Worth the Membership Fee? What Are You Getting at Costco?

just a bonus to the many things people have suggested, I would add that Costco, from what I have heard, treats employees very well and has a lot of American made products or supports business that treat employees well. I like that for all sorts of reasons, including

Diapers! Healthy snacks, kids clothes, peanut butter, olive oil, canned goods, organic butter, organic meat, and sometimes, frozen meals. Batteries, cleaning and laundry supplies, and the occasional tool or electronic device. Definitely worth it!

We have an executive membership that I share with my mom (aka find a friend to split it with) and if we don't end up with at least $100 refund at the end of the year, then we don't have to pay for the card. We've always had at least $100 refund which pays for the next year. So instead of it being $50 a year, it's $100 indefinately. Also, if you're up for it and it's an option, the percentage back with their costco linked american express card is pretty good.

We buy diapers and wipes. (They've had coupons the last 2 months). Milk, bread, bananas, rotisserie chicken, my sons pj's. Sometimes my husband will by work pants. At Christmas time, we buy some of our sons presents there. They had a set up 200 soft blocks for the same price as a 100 block set somewhere else.

I've never been to Costco but if their prices are similar to bjs I'd do it. I used to buy diapers, wipes, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, cereal, milk, snacks, different meats, frozen veggies, eggs, half and half, and a lot more. I don't know about Costco but at bjs you can use store and manufacturer coupons together. Sometimes places will have a one day free pass or go with one of your friends.

We are a family of 3. I shop Costco. I keep about a 6+ supply of things we need for the pantry, etc.

Things on the list for Costco are canned diced tomatoes, butter, sliced cheese, DanActive, cashews, paper towels, Toilet paper, baby wipes, chicken because I love the way it is packaged right for the freezer, frozen veggies, etc.

I have not purchased big ticket items like tv's, etc... we are Best Buy customers on those items.

We avoid Sams, will drive out of our way to avoid anything associated with WalMart.

We are a family of three as well and I wouldn't trade my Costco membership for anything! We go weekly and get things such as cheese, water, cleaning supplies, lettuce, dry goods, etc. It depends on what is on coupon or instant rebate. We have price compared and often Costco is the cheapest per oz than other retail giants in our area. Costco is very close to us so we buy our gas there too. That has saved us quite a bit since gas in Chicago is at $4/gallon and at Costco it has not gone above $3.50/gallon. We also buy stamps there (yes they are discounted too!) and tires. We do buy meat there too. I just separate the packages and freeze in amounts that my family would purchase other places....but for a fraction of the cost!The products are always changing. If you have a friend that goes to Costco, he/she can purchase you a gift card (you can give him/her the money) and then use it as a temporary card to shop there without a membership. I did this for my mom because she loves Costco, but doesn't live close enough to one for it to be worth the membership. See for yourself if there are enough products worth purchasing. Not everything is in bulk, and many things ARE much cheaper. I'm heading to Costco today for milk, toilet paper, paper towels, water, coke, cheese...and probably a few other things. :-)

Oh and by the way we have the membership that you earn cash back. You can save the Costco cash from year to year and last summer we had over $800 and bought a new computer with it! Now that was totally worth the membership fee!

I love Costco. I had a membership when I was single and I use it 5x more now that I have a family! We buy tires, gasoline, meat (their meat is SO good!) cereal, diapers, paper towels, canned food, fresh produce, wine, cheese, candy, books, movies, dog/cat food, dog treats, bread, electronics, etc. (I think I just listed the whole store!!) Just last week I found that they had sport bras, so I stocked up on them, too!

I've been extremely happy with the Kirkland brand, too, I was always a Bounty buyer, but the Kirkland paper towels are just as nice, if not better!

I buy the meat/cheeses in bulk and use my vacuum sealer (also Costco purchased) to separate it out into serving sizes and freeze it (yup, even the cheese!)

I take my 3 kids and we wander thru the store snacking on the free goodies they hand out, and my kids get to try new foods that I'd be hesitant to buy w/o their taste-testing (that said, I make all our meals from scratch, but it gives me an idea as to what they'd like). We all love the fruit smoothies and sometimes eat out in the food court.

