What do you find worthwile at Costco?

[Sorsha]

Milk (apparently in Montana we are weird - the gallons at Costco look JUST like the gallons at the grocery store )
Butter - usually cheaper that the grocery store but not always, just have to watch my prices
Eggs - we use a lot, so I like to buy in bulk, ALWAYS bigger and nicer quality
Big boxes of frozen hash brown breakfast potatoes
Large Folger's coffee
Rotisserie Chickens
Beef - very nice quality
They have this "Marinated Steakhouse-style Tri-Tip" - DH puts it on the BBQ, then slices it thin, it is TO DIE FOR...
Fresh veggies
Big bags of potatoes
Birthday cakes
Pumpkin pies - best anywhere
Batteries - most economical way to buy
Big bottles of Mrs Butterworth pancake syrup
Spices/baking supplies

 

[mom2mikel]

We get:

Dunkin Donuts coffee
Creamer
Eggs
Shredded Cheese
Bagel Dogs
Garbage Bags (kirkland)
Kirkland laundry detergent
Dog Food (kirkland)
American Cheese singles
batteries
Cut Up Apples
Kirkland Cheese Ravioli (freezer section)
Boxes of individual snack size chips
water
Gatorade/propel
popcorn
candy/gum
frozen hamburger patties
pitas/bread
digital photo processing

LOVE Costco and have never been disappointed with a Kirkland product.

 

[fairyprincess1]

Meat - everytime they do one of those hidden camera reports on meat handling, Costco always scores high - if you watch them cleaning up the meat handling area there, you can see why they always receive high marks!! I buy almost all of my meat there for that reason!!

 

[cookies]

They have the best birthday cakes! They taste great and you can't beat the price!
We buy the Kirkland Brand Organic Salsa, I am addicted to it. I put it on everything!

 

[DCLbrideSept2009]

We also get a lot of the Kirkland brand stuff. DH recently researched car batteries and found the Kirkland to rank very high, so we just recently replaced our battery with a Kirkland battery. We are a family of 6, so buying in bulk works out really well for us. A few things I can think of off the top of my head that we buy regularly are:

String cheese
Fruit
Paper towels - Kirkland brand
Toilet paper - Kirkland brand
Laundry detergent - Kirkland brand
Dishwasher soap - Kirkland brand also I believe
Dryer sheets
Trash bags
Chipotle black bean burgers (YUMMY!!)

They also have these YUMMY energy bars that we have buying at least 2 packages of each trip lately and I hope they keep them stocked. That's one thing about Costco - their inventory changes/varies quite a bit. Fall in love with something and you may not find it the next time.

We LOVE Costco!!

 

[DCLbrideSept2009]

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

Was this leather coffee table purchase recent? Cuz we might have the same one! We bought ours just a few weeks ago. It was the last one, display, and no more were coming in. We had employees who hadn't seen it before eying it... It's a dark brown leather top and has drawers and pull-out "trays" on the side... we love it!! We have also gotten our Christmas tree and ornaments from there. Our memory foam mattress. Memory foam pillows. Hmmm... trying to think of what else we've gotten from there. We love their furniture, small appliances, etc. Always fun to browse around Costco... but can be costly too! Really hard to come out of there without spending a good chunk of money! Oh, and yes, they do have a pretty good wine selection also. And their cakes are very yummy and very reasonably priced!

 

[keenercam]

I agree with the Kirkland brand being terrific. Here are some of the things we like:
Kirkland canned chicken
Kirkland canned tuna
Kirkland kitchen trash bags (drawstring, very strong)
Dishwasher detergent pods (can't remember brand)
Rotisserie chicken - delicious and huge
Bags of 6 heads romaine lettuce hearts
Hummus
Laughing cow cheese wedges (in a 3 pack of the round packages)
Kraft Fat Free American cheese slices
5 lb bag of frozen cheese ravioli

(there are so many other things we buy there and that we really love)

From the snack bar, we love the sausage sandwich, the turkey & cheese wrap, and the hot dog & soda deal.

 

[scrapbookworm]

Steaks
frozen chicken breasts
Chicken taquitos
frozen philly cheesesteak sandwiches
frozen organic corn- best corn in the world (other than fresh COTC, of course)
bakery items
salad mixes
high quality apples
milk
bread
eggs
butter
cheese
various types of ravioli and other pastas
fish

 

[roadtrippin2wdw]

Sorry, if these are repeats, I'll try to list ones I haven't seen!

