We just got a Costco in town and we're likely to going to join today. What things should we buy?
I'm excited!
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We buy boring stuff. Water, Gatorade, toilet paper, paper towels, cottonelle wipes, baby wipes, diapers or formula (back in the day!), yogurt, meat, fruit....a rotisserie chicken for easy lunches. Also Advil and miralax.
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All of what PP suggested. They also have some good frozen foods like chicken fingers, frozen fish filets, etc.
It's great when things like cheese go on sale.
They also have the best price for bacon in my city.
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You *must* grab a polish sausage. I don't even care about the groceries. Just get yourself a 1.50$ hot dog, drink included.
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A few things we like:
Spinach and Mozzarella Frozen Ravioli
Kirkland Frozen Italian Sausage Lasagna
Tableside Greek Yogurt Guacamole
Whole Coffee Beans (we buy whatever is on sale)
Kirkland UltraClean Free and Clear Laundry Detergent
Also, they have Carter's and other children's clothes at pretty good prices. -
Same as above + I get my contact lenses there every year and that's where we get TVs when we need a new one... they also have some great kids items seasonally - water table in spring / early summers + lots of toys and decorations leading up to Christmas
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Their pesto is awesome. I will usually freeze it and use it when i need it.
You must get the Kirkland Arbequina extra virgin olive oil. I had this at a Spanish friend's house the other day and thought it was so good. Good when using it for salads/bread.
They also have this spinach/cheese ravioli DD looooves. Same refrigerated section as pesto.
We also stock up on their frozen fruit!
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The list is growing!
@blackbird: do you use the Kirkland brand diapers?
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I like their chicken salad and brocolli salad!
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We buy lots of produce, individually portioned chicken thighs (perfect size for two people and easy to freeze), water, Gatorade, paper towels, etc.
Some of their ready-to-bake foods are good too (pizza, chicken pot pie, chicken fettuccine alfredo)!
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Omgsh so many things..
Organic eggs, organic fruit, organic frozen fruit for smoothies, salad, organic chicken,!wild fish when they have it, olive oil, coconut oil, tp/paper towel, dishwashing soap, laundry detergent, avocados, cucumber, other veggies..Walnuts, rice, dried fruit and snacks, sometimes clothes likes socks or dress shirts for DH..
Biggie things bc they have an awesome return policy. We have returned our night stands and bed frame (4 yr old) and our fiends have returned tv's and other furniture..
Movie tickets and gift cards fr a discount and our friends have had great experience with their all inclusive travel packages!!!
If ur a bargain hunter watch out that not everything is cheaper in bulk. I always calculate per pound or oz or whatever.
Gas if urs has it is much cheaper.
Anyway we love costco
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@Happygal: I think the Kirkland brand diapers are Huggies. We use Pampers so I don't buy Kirkland diapers, but we like their wipes.
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Also if ur a bargain hunter look thru their monthly coupon book ... Good sales a lot. And if u bought something recently that goes on sale the next month bring in your receipt and they'll give u back the 3 or 5 dollars of the current coupon
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@Boopers: really? At ours we have Huggies and Kirkland and they r not the same
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@Happygal: actually we use the sans club brand ones, simply right. Probably pretty close to the same?....we like the SAMs ones a LOT
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Gas, milk, whipped cream, vitamins, protein shakes, gift certificates, light bulbs, brisket, himalayan sea salt, GF flour, sonicare toothbrush heads. My mom bakes a ton and she says their powdered sugar and pecans are so much cheaper.
We are in the midst of a home renovation and have bought gate opener, kitchen sink, massage chair, and many other things.
I love costco!
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Eggs, rotisserie chicken, movie tickets, multi-vitamins, gasoline for your car, paper towels, toilet paper, water, Gatorade, peaches/nectarines (or whatever fruit is in season) if you like fruit and can eat one a day, frozen goods like breakfast sandwiches, sonicare refills, alcohol, bulk spices, flea medication for your pets, frozen fruit. There's also home good/ supplies that are good prices but isn't there year round, like electric kettles, vacuum cleaner, Cutco knives, Rubbermaid containers, seasonal supplies (fertilizer, Christmas and Halloween stuff).
Don't forget their cafe with cheap hot dogs and soda, smoothies, frozen yogurt, Caesar salad
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@Happygal: we just bought the Kirkland diapers this month (great sale right now!!) and I love them so far! I was normally a Pampers girl before!
