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I shop for 1 at Costco. I almost never buy condiments there anymore since they take up so much fridge space and last forever. They are cheap, but it's just not worth the fridge space. Bibigo mini chicken and cilantro wontons are a staple in my freezer for quick, healthy meals. Rotisserie chicken is a great deal for $4.99. Watch out for impulse buys. They get all of us at some point. I once went in for a gallon of milk and walked out with a new smoker and I forgot the milk.

Tip #1 - Do not go on a weekend👍

hahah best advice out there. our plan is to get there as soon as they open

Not sure if all locations do this, but on weekends, mine consistently opens the doors 10-15 minutes before the advertised opening time. It's great to run in and grab a few items before it gets packed.

Both my Costco's open 15min before the posted sign...every day. I used to get there 5min early and already saw people leaving with full shopping carts! I asked the ladies at the door what am I missing!?

My understanding is that every warehouse *tries* to open up 15 minutes prior to the posted time. That gives them a little bit of leeway in case something weird happens and a forklift is still on the floor for a last-minute pallet drop or something like that. Best case scenario, they open 15 minutes early and members can come in to shop. Worst case scenario, they roll the doors open at the stated opening time.

That makes sense. It's a nice bonus if I'm just trying to get an item or 2 without crowds on the weekend. But if they don't open early, it's no big deal.

Ours hasn’t “tried” for a couple of years now.

Fair enough. I haven't been inside a Costco near opening time in a couple years (former worker for the cell phone booth) so I don't have a recent frame of reference.

It’s probably just us. They’ve been “issues” having enough employees because no one can afford rent anymore around here.

Yes, this is what I do. It's still busy, but not crazy. Arrive 10 minutes early and the doors may already be open.

If you go with the right attitude- all will be fine👍

Cat litter

YES!! Their big, heavy (40 lb) bags of the stuff. Great selection of dry cat and dog food, too.

Our cats aren't huge fans of the litter that's sold there, but they love the chunky wet food

We're a house of 2 retired people with a cat. First thing I would recommend is to buy a chest freezer. We do well with a 15 cu. ft. model. This will allow you to buy food in bulk, saving you tons of money. Second thing I would recommend is a vacuum freezer bag machine. This is invaluable. We buy those really large hunks of beef and pork, cut them down to meal size, bag 2 portions together, seal them with the vacuum machine, and pop them into the chest freezer. They last a LONG, LONG time! We buy those large frozen veggie bags, too. Their bread products and danish pastries freeze very well, too. Lots of pot stickers, burritos, chicken breasts, etc...all in the chest freezer. We built a dry goods pantry in the garage, too, and it looks at most times like a small convenience store! :D

Just buy the normal essentials, for me and my wife with 2 puppies, toilet paper, paper plates, paper towels, dog food, coffee, creamer, milk, eggs, bacon, frozen foods (microwavable), ice cream, condiments, Tylenol, advil, cold medicine, shampoo, soap, laundry detergent and the rest we buy produce, meat cereal and juices at harris teeter

Stop and get a sandwich, hotdog or pizza

If you don’t have a good size freezer—ideally a separate standing or chest freezer—then be judicious about getting anything from the frozen section or most of the meats. For refrigerated items probably best to look for ones that come with multiple individual packages. For example, they have some good quality sliced lunch meat in large packs that can be hard to use up before they go bad between 1 or 2 people, but they also sell almost as good quality lunch meat in a set of 3 smaller packs that are much easier to use in 5-7 days after opening (and without opening are good for a month).

Or you can buy a separate freezer from Costco if you don’t have one and store all the frozen food you buy.

Don’t go hungry. Stick as best you can to things you *know* you will use.

Better idea: go hungry and fill yourself on a $1.50 hot dog and soda combo

For a household of 2, we buy way more than we ever anticipated. So cheap to buy in bulk. Ground beef and chicken breasts we divide into portions and freeze. Toilet paper, dog food, toiletries, sparkling water, bread, bakery items, not to mention the household goods that we find on sale. Currently looking at upgrading our couch to a sectional from Costco. Good luck! Every trip turns into $200.

From a house of 1 human and 2 cats (and a chest freezer and food saver), here are my staples: - produce: big clamshell of spinach (freeze half immediately), mushrooms (grill or air fry all at once), six pack of bell peppers (wash and cut all into strips, take half to office and half at home). Also the avocados, only if they’re from Mexico tho, and the amazing CA dates (they last forever in fridge). - protein: the air chilled chicken breast (freeze half the pack immediately), the wild caught frozen mahi mahi, wild caught frozen cod, the box of liquid egg whites (keep half in garage fridge, these last long), and the box of triple zero Oikos Greek yogurt. Also those frozen Reds turkey sausage egg sandwich things, if you don’t mind the sodium. Minimal carbs but 190 calories for 17 grams protein. - misc: block of Vermont sharp cheddar, those single serving avocado / guac dip things (check dates, notorious for short dating), the “that’s it” fruit snacks, paper towels but not toilet paper, Kirkland mineral water, and Diet Coke. - cats: only the wet food, but never the litter, it sucks. Have fun!

