What do you find worthwile at Costco?

[benolathe]

We use a lot of the Kirkland brand canned chicken. For some reason, I like it much better than the brands in the grocery stores.

 

[benolathe]

Kirkland dog food is fabulous quality and you can't beat the price.

That's funny. One time I bought the Kirkland brand cat food, and our cats did NOT like it at all. They would sit in front of the food bowl and then just look at us wanting something else. They had to get really hungry before they would eat it.

 

[Ephany]

What we usually get:

-the Kirkland tuna fish (each can is bigger than most in the grocery store and it tastes better)
-Kirkland cat food
-Kirkland dog food
-dog beds
-Kirkland bottled water
-organic bagged apples for DD's lunch
-cheese (the little red wax rounds ones, much cheaper than my grocery store)
-tp
-paper towels
-milk (another vote that the shape of the gallon sucks though)
-juice boxes

Occasionally we'll buy snacks, electronics, and other miscellaneous stuff. They've got a great return policy on electronics and the food samples are another bonus. We've ended up trying a ton of new items because of the samples. At Christmas I usually end up getting presents there too, especially for my nieces and nephews. Last week I bought a bench for outside our front door and it was $100 cheaper than anything I could find locally that was comparable. We've been very happy with our membership.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

dog and cat food - very good quality at an excellent price
dog beds
dog toys/treats
milk
bottled water
shredded cheese
frozen chicken breasts
ground turkey
Kirkland premium margaritas (9.95) - great price!
snack size hummus
celery
veggie trays
salsa
rotiseree chickens
electronics (have 2, 55' that we bought there)
baby clothes
french bread
romaine lettace


Things I will only buy with a coupon:
skippy peanut butter
bakery cookies
laundry detergent
dish soap
dishwasher tablets
hot dogs
chicken nuggets
lunch chips
fruit snacks
quaker granola bars
cereal
paper towels
soda
tp
kids juice boxes

We LOVE going to costco. Can't beat $1.50 for a hot dog and soda.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

I can't believe so few people have talked about the rotisserie chicken! It's cheaper than the supermarket and twice the size. Oh, and it tastes way better, too.

My oldest is a fan of the churros, which he has dubbed "sugar sticks."

All of the fresh foods we've bought have been pretty good. I'm a big fan of the mix-it-yourself coleslaw.

 

[santadog]

Oh how I love Costco.

Next time you go, be sure to ask for a coupon book (you'll eventually get them in the mail, but they can hook you up).

We used to buy DVDs there, but since we graduated to Blu-Ray, we find better deals elsewhere. Last time we were there, they had box sets (3 DVDs each) of the Disney Afternoons: Duck Tales (3 Volumes), Tail Spin (2 Volumes), Rescue Rangers (2 Volumes) and Dark Wing Duck (2 Volumes) for $8.95 each.

When buying electronics, check out what it's bundled with, some of the deals are great. When we bought our digital camera it came with 100 prints and (2) 2 gig memory cards: our Blu Ray player came with Nightmare Before Christmas and Ratatouille and our netbook came with an external DVD drive and a wireless mouse.

Whenever we go to the parks, we order water from Costco.com shipped to the resort ($9 for 24 20oz bottles, free shipping!)

We buy Soy Milk ($12 for 12 quarts) - Potstickers, Mickey Chicken nuggets, Dog and cat food, books, rotisserie chicken, the list goes on and on.

 

[shua321]

Does Costco take manufacturers coupons or just their own?

 

[zscfan]

Costco only takes their own coupons....

 

[bumbershoot]

Big thing of veggie burgers...

Big bag of frozen cheese ravioli that DS loves.

5 lbs of Tillamook brand cheddar cheese that has been 11.69 for nearly 2 years now. It lasts us basically the whole month (longer if DH is away on business trips), and per pound is a WAY better price than anywhere else, and is good cheese.

Big box of Nature Valley granola bars.

For a once a year splurge, they have these awesome organic toaster pastries...two flavors but my family only likes the pomegranate and we end up with the brown sugar ones left... Fred Meyer (local Kroger store) sells them too, but in smaller boxes for much more money per unit.