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@Happygal: I love Kirkland diapers and they are often on sale! The Kirkland baby wipes are the only wipes I use as well!!
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@mrs.kiwi: oh I read online that Kirkland diapers were basically Huggies. We didn't like Huggies so I never bothered to buy the Kirkland brand. Do you like the Kirkland brand?
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@Boopers: yep they fit similar to Hugggies. I've never really minded Pampers/Huggies though. I think they've both fit LO well!
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I buy similar things as PP mentioned and we also use the Kirkland diapers. Previously we used Huggies and the Kirkland diapers are pretty much the same just with a different print. Definitely different from Pampers though, so depends what you prefer.
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We buy Gatorades, Starbucks Frappuccinos, frozen chicken breasts (individually wrapped which is good for us), Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap, clothes and lots of home goods (toaster oven, storage containers, etc).
Must get a churro from the cafe too! Thing is like a foot long & only $1.
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I really like the stuffed bell peppers.
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Kirkland wipes are my favorite. I also like to stock up on coconut water there- I go through a ton of it while I'm pregnant.
Produce its hard for us to get through before it goes bad, so keep that in mind. But with things like the spring mix salad, it's cheaper to buy their giant thing and end up throwing out 1/4 of it than buying in the store.
I always buy cheese there too. Coffee, Go Go Squeeze apple sauce pouches, bread (comes in a two pack so I use one and freeze the other).
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@Foodnerd81: yes to coconut water esp when on sale!
Yes I do tend to get the no fridge needed items more bc its soo much
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@Boopers: good to know I wasn't missing out haha. Yes Kirkland was fine for us size 1-2. With size 3 and up I think Huggies were cheaper on sale ($5 off) but I do remember thinking Huggies were softer than Kirkland. But honestly we r by picky about disposables so y was whatever.
Btw besides the size 1-2 krklands I think up and up at target is cheaper than any of costco's...
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Paper towels, cottonelle wipes, huggies baby wipes, laundry detergent, spinach or salad mix, frozen mini pizzas, frozen fruit, lunch meat, cheese, bread, bagels, chips & snack foods (I really like the fig bars!), animal crackers (my son LOVES these), the Annie's bunnies variety box, coconut oil, almond butter, cereal & rolled oats for oatmeal (really good prices!), lemonade.... Plus I love their chicken breasts that come in packages of 2, that is super convenient, and you can't beat the rotisserie chicken or take & bake pizza!! (The 5 meat pizza has soooooo much meat on it.. I had to pick a lot off of mine but my husband loved it!)
I used the Kirkland diapers and was very happy with them until I figured out that Luvs were cheaper, and I had previously only used Pampers.
Have fun Costco shopping!!! -
Aidells Chicken Apple Sausage (love!), broccoli, avocados, greek yogurt, organic eggs, olive oil, sometimes steaks
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This is a recent and very good article on how to use Costco:
http://www.thekitchn.com/i-followed-my-mom-around-costco-and-this-is-what-i-learned-222286
Here's what we usually buy:
MEAT
-The rotisserie chicken meat that's been pulled off the bone and vacuum packed (its in the refrigerated case next to the rotisserie chicken).
- Fresh wild sockeye salmon filets (in season now!)
- Columbus brand deli meats.
FROZEN
- Frozen shrimp
- Frozen spinach and cheese ravioli
- Frozen fruit
- Frozen organic mixed veggies
- Veggie burgers
- Bean, rice, and cheese burritosPRODUCE
- Berries
- Baby greens
- The bagged avocados.
- Any other fruit or veggies that look good.BAKERY
- Muffins
- Bagels
- The chocolate chip cookies are SO GOOD.DAIRY
- Greek yogurt
- Organic eggsHOUSEHOLD
- Toilet paper
- Paper towelsPANTRY ITEMS
- Steelcut oats
- Honey or maple syrup
- Really delicious organic jams
- Nut butters
- Better than Bouillon pastes
- Dried herbs, spices, vanilla extract
- Brown rice
- Canned salmon, tuna, or sardines
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Nuts
- Best price on toasted seaweed
- Canned beans
- Canned tomatoes
- Bars (granola, Larabars, etc).
