I might have to turn in my Mormon housewife card following this confession:
I don't have a Costco card.
I used to have one but I let it expire five years ago. It didn't seem to be saving me any money and there is no Costco in my town. I'd have to leave my isand to go there.
I'm ready to reconsider due to a new freeway that would speed my visit and a new Costco that is the largest in nothern California.
Convince me, imaginary friends. Tell me if I can save money on stuff besides giant bags of pretzels that get all over my pantry floor. Tell me if I can find better produce than the stuff at Raley's. Tell me that I need their ready-made-dinners more than I need Trader Joe's. Tell me I'll be fine with the fact that no one is helping me load the food in my car. I'm ready. Tell me.
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34 comments:
No, you're not better off UNLESS you are buying for food storage. Other wise you spend a ton on stuff you don't need like 5 lb boxes of Cheez-its and boxes of Pop Tarts that are half the brown sugar kind which you know no one eats.
Stay strong.
Two words: "Bulk Deodorant"
I just let my Costco membership expire. I can count on one hand how many times I have shopped there. And every one of those times I went, it was with my parents.
I've been researching this one lately...better deal on dairy than the grocery store, MUCH better produce & meat, you don't have to buy garbage bags as often, and yes...bulk deodorant.
The bakery makes FABULOUS cupcakes & cheesecake (reason enough for me) & the pizza isn't bad.
When it came to snacks & cereal (as Jennie mentioned) it's kind of a rip.
I do really wish I had a Trader Joe's nearby.
Produce, Meat, Diapers, Wipes and Milk. If you don't buy any of those things.. don't go.
Celia! I, for one, am SHOCKED that you do not have an active Costco card. Consider your Mormon Housewife Card REVOKED.
Yeah, uh...did I mention that I don't have one either? We don't have a Costco here. We have a Sam's Club but, I let my membership expire because it didn't seem worth it.
Can't help you....if it were a Sam's Club I would tell you to sign up immediately....they have the BEST soft pretzels, but Costco, sorry, they just don't have much to offer me.
To be honest, I think I spend MORE money when I go to Costco because I buy other stuff that I don't need!
Love their produce, but it is a lot of effort for me to go there, so I don't go much...
I think I should bear my testimony to you of shopping at Costco. I wish I didn't have to go anywhere else, I love it that much.
Peanut butter, eggo waffles, bulk toiletries, giant bags of fresh cherries for like $5...who WOULDN'T go there?
Oh, wait. You, that's who. For shame, mormon housewife.
lauren's funny. she revoked your card. it made me laugh.
i don't have a membership, but costco is like a half hour away. so the cost of gas negates my grocery savings.
although i will say this: nothing better than family brunch at wholesale supermarkets. if you work those samples just right, it's one less meal you have to cook that day.
Coscto is mandatory. Sorry you didn't get that memo. Don't they preach that from the pulpit in your ward? Maybe your ward isn't as true as mine.
I would trade my Costco card in a heartbeat for a trader joes we don;t have those in Utah
It's long, but you asked for it:
I am going to The Costco today. I will proudly show my card at the door, load a cart up with my adorable children, and do the following:
* glance over at the electronics as I walk into the store and think about what to give my husband for his birthday in 2 weeks
* drop off a Hi-8 videotape at the photo counter for them to put on DVD, cheaper than anywhere else
* check out whatever special event items they have (my favorite is when they have furniture or beach crap)
* Look at all the housewares & non-food items quickly to see if I need anything since the last time (last week). New mixing bowls? Maybe a cute platter? printer paper? Shredder? (I won't buy any of these things. today.)
* Buy Carter's fuzzy pajamas for my littlest for about $7, the same ones you get anywhere else for at least $12. Probably will buy 2 because winter is coming. Get them now, they will be gone in January when you need them.
* On to the food: Samples, fresh-baked whole grain bread from bakery (2 loaves, freeze one), regular sliced kirkland whole grain bread (2 loaves, freeze one), a rotisserie chicken for dinner tonight, Grapes, stawberries, tangelos, plums, bananas if avail, milk, sour cream, shredded cheese, uncooked tortillas (this alone is the reason for Costco), pork loin, froz chx breast, eggs, potstickers
* other non-food products to purchase today: paper plates, paper cups, wipes.
Whew. Just do it.
I love that place. Butter, rolls, parm. cheese, olive oil, pine nuts, pasta (don't I sound a little italian?) laundry soap, socks, electronics. . .Plus, they have a GREAT return policy. We buy big ticket items there just for that reason alone.
The only trouble I find is that the $$ I save on bulk items is negated by the fact that now I really need to buy a bigger house to store it all in.
Two more things--aluminum foil and saran wrap. I think I have had my rolls for at least TWO years.
That's all. DO it girl.
And TP!!!! Why has no one mentioned that?? Its worth the membership for me to only have to buy tp every 3 months. Awesome. Not to mention laundry and dishwasher deterg. Amen.
I agree with Jenn... I never use my Costco card, but I love Sam's club... I'd definitely give up Costco for Trader Joe's. Utah stinks.