Hi Diane,

I've been shopping there for about 5 years now. I buy my consumable items online because of quality and cost savings but there are clothes...like shoes and coats and bathing suits...that are well worth the cost. Those are things I wouldn't normally buy second hand (which I do normally with other things). Also, if you need a specific item like an appliance the name brands that are better (costco does look at consumer reports) are there. I joined specifically for my eyeglasses. I wear bifocles and the cheapest I could find my lens anywhere else was over $400.00 and my lens at costco are $139.00. (I've been in glasses since the 2nd grade!) They are high quality as well. People tell me you have to wait a week for your glasses if you get them at costco but with my prescription I have to wait a week or TWO anywhere else. My glasses cost pays for my membership...

M.

My husband and I have an executive membership and get back a percentage of what we buy. We buy; diapers, wipes, vitamins, new couches, dvd's, books, cheese, fruits, vegetables, cleaning supplies, formula, papertowels, printer paper, photo paper, toys for birthdays and christmas, some clothes (husband mostly), shower gel, mouthwash, some makeup, gift cards, shelves for the garage, food, gas, tires, oral B toothbrush set, printers, ink, etc. So with the executive membership we paid $100 for membership but get back usually $60-70 per year so we are paying only $30 for the membership. They have started doing coupons now as well which helps. Our son is 6 months old and has been on the Kirkland brand formula since he was 2 months old and he doesn't throw up as much as the enfamil. It is soo much cheaper as well. They have an eyeglass center and my parents have bought glasses there. I don't buy alot of bulk items, a good thing is that my mom and I go and we split things alot of times as well so you are saving even more. I might pay one time and she might pay another. They are also selling Shape-Ups for $50 which is a great price I bought mine when they first came out and it has helped a lot with my lower back pain. I am going to buy another pair there. The toya are also a great price for birthdays and Christmas, their DVD's are sometimes lower priced than the other retailers, especially best buy. Nothing beats their return policy. I have never had a problem returning anything. My husband bought a computer there and they give you a two year warranty on the computers everyone else is giving 1. He had a problem with his computer and they fixed it right away, totally impressed with their customer service. I am not really into Sam's Club since they are a part of walmart which is a whole other story. Been a member for a while and don't regret it one bit. I go to costco all the time for gas it is so much cheaper. But if you have friends that are memebrs go to costco with them one day and see what they have to offer. You might be surprised.

We are a family of 4 and I wouldn't give up my membership for anything! We get things like ketchup (my daughter thinks it is a food group), oatmeal, freezer bags, dog treats & food, garbage bags, vanilla (only buy the spices if you use alot of them as spices generally need replacing after a year), propel, apple pears, kids jammies - great price, socks, Christmas toys (not all, but some), bath towels, vacuum, laundry detergent and I could go on. Yes, you need to know what you are shopping for - don't go and buy things that aren't worth it for your family. You know what you get every week at the grocery store - for me, I go thru apples like crazy so I pick them up when i am there as I know we will not waste them. Milk also, the kids are at that stage where they drink alot of milk. For a while, I got ground beef and then sectioned it out when I got home and put in the freezer. I basically stand in front of the product that I am considering and ask myself if it is something that we really need.
We upgraded two years ago to the executive and now I get a refund check that pays for the membership.

As long as you know what you pay for items and are mindful about if you really need something, then it is a good choice for you. If you are a compulsive or spur of the moment shopper, then it isnt. Good luck!

Tires. Pet food. Kids' and our vitamins, and some over the counter medicine. Juice boxes for the kids (love the ones that are all juice and extra vitamins). Books and movies for Christmas and birthdays especially. We are a family of four, so lots of the big items aren't a huge savings, but you can go in to just look around and see if it is worth it for you--we needed tires for our van, and the savings on the tires alone sold it to us. We don't do a lot of the perishable things, but we are lucky to have storage room for canned goods and things like that.

