10 Products You Should Always Buy at Costco

Americans are obsessed with Costco, and for good reason – they have some great deals!

But buying in bulk isn’t always guaranteed to save you money (hello two ton jar of peanut butter).

Sometimes when we buy in bulk, we’re just buying more product, but at the same base price.

Fortunately, at Costco, there are a handful of items for which this isn’t true.

Many of their items offer significantly more product for little, if no more, cost than buying the item at a regular grocery store.

Some products are actually cheaper than the grocery store!

I wanted to determine some of the best products to get from Costco that makes that $60 yearly membership worth it, even when comparing the products to another national brand: Meijer.

Note: I used Meijer as the cost comparison brand because they have some of the lowest prices in our area.  Also, this list is by no means comprehensive.  I plan on adding to it over time.

 

 

1. TOILET PAPER

While the gigantic package of toilet paper may be a bit overkill, that’s good for us because it’s a great deal!

The Kirkland brand toilet paper package is priced at $16.99 for 30 rolls, a price of $0.56 cents a roll.  The total square footage is 1,593.7 feet, or 1.1 cent per square foot.

To compare, the 12-count Mega Roll Ultra Soft Meijer brand package (their largest size) sells for $11.49, or $0.95 cents a roll.  The total square footage is just 410.7 feet, or 2.8 cents per square foot.

That’s almost three times the cost per foot of the Kirkland brand!

To get the same amount of toilet paper at Meijer, you’d have to spend over $44!

Even if it’s on sale, you’d still be paying Meijer over $35 for the same amount of toilet paper!

Price difference: 154%

amount saved: $27.01

 

 

2. DRYER SHEETS

Kirkland brand dryer sheets are another great Costco deal.

The 500-count Kirkland package is priced at $7.99, or 1.6 cents a sheet.

To compare, the 120-count Meijer brand package sells for $4.29, or 3.5 cents a sheet.  That’s more than twice the cost per sheet!

To get the same amount of dryer sheets at Meijer, you’d have to spend over $17!

I think it makes sense to buy dryer sheets in bulk too because they’re good for a long time.

Price difference: 118%

amount saved: $9.01

 

 

3. BATTERIES

Kirkland brand batteries are also quite a bargain.

The 72-count AA Kirkland package is priced at $19.99, or 27.8 cents a battery.

To compare, the 12-count AA Meijer brand package sells for $6.89, or 57.41 cents a battery.

To get the same amount of batteries at Meijer, you’d have to spend over $40!

The Kirkland package says they’re good for ten years, which averages out to just seven batteries a year.  Surely you use seven AA-batteries a year?

price DIFFERENCE: 106%

amount saved: $20.01

 

 

4. TRASH BAGS

Kirkland brand trash bags, which are just as good as the more expensive brands like Glad or Hefty, come in multiple varieties, all at a pretty good value.

The 13 gallon, 200-count Kirkland package is priced at $14.99, or 7.5 cents a bag.

To compare, the 13 gallon, 38-count Meijer brand package sells for $5.99, or 15 cents a bag.

To get the same amount of bags at Meijer, you’d have to spend $30!

Garbage bags are one of those things it makes sense to buy in bulk, because they (obviously) never go bad.

PRICE DIFFERENCE: 100%

AMOUNT saved: $15.01

 

 

5. POWDERED SUGAR

While there are a lot of baking products that don’t make sense to buy at Costco, like flour, powdered sugar is one of those products that is actually a tremendous deal.

The Pioneer brand powdered sugar is $3.49 for a 7-pound bag, or 3.1 cents an ounce.

To compare, the Meijer brand powdered sugar is priced at $3.79 for a 4-pound bag, or 5.9 cents per ounce.

You’re actually getting more product for less money than if you purchased it at Meijer!

Price difference: 90.00%

AMOUNT SAVED: $ .30

 

 

6. PAPER TOWELS

I love Kirkland paper towels.  They’re so hearty.  One roll usually lasts us for weeks!  They’re also super affordable.

The Kirkland brand paper towel package is priced at $15.99 for 12 rolls, a price of $1.33 a roll.  The total square footage is 1,026 feet, or 1.6 cents per square foot.

To compare, the 12-count Ultra Create-a-sheet Meijer brand package sells for $14.99, or $1.25 a roll, BUT the rolls themselves are far shorter.  The total square footage is just 513.7 feet, or 2.9 cents per square foot. 

