Grocery Stores
10 Best-Value Things to Buy at Costco
These Costco deals offer the most bang for their buck. Cheers to buying in bulk!
½ Sheet Cakes
You simply can’t have a list of the best things to buy at Costco without the 1/2 sheet cakes! Kirkland Signature cakes are only $18.99, serve 48 people and taste like heaven. Your flavor options are chocolate or vanilla, and both are equally delicious. Here’s how the cost of a Costco cake compares against Walmart and BJs.
Avocados
Here’s something unexpected: Costco avocados last 2x as long as the ‘cados you’ll buy at any other supermarket. It’s the truth! You’ll definitely want to know how that magic works.
Put your avocados to work in guacamole—and these other amazing avocado recipes.
Olive Oil
Perfect for people who do lots of sautéing, homemade salad dressings and pasta! It’s $16.99 for a 2L size of extra virgin olive oil. It’s cheaper than Amazon Fresh ($20.99) and a number of name-brand options. To keep your counter clear, we’d recommend buying a smaller decanter and refilling it from the 2L jug.
Chicken Stock
The Kirkland Signature Organic Chicken Stock is $12.49 for six 32-oz cartons, or $2.08 a carton. It’s going to be cheaper than the non-organic options from Swanson ($2.72 per carton) or Kitchen Basics ($2.36 per carton.) Over the course of a year, that savings will add up!
USDA Choice Steaks
It turns out that pro chefs love Costco for its high-quality beef. You may not want to buy the $1,200 Wagyu beef that chefs are picking up, but the USDA Choice steaks are worth the splurge. (You can get 16 Black Angus flat iron steaks for $99.99.)
Rotisserie Chicken
Most supermarkets sell rotisserie chickens for $5 to $7. But Costco sells a juicy, flavorful bird that weighs in at 3lbs for only $4.99. (The chain actually loses money by selling chickens this cheap.) Here’s how it stacks up against other grocery store rotisserie chickens.
Sparkling Water
Costco recently rolled out a line of sparkling water and it didn’t take us long to crunch the numbers on this beverage. $7.99 gets you a 32-pack of Kirkland Sparkling Water (that’s $0.23 per can) while a 24-pack of LaCroix runs at $7.99 at Costco (that’s $0.33 per can).
Costco only has three flavors of Kirkland Sparkling water (lime, lemon and grapefruit) so anyone who’s devoted to Peach Pear or Berry will have to stick with LaCroix.
Bacon
The Kirkland-brand bacon was described as “excellent” and came out on top in a Consumer Reports taste-test. Plus, it’s far cheaper than the national brand stuff, and though every package has far more bacon than you’d ever eat in one Sunday brunch, it holds up well in the freezer.
Frozen Pizza
For any family with a Friday night pizza tradition, buying frozen ‘za in packs of four or more typically ends up being cheaper than buying one by one. Stock up in bulk at Costco, especially if you have a second freezer in the garage or basement. You might want to pick up a 2-pack of this cauliflower pizza, too.