-frozen spinach ravioli
-Kirkland Beer (husband enjoys just as much as Sam Adams)
-Wine and liquor
-ordering take out pizza which is huge and very generously topped for 9.95
-tortilla chips
-Kirkland bread (whole grain is awesome)
-buns
-breakfast danishes
-fresh broccoli florets
-seasonal outdoor stuff (fertilizer, potting soil, gutter guards)
-frozen turkey burgers
-spinach/artichoke dip
-organic half and half (to use in Cuisinart ice cream maker from Costco) $2.99 for 2 qts.!
-school supplies
-tons of Christmas toy presents
-cottage cheese
-blocks of Kirkland cheddar cheese
-blocks of mozzarella cheese
-socks
-Crocs (though they didn't sell them this season)
-local water park tickets at big discount

I'm excited to try the kitchen garbage bags! The milk is cheaper but the spout makes a mess! I don't know if I just don't know the technique of the "proper pour"!

 

[Arkansan]

I agree with many PPs, but no one has mentioned one of my favorites yet--gas! (for the car) We live too far from Costco now (believe me, when we moved here, I checked online for any within a 100 mi. radius and there are none) However, their gasoline was always about $0.10/gallon cheaper (for reg. and premium) than other local stations. Our Costoco was about a 20 min. drive from our house and I would always time my trips so I could fill up my tank, as well.

We loved Kirkland paper towels, the rotisserie chickens, the car microfiber towels, the organic milk boxes for lunch boxes, Kirkland asprin and other OTC drugs, tampons (w/a coupon), lunch in the cafe area, the unbaked whole pizzas, birthday cakes and many other things. Our memberships always paid for themselves. I miss it!

 

[cnj]

We have bought outdoor furniture from them as well as a bunkbed set for my son's room. Both for so much cheaper than anywhere else.

I go once a week and buy a lot.

Things we love are:

rotisserie chickens
spinach
apples
peaches (the best anywhere)
COFFEE MATE CREAMER (much cheaper and bigger than the grocery store)
Dunkin donuts coffee
milk
organic eggs
paper towels
toilet paper
BOOKS (cheaper than anywhere else)
roses
huge bags of cheese
SALINE SOLUTION (It is SO much cheaper here)
baguettes
guacamole (3 packs for $7 something)
salsa
ketchup
mayo
TUNA (better than anywhere else)
wine
tequila
ground turkey meat (about $14 for a 4 pack)
water
chips
kirkland beer (bought this for fourth of July and it was the hit of the party)
Videogames (often cheaper here)
Kids toys for Christmas
outdoor pillows (2 for $15)
capri suns
dishwasher detergent (with coupon)
soap
muffins
Birthday cakes ($17 for a half sheet cake made for you and they're delicious!)
top sirloin
beef patties
dreyer's frozen fruit bars
hot dogs
bacon ($9 for a pack of 4)
butter
sour cream (3 pound tub for $3 something)
hamburger buns (2 8 packs for about $2.50)

I just bought a scale there today for $19.50 and I will get 2% back on all my purchases!!!



Things that are more expensive here are: cereal and soda


I love Costco!!!

 

[disneydreamersx4]

I get many of the things that ya'll posted about and Frontline for dogs too

I get a better deal for toilet paper at the supermarket on sale. OP the first time you go, take a pad and pen with you or use your cell phone notepad and write down the prices of everything you would want to buy and then you can sit home and compare to supermarket.

Also, everyone I just emailed Costco about the poor design of their milk container. I'll let you know what they say.

 

[JB2K]

What other items do Disers find to be more reasonable than the usual grocery store or Walmart?

My MIL. Really.

 

[SaveTheSeaTurtles]

We just got our membership last weekend - after we browsed the store to make sure that we could at least make our money back on it after cost of membership. Here is what we saw that was of value to our family:

1. Kirkland Paper Towels
2. Chobani Greek Yogurt
3. Veggie Trays **we love these and the cost was much better than that from the grocery store. It was also cheaper than making one up ourselves.
4. the hot dog and soda deal *can't complain about $3 for two people for lunch
5. OMG, the samples - I could not believe how many they had going. I am not sure if it is like that every Saturday??
6. We got gas there but only because we were already there - it was not a significant saving over our regular gas station
7. Dog Treats
8. Rotisserie Chicken **Cheaper and MUCH larger chicken than they have at Publix and even tasted better too

I have heard great things about Kirkland products so I will be happy to try other Kirkland stuff.


