I only go there a few times a year also. I love it for christmas gifts, books and things that are much less than anywhere else. I also go there in summer for very fresh veggies that last alot longer it seems that store bought. I love the small mixed peppers asst. I munch on those raw and they last about a month. I get blueberries there for a great price. I get my sealer bags there, 30 bucks for 6 rolls instead of 10 bucks each everywhere else. I used to use the mixes too, but can't with the salt content in them anymore, I have to make my own.

I usually get out of there for not much money cause I really watch prices and don't impulse buy, Hubs impulse buys. We went a few weeks ago and came out of there with 300 bucks of stuff, alot was gifts though. We are going Christmas eve morning to get stuff for christmas day food. Ready made sandwiches and rolls and nibbles to munch on.

I never go,always send DH,he loves that store and i don't.Too much for these bad knees of mine.But the favorite thing he gets me there is the Naked orange juice,and the big block of sharp cheddar cheese.
Kathi

I've never been in one. Is it like a Sam's?

okwriter (who lives in the boonies...but we finally got a WalMart Super Center about two years ago...)

I don't know about special-can't-get-anywhere-else-besides-Costco items but the items I always buy there include honey (under $7 for 5 pounds, much cheaper than the grocery store), their great vanilla ($6 or $7 for a 16-oz bottle), yeast (dirt cheap also), coffee when I was a more proficient coffee drinker ($10 for I think 2 pounds of good beans). I buy their meats and frozen chicken breasts (they're Purdue but they only have half or less the 'added solution' the frozen Purdue chicken in the grocery store has). I buy my peppercorns there too.

When I have a large cookout, I buy hot dogs there. I can get the Hebrew National or Nathan's for a fraction of the price I'd pay in the grocery store.

I bought the best sausage and pepper calzone there last week. Their frozen convenience foods are almost always very good but pricey so I only pick those up occasionally.

I'm wearing pants from Costco right now too.

Our favorite thing about Costco might be the snack bar.

Oh yes, I buy my food saver bags there too.

Muffins fresh from the bakery, and thick cut pork chops. I also buy all my soaps, and assorted plastic bags there. Starbucks roasts their coffee so I buy that too... AND the big box of brownie mix..that's a few of my favorites! Kathy

I go to Sam's instead of Costco but buy detergent and most cleaning suppliles there. Also peanut butter!

I love the Stacy's pita chips. Great for dips and also make great nachos.

I also buy my tp, laundry detergent, Marie Calendars chicken pot pies, and gifts there. I went yesterday and bought a suitcase and a case of "beers around the world" for Christmas gifts.

We buy milk when we're there, since it's usually over $1 less then the grocery store and we buy 2-3 at a time. We drink a lot of milk in this house! lol We also buy diapers and at the time forumla.

I just found a book $10 cheaper then Borders. Nice gift sets and clothing. Last year I got a pair of Adidas shoes for $26. I normally pay twice that at a shoe store.

Then regular stuff like Toliet paper, paper towels and foil. Sliced cheese, ground beef and beer have excellent prices. Some products like cereal, snack food and others are not a bargain and I do better with smaller boxes and coupons at the grocery store.

I've never been disappointed in Kirkland brand products. My mom's theory is that the turnover is so high, products never have to sit very long.

we go weekly. on our list are bananas, fuji apples, salad, cereal. dh loves these little lunch size veggie packs. we don't buy meat any place else, except sam's has much better lean ground beef.

we buy our water at sam's...they don't carry the size we like at costco anymore.

i've purchased bath sheets for fantastic price. sam's has a better selection of paperback books...

I buy bagels and chicken there regularly. I buy books, can't get a better deal on books anywhere else. I buy some of the Christmas items (wrap, gifts, etc) and other foods on occasion (ex, salads, desserts, vegetables when I am cooking for a crowd).

We travel 70 miles one way to get to Costco and go every couple of weeks.

Bobby loves their muffins and I get his frozen waffles there too. Also buy all my laundry soap and dishwasher soap there. Toilet paper, tissues, paper plates and plastic bags. I really like the Kirkland products.

I always buy their thick pork chops, and love their huge rotisserie chickens. I get the huge mushrooms there can't beat the price $4.99 and there are lots of them in that package. I often end up sauteing them and freezing them. I buy lots of stuff at Costco. We have a garage and have 2 shelf units that we store things on. I buy cases of refried beans, baked beans, tomato sauce, asparagus, black olives.