I get vitamin water, agave nectar, almond butter, kids cliff z bars, morningstar veggie meatless sausage, kashi go lean cereal, onion bagels, cream cheese, organic butter, zucchini sticks, amys organic rabbit crackers, soy milk, pomegranite juice, black cherry juice

i could think of more, of course im not mentioning stuff like paper products, diapers,,,,things i could get with a sams card, because most all the stuff i mentioned i cant get at sams, they are healthier options that i normally have to buy at the ritzy grocery stores, and those are far away, and i cant get it in bulk for so cheap

Yeah it's worth it for us. We have set items we get every time, then if something happens to be a good deal, we might pick up something random (for example sometimes they have great prices on new books). HUGE savings vs. buying in smaller quantities on our set items though. Here's our list:

Diapers (LOVE the Kirkland diapers! I've always used Pampers and these are even better). $37.99 for 200!!
Toilet Paper - Charmin, 50 million pack for $19.99
Paper Towels - Kirkland brand about 20 rolls for $16.89
Perrier water - about 15 bottles for $15.99 (our splurge)

I am a family of 3 and one in May. We have used Sam's club and have saved tons of money. I think it depends on products you routinely purchase. I made a spread sheet and did an actual comparison of the common products I purchase and it was a big savings. I still want the brands I use and that is why I shop at Sam's and not Costco. Costco did not carry the products I use. I prefer Costco's store though.

Things we purchase that are significant savings:
-diapers, wipes
-chicken breasts
-coffee
-cheese
-toilet paper
-paper towels
-kleenex
-birthday cakes
-oil
-pickles
-pam
-so much more

I am big into coupons but I can save more money without them

Milk (growth hormone free) is $1.89/gal. We go through 4 gallons/wk. I also buy diapers, wipes, paper towels, tp, OTC meds, bread, clothing, formula (when bf wouldn't work). We have also bought electronics there. Their return policy customer service can not be beat. I used a keurig machine for a year when without reason just stopped working. They took it back with no receipt. Since they still stocked them I turned around and used the money to buy another. I haven't regretted the fee not once.

I haven't read other posts, so maybe someone already brought this to your attention.

If you don't want to buy a membership, but would like to go on occassion, you can buy a gift card. People with a gift card to Costco do not have to have a membership to shop there. It's a nice way to get some of the perks, without having to buy a membership!

However, they do require that if you are going to spend past your gift card amount that you cover the rest in cash ( I believe). Members at Costco are limited to an American Express or Debit/Check anyway, so it wouldn't make a difference regardless...unless of course your main credit card is an American Express.

Gas would be the first major thing that we purchase at Costco - usually 10-15 cents less per gallon than at other gas stations. We also buy snacks for our kids that we can portion into smaller bags (bars, fruit leather, chips), flavored water, toilet paper and paper towels, fish (with left overs for lunch), and I have had great luck with their produce - even if we don't finish (and believe me, I feel badly about wasting) it is better quality and cheaper than at our regular grocery store.

I only recently started shopping at Costco because I was always afraid of spending $300 a trip! So I only go when I run out of something, that I know if I buy in bulk will last....Ketchup, Syrup, diapers, wipes....we buy some lunch stuff too granola bars, fruit snacks. I do NOT do my grocery shopping there, I usually go grocery shopping at a regular store then supplement the few things I need at Costco.

Also, before I started shopping there I went to Costco with a pen and paper and just walked around the store for a while writing down the price of things, then I went home and figured out the per unit costs to see what was really a bargain or not. Now I know what to buy at Costco and what to buy at the grocery store. Good Luck :-)

We've been members for years, but honestly it only now makes sense that our three kids are teens (15 & 17) and a preteen (11) omg they and their friends eat sooo much! We are finally getting our money's worth :)

We are a family fo 3 and go there all the time.
We get toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, Foster Farms bonesless/skinless chicken breasts, pork chops, cereal, pancake mix (lasts forever but is resealable), milk (they have awesome prices on milk), yogurt, seasonal fruit/vegetables, pajama sets for my daughter, their brand of pizza, rotisserie chicken, wipes, hamburger meat, pre-made hamburger patties and buns, chicken sausages, bagels, kraft sliced cheese, ribs, juices, etc.
If we're having a party we get cakes there, big bags of potatoes for potato salad, punches, soda, and they have really cool snack stuff for parties, like nut mixes, chocolate covered almonds (my fav they have is chocolate covered caramel macadameia nuts...mmmmmm) etc. And around teh holidays i get the big tub of tollhouse cookie mix.
Sometimes, when I remember or we have a cupon, I will buy things like body wash, deodarant, shampoo, swiffer/cleaning products that catch my eye, etc. And thats another thing I like...they send you a cupon book every few weeks.
Their return policy is great too. Recently we ordered a chocolate cake for my daughters bday and when we cut into it at the party it was vanilla. My inlaws went back and they gave them a complete refund.
Love costco. =)

