10 Costco Buys That Save You $1,000 a Year
Shopping at Costco means spending more upfront but less per unit, which really adds up when it comes to savings. Certain items at the warehouse chain are such a fantastic deal you can save hundreds of dollars on staples that would cost twice as much elsewhere. Assuming you spend even $100 a month on something that would be cheaper at Costco, that means you're saving well over $1000 a year by shopping at the warehouse giant. Here are 10 Costco buys that will save you a ton of money and more than pay for the membership fee itself.
Kitchen Appliances
Getting large kitchen appliances from Costco can save you a huge amount of money. "Not me, but my daughter," one Redditor shared. "She just bought a washer, dryer and refrigerator for under $1800. The appliance sales right now are crazy good. They spent over $2500 so they qualified for $900 off the total. Also includes delivery and installation. Plus they used their Costco credit card so will get 4% back."
Kirkland Formula
Baby formula is incredibly expensive, and when you consider most formula-fed/combo-fed babies are on it for at least one year, those savings really add up. "Today my husband and I bought 4 tubs of Kirkland brand baby formula. They're half the cost of literally every other formula for the same amount ($26 vs $52) so we got our money back in just one day," one shopper said. "We spend about $180-$200 a month on formula. We buy the 2 pack of Enfamil from Costco for $66," another shared.
Contact Lenses
Buying daily disposable contact lenses from Costco saves hundreds of dollars a year. "The Kirkland Signature Daily Disposable 90-pack contacts are insanely cheap. One-year supply for just $361.92 (not including the insurance rebate). FYI: They're identical to the CooperVision MyDay contacts, you can use the same prescription with Costco Optical," one shopper said. "I wish I found out sooner, I almost paid $759.92 at 1800contacts.com for the same amount of CooperVision MyDay contacts," another commented.
Costco Cars
One Costco member recommended using the Costco auto buying program to save serious money to an acquaintance. "They knew exactly which make, model, and color, and were trying to determine which dealership to go to," they said. "They also had several competing offers from dealerships. I asked if he had looked into the Costco auto buying program. He and his wife were not Costco members, but I am, so I investigated how much that specific car would be if bought through Costco. If I remember correctly, it was at least $2000 cheaper than their most competitive offer. My colleague became a Costco member the next day, and used the program to buy his car. I was so proud."
Food Court Items
Even just the food court prices—like the $1.50 hot dog combo or a slice of pizza for $1.99—can save you hundreds of dollars, fans say. "I bought a membership mainly for the food court tbh. It's more than paid for itself in savings just from that and then some. Spending less than $5 on a decent lunch is unheard of atm. I go on average once a week if I'm working in the area (construction worker)," one Redditor shared.
Dog Food
Costco shoppers have saved well over a thousand dollars a year on dog food alone. "Was paying $160 for a month's supply on Chewy, get a comparable food for $35 a month now," one shopper shared. "Same. Went from about $85 a bag to $40," another agreed.
Vacation Package
Using the Costco service to book a vacation can save you a huge amount of money. "Most recently, a vacation package. Same price as the booking through the company itself but I'm getting a Costco gift card that far exceeds the membership cost," one member said. "Yep! I was able to get in on the recent promo that offered a Costco gift card of 20% the price of the trip, which was stacked onto the standard gift card that usually comes with most Costco Travel packages. I got $1008 in gift cards!" another shared.
Mattress
Yes, Costco also sells mattresses for a crazy deal. "My wife and I selected a mattress that was listed at 3K on the manufacturer's website. They also ran a 10% off web code. Costco had the exact same mattress (we confirmed it with the manufacturer) for 1600. The tax savings alone was enough to justify the membership," one shopper said.
Patio Furniture
Costco's patio furniture can save you thousands, shoppers say. "Bought a whole delivery truckload when we did our pool/patio," one member said. "Like 26 pieces. Easily saved thousands over the local patio furniture stores. Our purchase was close to $6-8 grand from what I remember and it would have been $10-12 at least, locally at a patio store."
Costco Gas
Buying gas from Costco is a huge money-saver, especially if you drive a lot. "Before I retired I had a 100 mile round trip commute to work every day," one Redditor shared. "Costco has always had low prices for gas – topped off with an additional 5% savings because I use my CITI credit card for the purchase. I don't save as much on gas as when I was working, but I still don't buy gas anywhere else!"
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