That’s almost twice the cost per foot as the Kirkland brand!

To get the same amount of paper towel at Meijer, you’d have to spend $30!  Pay $1 more and get twice as much paper towel?  I’d say that’s a win.

Price difference: 81.25%

AMOUNT SAVED: $14.01

 

 

7. DISHWASHER PACKS

Kirkland signature dishwasher packs are another great deal.

The 115 unit package is priced at $9.69 for 115 packs, a price of 8.4 cents a pack.

To compare, the 60-count Meijer brand package sells for $7.99, or 13.3 cents a pack.

So for $1.70 more, you get almost twice as many packs!  To get the same amount at Meijer, you’d have to spend over $15!

Price difference: 58%

AMOUNT SAVED: $5.31

 

 

8. OLIVE OIL

If you use a lot of olive oil, getting it from Costco can save you a ton of moolah.

The Kirkland brand package comes with two 3-liter bottles and is priced at $25.99, or 12.7 cents an ounce.

To compare, one 3-liter bottle from Meijer (the largest size they offer), is priced at $19.99, or 19.6 cents an ounce.

To get the same amount of olive oil at Meijer, you’d have to spend $40!

Tip: Olive oil stays good for up to two years after the date on the bottle, so if you’re going to use it, why not stock up at a cheaper price?

price difference:  54%

AMOUNT SAVED: $14.01

 

 

9. NAME BRAND CEREAL

Somewhat surprisingly, Costco has great deals on name brand cereals.

For example, Costco’s Cheerios package comes in a box of two 20.35 ounce bags for $5.89, or 14.5 cents an ounce.

To compare, Meijer sells the Family Size 18-ounce box of Cheerios for $3.99 each, or 22.2 cents per ounce.

To get the same amount of Cheerios at Meijer, you’d have to spend $9.

Price difference: 53%

AMOUNT SAVED: $3.11

 

 

10. Laundry detergent

Costco has some decent deals on laundry detergent too.

The Kirkland brand laundry detergent is priced at $13.99 for 194 ounces, or 7.21 cents an ounce.

To compare, the 150 ounce Meijer brand detergent sells for $12.99, or 8.6 cents per ounce.

For just $1 more at Costco, you get 25% more product!

To get the same amount of detergent at Meijer, you’d have to spend almost $17.

Note: When I went to Costco to research for this post, detergent was on sale for only $10.99 – an even greater deal!

Price difference: 19.27%

AMOUNT SAVED: $3.01

 

It’s pretty clear that shopping for some items at Costco can save us a lot of money.

But there’s one other factor we must consider before determining if it’s really such a great deal.

 

 

 

DON’T I HAVE TO BUY A MEMBERSHIP?

Yes, you do.

While they come with various plans:

 

 

I think the Gold-Star plan will be fine for most people.

So, taking this $60 into account, are we still saving money by buying stuff from Costco?

Let’s find out.

 

 

COST COMPARISON

 

If we wanted to purchase these products at both stores in the same quantities, what would the total cost difference be?  And will it still make a difference after we include the membership fee?

Because Costco products are sold in larger quantities, we’ll use those quantities as a baseline for comparison.

 

COSTCO

This is what it would cost if we purchased the above items at Costco:

 

Total cost of items purchased at Costco (less tax): $135.00

Cost of membership fee: $60

 

Total cost for items: $195.00

 

 

MEIJER

This is what it would cost if we purchased the same items, in the same quantities, at Meijer:

 

Total cost of items purchased at Meijer (less tax): $245.79

No membership fee: $0

 

Total cost for items: $245.79

 

that’s A savings of $50.79 – even after the membership fee, for the same amount of product!

 

Considering how much paper towel, toilet paper, laundry detergent, and other stuff the average American uses in a year, this seems quite reasonable to me.

It’s likely that if you’re a family, you’d go through some of this stuff pretty quickly.  If that’s true, then you’ll save even more by buying through Costco.

 

 

CONCLUSION

Costco has some great deals.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a membership, or can maybe borrow one (wink wink), there are some deals that are almost too good to pass up.

While buying in bulk doesn’t always mean we’re saving money, if you use any of the products above, purchasing them from Costco can help save money.

For some of their products, even factoring in the cost of a basic membership, you’ll spend less than if you went to a grocery store!

I’d say that’s a win-win.

 

          – NMI