc. So much better than at publix!

Can't comment on the diapers and formula since hubby and I have only been married a few months
But for the other things, it does seem to be worth it, even just for 2 of us.

 

[dex08]

There was a thread last week about this same topic

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2363159

 

[bettymae1121]

I can't speak for baby products as I don't have kids, but I find they can have great deals on food (the quality of their meats is fantastic!). Depending on the region you're in, a savy couponer may be able to do better slightly better by matching coupons/sales/rebates etc. but that takes some time and effort, something not everyone has (time, that is). We've also gotten good deals on non food items. Batteries come imediately to mind, but they sell all sorts of things, from luggage to furnature to kitchen electronics. They have a fantastic return policy so especially for big ticket items, it may be worth it just for the peace of mind, let alone the $$$ savings.

They send out coupon booklets about 6x a year, and I find that between the coupon savings and the low prices, I really come out ahead, even after factoring in the annual fee. Usually I save enough just in coupons my first trip of the year to cover the fee ($50) so the rest of the year is pure savings.

If you just aren't sure, see if you have a friend or relative that might be interested in sharing a membership with you for a year. I think the only way to know if it's a good fit is to really try it for a year.

 

[ampc3]

we didn't renew our membership , we like BJ's better b/c they take man coupons

anyway, it depends on how you shop, eat etc...
Costco has some great food items , I personally find walmart to be cheaper for us on household cleaning stuff.. batteries are definitely better at Costco type place...

they didn't have the type of formula my babies use so never bought it there or type of diapers we like.. but there kirkland brand babywipes are awesome!!!

 

[NYCDiane]

I had memberships at both Costco and BJs and ended up never renewing the Costco membership. I find BJs prices to be much better and they take coupons. They also mail you coupons booklets as well as their newsletter that also has coupons in it. Additionally, BJs doesn't have every single thing in "bulk". They now carry things in twin packs or shrink-wrapped in 3s or 4s. One more thing -- many of the BJs' have gas pumps and you can save 15-20 cents per gallon. Not a lot even if you're filling your tank, but you can guarantee the gas you're getting is a good quality.

I would take BJs over Costco any time.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I think, like anything, it depends on what you buy. We are vegan, and I find that the produce there is usually a good deal - we eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. I also buy dog treats there, Kirkland brand vitamins, some office supplies, some cleaning supplies, and books.

Teresa

 

[mrsklamc]

We drive a lot so the savings on gas pays for our membership by itself.

 

[pearlieq]

I'm not sure it's exactly cheaper, but I sure like shopping there!

I get the most enjoyment out of things I can buy there that I can't get other places--bulk packs of snacks, organic meat, pizza, and bakery items.

 

[dismom2]

I like having a Costco membership. I only buy certain things there because I find that for things that not everyone in the family likes, or things we will get sick of if we have too much of, it's not worth it. I like to buy produce there, and vitamins, movies, books, some meat, chicken.... a lot of things. I do not usually buy paper products (paper towels and toilet paper) there, as I can use coupons and get a better deal at the store.

I also like Costco at Christmas time when you can get some good deals on toys and wrapping paper, etc... Oh, and I buy socks there, too.

I love looking all around, seeing if there's anything new, tasting all the samples (my favorite part), and when you are on trips, you can get pizza and hot dogs cheaply for the whole family! Also-- if you are renting a cabin or condo you can stock up on food there to save money.

So, yes, I think it's worth it.

 

[peyjax]

Costco is worth it! When you look at brand things sometimes it is not always cheaper, however when I shop I look for Costco brand (kirkland). The quality is great. From Diapers to juice boxes (big $$$ saver) to batteries. All great if not better than the name brand. My batteries outlast the energizer! The quality of the meat is superb and sometimes it is nice just to go eat there with all the free samples.
Side note - I love your Mickey Buckeye!

 

[bumbershoot]

They have good, constant, prices on the things we eat. Wilcox family farm eggs, Tillamook cheese (5 pound block for 11.69, solid price for over a year!), big box of Nature Valley granola bar, and so on.

Should we have another baby, online they have a nice starter box of Bumkins cloth diapers that we would totally get. Wish I'd known about that box before!

We don't use disposables, and nursed, so I don't know about the other things.

They do have some cutie organic cotton pajamas, but I'm not sure how small they go; DS is wearing size 6 in them, and I adore them. Also got a couple carters two piece pjs for a few bucks cheaper, just b/c DS liked the design.

They have lots of books at a good cost; if you will be thinking of homeschooling, they have nice educational books for the earlier grades as well!

