I have had a membership to Costco for years, but didn't take full advantage of it until recently.
Last month, I called my friend Janna (a.k.a. Budget Savvy's photo editor) and asked if she would be interested in joining me at Costco. We met on a Tuesday night at 7:30 pm. The crowds were light making it a much more pleasant visit. We were in and out of the store in less than 30 minutes. It was such a great experience that we decided to make it a 4-6 week ritual.
We met again last night. I am lucky that there is a Costco just a block away from Fearless. Dante and I met Janna again at 7:30 pm. We headed straight to the back of the store where all the food is stored.
I was thrilled to see that they carry one of my new favorite cheeses – Dubliner. I picked up a pound of it for half of what I would pay at the grocery store.
Paul has a soft spot for Evergood's Pineapple Sausage. I picked up a large package for $8.89. He will eat those for lunch and dinner until they are gone, which will last him about 4 days. That's a little over a buck a meal. Not bad!
We headed to the meat section which is where a Costco membership can really pay off if you live with carnivores. The Tosetti's are meat eaters! I picked up six pounds of hamburger at $2.99 per pound. I can't find it cheaper anywhere else. I purchased two beef chuck roasts for $16.31 and 4 Beef Rib Eye steaks for $22.79. The hamburger we use mostly during the week for casseroles and the occasional mid-week hamburger cooked on the BBQ. The roasts we will cook on a Sunday night and eat leftovers for several days. The Rib Eyes are the treat giving us two beautiful meals on two different nights. All told, the meat purchases will last us over a month.
I picked up two gallons of milk for just $5.39. An amazing price – thank you Renee for the heads up you sent about Costco milk a few months ago. The two gallons will last just a week. I debated getting two more, but Janna and I couldn't remember if the milk would swell in the freezer. Does anyone have milk freezing strategies? I'd love to hear them! You can email me at Melissa@budgetsavvymag.com.
I picked up 18 eggs for the amazing price of $2.19. I would have picked up two cartons, but I already had almost two dozen at home. This should last me close to a month.
I love Kirkland brand's multigrain bread. Two loaves come in a package for the unbelievable price of $3.99. You can't buy a single loaf for $3.99 at the grocery store. I freeze the bread and defrost or toast it one or two pieces at a time. Dante and I are the only ones that eat this bread so it lasts longer. Paul prefers Safeway brands whole wheat bread (it's very soft and light) that I can almost always find on sale for around $2.00 a loaf. The Safeway bread is ok, but I really prefer the heartiness of Kirkland's multigrain bread.
Butter! The Tosetti's are butter eaters too, so picking it up at a good price is imperative. Costco and Trader Joe's are the only two places I buy it. I purchased 4 pounds for $8.19. A very good price! We also freeze the butter. This should last us for two months although with holiday cooking coming up, I may double my purchase next month.
I also picked up an enormous box of Bisquick for $5.29. Paul loves their Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie recipe. The box is about twice the size of a normal Bisquick box. I am going to be on the lookout for a container that I can transfer the Bisquick into to make sure it stays fresh for as long as possible.
The only thing I was disappointed in the price of was Coke. It wasn't terribly priced, but I can get it cheaper on sale at Target or Safeway. The problem is always timing the sales. I decided to pick up a flat to have just in case.
Janna and I opted to split a 20 lb sack of Idaho potatoes. It is possible that the 10 lbs will last us through the rest of the year. The breakdown on the potatoes was $.50 a pound. If Janna and I hadn't split them, I probably would have passed out of storage concerns. Splitting purchases is another great reason to buddy up with someone on your next Costco trip.
Janna and I were strategizing about the holidays. We both love to bake and want to take advantage of the prices at Costco. Our plan is to split the large bags of flour, sugar and other baking items. We are on the lookout for proper storage containers. I'm thinking clean, brand new 5 gallon buckets with lids. Because they are tightly sealed, we can store the buckets in the garage and fill our regular flour/sugar containers as needed. Again, anyone who has suggestions for this – I would love to hear from you! We will need to come up with a solution before our next trip in November.
Based on what I netted at Costco, I should be able to supplement at Safeway, Target or Trader Joes for less than $150 until our next Costco trip. I'll try to remember to let you know if my supplemental cost estimate is correct.
By the time I got home last night it was too late to separate and freeze the meat, but I will do that tonight. After having eaten down our food surplus over the last five months, it feels good to have a full fridge, freezer and pantry again. I've written before that one of the most powerful ways to save money is to have a fully stocked pantry/fridge. Ritualizing your grocery trips as much as possible will help you keep your kitchen filled with food. I know it isn't always easy to regularly get to the grocery store, but it is worth it.
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