I've been eating salads for more than a week from the thing of organic baby spinach I bought! mmmmm.

Found our Vizio bluray player there, good deal AND we didn't even know they made a bluray player. We got out Vizio TV there in '07 and have really appreciated it, so we were psyched to have a matching player.

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

Definetley that Hot dog and drink deal for 1.50 lol. In Canada its for the angus burger combo (SO AMAZINGLY GOOD!!)
But I always use costco for Shampoo and Conditioner, the feticinni alfredo they make in store, they sell Krispy Kreme original doughnuts at the one I go to in Canada (not in the California one I frequent).
I also think the price of vitamins and size is a really good deal.

Oh and not to mention going around and making a lunch of the free samples *blushes embarassingly*

 

[PrncesKMW]

Canned chicken and salmon (very good quality)
Swiffer clothes (cheaper, even if you have a coupon for the grocery store)
Airwick plug-ins (same as above)
Cat food (very quality ingredients)
Pizza (fab!)
I-Tunes gift cards - sell $50 ones for about $45 - $47

Black Friday - they have great deals on tvs and on i-Pods

They also have furniture (indoor and out) - I've never bought before, but am about to buy 2 chairs for the living room for about $400 that are beautiful - you can't even get 2 chairs of the same quality at Ikea for that price!

You can usually find the books and dvds cheaper on Amazon, so I steer clear.

And as everyone else said - the samples! DB and I go there on Saturdays for "lunch"

 

[VAfamily1998]

99.9% of the time, I have been extremely happy with the excellent quality of ALL of Costco's items. Sometimes I will pay more out of pocket for something at Costco, when I could have bought a cheaper version somewhere else--but I know with Costco I am getting top notch quality!

Our household consists of 2 adults and 4 sons--so we go through a lot of food. Plus, we are fortunate to live pretty close--maybe 3 miles? I am at Costco at least once a week!

Typically I'll buy:
Milk (though I agree with some previous posters--hate the shape of their gallons!)
1/2 and 1/2 (fabulous price compared to regular grocery stores!)
Large container of Fage Greek Yogurt ($6.29 at Costco, $7.99 at my local grocery!)
Coffee
packaged sliced deil meat (usually turkey)
paper towels and toilet paper
fresh fruits and veggies (but be careful! Check for mold, especially on berries!)
baking supplies (spices, nuts, sugar, vanilla extract, chocolate chips, etc)
organic peanut butter
bread
tortillas
Rosarita refried beans (my Costco just recently started carrying these!)
canned Tuna (not necessarily the cheapest I've found, but def. best quality!)

I don't often buy individually packaged snacks/cookies/etc. but when I do (like when I'm responsible for bringing snack for the soccer team, etc) I get them at costco.

One thing I almost never buy at Costco is cereal---I've found that by using coupons when a local grocery store has sales, I'm able to get cereal extremely cheap.

 

[Fire14]

Things I buy there:
Photo printing - pay for my membership with this alone
My computer and soon my laptop
Cheeses- love international variety
Heinz Ketchup
sheet cake
muffins
books
computer software virus scan, turbo tax, photo editing
My cell phone ( was cheaper for me to buy there and it's still Verizon)
Eyeglasses x 3 pairs, eye exams,
prescription drugs
lunch snacks ( cracker sandwiches, inv bags chips etc)
Laudry detergant ( love their brand)
kitchen trash bags
their meat ( better quailty, cheaper price)
I know there is other things but drawing blank

I will say I prefer over sams club but if were equal distance I'd prob have membership to both.

 

[TifffanyD]

*Ground turkey (Altho it's not as lean as I would like so I don't always get it there)
*Bags of individually vac packed frozen chicken breasts
*Mickey chicken nuggets
*Electronics (We bought our television and my laptop there because they extend the standard 1 year manufacturer's warranty to 2 years)
*Bread products
*4 lb bags of organiz frozen brocolli florets- packaged in 1 lb bags - for like $6.50.
*Salt & Pepper Grinders
*Electrosol dish tabs
*Kirkland toilet paper and paper towels
*Little tubs of fruit for lunch
*Big boxes of bags of chips for lunch
*Granola bars

We try to use the costco coupons and sometimes get things at a really good deal. We have the executive so we get 2% back too

 

[grammynelliebelle]

Thanks for all your input. I will definitely check those items out. Anyother Costco fans? TIA Grammy

 

[dex08]

hummus
toilet paper - Kirkland's brand
seasonings - all varieties
bread flour
yeast
gummy vitamins - we stock up whenever they have a coupon
towels - the prices are really good as well as quality - can't remember brand

We also shop at costco.com frequently -- many of their items online have free shipping.