It is surprising how much stuff I can get into my Lincoln. LOL

casey unless you only do hard bound, target and walmart have the same 25% off paperbacks...

and did anyone else notice martha stewart ham?? knew paula deen was doing smithfield but didn't know marth was doing one...in a cloth bag no less, lol...

Toilet paper, paper towels, trail mix, raisins, books, desserts.

I also go to BJ's Warehouse, which is similar to a Costco.

eggs, butter, cheese, frozen sausage patties, breakfast sandwiches for hubby, corn dogs, dino nuggets (dino shaped chicken nuggets), sugars, cream, half n half, and Spray cream (Land o Lakes). Clothing, mostly for hubby and teen son. Mrs Buttersworth Pancake syrup, soy sauce, nestle quick.
I do almost all my ordering online for Costco delivery for my concession stands, and often toss in a few things for me or someone else!) LOL But that's only March-July.

Produce and veggies.

I've been twice in the last 5 days! It's 35 miles one way from parking lot to my front door. (How do I know..I always fill up the gas tank when I'm over there!)

I normally only go about once a month maybe 2x a month.

I don't go to Costco.

They want me to pay them a buck a week for the privilege of entering their store - and I have to pay it, whether I visit or not.

It seems to me that any store is privileged if I choose to walk into their place ... I don't figure to pay them for that privilege.

Living alone, I don't buy large quantities ... and don't buy a lot of stuff.

Have a great end-of-year.

And a lovely New Year, as well.

ole joyful

We go every other week and buy a lot of things. I get 2 loaves of bread for the price of one and big boxes of cereal. I also like their big bags of nuts; walnuts, pecans, almonds. I keep them in the freezer so always have them for baking. Last time I was there I got vanilla beans, 10 for $10.99. The gourmet stores charge $6.99 for one.

Here is a post you might find interesting that was on the cooking forum. what to try at costco
Clare

Oh My Beloved Costco!

Their Kirkland baby formula is cheaper per ounce than any other brand WITH the manufacturer's $5 check! You can't beat that. I sold the Similac checks on Ebay and paid for our Costco membership to buy cheaper formula!

We've bought or used diapers, shampoo, laundry and dish detergent, all sizes trash bags, our broom, Carter's clothes for the kids, clothes for DH and I (underwear and socks included), christmas gifts of all sorts, meat, fruit!, pens, computer paper, our cell phones, Avis rental car discount, lunch size chips, cokes, water, dog food, string cheese, our printer, our TV, our Christmas Cards, stamps, prescriptions, contact solution, ziploc bags, cases of canned corn, digital camera, wrapping paper, and I think that's it.

We would have gotten our washer and dryer there, but adding the cost of someone to deliver it or to rent a truck would have eaten the savings. We love Costco!

The cooked chickens. Only $5 and so good.

In addition to all the good food values, TIRES! I think the savings on tires at Costco alone justify the cost of membership. Mind you, I have a free card from DFIL's business membership, but I'd happily pay for an individual membership.

Here are a few of my favorite Costco items: organic spaghetti sauce, makings for frozen "greek" burritos (feta, spinach, yukon gold potatoes, onions, peppers, flour tortillas), printer cartridges, socks, panties, towels, vitamines, glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM, parmesan cheese, etc., etc., etc. And, of course, Xmas gifts! I bought a great kite for my nephew for just $10.

Lived in So. Calif. for many years and bought all of our meat and fish at Costco. They have the best sirloin steaks. However, here in upstate NY,don't have a Costco, only BJs, a sorry also-ran. Still hoping for a Costco......

Ours just opened in Omaha, I'm glad to say. I love their fresh flowers. They last for at least 2 weeks. I get a bouquet each time I've been there. Twice so far. I'd have gone shopping there this past week, but I've been under the weather. There is this soft cheese I found there. 3 little round foils of it. Garlic and herb. Can't remember the brand name of it, but it is so good.
I also stock up on toilet tissue, trash bags, and whatever strikes my fancy that I happen across.
I think they have great deals on kitchen hand towels, and socks. After I'm a memeber longer, and can shop at my own pace I'll be able to price the dog and cat food, and litter. If I get to large a bag, I can't lift it.
Leslie

KIRKLANDS BRAND CHOCOLATE COVERED RAISINS!!!!!!!!

