What are your best tips that you can share with us for shopping at Costco?? Do they accept coupons?? Is there a better day of the week to shop? What do you usually buy there?? Do you buy everything there??

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~Missy~Mommy
Meghan9.Samantha7,Cameron5

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Coupons, they have their own that come out. We do alot of shopping there but you have to watch the prices. I can get rice milk there cheaper then on sale at the grocery store. That is where we get our diapers, meats, BANANAS (love theirs!!), and so on. You have to have the space in your house to store the quanity that you have to purchase there. We like it though.

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Mom to Peter (August '05) and Carlie (April '08)


My Saving Blog ~ Saving for the Fam

Know your prices. A lot of stuff is a good deal but not everything!

ITA

They do send out their own coupons, but I honestly don't know if they accept regular coupons.

I think the key to any of those places (Sam's, Costco, BJ's etc) is to know your prices. If you don't, you can easily get drawn into 'bigger is better'...JMO.

My MIL *loves* Costco, she does all her shopping there. Unfortunately though, she is a household of one person. I do go in with her on produce and sometimes meats and it makes it even a better deal for the both of us, but sometimes she'll go and buy an insane amt of something, that she just cannot consume before it goes bad. No savings there!

I like their produce, meats, they have a nice wine selection and I buy some other things there like certain crackers, snacks etc

Do they accept coupons?? They accept manufacturers checks and their coupons.

Is there a better day of the week to shop? Do not go near the store on the weekend. It is pure nightmare and the lines are loooonnngg. Weekday mornings are best. Fridays works best for us.

What do you usually buy there?? I buy oil, rice, moisturizer, coffee beans, whipping cream, butter, cleaning supplies, baby wipes. I do not buy meats there, I get them from other stores. The reason I joined them was Similac was cheaper there when DD was little.

Do you buy everything there?? Nope. It is just DH & I and a toddler at home, so the quantities are too much.

Check this blogspot/website. I browse it a lot: http://addictedtocostco.com/ It is really good.

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And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil:4:7

I agree with what everyone else has said. I check the unit price before I decide to buy it. I consider if I could be able to get a coupon to use at another store to make that product cheaper. I love their cakes. It's an awesome deal for such a great tasting cake!
One thing that I have never bought there is the meat. It's not terribly over priced but I can count on a sale at Kroger to have it cheaper.

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Nope, they don't accept manufacturers coupons. But they might take Manufacturers checks for stuff like baby formula...not sure. They only accept their coupons. But if you forget the coupons, no problem, they automatically ring up or the cashier can scan one in for you.

My best advice is to make your list and stick to it. Shop when you aren't hungry, without kids (or at a time when they aren't going to be cranky), and don't get sidetracked by all the other "good deals" in the store (yep, I know....REALLY hard to do).

I go to Costco once a month. I buy paper goods, water, kids juice boxes, tofu, guacamole, bread, and lotion every month. Occasionally I buy Gatorade or Vitamin Water, electronics, snacks, fruits/veggies, clothes, dairy, household/kitchen gadgets, and gift cards/amusement park passes.

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The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. Psalm 145:8,9 (NIV)
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I try and limit how frequently I go to Costco. I don't buy meat there but there are several things that I only buy there. I go in especially to buy the cases of Horizon chocolate milk boxes. My daughters LOVE them and they are so much, much cheaper there than anywhere else. I also buy dishwasher detergent (the Costco brand) and Lysol wipes. We usually buy the croissants there because love them but I won't pay $1.00 to $1.50 each that the grocery stores around here charge.

I love their fruit. I buy a ton when I go and then serve it at every meal and snack until we've used it up because I don't want it to go bad. I also buy the canned Phillips crabmeat. My family loves crabcakes and it is the least expensive place to buy it. We also buy the large package of hot dogs there because they cost less and I buy the Crystal Light iced tea mix because it is much cheaper. When my girls were little I bought the Costco brand of wipes because they were a good buy. People say that the formula is cheaper there but I thought that the store brands at Walmart or other places cost less and the goverment regulates formula so it all has the same nutritional value and ingredients. The big formula companies just like to get you sucked into using their products. From time to time the girl's dresses are an excellent buy. Like before Christmas and Easter, they have beautiful dresses that cost between $13 and $20. Two years ago, I bought the most gorgeous dresses for my two girls to wear to my parents 50th anniversary party. They cost $12.99 each. I saw the same brand in Lord and Taylors for $75 each! After the anniversary party, I sold the dresses on ebay for $18 and $20. I actually made money on the dresses that they wore to the party My girls have outgrown the kids' clothes there and that makes me sad!

It is one of the few stores that the kids love to go to with me. They love to taste the different food samples and they love to get berry smoothies at the snack counter. The hot dogs and pizza at the snack counter are a good deal for a quick lunch.

We love Costco but like all places you need to know your prices before you shop. You can get great deals but not everything is a bargain. Aslso you have to buy large packages so you can't always use all of an item before it goes bad if so it is not a good deal. We don't buy much produce because they are in huge containers. I love their meat and just repackage it into smaller packages and freeze it.

If you have no will power avoid Costco at all costs. I used to spend a fortune there but have learned in the last couple of years how to stick to my list and now it is good for our budget. It seems it is harder around the holidays as they get a lot of fun itemsI also love the samples - I always hate to buy a big package of something and then find out it doens't taste good so love the samples - sometimes things are good and sometimes not so it is good to be able to taste something first.

I don't do ALL my shopping at Costco, but I go once a month and stock up on my favorite items, which are:

Kirkland diaper wipes
Guacamole
Kirkland frozen cheese ravioli (soo good)
Kirkland dish detergent
Kirkland HE laundry detergent
Dog food
Kirkland dog biscuits
Chicken Potpie (homemade)
I always buy 1 of their rotisserie chickens and shred it.
Big jar of pesto
Fresh fruit
I love their lunchmeat!
Thick cut porkchops
Filet mignon
Cleaning supplies