We've been a member of Sam's, Costco and now BJ's and BJ's is probably my favorite right now because they give coupons and I can use manufacture coupons there too. Next would be Sam's and Costco being last. You can get laundry products, cleaning products, trash bags, case of canned veggies and soups(6-12 cans of peas at a time). Juice boxes, larger sized cans of coffee, coffee filters, toys, books, games toilet paper, Kleenex, toothpaste................ You just need to figure if the cost per item is worth it. Example-I can get a 4 pack of toothpaste for $4.50 a bulk pk which breaks down to $1.13 a tube but at walmart it would cost me $1.99 a tube. I also stock up on frozen or things that can be frozen like butter, hot pockets (hubby takes for his lunches). Milk and eggs can also be a lot cheaper!!
I bought a vacuum sealer for bulk meat purchases. I get my ground beef at BJ's up to 6lbs (around $15 bucks) at a time and I break it down to 1 and 2lb packs. I buy my chicken breast in family packs at the commissary and break it down in 1 and 2lb packs too. Some times just getting the family pack at the regular store can save you a few cents per pound.

I didn't care for Costco because they didn't carry much in the way of name brand products I used for cleaning. Sam's has a great variety of name brand products but IMO their meat and produce prices were the same as if I had gone to walmart. BJ's has pretty good prices and selection of name brands. And like I said, they also put out coupons and take manufacture coupons too.

I do believe all 3 places offer a money back guarantee not only on their products (I've taken back Kirkland brand products before) but their memberships as well. So then you'll have nothing to loose if you decide that club shopping isn't for you.

Good luck!
S.

We mainly get our medicine there, it is at a discount compared to CVS,etc... I'm mainly talking prescription, however I do get Vitamins and other over-the-counter medicine. We just bought a mattress topper, the gel/memory foam one and it was cheaper than other places, especially Kohl's. We've bought my Son, activity books there. Big selection of books for everyone! I've bought some reader glasses and I get our pictures developed there. It is cheaper than CVS or Walgreens. We do buy some food there, I love the sweet potato chips! We've bought ice cream, fruit-strawberries and dip. At Christmas time, they have a big selection of toys and we got a Fire Rescue Truck that is a specialty fire truck with a hook on it and had a rescue boat. It was $23.00 and it was a big one. I've gotten candy, feminine products, pull-ups and wipes, drinks/pizza-where you eat-their small take out area, near the registers. I got some tennis shoes there, the Sketchers the kind that roll, that are usually $100 in other stores, I got mine for $59.99! I was so excited about that, that I saved money on those shoes. I have wide feet and they even had wide shoes for me. We've gotten gum and vitamins for our child there. We are a family of 3 also and we don't have a lot of storage room. Occasionally, we will get toilet paper there/kleenex. We got a big tub of strawberries and we cut them up and we ate them all and none of them went bad! I would try it out, I was debating it also, if we really needed a membership and I have found things that we could use. I've got a blouse there and I've gotten my Husband 2 silk dressy shirts and they were $19.99 a piece! I thought that was a great deal for silk, since silk is usually more in the mall/Dillard's,etc... They have various vendors that come in and sell specialty items like jewelry or clothes and they are there just for a few days. We just got the basic membership and I do like it much better than Sam's Club. We use to belong to Sam Club's several years ago.

We belong to Sam's Club which is similar to Costco. I am wondering that myself, about Costco that is since it is almost time to renew. We purchase milk, premade boxes of things, pork, clamato, gatorades, beer etcetcetc But meat and pops are very expensive there.

Definitely give it a try. Talk to them at the membership desk before you sign up, but I'm pretty confident that they'll refund your membership fee at any time during the year if for any reason you aren't happy with membership. When we signed up, they recommended that we sign up for an executive membership and surprisingly each year we've more than paid for the upgrade plus a little through our rebate. And BTW they are a fabulous place to buy tires. My mom got a tear in her tire from them and they prorated the tire cost based on wear, being very generous about how little wear they measured. Oh and need I mention great prices on diapers, including bamboo cloth diapers off their website!