- Giant bags of chips for a partyBREAD
- Dave's Killer Bread is to die for
- Cheap price on FlatOut wrapsHEALTH AND BEAUTY
- Contact solution
- Generic Allegra
- Q-Tips
- Mouthwash
- Melatonin
- VitaminsKITCHENWARE
- Best price on Contigo mugs and water bottles
- Their professional grade cooking tools/utensilsOPTICAL
- Contact lenses (they DO take FSA Debit Cards)
- Sunglasses - the best prices on designer sunnies we've foundPHOTO
- Cheap Christmas photo cards
- Best price on photo canvases
- Great price on photobooksBABY STUFF
- Really cute clothing sets from Carter's and Absorba
- Baby food is Earth's Best purees and really cheap
- Formula is rock bottom cheapCLOTHING
- Good prices on 1-piece swimsuits for women
- My husband swears by their no-iron dress shirts
- I love their yoga pants and athletic wear
- Cheap camis and underwear
- Good quality coats/jackets
- Fake Ugg boots - super warm and very cheap!OTHER
- Sheets, towels, and bath rugs
- Cushioned kitchen mats
- Their furniture is SUPER cheap and comes around every few months.
- GASOLINE! -
@gingerbebe: Nice breakdown of things you buy and in what department. I missed a few on my list and your list reminded me.
Like sheets and comforters. Luggage, professional kitchen utensils, frozen shrimp, Greek yogurt, printer paper, printer ink, USB flash drives, garage shelving, bag of spinach (if I make my fruit smoothies), laundry detergent, dryer sheets, ziplock bags, trash bags, body wash, q-tips, cereal, chips, pretzels, fruit snacks, gift cards,
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OMG also, how did I forget BOOZE!? Great prices on all of it and we've tried the Kirkland brand wines and they're good! My brother swears by the Kirkland brand vodka - stopped buying Grey Goose.
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@gingerbebe: I've heard rumors that the one of the Kirkland vodka might be made by grey goose.
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We buy whatever we can at Costco...in addition to what is available in the store, we've bought our patio set, cantilever umbrella, my son's full sized bed, photos, our televisions, tv stands., kitchen appliances. We also use Costco travel to book our vacations to Disney World and we'll probably use the service again when we finally go to Hawaii in 5 years.
My husband also wears the no iron dress shirts (although our store is out of them and has been for a while) and I wear the yoga pants. We buy my son's pajamas there too.
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Diapers
Wipes
tp
paper towels
olive oil
paper plates
minced garlic
soy sauce
ketchup/mustard
salt
pepper
in season fruit
pizza
pork chops
steaks
hamburger
chicken wings
cat litter
detergent
dish soap
fabric softener
clothes
microwave (the exchange program is great, ours blew up and we got a new one) -
- In season fruit - I usually end up freezing about half of the container and using it in our yogurt the rest of the year.
- Mexican Coke - we don't drink a whole lot of soda, but I really prefer the glass bottles so we buy a case every 4-5 months.
- Honest company body wash and Cetaphil wash and lotion.
- Naan - they sell individual naan breads and it freezes really well, so I'll pull one out and top with veggies and cheese if I need a quick dinner.
- Hummus - LO loves hummus and I buy the individual cups for her lunch. -
I'm surprised at how much everyone loves the Kirkland diapers, we were sooo disappointed by them. We tried size 3 for DS and they were the worst diapers we ever bought. Pretty much every single day they were leaking out the leg by the time we got him home from daycare, and he would've been changed with an hour or 2 max. I've never had any other diapers leak out the leg like that.
We like to get:
Rotisserie chicken
Blueberries
Toilet Paper
Juice boxes
Bottled Water
Pre-made Chicken AlfredoMy parents got some really nice towels there to keep at our house too. I've been thinking of getting some more.
They're also great for season stuff - need a tent in the summer, or a Christmas tree in December, etc.
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@ShootingStar: yeah - we never used the Kirkland diapers but a friend of mine did and warned me away. She was not a fan!
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The Kirkland vodka is cheap and good! We buy it all the time.
We buy a lot here. Costco is great!
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We purchased our car through Costco. I think we got a pretty good deal.
We also just booked a rental car through Costco Travel for our upcoming trip to Seattle. For a 10 day rental their price was about $40-$50 cheaper than anywhere else.
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