Another plus for us was that they will even refund your membership cost if you find that you are not getting value - no questions asked and no deadline. That was what sealed the deal since we were not certain we will use the store regularly.

 

[Shelly D.]

Lots of these are repeats, but maybe then you'll see a trend on what's a really good value.

*Coffee - whole bean Ruta Maya coffee (Way cheaper than my grocery store and probably saves enough for our membership fee since we drink a lot of coffee)
*Kirkland dog food
*Rotisserie chicken ($4.99!!!)
*organic produce
*organic ground beef
*Kirkland brand napkins
*canned vegetables like black beans, green beans, stewed tomatoes, etc
*granola bars - zbars for kids are much cheaper at Costco than grocery, Target
*bread is a great deal, although they don't carry our favorite brand anymore
*bagged lettuce is super cheap
*bagged broccoli florets
*sunscreen (on sale at the beginning of summer, almost 2-for-1 compared to drugstore prices)
*salsa - the big jar of salsa in the condiment aisle is so good! We freeze some for later
*shredded cheese (It's a 5lb bag so I bag these in smaller ziplocs - which I buy at Costco - and it saves a lot over grocery store brand shredded cheese)

I agree with above poster about bringing a calculator. Our first few months as members I kept a small notebook in my purse with prices of items at the grocery store and Target. I would calculate prices per ounce since everything at Costco is packaged in larger sizes. Many things were about the same as a Target sale price, but the above items I find to be even cheaper.

 

[kkmcan]

These are the things we like to buy:

Carne asada
Lettuce wraps
sushi
tyson chicken nuggets
Orange chicken
string cheese
Mini babybel cheese
guacamole (3 in pack)
Laughing cow cheese rounds
Rotisserie chicken
krusteaz pancake mix
easy mac
goldfish crackers
veggie straws
fruit snacks
garbage bags
gillette razor blades w/coupon
glide floss w/coupon
nutella (2 big jars)
peanut butter w/ coupon
birthday cakes or cupcakes
alcohol
kirkland dog biscuits
dog beds
cleanups dog treats
Morningstar breakfast sausage
liquid egg beaters
shredded cheese
organic spring mix lettuce
strawberries
bananas
kiwi
brocolli salad
Lawrys taco seasoning
McCormick seasoning
Caffe Mocha/cappucino mix
Que Bueno Nacho cheese
Big bags of tortilla chips
Chewy granola bars
Planters peanuts indiv. snack bags
Nature Valley Sweet n salty bars
Turkey Jerky
Sandwich wraps or sandwich thins
Any bakery item

 

[CrAzY4DL]

I took a sushi making class a few months ago through our local JC and the instructor said Costco on Fridays was the freshest place to buy fish in our town. Never would have thought of that!!! HTH

 

[bigmama67]

Not sure if these have been posted, as I haven't read the whole thread, but:

Kirkland organic vanilla soymilk, $12.99 for 12 quarts (DD drinks this and the cheapest anywhere else is 3/$5 or sometimes 4/$5 on sale);

Horizon organic milk boxes 18/$13.99 (at least $1 cheaper than anywhere else and they also have Kirkland for $11.49) - vanilla or chocolate

Craisins (dried cranberries): $6.29 for 3 pounds, this is a really great price because the grocery stores usually sell them @ $2.99 or more for 6-8 ounces!

They have nice produce (I've got some mangoes in the fridge calling to me, LOL)

I like that they break things down by the pound so you know whether you're getting a deal or not

We're going to check out their deal for our homeowners' insurance too as we are due to renew soon

Now I'll go back and read the rest of this for tips...LOL...

 

[disneymagicgirl]

For those of you discussing the shape of the milk...(I hate it too) but my dad told me it is b/c it cuts way down on shipping costs since they cartons fit together snuggly since they are square.
Just thought I'd share.
I love costco too!

We actually have the exec membership so we get a check back for 2% at the end of the year. We tend to make a few large random purchases there over the course of a year on top of our monthly list, so it is always worthwhile.

 

[winterhart534]

Another vote for the rotisserie chicken here! About once a week someone in the house says "Is it too late to get chicken?" and we all jump in the car as fast as we can.

The steaks are some of the best I've had anywhere and I always buy my prime rib roast from Costco at Christmas. Something I love from Costco especially for going to the World is the bundle of low cut woman's socks. They always come in pretty, cheerful colors and you get something like 9 pairs for $9.99.