The nearest Costco I know of is 700 miles back in Atlanta. That was one of the requirements when we went back earlier this month. Shared themw ith my classmates and now there is a standing order for anyone who comes to visit to bring at least two containers!!! LOL

I usually go weekly or at least every other week. It is more a question of what don't I buy there:) Can not imagine how folks manage with kidlets if they do not buy there.

Another person living in the boonies and no Costco anywhere close.:(

We bought a membership because we could get supplies for my husband's insuling pump at the best price anywhere, and those supplies were not covered by his insurance so cost was extremely important. The supplies cost about $300.00 a month at the drugstore, could be bought directr from the manufacturer for $175.00 plus a $25.00 delivery fee, or at Costco for $176.00. Se our saving on that alone paid for the membership in two months. But we decided that if we were going, we would go "whole hog" and buy absolutely everything we could there. We took the Executive membership at $100.00 because Costco offers a rebate of 2% on most purchases with taht membership. We budget $500.00 a month there, over and above the pump supplies, so we get back a minimum of about $120.00, meaning our membership is essentially free and we get the break on the pump supplies. We also use the membership for major items, like a freezer, so we have gotten 2% back on those purchases too. This year our rebate was over $230.00. The rebate certificate arrives on your renewal date, and ours is in November. So a few hundred dollars o spend at Costco goes a long long way towar our Christmas. Works for us, might not for everyone.

We live between two Costcos, one is four miles away, the other. six or seven.

What we buy there:

- beef jerky
- gianormous jar of capers
- sweet and salty trail mix
- paper products like TP, paper towels, napkins
- laundry detergent
- and their great assortment of holiday gifts

Jodi-

Wow...With a family of 10, Costco is THE place for us! Our luxury 'must have' is the Frappe Freeze Mocha Mix...and the kids cheer if I get the frozen Chimichangas, too.

Essentials that I don't like to buy anywhere else because of price: TP, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, peanut butter, raw chicken (fresh pieces, frozen breasts), frozen shrimp, tortillas, diapers, condiments, cold cereals, oatmeal, pure maple syrup, flour, milk, soy milk, cheeses, canned salmon, all kinds of produce, and lotions, Tylenol, toothpaste, etc. in the 'drug store' part.

We also love the books...Our WalMart has very few. Socks are more expensive than WalMart, but better quality.

More major purchases have included our new memory foam mattress, TVs, and the 4 dual-flush toilets for our new house. Can't beat their return policy.

Our Executive membership isn't cheap, but is more than paid for by the 2% rebate for all we buy.

I understand Ole Joyful when he says that for one person he doesn't think it's worth it. We had thought that might be the case for us, with only two people in our home (not counting dog and cats).

When they built a Costco less than two miles away, we decided to give it a try and were pleasantly surprised.

What we save on printer ink and coffee beans pays us back for the membership -- everything else is "gravy," so to speak.

Some Favorites:

1) Starbuck's blend coffee beans, regular and decaf, plus French roast and espresso beans

2) Big box of Healthy Choice Fudge Bars (ice cream)

3) Meat department favorites -- short rib meat (boneless) and skinless/boneless chicken thigh meat. We cook some fresh and freeze some for another day.

4) Cooked whole chickens and cooked pork ribs

5) Mixed nuts

6) Multiple vitamins & other supplements

7) Asian pears

8) La Brea whole grain bread

9) Pine nuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts

10. Decorated sheet cakes for parties

They have good prices on regular household supplies like laundry soap, Charmin toilet paper, Cascade liquid dishwasher soap -- large packages, but even two people will use these up eventually

They connected me with a fleet manager for a car I wanted to buy, and I got a better deal on the financing than my own credit union offered.

Ours has a members-only gas station, which usually has the best local price.

You do have to balance the cost of the membership against your savings, but even though we don't go more than maybe 6-7 times a year, we definitely save money, even considering the membership cost.
Our best deals are:
Prescriptions, saline solution, soap, flash frozen fish, artichoke hearts.

I buy my meat for at least 2 months at a time when I go. Among other things we buy consistantly is water, vitamins, eggs, waffles, milk, tortillas, fruit, canned items and cheese. I go about every other month. I love that place.....and I spend a few hours just browsing lots of times!