I may just be repeating what others have said, I didn't read the other responses, sorry.

We are a family of five. Three boys, including a teen son. Much different than your family, LOL.

When my kids are having friends over, I feel good knowing that we have a stocked freezer they can pick from. No, it's not super healthy, but it keeps the gang fed and lessens my food bill.

Some items last for quite a while. Granola bars, Sun Chips, etc... are great because of the price and so easy to grab for lunches, hikes, camping, etc....

Freezer items are fine for quite a while. I buy the bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it's wonderful to pull out what I need and use and zip back up for the next time.

You get fantastic deals on berries at Costco. The berries can be easily freezed.

Toilet paper, dishwasher detergent, laundry soap, cat litter, paper plates and utensils are all great deals and last for quite some time.

Cereal is my big exception. I get better deals at the grocery store with sales and coupons. Since cereal is almost always on sale it's better at the store.

Also, if you have a cell phone carrier who has a kiosk at Costco there are great deals. My husband was ready for an upgrade and we went to the local cell store. The phone was $199. Yes, we would get a $50 rebate, but still.
At Costco, the phone (exact same one) was $80 plus we got a free headset and carrying case.

You get a good discount on gas, but we don't live near Costco. We have to drive out of our way for gas, so I usually buy that at Fred Meyer. However, when I'm at Costco I fill up.

Electronics are a good buy as you have a year on the return. You can't beat that. I rarely return things at Costco, but the few times I have, they have always been polite.

There is also a magazine rack with 30% off the cover price. I treat myself once in a while.

Go take a look around, you can go with a friend or just ask for a day pass to see for yourself.

Hope that helps.

My cousin is a Costco member and is a "walking, talking commercial" for the place." Everytime I say... "Oh this tastes so good, where did you get it?" And her answer is always "Costco." I should go get a membership because she said the membership pays for itself when you open up a credit card with them because you accumulate "Costco cash" everytime you use it. I think she said she had to open up a Gold membership which cost (I think $100) to start collecting points. (She shops there for almost every single grocery item and it's just her, her husband and 5 yr. son.) Again though, she says that in the end, you don't pay for your membership if you shop there enough and open up a credit card acct. with them and use it there. She goes on and on with excitement at just how reasonable she can buy organic food from Costco. (especially her rice milk, fruits and veggies.)

I was wondering this, myself, when I went to pay my membership ($50 for the basic membership- seems like not that long ago, it was $35!!) But, I paid it, because there are things I get there, that are worth it.

I get the pre-cooked bacon in a big pouch. I love it, because we are a family of 6 (sometimes 7, when a friend of ours stays with us while working in the city), and I do not want to fry up 2 lbs of bacon! You put it on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven for a couple minutes. Love it.

I also get fish from Costco. I get a couple salmon packages, cut them and put them in my food saver. I have vacuum-sealed salmon that thaws in minutes.

I also get quinoa from Costco! Its a large bag for a whole lot cheaper than the supermarket! If you haven't tried quinoa, please do- my whole family loves it. (its a grain, kind of like couscous, but better)

We have also purchased electronics. We got at least one of our tv's there. My husband has made several purchases, but I can't remember, for sure what they are right now. LOL! Brain's on vacation. Wish the rest of me was, too. :)

I'm trying to cut down on packaging- less waste. If you buy coffee, yogurt, eggs, etc-basically anything you DO use a lot of, you can cut down on the packaging. Just a thought.

You could go in, just to look around. I'm sure they'll let you, since you can't buy anything without the card. Or, go with a friend. It's worth a look, just to see.

I love costco! I have been a member for over 10 years. We buy paper towles, toilet paper, wipes, pullups (my son still needs them at night), water (I hate those britta filter things), bread (I stick the other loaf in the freezer), eggs (we boil the 2nd package), sometimes milk, cheese (just keep a little in the fridge and freeze the rest), chicken because they are individually wrapped, and they have the best apples! It's totally worth it for us

We're a family of three, and I love Costco. Aside from paper products, I buy Keurig cups, baking soda and vinegar (natural cleaning), chicken breasts, fish (divide these up into portions and and into the freezer), lunch meat, egg beaters, REAL maple syrup, bread (usually comes in packs of two, so we freeze one), batteries, books/toys (great for birthday parties). I also like the pre-packaged dinners - organic soups, Jack Daniels chicken/beef, chicken meatballs, stuffed turkey breast. So easy, really good, and not unhealthy. Don't get me wrong - there are lots of unhealthy, really yummy-looking options too! But I appreciate the selection and quality of the many things I have chosen.

