When you’re feeding a family of four, the last thing you want is to worry about how you’re going to afford your grocery bill. Fortunately, there are ways to cut costs and still get what you need for your household at Costco.
GOBankingRates spoke with Costco superfans, Alice Wu and Anne Sutherland, about how much they spend at the warehouse club and how they keep costs down.
Even with four mouths to feed, it’s possible to shop at Costco on a budget — as indicated by superfans.
“My monthly Costco budget is $400 to cover food, household items, and any occasional splurges,” said Anne Sutherland, a Costco superfan and the founder of South Korea Travel Planning. “With a family of four to feed, this can go quickly if I’m not careful. With a bit of planning, we’ve been able to consistently keep our Costco spending around $400 per month. A few sacrifices mean big savings for our family!”
For Alice Wu, Costco superfan and PR associate at Mind Meld PR, she keeps costs even lower for her family of four — two adults and two kids under 8 years old.
“I buy 80 to 90 percent of my family gear from Costco: clothing, shoes, socks, underwear, seasonal clothes, bedding, towels — stuff like that, plus groceries,” said Wu. “Those items are here and there, so I budget $250 for groceries for each trip and leave room for incidentals (like if kids’ pajamas are on clearance). $50 at most for that.”
As any avid Costco shopper will tell you, there are ways to shop on a budget at the members-only warehouse club — and get the most out of your membership. Here are some of the main ways Wu and Sutherland maximize their savings.
Create and Stick to a Budget
“I’ve honed the art of sticking to a monthly budget while stocking up on bulk items that keep everyone satisfied and well-fed,” said Sutherland.
Having a realistic budget can go a long way to ensuring you don’t overspend. But it also helps to break it down into categories.
“I allot about $150 for grocery staples, $100 for household/toiletry items, $100 for meat and frozen items, and $50 for discretionary purchases,” said Sutherland.
Make a Shopping List
This one might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many people go to Costco without a shopping list. The problem with this is that it becomes much easier to overspend or miss things you need — which then require another trip to the store and potentially higher costs.
“Make a list and stick to it,” said Sutherland. “Before I walk in, I plan meals and make a list of exactly what I need for the month. This prevents impulse buys of items we don’t really need.”
Avoid Splurges
For her household, Sutherland said she tries to limit splurges. This doesn’t mean her family doesn’t get to buy anything fun — it just means being conscious of spending.
“I let everyone pick 1 or 2 fun items like a book, toy or treats,” she said. “But we agree on a spending limit ahead of time.”
Shop Dedicated Sites for Sales
One of the top ways Wu keeps her monthly Costco budget low is by strategically planning her trips around what’s on sale.
“The way I shop is I look through FB pages dedicated to my local Costco, blog posts, and the website itself to determine sales,” Wu said. “Most of the time, I’m looking for snacks that I can add to school lunches since on-sale snacks at Costco are much cheaper in bulk format. Based on those sales, I figure out what I MUST buy and what’s cheaper to get at Costco versus the regular grocery store.”
Use Coupons and Rebates
Along with shopping dedicated sites or sales, another way to keep costs down is to take advantage of coupons and rebates. Sutherland said she regularly searches online for any available rebates or other deals for items already on her shopping list. This helps her household save money while still getting what they need.
It’s worth noting that Costco doesn’t typically accept general manufacturer coupons. So, even if you have a few, they might not do you any good when shopping.
Calculate Per Unit Costs
Just because something appears cheaper at Costco doesn’t mean it is, something any superfan could tell you.
“I ALWAYS calculate the per 100 gram, per pound, per item cost of everything,” said Wu. “Eight hundred coffee filters for $6.99 at Costco, or 100 filters for $2.99 at the store? That’s easy math.”
Skip the Middle Aisles
Costco’s middle aisles are full of temptation, which isn’t conducive to sticking to a strict budget. That’s why Sutherland said her family avoids them as much as possible when shopping.
“It’s easy to get tempted by random non-essentials in the clothing, books, and home goods sections,” she said. “I avoid them altogether to remove temptation.”
Wu added, “I head straight to the back, where the fresh food is kept, actively avoiding ‘wandering’ through the aisles. Its seasonal items are usually in the center of the store, so I try to avoid those aisles as well unless there was something on sale that I needed to get. This is where the danger lies, because once you start weaving through Costco aisles, the percent success of sticking to a budget diminishes with each deviated path. I swear there’s a correlation there.”
Buy What’s in Season
For Sutherland’s family of four, buying what’s in season is an effective way to maximize savings.
“I take advantage of lower prices on seasonal fruits and veggies,” she said. “In the summer, we load up on berries and corn. In the fall, it’s squash and Brussels sprouts.”
Weigh Shelf Life vs. Cost
Costco is king of bulk buys at reasonable prices, but this won’t help you save money if the things you purchase end up expiring before you can use them. Wu said she weighs the per cost amount of different things, especially perishable items like produce, with how quickly her family can consume it to see if it’s worth the cost.
“If Costco has a package of three English cucumbers on sale for $3.99, but my family can only finish two before they go bad, then I’d rather spend $1.47 at the regular store and just get one,” she said. “Sure, it’s cheaper at Costco per cucumber, but if you throw one away, suddenly you’ve paid $2.00 per consumed cucumber, and that’s just a waste — of food and money.”
Choose the Register Nearest the Exit
“Once I’ve ticked off my grocery list, I head to the registers,” said Wu. “The rule is to choose the register closest to the exit to avoid the allure of Costco’s cafeteria. $1.50 hot dogs and pop are just too tempting, especially with kids (or partner) in tow.”
Choosing the register closest to the exit also makes it easier for Wu to avoid the cafeteria altogether.
“By choosing the register closest to the exit, I will look up and see the maze of people and carts I’d have to navigate in order to make my way back to the cafeteria kiosks to order something, feel discouraged, and just head out the door.”
Get Out of There Fast
You might think that once you’re out the door and your groceries are in the car, you’re done. But that’s not always the case.
“Once or twice, I’ve realized I had forgotten something and went back in — only to come out with two or three items more than I anticipated,” said Wu. “So, when loading groceries into the car, I make sure to do it quickly, so I’m not tempted to check on what I bought. By the time I’m home, I’ll be too annoyed to head back out to Costco to pick up the ONE item I forgot.”
