I’m probably not the typical Costco member. I share my home with three cats, and no other humans. I don’t have a ton of fridge and freezer space (and don’t want to absorb the credit card hit of buying a new appliance right now), so I can’t store bulk perishable food, like produce, meat, and frozen foods.
And I detest crowds, so my recent first trip to Costco was planned out like a triage mission. I deliberately visited on a weekday morning and arrived at opening time, so I could have as stress-free a shopping experience as possible. As it turned out, though, I had a great time — and I saved myself quite a bit of money by buying certain items at Costco instead of my local grocery store.
Let’s take a closer look at five of them.
1. Cotton swabs
Is there any more useful invention than the humble cotton swab? This is one product I refuse to buy generic — I will always spring for the extra cost for Q-Tips, because in my experience, the generic versions don’t have enough cotton on their ends to make them worthwhile.
I paid $9.49 for a three-pack of Q-Tips at Costco — the box came with 1,750 swabs, for a per-swab price of $0.005. At my local grocery store, I’d pay double per swab for Q-Tips — $0.01 each.
I love to bake from scratch, so I probably go through more vanilla extract than the average person. Plus, I just bought a house with an amazing kitchen, so I’m looking forward to churning out many baked goods over the long cold winter months.
I paid $9.99 for a whopping 16 fluid ounces of vanilla extract, for $0.62 per ounce. If I buy vanilla at the grocery store, I get it in much smaller quantities and for a much higher price. My grocery store has McCormick vanilla extract for $26.99 for a measly four ounces — $6.75 per ounce. Oof.
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3. Canned tuna
My cats are a fan of this next purchase — if they hear the can opener, they come running. And if you like to maintain a stocked pantry like I do, canned tuna is an item worth keeping on hand at all times.
I bought an eight-pack of Bumble Bee albacore tuna in water for $16.79 at Costco, or $2.10 per can. At my grocery store, a single can is selling for $2.79.
4. Sweetener packets
If you use artificial sweetener in your tea or coffee, the chances are good you have a preferred brand. My pick is Splenda, which comes in cheerful yellow packets — I always have some in my purse, in case a given coffee shop doesn’t stock it.
I was thrilled to buy a giant box of 1,000 Splenda packets at Costco for just $18.69 — or just under $0.02 apiece. At my grocery store, I’d pay $5.79 for 100 packets, or a cost of almost $0.06 each.
5. Toilet paper
One of the reasons I finally joined Costco was because I now have more storage space for bulk buys as a new homeowner. I now have a basement that is mostly empty, along with closets on both floors of my home. I visited Costco without a set shopping list in mind, other than toilet paper and perhaps some type of baked goods.
I paid $19.99 for 30 rolls of Kirkland Signature Bath Tissue, for a cost of $0.66 per roll. I always buy my grocery store’s brand of toilet paper, and I can get 12 rolls of that for $12.49, or $1.04 per roll.
How did the savings shake out?
I had to know a dollar figure for how much I saved by buying all these items at Costco instead of my grocery store. Here’s a unit price breakdown:
| Item | Unit Price at Costco | Unit Price at Grocery Store | Unit Cost Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-Tips | $0.005 per swab | $0.01 per swab | $0.005 |
| Vanilla extract | $0.62 per ounce | $6.75 per ounce | $6.13 |
| Canned tuna | $2.10 per can | $2.79 per can | $0.69 |
| Artificial sweetener | $0.02 per packet | $0.06 per packet | $0.04 |
| Toilet paper | $0.66 per roll | $1.04 per roll | $0.38 |
Data source: Costco, Price Chopper, author’s calculations.
To buy these items in bulk quantities at Costco, I spent $74.95. If I wanted to buy the same quantities of them at my grocery store, I would spend $239.02. That’s a savings of $164.07.
But by buying these items in bulk at Costco, I not only saved myself $164. I also saved myself time running to the grocery store. Granted, my closest Costco store is an hour away, meaning I can’t just pop in whenever the urge strikes me. But I know I’ll be able to maximize my Costco membership by buying items like the ones above on my infrequent trips to the warehouse.