Well, never say never! I have previously written of my dislike of big box wholesale stores...and for the most part that is still true. That said, lots of people I know and trust have been telling me how much they like Costco and can find both good deals as well as some healthy food products.
Years ago we had a membership at a BJs Wholesale Club and we found it wasn't worth it. There were not enough products we used to continue.
Our friends told us that Costco had better products than BJs especially for folks like us who tend toward healthier and organic products.
Tom and I visited this Costco about 3 months ago to check out the inventory. For starters, I tend to get overwhelmed in cavernous stores like this but we went early enough the morning and on a weekday when things felt a bit more manageable.
For the most part, it was no surprise that just about everything comes in enormous packages. There are many things that are just too big for us to either store or use quickly enough.
That said, we do have some storage capability and can we make exceptions with what makes sense to buy in bulk. For example, paper products. I have always tried to stock up on paper towels, tissues and toilet paper. Those are items I want to buy only a few times a year vs every time I shop. I also have always stocked up on canisters of Lysol Wipes. I remember being one of the few people not caught short during the height of the pandemic when these wipes were gone from store shelves.
I am happy to see that the Lysol Wipes are back and I will continue keep a few extra canisters on hand. We use them at home, in the car and on the boat. I always take a canister with me when we travel and wipe everything down wherever it is we are staying.
On the food side of things, I was pleased to see that Costco sells frozen wild -caught shrimp. I will only buy wild shrimp from the USA and while I often buy it fresh at either Whole Foods or a local seafood shop, they don't always have it. I now keep a 2 pound bag in my freezer which is super handy. We tend to eat shrimp a fair amount.
Costco also sells wild and safely-caught tuna in cans.
They also sell a couple of brands of grass-fed beef. I still buy most meat from the farmers market and a local farm about a mile from us but again, for convenience sake it's good to know Costco sells grass-fed.
My husband likes the condiments Costco sells. He loves anything pickled. He goes through even those large jars of pickled peppers, pickled jalapeños, and Grillo's pickles. (Grill's is a local pickle brand which has gone national...if you can find them...try them as they are the best in my opinion!)
I found that Costco sells a brand of dry pasta that I like and I always keep a few different pasta shapes on hand.
I found Simple Mills organic crackers and mixes here along with a wide variety of dried nuts, fruits and seeds. I also stock up on frozen organic fruits which I use in smoothies the year round. I use fresh fruit too but frozen fruit is very handy and still very good for you.
They sell Red Mill grains which is a brand I like.
They also have a great price on canisters of Vital Proteins Collagen. Tom and I put a scoop of this powdered collagen in our coffee and/or smoothies every day and having being doing so with great result for years. This is a not inexpensive product and Costco has a great price on the 20 ounce canister.
We go through lots of avocados and eat them most every day...I found good prices on these.
This Costco also sells beer, wine and liquor and while we are not big drinkers, there is a savings in this category.
We have heard that the savings on tires and automotive products are great here...I have a new car and hope not to need tires or car parts for a long time but good to know.
We bought batteries at a great price this week (everything it seems needs batteries these days) so we stocked up.
And on it goes....there are certainly enough products or so it seems right now to warrant this membership and a visit every few weeks.
We have a membership now for year and we are going to see if it continues to be worthwhile. So far, it's not been an unpleasant experience and we have been happy with many of the choices as well as the savings we've experienced.
We are entertaining more now that it is summer and our circle of friends and family are all vaccinated. I am cooking more and going through my pantry products faster as there more times once again that I am cooking for a group.
This all feels like a blessing. The jury is not in as to whether we will keep this membership beyond the year but we'll see. So far, so good. read more