It’s coming down to the final deadline. I’m running out of time and need to decide ….
Kids are at college so buying in bulk is less important but I love Costco. My membership expired in May, but I’m down to three rolls of toilet paper, LoL
Do I renew Costco and continue to buy in bulk at the potential of wasting money, or do I give up on Costco and buy all supplies from the grocery?
I only have a Costco membership in the years that I know I will use it for things I ALREADY intended to buy and can save money on the Costco version. Other than that, if you track your spending, Costco costs most people more money. They buy bigger quantities which leads to more waste. They buy expensive brands when there are other options in other stores. If you have a business or a big family, Costco can make sense, however you have to be a very disciplined shopper to actually see the benefit.
Get yourself a vacuum sealer for foods you can repack and freeze (ie: meat), and get items you need smaller quantities of at a local grocery store. Costco’s pharmacy has a very low filling fee, and the optical department has great prices. And, of course, you can get paper products.
I live in a 2 person household and use whichever is most sensible for what we need. In this economy, value for our money is important.
Step 1: renew membership
Step 2: Buy a bidet
Best of both worlds brother. Plus whatever holes you have will thank you.
I live with 2 fur babies and find it worth it. TP isn’t going bad, meats and milk can be frozen, 2 dozen eggs last weeks in the fridge, plus I can donate to the food box.
I had a membership a while back when I was buying electronics, i.e. a laptop and computer. They had a full-money-back no-questions-asked return policy (up to I think a month, used to be longer but people abused it.) Selection wasn’t that great, but it was good enough for me. Dunno if it’s still like that.
I’ve done that historically but I don’t have any big purchases planned.
- Their electronics selection is limited but matches well with the level of brands I tend to get. They usually had good prices for those brands and models
- you can find similar items for lower prices elsewhere if you front care about brand or features
- I do usually find something there for Christmas gifts as well
And most importantly it’s my only known local source for kewpie mayo
Where I am paper goods are so expensive at the grocery store that they alone almost pay for the full price of membership over the year (and maybe they even do now, I haven’t calculated in a few years). Its gas prices are also usually $0.60/gal less than nearby places (and it’s on one of my regular routes) so in my case it’s a no-brainer.
I’ve always heard about gas being a huge deal but they never had it at my Costco, and now I drive an electric vehicle
There’s only two of us and we still get our moneys worth. We don’t buy much perishable that we can’t freeze. I don’t think we waste much
Another vote for probably still worth it. My spouse and I go there for paper goods, laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, noodle bowls and dog treats, along with some nuts and office supplies, still more than covers the cost of the membership. Also, I always get the $1.50 hot dog and drink, you just can’t beat that.
A wise person once said “Will it make you happy? If so, then do it.”
Not sure if it was Lincoln, I’ll have to check into that
I love my Costco trips too. While we should be careful about capitalisms hold on us, there is a value to happiness.
You could definitely spend money on more frivolous things.
