Does Costco save you money on your shopping?

[R2G]

We've got a chance to get a Costco membership, is it a good thing? We thought if we bulk buy on items we can save money, but not sure?

We have the online membership only.

It has paid for itself in less than two orders BUT you have to carefully check and compare prices against what you would normally buy. Not everything is cheaper and not always the things you expect.

Not sure about saving money but it definitely buys better quality for the same amount.

Not really saving you money you can just buy lots of it, however you usually end up buying lots of food you don't need 😝

I always spend a fortune in the shop as I have zero willpower, but find it's worth it for buying fuel which is considerably cheaper.

We have the trade membership so get 2% back and that pays for the annual renewal. We have been members for about 15 years and every year or so when we do our usual shop from there I write down the costs and then come home and do a comparison with Asda. However, we now shop at Aldi so some things may work out much cheaper from there. It depends if you buy branded products too.

Lots of things are cheaper, some are just incredible quality in terms of taste or product. We have bin liners from there to fit our large brabantia bin and never had one rip, ever. Tinfoil and cling film, also really good quality but come in a massive roll. Kitchen roll is taller and better but again comes in a massive pack.

You need space to store it, ie tinned tomatoes comes in a pack of 12, toilet roll is 40 rolls, tissues are a box of 8 or 10. It all takes space. I have an American fridge freezer in the kitchen but I also have a large pantry with a larder freezer for the mince 2.5kg packs (roll it flat and vacuum pack it) chicken breasts, divide, vacuum and seal, again this a pack of around 11 or 12, frozen salmon 7 pre-frozen fillets which are much bigger than the ones in the supermarket and defrost in under 30 minutes.

If you can just go with someone for a visit then do that first rather than splash out. Dh used to go every week on the way home from work as it was on route so even our milk came from there. Yes that is cheaper. However now he works from home so it would mean driving there so not as cost effective with the cost of petrol so we go every 2-3 weeks.

Doesn't save money but it's decent quality particularly the meat, you just need the space to store 189 toilet rolls etc. you also need to pay at the checkout so if you can't forward fund it it won't work.

We used to love it but downsized and no garage anymore, plus we always spent way more than anticipated on 'bargains'.

I think if you have a place to store/freeze bulk items and you tend to like something for a while, it can work out well.

I buy a large box of croissants for £6 and freeze them in batches so we can enjoy them on a weekend. Same with scones, mini pastries etc. Their frozen foods are lovely quality and they have a savings brochure every month or so and you can keep an eye out for items that are reduced. We got a pack of 2 lobster tails usually £17.99 for £12.99 last year before Christmas.

I always use the same body wash and they had it in a bulk pack that worked out a lot cheaper than buying individually. I’ve only just started the 2nd bottle so have plenty left!

Items can be cheaper/more expensive so like we do everywhere, you need to compare with other places before buying.

I got a pair of Sketchers last week reduced to £3.97 as they were getting rid for new stock! (Only had 3 pairs left and luckily one was my size).

You can easily spend a fortune there. We buy about £100 worth of stuff every 6 weeks or so but although the initial outlay is a lot, it works out cheaper for the items in the long run.

I haven’t shopped from there since about 2001, so can’t comment on current prices, but as pp have said, lots of things are in large packs as it’s a wholesalers.

DD2 is up north in Uni and she said that they have Bollinger at a fabulous price. Her priorities are clearly different to yours OP 🤣🤦‍♀️

I spend way too much money in Costco.

I agree that you need to be smart about what you are buying and portion stuff up and freeze it otherwise it goes to waste.

I buy a lot of household goods like toilet paper, kitchen roll and laundry detergent. We're a big family, so it's a big help to stock up.

My in-laws didn't like it but I think for a family of two, it's probably too much.

Me and my dad have it for the sake of 10p per litre cheaper petrol, plus they are a fair bit cheaper for new tyres too. I also like their toilet roll better than any other brand. Got an air fryer from there recently, and i've had a few pairs of skechers trainers too. Not bad for cakes for special occasions.

@RegeJeanPageMeOnMyCellphone if you like their croissants you should go to the bakery section and ask for the box of frozen croissants UNCOOKED box of 204. the cooking instructions are easy and again half the price of the cooked or even cooked and fozen boxes. these are not on a shelf, they are in the back and you need to ask for them at the bakery counter.
i live within 18 minutes car drive of costco, shop there weekly. as others have said you need pantry and freezer space. i'm disciplined only buy certain products and don't question the savings on cheese/coffee/eggs/toilet paper and meat. i divide and store my meat products based on our family size.