And - Costco gas is usually 5-10 cents cheaper per gallon than other gas stations.

I don't think you'd regret investing in a membership.

Diapers, kids clothes, things like that. We love Carter's brand, and they sell the sleeper pajama sets for 7.99 (the same sets that are $20 full price and $14 on sale). That alone makes it worth it for our family. I have twin boys, so we usually have to buy about 10-12 pairs of pajamas a season. Also, some things in bulk that don't go bad are worth it like cereal, goldfish crackers. The produce is very high quality, so we'll buy 5 pounds of grapes for $7, and my boys eat all of them. We're a family of four and decided it was worth it after going shopping with my mom a few times. Have a friend with a membership take you so you can decide if it's worth it.

I've been a Costco member for years and we go about 4 to 6 times a year. We're also a family of 3, so it wouldn't seem that it would be worth it at first. But, we get things that aren't immediately perishable and use consistently if not, daily. I buy cereal, jarred peach slices, peanut butter, Goldfish crackers, frozen chicken nuggets, etc. One of my favorite things to buy are the 5 lb bags of frozen organic veggies. The price is great compared with the regular grocery store and since we have a chest freezer I can keep them and always have a healthy side dish ready. I also like to cook in bulk and store meals in my freezer so buying ingredients at Costco works well for me. Their meat department is usually very good, better than most grocery stores and the prices are pretty competitive in our area. I also get my prescriptions filled at Costco because the generics are super cheap there and they use the exact same drugs I was getting at the regular pharmacy for 3 to 4 times the price. I use a Sonicare toothbrush and a 5 pack of the replacement heads are sold at Costco for the same price as a 3 pack at Target. I often buy vitamins at Costco too. You mentioned getting paper goods at Costco and that is the one thing I don't get there. They've recently made the packages larger and the price has gone up at my local Costco and for us the math didn't work out. Also, we just don't have room to store that many rolls of TP! Unless I can split the pack with someone, I usually buy my paper goods at Target. If I were you, I would go along with a friend on one of their trips to Costco and write down what you might buy and do some cost comparisons and think about where you would store the items in your home. We have a small house with very limited storage, but for the cost savings it's worth it to us to find places to store certain items.

We have belonged to Costco since my son was born.

We used to buy diapers and wipes from them when he was wearing them and then moved on to Pull-Ups.

They mail you monthly coupon books that offer great savings on so many things including diapers and wipes.

We of course buy toilet paper and paper towels and garbage bags, but we only have to do that every other month or so

We buy meat and fish. Organic milk and butter. Quinoa, short grain brown rice. Fruit: pineapple, fuji apples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries......Large bags of spinach (we eat a lot of spinach around here), bags of avocados, bags of peppers, mushrooms. Horizon Organic milk boxes and juice boxes for my son.

Cleaning supplies, shampoo/conditoner, vitamins, books, toys, batteries, ziplock bags. We recently purchased a twin mattress for only $150.

With our executive membership we even earn money back and receive a check at least twice a year.

We are also a family of three. We feel we save more by shopping there because we make sure we stock up on lots of essentials. We always have something for dinner and very rarely eat out and basically never order in. We only have to go there about once a month so that also frees up more family time.

We love Costco. Before I became a parent I used to say God bless H&M. Now I say God bless Costco. lol

We have had one, but find we buy things there we don't need when we go, and the deals I can find at the local Target or Walmart are just as good or better. We ended our membership.

