7 ways Costco saves our family money

I have three boys so, Costco has become a frequent place for us to shop.  Many people don’t want to swallow that membership fee but, it will literally pay you back in one shopping trip.  FYI, its only $55 a year for incredibly discounted prices.  Costco can have the “Wal-Mart” syndrome… everything is a great deal, so you can end up spending too much if you aren’t careful so,  I would like to share with you 7 ways that Costco has saved us money.

1.  We shop the monthly sales. 

Every month Costco has a variety of items marked down from their already discounted prices in every category you can think of.  We really focus on buying those items as they are a way better deal than I could ever get at another store with coupons! There is almost always a cereal, detergent brand, drink, toothpaste and many other items to choose from that you can get on sale each month. So, focus on those deals for ultimate savings.

2.  We get all produce here.

The only exception is in the summer when we hit up the local Farmers market.  The produce at Costco is amazing quality and, mostly organic with unbeatable prices! We get almost double the amount for the price we pay for a small container of the same things at our local grocery store.

3.  A cheap lunch out for the family. 

Costco is known for how cheap their food court is and they only offer a few items.  One of our favorite specials that they are well-known for is the all beef hot dog combo for 1.50!! They taste way better, are bigger and healthier than normal hot dogs and, you get a drink.  We also get the kids a churro for $1 as a cheap treat.  We love to do this Sundays after church! Truly all of their deals at the food court are unbeatable and, they take a lot of pride in what the offer and keeping their prices super low.

4. We ONLY buy gas at Costco.

You can do a search online for all of your local gas stations within a 10 mile radius and, you will not find cheaper gas prices than Costco has.  This alone saves us loads of money every year.

5. We buy ALL of our cereal there.

As I mentioned before, there are different cereals on sale every month but, even if you didn’t get those specific ones you would save so much money on just this item.  With boys who eat A LOT of it, I get so mad when we go to our local grocery store and get the smallest box for the price I pay for triple the amount at Costco! Those small boxes literally last us only 2 days so this is a must and a big savings for our family.

6.  We buy gift cards for friends and ourselves.

They sell everything from local restaurant gift cards to Regal movie tickets for a 20% discount! We buy our movie tickets there to save because, let’s be real …the movies these days are a small fortune.  Also, we buy gift cards to go out to eat with our family or to give away to someone at a discount.  Every little bit helps!

7. Spices & Baking items are dirt cheap.

When I say dirt cheap I really mean it, I buy big containers of all of my spices and baking products for 50% off (sometimes more).  They are larger containers that last us 5-6 months (sometimes more).  I can’t imagine buying the little shakers or packs for the same price in the grocery store.

Costco has been a major way that we have been able to cut our grocery costs and, save money.  I hope these tips can help you do the same!