 

[mars315]

I've bought furniture there, a couch and loveseat, recliner, leather coffee table, an iron bed frame, bookcases and bureaus from the Kids collection, even had 2 leather chairs delivered (free). I also buy wine if they have the kind I like. Bras and undies for me and my two daughters.

Michelle

 

[mjkacmom]

I love the Kirkland paper towels.
I also love the Kirkland tuna & canned salmon. They are not the cheapest on tuna but the quality is worth it to me.

They have a vidalia onion salad dressing that my hubby & I love & I have never found it anywhere else.

Beyond that I find many of their coupon deals are good. I buy Oil of Olay & gilette razors with coupons. & I bought dishwasher tablets last shopping trip buy one get one.

Their milk is a good price, but I hate the shape of the gallon.

Their flowers are beautiful & priced great.

I go to Costco about once per month.

The tuna is a larger can than what you buy in the grocery store (probably the ones at the grocery store have gotten smaller). I hate the new shape of the milk containers - spill all over. The flowers are beautiful, and I've bought them on many occassions. The meat is great, as is the fruit (especially the strawberries and blueberries). I always buy the kitchen garbage bags, kcups, flank steak, laundry detergent, shampoo and conditioner. They sell breaded Perdue chicken tenders (purple bag) that are really good. I always buy my batteries there.

 

[dgthree]

I'm going to repeat a few things already listed, but here goes:

Bottled water - 35 pack of 1/2 liter bottles for $4.69 = 13¢ a bottle. Can't beat it.
Kirkland tuna - def. better quality, makes up for little/no savings over grocery stores
Kirkland pecans (for holiday baking)
Kirkland Vanilla
Stacy's Pita Chips
Arnold Sandwich Thins
iTunes gift cards - four $15 cards for $55, sometimes as low as $48 (I always stock up when I see this promo)
Kirkland batteries (AA 48 pack is $12.50)
Kirkland Cetirizine (Zyrtec)
Kirkland Ibuprofen liquid gels (when they have them)
Individual tubs of Sabra hummus
Fage yogurt tub
String Cheese
Grape tomatoes
English cucumbers ($3.39 for three - usually $1.50 - $2 each in the grocery store)
Fresh Raspberries
Lemons
Heavy/Whipping cream quart - $2.49
Shrimp cocktail platter - a lot of shrimp for $9.99. The frozen shrimp is also good, but I'm usually looking for a quick supper, so I buy the predone.
Ciabatta rolls
Rotisserie chicken (or the rotisserie chicken salad)
Pesto sauce
Babybel cheese multipacks (cheese in general is almost always a good deal)
Kirkland 33 gallon black drawstring trash bags & 13 gallon white kitchen bags. Excellent quality, great price.
Flowers
Paperback books (maybe cheaper on Amazon, but I like instant gratification )
agreed that electronics are usually a good deal, and the extra warranty is nice
Gift cards can be a great deal
Multipacks of white hand towels & face cloths... if they get grungy, they become rags.
Microfiber towels (in the car care area).
and my new favorite...
AMC Gold Movie tickets - two for $15.99, and can be used on first run movies, even when the listing says "no passes"

lol - and this is just what I buy on a regular basis. Coupon values and special purchases are a whole other matter.

The meats and fish are excellent, but I'm one person, and usually can't use that quantity before it gets freezerburn. But I've bought for parties...

Oh! in the fall/winter, they had Kirkland sheepskin boots (like UGGS) for $35-$40

 

[clutter]

I usually buy a rotisserie chicken every other week or so.

We LOVE the flank steak marinated in lime and cilantro (had that last night)

Their beef is good.

Keep Perdue chicken breasts on hand, they are quick to thaw and cook.

Books.