I haven't read the other responses, but tissue as you mentioned, laundry detergent, windex, (for me) swiffer refills, ALCOHOL, my pepsi, fabric softner,batteries, bagels, coffee, creamer. basically your everyday uses. But if get a membership PLEASE go in only with a certain amount of money! Don't take your credit vard, because i bet money you will see something in there and be like"oh i have to get that"! lol especially that big 'ole cheesecake(if you like cheesecake), it worth it. and if you get the excutive membership you get 2% back at the end of your year! And they will refund your membership if you are satisfied! good luck. oh go on sample day too! lol

Dont wait baby years are perfect door Costco. U will save tons on baby stuff. Meat and veggies r super cheap
Housewares r super cheap
Digital cameras etc etc
I have always felt it was worthwhile even when I was single and childless

We are a family of 3 as well.
We DON'T have a membership mainly b/c my husband and I know that in one trip, I won't leave w/o spending $100. And I'll STILL likely have to go to the local grocery store for our regular stuff (fresh tortillas, one head of lettuce, one loaf of bread, etc.)

But when my MIL comes to town, she takes us shopping there as a treat. We always buy:
a rotisserie chicken (they're SOOO yummy and much cheaper than the local grocery store)
milk (we freeze extra)
chicken nuggets (frozen)
hot dogs (we freeze extras)
olives
pickles
beef jerky and other types of non-perishable snacks
spaghetti sauce jars
butter (freeze extra)
eggs
And Every trip, we get a slice of pizza and berry smoothie for our lunch.

So, as you can see, everything we get won't go to waste. We freeze what we can't use in a week (we have a deep freeze). If Costco were closer, and if my MIL didn't splurge FOR us every time she visits from out of state, I would say YES the membership is worth it. BUT our nearest Costco is 25 miles away and like I said - i'd still have to go to the local store to buy other things.

Oh also I heard that Costco has a WONDERFUL return policy regarding electronics and such. Not sure if that's true, but I hear it's good.

We always feel silly when walking in and out of Costco. We don't bring a cart, and we walk out with just a couple of things.

Here's what we buy:

1. real Parmagiano Reggiano cheese. It's around $20 a pound (or more) at Whole Foods, and approximately $10 a pound at Costco.

2. magazines (30% off)

3. photos. The photo price is amazing. I do digital scrapbooks and sometimes make a 12 x 12 page that I frame for gifts. The price of a 12 x 12 photo at a photo processing store is nearly $20, and at Costco it's less than $3. Similar savings on 8 x 10s, 4 x 6s, etc.

We never buy truckloads of products, but just a couple of packages of Parmagiano cheese and a couple of photos, and the membership fee has paid for itself.

We are a family of two now (kids are off on their own) but we make a weekly trip to Costco for food shopping and other items. They have some of the best fresh fruits and vegetables at the best prices vs. grocery stores in our area. Since we are trying to eat healthy, it is a great place to shop. I plan our meals to take advantage of our purchases. Salads, fresh fruit bowls, etc. I also buy chicken - they have packs of 10 individually packaged meals of chicken that have 4 chicken breasts or 4-5 chicken thighs which is what we use for a meal. There prepared meals are great when I don't feel like cooking and the rotissierre chicken is terrific and costs less than i could make it myself. We also buy TVs, cameras and other items.

We go to Costco every week. We get a lot of produce, toilet paper, paper towels, detergent (both laundry and dishwasher), bottled water, prepared meals, diapers, and wipes. I have found some deals on clothes for my kiddos and books there as well. We also print our photos, including Christmas cards and calendars there. It is definitely worth it for our family!

Personnally, I like BJs better than Costco. We have grown to a family of 5 but started out with a membership for just 2.

We buy paper goods (TP and towels), ground beef which we divide and place in our deep freeze freezer, natural peanut butter, cat food, litter, diapers, shampoo, etc.

These stores are like any other... You have to know and understand what unit pricing is and means and then you have to have a clue about what the unit prices are like at your local grocery store. Also, you need to be able to figure out, especially if you are buying perishables, if you will consume all the food before it goes bad. Just be vigilant and use your coupons (if Costco accepts them) and be smart about your purchases - just because it is a warehouse does not make it a good deal.

~C.

I'm a Sam's Club member - but similar thing. We are a family of 3 soon to be 4.

We buy Fruit2O's (24 packs), Propel (24 packs), Mandarin slice snacks (12 pack), Velveeta Mac N Cheese (8 packs), Paper towels (24 packs), toilet paper (36 rolls), diapers are really cheap here as are wipes.

There are usually lovely selections and cheaper prices on DVDs/Blue Rays, books, electronics, etc during the right season.