I am with you sister. I do like Winco for food savings and bulk. I do not like the self serve bagging, but hey, beats the trip into Antioch, and I only had to travel to the far reaches of my safe Brentwood Island. I keep trying to convince myself I need Costco again, but to me, it was a giant time trap, where I find myself wandering the books aisles, trying on clothes I don't need. Admiring jewelery I will never wear, and then buying 10 pounds of meat, I dutifully would have to divide up into serviceable portions and put in my freezer. Yeah, I suck at food storage too. Maybe I would do better at my years supply if I began shopping in bulk again, but I just hate all the dividing up and the giant boxes of everything.
Oh man, this makes me want to go to costco NOW!
My reasons:
It makes me feel rich.
TP
dairy
meat
produce
books
batteries
lightbulbs
socks
Kirkland brand of everything (shampoo, zyrtec, nuts, cheese...and so forth)
It makes me feel rich.
Sally (see above) told me years ago that she couldn't wait until she had a family so she could go to Costco and load up the cart (and car). Looks like she has reached that goal.
Celia, I say: Get the card.
Costco is so overrated. The only time I go there is to buy diapers and laundry detergent and I never leave without throwing down about 400 bucks. Diapers are so expensive these days.
Christin
I love Costco! I am a huge proponent. Their fruit is wonderful. I bought a HUGE package of blueberries yesterday for under $6. We'll eat them all. Every last one. Diapers, toilet paper, paper town, laundry soap.
I would much rather go to Costco than to Sams. Sams Club makes me itch like Wal Mart does.
JUST DO IT!
Those of you in Utah who would trade in a Costco for Trader Joe's are crazy. TJ's is overrated, Costco just makes better "cents". I not only save money on diapers, TP, fresh fruit, milk, meat of every variety, t-shirts and jeans for all 3 boys, cheese, the list is endless, I love the cheap lunch menu at the snack bar AND they have their own gas station where the gas is cheaper than any other petro station. I could seriously go on and on about my testimony of Costco. I am looking into renting a house behind our local warehouse, just to have the convenience, and a delicious dinner of hot dogs and chicken bakes on the fly.
I'm with Sally. (Hi, Sally!). Those uncooked tortillas are heaven and my daughter can't live without the potstickers. And if I dare buy their oatmeal raisin cookies from the bakery, it'll take me weeks to work off the calories. But they're SO (almost) worth it!
How could anyone say Trader joes is overrated, that is hurting my ears. I am in the same predicament. to renew or not to renew, that is the question. Let's go together and we can split my card and then enjoy the experience, because my main reason for not shopping is I don't like the warehouse atmosphere.
Diapers and baby formula make the $50 membership fee worthwhile. Laundry detergent and giant boxes of goldfish crackers are also staples of Costco.
And you can eat frozen yogurt or feed the family for under $10 while you walk around the store. We don't have Disneyland around here, we have Costcoland.
Wow. I guess I need a Home and Family Enrichment Lesson on getting the most out of Costco because clearly my testimony is lacking. Are there 12 questions I must correctly answer to get my Mormon Housewife Card back?
The only things we've bought at Costco this year: Me- dried mangoes. Mark- new car tires (he did a lot of comparison shopping and even with the membership fee to join Costco beat everyone else).
I don't go there b/c it's too big and they don't load stuff in your car. The fruit is good if you are having a big party, otherwise not worth it. I only have a member ship because we have the 1.5% back Amex Costco card and I got about $3K back last year. Don't do the math. Don't bother going. They have everything at Safeway (Raley's) and it doesn't cost that much more. Do you really want to store 100 rolls of tp?
I hate Costco because I worry about what would happen if there was an earthquake and I was in there.
I have pondered this a ton myself. I quit for a few years, then they pulled me back in (Godfather style) when I had another baby and realized the savings on diapers alone paid for the membership. My problem is the quantity - who wants to eat that much of ANYTHING? I throw half of it away.
It's all about the gas for me. It's roughly 10 cents cheaper than at my local gas station, which translates to $5 a month, which covers the yearly card, which then allows me to shop there simply for the superior tasting frozen berries, frozen dino nuggets, fruit, and dips.
(I really don't think Costco saves you that much money in the long run...I just like some their items WAY better than anywhere else.)
I fired Costco a few years ago. I was spending more money than my budget would allow as I wanted everything I saw. They do have really good quality produce, so I miss that. If I really want something, like a mattress, I just make my friends take me. It works.
If you give up your Mormon Mommy Card, I guess I have to, too.
I've never had a Costco card. I've never understood the concept of PAYING to save money. I've gone with friends and loaded up on samples and tried not to freak out over all the overwhelming STUFF lurking all over the place.
You'll be fine and will survive without a Costco Card.
Besides, you can still get the FREE food at the court without a card. Ask me how I know. :)
I'm with Jessica about Costco's gas!
I too lack a Costco card. Of course that's not to say I don't tag along when my Mother in Law goes, so I can grab a gallon of Parmesan cheese.
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