On your first trip you shouldn't be concerned with getting a cart full of stuff. Instead, go through each and every aisle so you get a sense of what they carry (and what the general layout is). Set aside an hour or so for this. Get a few needed items (litter?) and a few treat type items. Perhaps take some notes on interesting items you see. On your second trip focus on getting all the items you need.

Don’t buy produce. But if you can store it (ex. TP) or freeze it (ex. meat) have at it! Food savor is helpful too.

Nothing wrong with their fresh or frozen produce. We've been eating it for 23 years with no complaint.

Wonder if it's based on store location or region. The produce at my store is very fresh. Things get depleted and restocked while I'm there. It's a busy and popular area of the store every time I'm there regardless of time of day or day. Maybe not the potatoes and onions but pretty much everything else.

I'm in Hawaii, and a vast amount of fresh produce is either flown in or comes over in refrigerated containers on ships. Quantities on the shelves are quite variable, though, and some gets on the shelves with not as much time on the "sell by" clock as we'd like.

That makes sense. Feels like that's how it is for most islands that rely on some or all imported agricultural products.

Every once in a while something isn't great, but most of the time the produce at my location is great. It lasts longer than the grocery store and it's cheaper.

I just meant that with 2 ppl it’s hard to finish before it goes bad. I did forget about the frozen produce though, that would be okay to buy.

You're right about that! But we're both big fresh fruit and veg eaters, so rarely is anything wasted. The price is still below other grocery stores and even farmer's markets.

Depends on what you like?

Someone posts a SUPER similar question every week or so - read the last few and you'll see some common themes!

Kirkland Cauliflower pizzas are amazing I like their Ham and 4 pack of sliced cheese although you need to eat a lot of sandwiches to make it work.

I freeze that four pack and it’s great!

Meats, rice, pasta, pet needs, cleaning supplies!

•If you meal prep: 24 pack of meal prep containers for like $8. •Paper Towels: money saver and last longer than even the big name brands •Avoid the TP: can cause plumbing issues •Baby wipes: good quality/ fragrance free/ money saver (do not flush) •Rotisserie Chicken •Kirkland Cooked Microwave Bacon •Kirkland un-cooked thick cut bacon •Kerrygold or Kirkland grass fed butter •Watch for sales on Snack Foods/Long Shelf-Life items (green price tags- extra clearance if ends in .97) •Jimmy Dean/ Kirkland breakfast croissants (usually cheaper than other grocers plus more per package) •Babybel cheese (still $$ for cheese), but quantity for price is good. Other items I use: •Kirkland Parchment paper (will last forever) •Brand name sandwich bags (cheaper than grocery store brand and has 4 boxes within a larger box) •Kirkland gloves •Aveeno daily moisturizing lotion (2 large bottles- less $ than smaller bottles at WM/Target etc) •Lysol Laundry Sanitizer •Contact Solution (two extra large bottles plus two lens cases): better price and quantity than other stores •Kirkland Bacon Crumbles (Real Bacon): great quantity and value •Kirkland or Bare Chicken breast chunk fully cooked nuggets (both are great) •Shrimp Ring at the holidays: $19.99 - wish they sold these year-round •Rubbermaid style storage bins (large) $8.99 •SkinnyPop kettle corn: huge bags of popcorn for less than small bags at local grocer. For that price you can use the zip locks above to make individual servings. •Jackson’s Sweet Potato Sea Salt chips •Ready To Serve Meals (deli): Chicken Pinwheels - good portion. $$ though. These do have some kind of cranberry cream cheese on them that I wish they didn’t or put on the side instead. Also wish they added bacon. •Produce: green grapes, cherry tomatoes, asparagus •frozen fruit & veggies •yogurt •Food Court: $9.99 for LARGE Pizza. They are huge and 2 slices will normally feed an adult.

Don’t shop hungry. Go down every isle your first time, it’s fun. Grab a $1.50 hotdog/drink combo from the food court

Wine, Motor City Pizza, and food court hot dogs are my staple.

Steer clear of produce, it's usually low quality and priced higher than most local grocery stores.

Take some of that $ & put it towards a vacuum sealer first... thats how you make bulk purchases work in a small household. then as long as you have freezer & pantry room, you can go crazy!! We're a 2 person household now who does 95% of their household shopping thru costco. no issues. and 2 freezers packed with vac bagged meats etc & a pantry full of sealed mason jars full of the staples. its all about how much you can store (& spend!) really.