We always bought diapers and baby wipes there. Their store brand of diapers and wipes worked just as well for our babies as the brand name diapers, but they were much cheaper. We would also buy chicken and ground turkey, split them into Ziploc bags (also from Costco), and freeze them. We'd also get snacks like granola bars and fruit snacks, crackers (my kids love Goldfish crackers), and we'd get cheese and their organic multi-grain bread (keep them in the fridge and they last longer). Oh, and cereal.

How can you live in Seattle and NOT be a Costco member? :-) Just kidding. We used to live in Bellevue and we'd shop at the Costco in Kirkland all the time. The only thing I hated was how extremely crowded it always was, especially around the holidays. Craziness! Maybe you can split the membership fee with a friend and split things you buy so nothing goes to waste. It might be worth it.

We found that Target has a better price on diapers and they are just as good as the Kirkland brands. We buy eggs there every two weeks (I bake a lot of things and their prices are better). We also get chips and cleaning products there. One thing that we shopped around a lot for is pharmacy prices and they were by far the cheapest, though you don't have to be a member to use the pharmacy.

It is worth it if you shop around fist before settling into a routine shopping trip there. You have to make sure that what you are buying is stuff that you will actually use. I have a friend that buys stuff because it is a good deal but doesn't ever really use it.

I go with a friend who has a Costco membership and I pay her back. Sometimes there is a bargain on luggage or outdoor furniture. Mostly I find the items in electronics are out of date and not what I want to pay high prices for.
The food items if you can divide and freeze or dry are good or if you have someone to split it with.

My family is a family of 3. We have a costco membership and feel that it is worth the value. When my daughter was in diapers and taking formula - it was a huge savings....
But now, I still think it is a savings as long as we only buy what is on our list. It is so easy to overspend at Costco....but if you go there with a list and stick with it, you will see the savings for sure.

Family of 3 including 2 teen boys:
glasses
prescriptions
meat, cheeses, organic fruits and veg, bread...
frozen foods
brand name clothes
bedding and the best plush towels
cat food and litter
paper goods and cleaning supplies
batteries
photos
car rentals- often the best price I can find except for some last minute web specials
laptops, software, video games
check printing
home appliances big and small
kitchen utensils
great return policy
furniture, outdoor furniture
plants
Christmas decorations

I have the Gold membership plus their amex card and get back between 200-300 a year in rebates which more than pays for our membership.

Cosco for me isn't about food. They have GREAT clothes, name brand stuff, shoes, craft supplies, the holiday items are AMAZING, and even the toys at Christmas are fantastic! Most of the time...I forget they even have food. It isn't just about the discount, it is about the variety and quality of stuff. I have had both S.'s and Costco memberships - and I would dump my Sams membership in a heartbeat if there was currently a Costco closer.

We have the Executive membership or whatever it is called where we get back a percentage of our purhcases back and we always get our cost of membership back plus some!
We are a family of 5 but we've had membership since we were a family of 3.
We get diapers, wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, bottled watter, CDs, books, movies, maple syrup, Tylenol, allergy meds, clothes, we bought a microwave there, we just bought a new printer there when ours died. We do also buy lots of food there too. Not all of it is in huge packages, sometimes we need a couple packages of things to feed our whole family so it's not all huge unedible amounts of food.
We love Costco. It is so worth the membership!

Sam's is $10 cheaper for their membership and lots of items are cheaper as well.We have 5 people and I buy a lot of things there.Sam's Club brand toilet paper which I love (and only used to use charmin!) Paper towels,their brand again,but just like bounty!Boneless skinless chicken breasts (their brand) I can get a 6lb bag (in the freezer) for $11.00.Milk for sure!Drinks (juice boxes,pops,etc.) Snacks,you can get a 50 count box of fruit snacks for $7-$8,yogurt tubes,string cheese,etc.Pancake mix a HUGE bag is $5,spagetti noodles,sauce,easy mac,etc...I also get hand soap,bath soap,shampoo,razors,toothbrushes,etc...Laundry soap,fabric softner,cat food,cat litter,trash bag (great buy on glad)...I buy Ibuprophen (off brands) adult and kids,children's tylenol,children's Zyrtec (their brand.)
The better question might be what don't we buy there,LOL! I buy a lot of our groceries and almost all of our toiletries there!I will make a trip there just for a few things,that's how good the prices are on the things we use!