What to Buy at Costco

Amazon and Costco are the two places that keep things chugging along in my life. Having things delivered to the house with Amazon, and buying in bulk at Costco are such time savers. There are several things that we buy regularly at Costco, but I enjoy the fun things you can find at Costco seasonally, too.

Food Items

We use a lot of almond butter, and these big jars are a great deal at Costco. You get a 27 ounce jar for less than $8.00, which really can’t be beat. We always have one of these in our fridge and a back up in the pantry. We use them in our protein shakes, and also on chocolate smoothie bowls and acai bowls.

This cereal is so good. I mean, it’s really good and I’m not particularly a cereal lover, but I just bought our second box of this in about a month. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but the first ingredient is almonds. It’s loaded with seeds, nuts, dried fruit. Yes, you should try it.

I stopped drinking sodas several years ago. For the most part anyway. I still have a diet Pepsi at the movie theater. But we don’t buy it for home and I don’t miss it, because I discovered that it’s not really the soda I crave, it’s the carbonation. I like the fizziness, so flavored, carbonated waters like La Croix do the trick. Then I discovered Spindrift, which takes this to a whole new level with just a hint of real fruit juice. Still no added sugar or other junk. Just carbonated water with a juicy little flavor. Buying them in bulk at Costco saves time and money. Winning.

My husband and I enjoy cooking together, and we go through a lot of olive oil. These 2-quart bottles at Costco last us a couple of months.

Oh charcuterie, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways….. No joke, guys. A charcuterie tray, a bottle of wine and an evening at home with no obligations makes me legit want to recite love sonnets. 💕🍷🧀

This Sartori cheese is our favorite. We buy it at other stores sometimes, and pay twice as much for half the amount. They regularly carry the Merlot variety at Costco, which is my second favorite kind. The espresso flavor is my first favorite, and as of yet, Costco doesn’t carry that one. But they should. Costco, are you listening? 😛

Cliff bars with nut butter are delish. This variety box comes with two flavors. They are smallish in size, but just perfect to keep in your purse or desk drawer, or for a quick bite with your coffee in the morning. I’m not much of a breakfast person, so these little bars are just the right amount for me to have a quick little something in the morning.

I buy almonds, walnuts and pecans in bulk at Costco and keep them in the freezer. It is so much cheaper than buying the small bags from the grocery store. We go through a lot of them, so having them on hand in the freezer is so helpful. We use them on top of acai and chocolate smoothie bowls, for making nuts for snacking, and for baking.

These rotisserie chickens are my best friend. For less than $5.00, you can take home a juicy, precooked chicken and either serve it as-is with a quick side dish, or take the chicken off the bone and use it for any number of recipes. Our current favorite is for Easy Burrito Bowls.

When you’re really in a hurry, Costco offers premade options that literally just require heating or baking. This chicken pot pie is fabulous, but large. You can feed an army with it. We also like their street taco kit, and the chicken pasta Alfredo

Whey protein upsets my stomach, so I switched to plant protein. For a couple of years, I was using a different coffee-flavored protein, but eventually I pinpointed the whey as the culprit for my belly ache. I was sad to give up that coffee protein powder, until I found this one at Costco. It has a delicious coffee taste and no tummy ache. I will share how we make our protein smoothies with you sometime. I use this protein in my energy bites recipe now, too.

Personal Care Items

Buying stuff like contact lens solution is not the “fun” kind of shopping. But I have to have it, so I buy these multipacks at Costco and then I don’t have to think about it again for another couple of months.

These are great for removing make up at the end of the day. I especially love them for travel. One package at Target is something $6.00. Buying the big box at Costco is much more economical.

We buy all of our vitamins at Costco. I’ve taken a multivitamin for years, and when my last bottle ran out, I added them to the list on a day my husband was heading to Costco. He came home with the Silver version. 😳

Household Items

I threw all my old plastic hangers away and now use only these. They take up less space, don’t leave “shoulder bumps” on your clothes, and look so nice and orderly in the closet. They make my OCD self happy. And, they are a fraction of the price at Costco compared to other places I’ve seen them.

Buy all your towels at Costco. For real. They are large and plush, they wash well, and they are a bargain. I only buy white bath towels and sheets anymore, because they are so much easier to launder, don’t fade, and I don’t have to worry about matching colors. Is there anything better than a freshly laundered, fluffy white bath towel?

Not only bath towels, but kitchen towels are a great bargain at Costco as well. I’ve purchased a couple of sets of these kitchen towels now, and they are great quality. Eight good quality kitchen towels for less than $13.00? You can’t even buy the cheap, thin ones for that much at other places.

Wine! 🍷

If you aren’t buying wine at Costco, I ask you this…. WHY? Costco has an amazing selection of really good wines for great prices. I rarely leave Costco without a bottle or two…. or three, in my cart. Last Christmas, I bought their Advent Wine Calendar and I will be doing that again. We enjoyed it so much. I love that Costco’s selection changes frequently, too. If you’re a wine drinker, you’ll pay for your annual Costco membership in wine savings alone.

Seasonal

Costco has amazing deals on seasonal items. I almost always buy their seasonal plant items. Every summer they have ridiculous prices on their giant flower planters filled to the brim with summer annuals. This past spring, when we were doing the landscaping for the new house, we bought peony bushes, and a clematis vine. In the fall, I always buy their giant mums for half of what you’d pay elsewhere. This fall I also bought a whole slew of their tulip bulbs, and am currently anxiously awaiting their arrival in my planting beds.

I wrote a whole post about how much I love their Christmas greenery porch pots.

And last week I again bought Costco’s tulips in a glass jar. I got pink this time, but you can see the white ones from last year’s Easter arrangement here.

Costco has great deals on furniture. Pretty much all of our outdoor patio furniture came from Costco. When we moved into the new house last year, we bought the entire set of rocking arm chairs, two love seats and a fire table for our covered deck and screen porch here. I couldn’t be more pleased with the quality and value of that purchase.

Here’s my cart from my last visit to Costco. I mean, what else does a girl need besides flowers and wine? Okay, chocolate maybe. I don’t think I’ve purchased chocolate from Costco, but I’m sure they have it, and I’m sure it’s good.

What are your “must-haves” from Costco? I’d love for you to drop me a comment and tell me what else to be on-the-look-out-for the next time we go.

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