Is a Costco Membership Worth The Cost?

Just another plug for Costco giftcards. In my case, I wasn’t getting enough use from my Costco membership to justify it but do like to get a few items there. So after a few years of membership, I decided not to renew. I bought 10 giftcards before my membership expired, and can use these for the next few years (2-3 times a year) and then can buy another membership when they run out.

Is it necessary to have shared residence to be able to share a membership card with another person?

Good to see Costo is worth it and I buy a lot of the same things you do. Food is the one thing in my budget that I think it is actually important to spend a good amount on now to save me from healthcare bills later, not to mention keep me healthy and happy now and in the future. Also, the better the food I get for home the less likely I am going to be tempted to go out, and even “fancy” food at home is still cheaper and healthier than most restaurant food.

I buy my meat from local farmers and keep it in a freezer in my basement. It’s more expensive than conventional or organic meat from Costco, but I get 1/4 grass fed organic cow at ~$7 a lb for a huge amount of steaks, ground, roasts, and nasty bits I like to eat because I’m a weirdo (liver, heart, etc). Plus if you buy a 1/4 cow you only need to buy it once a year. As an ex-vegetarian I have trouble supporting what happens in conventional animal husbandry no matter how much cheaper it is. Buying local means I can not only know the animals are treated well and the food is healthier but I’m keeping my money in the local economy. And here in Colorado we have some awesome local meat…hit me up if you want some info on good farmers.

I still do Costo runs for other staples but I just think I’d rather wear all Good Will 50% off day clothes, only read books from the library, and get rid of my car altogether if need be as long as I can still eat my tasty local meat and CSA veggies when in season.

When I was still vegetarian I lived off off quaker oats and pinto beans and rice with chili sauce, all bought from Costco. At the time I thought it was amazing how cheap you can feed yourself if you plan ahead, shop bulk and cook your own food. I think my food was probably $1 a day back then.

Thanks for all the tips about Costco and TJ. Will check them both out to add to our regular stores of Winco and Grocery Outlet. I recently discovered, by accident, the Dollar Tree, which no one mentioned above. I have not needed to replenish any of these items yet, but when I do, I will hit the DT for them : laundry detergent 64 oz, dish soap, bar soap (4 bars), assorted cleaning supplies, personal hygiene items like shampoo and toothpaste, some of them brand name, office items like envelops, packs of name brand pens, miscellaneous kitchen and household items…. Some of these items are in somewhat smaller than regular sizes, but most are the usual size. And even the smaller sizes end up a good deal at only $1. I purchased 3 bottles of an expensive moisturizer for my dry skin. The equivalent volume at regular price would have been $15 or more. The key is to not be distracted by junk (which will not be a problem for frugal folk). I had been under the impression DT carried only junkie useless stuff. There is plenty of that, but also useful items. And for only one dollar! Easy to track your spending at DT.

I have found the price of Bulk meat (especially beed brisket and pork shoulder) cheaper at Restaurant Depot than Costco. I also have an executive membership at Costco that more than pays for itself. Except for the meat, I buy all my food, paper products, cleaning supplies and gas at Costco, and I pretty much just shop for myself, no family. Aldi usually sells banana’s at 44¢/lbs. vs Costco’s 46¢ without needing to buy 3 lbs. of bananas at a time here in the Minneapolis, MN area. But I’ve stopped eating bananas since I switched to a high-fat low-carb diet and lost 50 pounds in the last year (actually I lost most of the 50 lbs. between October and April, and have been maintaining my weight lost through the summer of weekends and a few week-long vacations off the diet, but getting ready to re-engage the HFLC diet again for the next 50 lbs. I need to lose this winter.)

You like Costco and organic foods??? Time for a blog post about saving money with a CSA membership!!!

Went to Costco today for the first time in over 20 years. OMG, what a horrible, awful, despicable experience. I don’t care how much I might save by shopping there. I will never go back. I value the experience of shopping for food. It’s a ritual. So much of what’s wrong in America is under Costco’s roof — obesity, cheapness, gluttony, rudeness, fluorescent lighting, stuffed animals the size of refrigerators, and perhaps as much plastic packaging as actual merchandise. Are these really the things MMM values? I’m sticking with the local (regional) grocery chain and the family-owned health food store, thanks.

A few months back, a Costco cashier forced an Executive membership on me, regardless of how many times I said no. When they sent me the new card, I went ballistic because I had made sure she removed it from the tab where she add it against my wishes. I called them up, and got apologies from the customer rep and the warehouse manager where it had happened. They sent me my old regular membership back, and I thought all was well. Wrong! Two weeks later, they sent me a new executive card again. That prompted me to start questioning whether I needed the stupid membership anyway. It may be true that some items are way cheaper, but the truth is that I don’t need to buy that many things in bulk and I end up spending over $100 each time I visit, regardless of what is on my list. Add that to the lack of respect to the customer, (seriously, that kamikaze cashier told me that I was like her mother and didn’t know what was good for me), and I’ve decided that paying for the privilege to shop is not for me.

Safeway is a very expensive grocery store. You should do a price comparison to Costco with a cheaper chain.