Going to Costco soon...what should I get?

[cchavez]

We got a Costco membership as a Xmas gift. What should we stock up on?

I know we will get meat, wine, trashbags, diapers, wipes....what else?


Any great convenience foods? I heard they have some mesquite chicken breast that you just have to pop into the microwave to heat.

Thanks!

[McQ]

We always get a bag of Tyson's frozen, plain, uncooked chicken tenders. That way I always have chicken in the house and I can make it anyway I want. We also get a whole tenderloin that DH cuts up into steaks, roasts and kabobs. We freeze it (double wrapped) and it stays really tender.

Allison
~ mommy to Declan 3.24.03

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

A lot of the costco's around the country I believe have differnt items in them but what I buy...

Their bread that they sell in the loaves of two and I think are made there.
Their brand of wine an Australian Shiraz (I think it is shiraz) called Ballantrae (or vey similiar)
Their sun dried tomatoes in a jar with all of the spices in them
Their bell peppers in packs of 6
Their goat cheese
Lettuce it last so much longer from there
Salmon (they are known for the quality of their salmon)
They sell some pre made guacamole that is made up of 15 HAAS avocados it is not only AWESOME but also so much cheaper then buying your own avacados risking them ripe, brown etc...
Pita chips
mozerella balls with sun dried tomatoes
Hummos

Kirkland wipes

We buy the bags of chicken
bags of mussels

and terra potato chips (root chips)

HTH!!! :)

Neve
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[MartiesMom2B]

I never go to a warehouse store without my calculator. Those prices add up!

We always stock up on:

Cleaners
Papergoods
Wipes
Diapers

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[starrynight]

I go to sams club (similar to costco) I stock up on paper plates for those lazy no dishes nights LOL
meats
(I bought a foodsaver and just buy about 4 months worth of meat and take about half and hour and vaccum pack it all and stick it in the deep freeze)
dvds are sometimes cheaper there so I check there first before buying anywhere else
the carter's jammies are so cheap there also
film and I get it developed there also
the box of ready made hamburgers, so much easier than making my own
I don't bother with the wipes, I find them to be cheaper if I wait for a sale on refill packs at a regular store and then use a coupon since sams doesn't take coupons.

[bluej]

I go to Sam's as well. My one must-have is Olive Oil. It's ridiculously cheap there. And if you have older kids, peanut butter.

[Jen in Chicago]

Our normal list that we have on hand or I buy it while there...
Fresh Spinach (I use it for salads all the time or cook it- lasts 2 weeks!)
Romaine hearts (again, lasts a long time)
Pork Loins (Chops) (some are cooking in the crockpot right now that I will add BBQ to later)
Bagels
Bread
Coffee (Starbucks)
Contact solution
Shaving cream/Razors
Costco (Kirkland) formula
We often get a ready to bake pizza for dinner the night I go
Blue Cheese (big tub)
Frozen Louis Rich Turkey Lunchmeat
Tysons Frozen Chicken Breasts
Pork Tenderloin (for BBQ pork in the crock pot)
Annies or Han's Sausages (Apple and Gouda is our favorite)
Milk
Salsa

When needed, I get Taco Seasoning in bulk, and Italian Seasoning.

I always have to check clothing (for the whole family), books and fresh flowers.

We print our digital pictures here too, can't beat $.19 at print!

We have our running lists for Costco and Trader Joe's.

Happy Shopping! You are going to love it!

[Jen in Chicago]

I forgot to add wipes (Kirkland brand is our FAVORITE) and diapers (Pamers and Huggies, but not good for size 2 children - they only carry 1-2's for that range which did not fit right.)

[cchavez]

Thanks for the great suggestions...now I am craving mozorella balls w/ sundried tomatoes!

[Sarah1]

Let me first say that I avoid BROWSING at Costco. You will inevitably end up with something you DON'T NEED! Beware Christine! I always buy the same stuff: diapers, Kirkland wipes, toilet paper, dishwashing detergent--the essentials.

Two NON-essential items I love: the mango salsa (I think it's Chachie's or something like that) and Nancy's petite quiche (frozen). Those are ALWAYS great to have on hand....whenever someone stops by I just pop them in the oven!

[LD92599]

Our usual check list for Costco

Generic Paper Plates
Contact Lens Solution (Kirkland)
Kirkland Vitamins
NutriGrain/Quaker Cereal Bars
Kirkland Wipes (though I’ve found I can do a lot better price wise w/ double coupons and sales elsewhere)
Contact Lenses themselves
Kirkland snack mix (similar to Chex)

2.5 lb package of Ham
“Fake” Eggs (sooo much cheaper than the grocery store!)
Fat Free Kraft Cheese slices
Jello ready made pudding cups
Hagstrom Atlas Maps
DVDs and Books (though lately Bjs has the best DVD prices on new releases…$14.99!).
Ink for inkjet printers
White Tall Kitchen liner bags
Photo Albums (2 per pack…w/ pockets for pictures)
Spring Mix salad mixture


And of course digital pictures at 19¢ each…we drop those off first thing, stop @ the snack bar for a pretzal and soda, then shop. By the time we’re done shopping and paying…the pictures are ready!

Ask for the coupon booklet that was just mailed to members…there’s coupons for wipes, diapers, etc.

Can't think of anything else at the moment!

Laura
mom to William
3.5.2003

[csa12]

This is such a great thread. I have been thinking about getting a membership but wasn't sure if it was really worth it. But I think I spend more (when I shouldn't) on meat,toiletries, paper goods, and seasonings at the regular grocery store so based on other people's lists I would focus on those items. A couple of other things I would get, in case you like to stir fry, soy sauce and a delicious stir fry/marinade sauce called Mr. Yoshida's great to have on hand for quick meals.

Thanks for the tips,
Cheryl

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

Ah yes Mr Yoshida's we grab that too!!!
Neve
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[Jen in Chicago]

I forgot what I ate M-F when I was pregnant... Frozen Turkey Burgers! DH was traveling so I ate these nightly thanks to my buddy George (Foreman.) DH thinks George and I were having an affair.

[egoldber]

Here are my Costco standards:

romaine lettuce
cucumbers
bell peppers
tomatoes
goat cheese
feta cheese
salmon
boneless chicken breasts
sirloin burgers (in the summer for the grill)
yogurt (LightnFit for me and Stonyfield toddler yogurt for DD)
Fig Newmanns
spices (only ones that I use a lot of)
bottled water
Brita filters
toilet paper
paper towels
trash bags
laundry detergent
dishwasher detergent
Rinse-Aid
wine
sometimes DVDs
Healthtex sleepers
summer clothes for DD
ovulation predictor kits (sigh...)

Things I used to buy but don't anymore:
Classico pasta sauce
Barilla pasta
Aidell's sausages
Raisin Bran
formula

The diapers are a good price, but not always the best price, IMO. I actually don't like getting the huge cases any more since I use cloth too and find it inconvenient to store the large cases. I also don't care for the Costco brand wipes, but they also now carry Huggies and Pampers wipes too, although the prices on those are not as good as when they are on sale at Target.

HTH,