 

[disneyfan55]

We have the membership. You have to check prices and know them. If grocery stores have 1/2 price or buy 1 get 1 the price there can be better plus you can use the coupons. Some produce especially bananas and berrys are usually a good deal at costco as well as milk too. We have found items not easily found at other places and electronics at times are a great deal. I purchased a years worth of survival food there on line for about 200 less than the supplier that was selling through Costco! You have to know and watch prices to get the best deals. We did also purchase security cameras there for a good deal, also online. They sell a lot of odd things online including coffins!!

 

[Cjmuma]

Free Costco Membership.....
I know my parent's got a free costco membership with their credit card... i want to say AMEx... You may already have a membership and not know it!!!!!!!

 

[tinkerfan1]

We love Costco. We used to be members at Sam's and did not like it near as much. We like to eat organic food or at least stay away from food with garbage in it. Costco has a great selection of exactly what we need, including quite a bit of organic products and natural products. The customer service at the one near us is really good, too. They always have plenty of people (knock on wood) when you check out and it is always clean. Thumbs up to Costco!! Oh, and they sell Disney (organic) "animal" crackers. Oh boy! Just discovered them last weekend. I'm getting them when I go back.

 

[azdisneylover]

De lurking.... For us, a Costco membership is well worth it. There are items we can get cheaper at other stores. With the coupon books, the price of V8 juice, Sunny D, coffee, and other items are a great value. I bake from scratch, so I purchase flours,sugar, spices, yeast at decent prices. I get DH work jeans for a good price, along with Otter Pops, cashews, lunch chips, and the best, birthday cakes! Yoplait gogurts are a decent price, and eggs! The key is knowing your prices, at other stores. Costco also has decent Disneyland packages! The nice thing with that, the taxes and tips are included! Their travel packages are a decent price. I do stay away from buying bananas there because they never truly ripen. I have gotten excellent grapes!

 

[Purseval]

We've had a few free BJ's memberships since it is only about 2 miles away. Each time we've let them lapse and I can't remember buying anything that was a great deal compared to sales at regular supermarkets. My mother has a costco membership so I've been in there a couple of times, it was as exciting to us as BJs

 

[happymommy]

I go there frequently for our family. Some items I now cannot live without are their toilet paper and paper towels! I like that they are all individually wrapped, and the paper towels are larger size sheets (I use them as placemats when the kids eat, or for us too!). First time, DH had gone and bought their brand, Kirkland, instead of Bounty - I was mad and told him he was being cheap by saving just a couple of dollars by buying the "off brand" - then I opened up one roll and tried them - I liked them way better than Bounty!

Also, I agree about frozen fish, plus also I agree with the others on the quality of meats and seafood! We also love their brand of coffee (packed in pouches that make one pot each). Ours has rotisserie chickens as well, much cheaper than the grocery store and twice the size! We eat on it one night, then I make a pot of soup the next day with the leftovers.

I also frequently find clothes I like there - pajamas, sweaters, pants, etc... You never know what you'll find, really!

I used to buy bottled water there a lot, but then we put in a reverse osmosis filter under our sink, and I found a pack of a dozen Rubbermaid water bottles for about $20 at Costco, so we eliminated the disposable water bottles (except for parties and things).

I guess for us, it's really great. I do stock up sometimes, and it's the 4 of us. I stay at home, so we have lots of meals at home. We even shop at Costco when we use our timeshare in Hawaii - there's a new one 5 minutes away, so we get fresh produce and fish and meat to grill for the week or two that we're there! I may even go there in Orlando in March, as we have a Marriott villa with gas grills too. I'm weird, I do cook (not as much as at home) and do laundry on vacation (my DSis thinks it nuts, but it's just me...)

 

[wdwfan16]

We've had a few free BJ's memberships since it is only about 2 miles away. Each time we've let them lapse and I can't remember buying anything that was a great deal compared to sales at regular supermarkets. My mother has a costco membership so I've been in there a couple of times, it was as exciting to us as BJs

We got a free 2 month BJ card in the mail. We activated it before the end ot 2009, when it would expire. DH and I found that most of the food was heavily process and not what we would want to eat. DH does love thier half sour pickles. We will not be renewing.

I checked some prices and they had 8 tomato soups, which I use for one of DH's favorite meals, and they were 8 for $6 IIRC. I just got them at the grocery store for 52 cents per can. So 8 was just over $4. They had Spaghettios in an 8 pck and it was $8. Our local store sells them all the time for $10 for 10. Same price. There was other food that I checked and BJ was either the same price or higher.

IMHO the prices at BJ are not a deal.

Maybe we should try Costco. From what I am reading here they seem to have more of what we would buy.