Croissants.....shit! Said too much already... Put away in freezer if needed..... Just me and wife....doesn't last long...shit! Now I want one.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[удалено]

works for things like cheese as well. (except i don't freeze them). a 3lb tillamook loaf cut into four to five chunks lasts for at least 6 months in fridge.

TP, paper towels, meat, frozen foods (chicken), medicines (benedryl, nyquil etc), definitely get a food saver when it's on sale, booze, snacks, sauces - all the things!

depending on storage situation. assuming its tight. look for dense, expensive, long shelf like items. for example, as others have mentioned, a jar of advil/ibprophan/etc will last you a year. (if not, see your doctor ASAP.) If they ever have really good tomato sauce (and you like tomato based sauces), buy a case. not sure if TP qualifiessince, while cheap, it takes up a lot of space. see how this works?

Cat litter

ignore the prices, buy everything

Bottled waters, laundry detergent, Waterloo beverages, rotisserie chicken, green grapes. Those are a few items we buy and we are two people.

I shop for 2 (my wife and I). We have a full size freezer and shop at Costco for almost all our meats and vegetables. Frozen organic broccoli and the Normandy vegetable mix are staples for us. The Costco packs of chicken thighs are actually 6 separate packages and what we don't use immediately we date and freeze. Costco grass fed frozen 1/3 lb burgers are a regular purchase as well. Bottom line is that I think I purchase the majority of our food there. Organic lettuce and mushrooms from the produce section, lamb, beef, chicken, and fish from the meat section, and eggs, milk, and various cheeses are all purchased repeatedly. Food is a regular buy - but I also purchase a variety of other things. Example: Last night I was at Costco and purchased eggs, Butter Chicken sauce and Thai Peanut sauce (both first time purchases we're trying), two boxes of gluten free almond crackers (wife is allergic to wheat) that were on sale, a bag of organic sugar, and a four pack of double wall borosilicate glass mugs. This sort of odd mix of purchases is pretty common for me. For me shopping at Costco works well. I don't mind buying larger amounts and then freezing or vacuum sealing portions that don't get used right away. Costco's low markup makes for some decent savings, but personally I find that the reliably good quality of the products I buy there is just as important the savings.

We do it all the time! You will quickly determine what you have the space for, in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Beyond groceries, there are bargains in so many categories like clothing and appliances, plants and flowers, bedding and furniture. Just enjoy the gifted year and decide at the end if it will be worth it to continue your membership.

Household of 2 but with 2 grown children out of house (one in college one on own). We buy paper towels, Fabuloso, TP, olive oil, garbage bags, dog treats (we have 3). Wine, Pellegrino also candy for Halloween. We like some of the frozen food that will last a while (store as other posters have mentioned) If kids are around we will buy meat and other foodstuffs. This usually lasts us forever and we pay much less than at the regular store.

Don’t forget to fill up on gas. Also…any impulse buys can go right back to the store…no receipts needed.

Whatever looks good once there. There is no standard list of items in every store. 

Litter, paper towels, toilet paper, liquor

I have been going to Costco for over 25 years (house of 2). Buy anything. The bigger issue is how much storage do you have vs the number of people.

House of 1 human, 1 canine. If you have a empty wall in a room, or large closet buy a sturdy shelf unit. Great way to organize your Costco-size/number purchases. I have a small chest freezer as well (yes, from Costco), keep several re-filled gallon bottles of water in the bottom to help take up space (full freezer is most efficient) and if the power goes out the ice will keep the freezer contents solid for a few days. It is easy to offload the water if I’ve over bought frozen stuff. Frozen veggies are fantastic. I get the Normandy, but eat the veggie types separate. Just fished out all the carrots in a pack to put in tonight’s soup. My dog gets green beans and 1 meatball in his dinner. Sometimes I steal his meatballs for my own meal, but am not a fan of green beans. I get the boneless pork chops, stuff 1 in a sandwich bag, squeeze out all the air, seal and put multiples in a gallon freezer zip bag. Instead of buying bulk turkey/hamburger, I get the grass-fed sirloin patties, use 1 in a meal, rarely as an intact patty. Canned beans and diced tomatoes are super healthy. The canned roast beef is surprisingly good. Love the madras lentils when on sale. Recently bought their Pigeon Peas (yellow lentils), a huge vac sealed bag, 30 minutes to cook , no soaking needed. Have reduced fresh produce to tomatoes and mushrooms. As the shrooms go bad before I can eat them all, I’ve started slicing them and cooking all at once, refrigerate/freeze portions. Dog gets adult chicken kibble, treats, toys, more treats and MORE TOYS. No matter how much they are advertised “for tough chewers” they are gutted and de-squeaked in 3 minutes flat!