Shopping at bulk warehouses used to be very intimidating to me. I grew up in a small family and we had a Sam’s Club membership for a few years, but we let a lot of the items we bought go to waste, so my dad eventually canceled it. When our kids were babies, we got a Sam’s Club membership that we solely used for diapers and wipes.
Fast-forward a few years later and Costco opened in Knoxville. We had never been in a Costco and honestly had never heard of it. Of course, we had to check out this new place. We ended up liking it so much that we have been members ever since! We are also Sam’s Club members, but we tend to gravitate towards Costco because of its location. We shop at Costco about twice a month, but sometimes more often because we need to restock our fruits and veggies. We still have to go to the grocery store to fill in gaps, but we buy the majority of our food for breakfast, school lunches, and dinner meals from Costco.
So, what is on my Costco shopping list?
- Fruits and veggies: strawberries, blackberries, bananas, pineapple, grapes, mini cucumbers, mini bell peppers, mushrooms, lettuce
- Meats: organic ground beef (3 pack, 1.5 lbs. per pack), shredded chicken (3 lb. pack), turkey sausage, Hillshire Farm turkey deli meat, boneless chicken breast, Hebrew National hot dogs, pre-packaged chicken taco meal, rotisserie chicken
- Dairy: milk, eggs
- Frozen foods: wings, chicken nuggets, grilled chicken patties, mozzarella cheese sticks
- Canned goods: Mateo’s salsa, Rao’s tomato sauce, peanut butter, Nutella, cereal
- Snacks: crepes, guacamole cups, Tostitos chips, goldfish, Cheez-its, Takis, Nature Valley protein bars, Nutella snack cups, Mott’s fruit snacks
- Paper products: toilet paper, paper towels, Ziplock bags, paper plates and disposable cups (for the holidays)
- Household products: bottled water, laundry detergent, Clorox wipes
- Miscellaneous: contacts and glasses, tires, seasonal items (sunscreen, bug spray, Halloween candy, decor for the holidays, gift packages for the holidays)
All of the items above get us through our busy week. For breakfast, I usually make eggs, turkey sausage, and fruit. My kids will either eat cereal or a protein bar. It’s quick and easy. I pack lunch for school which usually includes a turkey sandwich, Tostitos with a guacamole cup, fruit, cucumbers and peppers. Dinner is where we sometimes struggle because we are a busy family, but when we plan ahead and buy in bulk at Costco, it makes life a little bit easier. The items listed above make it super easy to make tacos, spaghetti or some type of pasta dish with ground beef or chicken, Tex-Mex crockpot chicken, chili, grilled chicken, and more!
As far as budgeting, I am not exactly sure if everything we buy from Costco is cost efficient, but it is convenient. We also have the executive membership which means we earn 2% in rewards every time we shop. We had the regular membership for a while, but if you make larger purchases, such as tires for your car, the extra rewards will add up very quickly. While we still shop at Sam’s Club occasionally, we prefer Costco because of its location.
