A couple of months before I gave birth to my first child in 2017, my husband and I invested in a Costco membership. I was hesitant at first. What could be so great about a giant big-box retailer known for obscenely large stuff? Turns out, pretty much everything.
It’s not fancy, it definitely has warehouse vibes, but Costco easily tops my list of favorite places to shop – for anything. Pre-COVID, you could find our family at Costco every Saturday morning. I miss it now and think of it often. My husband goes solo 98% of the time now, but that won’t stop me from sharing some of our Costco staples:
Paper products. Remember when running out of TP was a very real fear in 2020? Costco experienced shortages as well, but if you were able to score a pack when it was in stock, you’d be set for quite a while. Same goes for paper towels and tissues.
Cleaning products and detergents. This stuff is not fun to buy, but necessary, I suppose. Buying in large quantities makes it so you don’t have to buy it as often.
Meat. Ground beef and chicken are packaged in individual, 1-1.5-pound portions. We always have some in the freezer ready for cooking. Now, remembering to pull it out of the freezer in time to make dinner is another discussion but not relevant here. The fact is – we have lots of meat when we need it.
Diapers and wipes. We love Costco’s house brand for both. For the first few months of my son’s life, his skin was a little sensitive, so we did use a different brand, but we’ve since switched over to the tried and true Costco selection – and have been consumers of this brand for 3.5 years now.
Pre-made dinners. Every Costco fan knows that if you’re in a pinch for dinner (because you forgot to thaw the chicken, perhaps?), you can grab a pre-made dinner that just requires heating when you get home. Stuffed peppers are always a solid choice (but be warned – they take about 60 minutes in the oven!), as are the street tacos. Don’t forget that giant pan of mac and cheese, either.
Produce. This might not seem like a buy-in-bulk item, but it’s actually pretty good quality! We get tubs of spinach, apples, and bananas regularly. We also get frozen fruit that’s great for smoothies.
Furniture. Yes, I have made furniture purchases at Costco. And it’s honestly some of the best we have.
Clothes. The number of times my husband comes home with dresses for our daughter from Costco is slightly alarming. He loves it. I love it. She loves it.
$1.50 hot dog. Don’t forget this on your way out. You’ll have worked up an appetite with all that shopping. You earned it.
On top of all this, Costco’s generous return policy (which I don’t think we’ve ever actually had to use), their samples (pre-COVID – but some locations are slowly bringing these back), and their great customer service make them a favorite of mine for just about anything.
Do you shop in bulk? What are some of your favorite finds?
