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More than 2 years ago, I shared a list of the 20 best things to buy at Costco to svae money. I’m still a Costco shopper and I’m still trying to make sure I’m not fooling myself into thinking something is a better deal than somewhere else.
I walked the aisles recently and looked at some of the items I’ve tended to buy there and price checked them. Some of them surprised me—I found a cheaper price elsewhere. But the following items are, in my own grocery shopping, the 10 best things to buy at Costco to save money.
10 Things to Buy at Costco to Save Money
Sea salt | $3.29 for 30 oz
It is hard to find sea salt this cheap and that is such good quality. This is now the only sea salt I buy, and one container of it lasts for a few months for our family.
Cream cheese | $6.29 for 48 oz
I go through a ton of cream cheese during the holiday season what with all the dips and cakes and treats I’m making. Even on sale, it’s hard to find cream cheese cheaper than Costco. Aldi usually has it for $1.50 a block or so, but the Costco price is $1.05/block.
Heavy cream | $3.29 for 32 oz
This isn’t something I’m buying weekly, but when I need it, it is hands down the best price anywhere else.
Dog food | $28.89 for 40 lb
I did a little research on this because it is hard to compare dog food when the difference in quality is so different. Yes, you can get cheaper dog food elsewhere. But the Kirkland brand dog food is similar in quality to Diamond Naturals, which is much higher quality than the run-of-the-mill brands. If you’re looking for a good, middle-of-the-road dog food option, this is one of the best options.
Toilet paper | $20.99 for 30 rolls
Let’s be honest: it feels impossible to compare prices on toilet papers when you have double rolls, mega rolls, and triple rolls, and none of the manufacturers have the same number of sheets in each roll.
I did some math to compare Costco toilet paper to a recent deal on Angel Soft bathroom tissue at Kroger where you could get 16 mega rolls for $9.99. Costco sells a pack of 30 rolls for $20.99. But with Angel Soft, a mega roll is 320 sheets, while a Costco roll is 380 sheets.
Angel Soft: 320 sheets * 16 rolls = 5120 sheets
9.99 / 5120 = 0.195 cents per sheet (yes, 1/5 of a penny)
Costco: 380 sheets * 30 rolls = 11400 sheet
20.99/11400 = 0.184 cents per sheet
So the difference between the two is about 1/100th of a cent per sheet. This isn’t much. But that Angel Soft deal is about as good as a deal as you’re going to get, and if you miss that deal or don’t have access to deals like that, then Costco is almost always going to be the cheapest option. Also, their toilet paper is great quality!
Costco is said to be most similar to Charmin Ultra Soft toilet paper, which only has about 268 sheets in their mega rolls. So even that brand at a similar price as the Angel Soft is going to still be cheaper to get Costco.
Chocolate chips | $15.99 for 72 oz
I’ve compared the cost of these at a ton of different stores, and Costco continues to be the cheapest. Most bags at the store are 12 ounces, so this makes them about $2.66. The only downside is they only have one option—semisweet.
Protein bars | $21.89 for 20
If you are someone who eats protein bars, then I highly recommend trying out Costco’s version. In taste and texture, as well as nutrition, they are similar to Quest bars, which often cost as much as $2 a bar. These are only a little more than $1 a bar.
Foil pans | $13.99 for 30
If you are someone who regularly takes food to other people, then this is a great deal. We are often taking food to new moms, people who are sick, or church members who are suffering. I never want them to have to worry about getting my dishes back to me. I also use these if we are having a lot of people over for something and I want to reduce clean-up. You can sometimes get these kinds of pans for $1 or so, but these are $13.99 for 30 pans, less than 50 cents per pan.
Frozen chicken | $15.99 for 4 lb
There is one caveat here, because sometimes you can get frozen chicken on sale at Publix or Kroger or other stores if it is on sale—as low as $2.50/lb. But if nothing is on sale, then your best bet is to shop at Costco. Their store brand chicken nuggets taste similar to Chick-fil-a nuggets and are only $3.99/lb, $16 for a 4 lb bag.
Rotisserie chicken | $4.99
I hope you already know about these, but these are almost worth the price of a Costco membership. They are $4.99 and have always been that price. A few years ago I took all the meat off one chicken and weighed it and got 2.5 lb of meat, which makes it $2/lb for cooked, seasoned, flavorful chicken.
What do you think are some things to buy at Costco to save money? Let us know in the comments!
