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Below is a list of 20 groceries that we consistently buy at Costco. We stick to these items because we love the quality, quantities (not ridiculously huge packages), taste and definitely prices!
I’m sharing our local Costco prices – these probably vary somewhat by state. PS. Costco did not pay me to write this post. My love of Costco propels me to share and I myself love lists like these for discovering new treasures :).
Costco Staples:
1. You can’t beat a 40 pack of Kirkland Signature water for $2.99.
2. Organic Tortilla Chips ($4.69) – I love the taste and texture of these. We go through 1 bag/week on spicy guacamole and roasted tomato salsa sprees!
3. We buy these hot cups ($9.39 for 200) in winter and clear cups in winter, plus the lids ($14.39 for 1200). We rarely go out for coffee but it’s nice to feel like we do. lol.
4. Jumbo Reynolds heavy duty foil – this double pack lasts for ever! Its so sturdy and perfect for grilled corn and every recipe that calls for foil. ($13.69 for 2 huge rolls).
Baking and Cooking:
5 & 6. I get all of my cooking oils at Costco including: avocado oil ($8.89 for 1 L), extra light olive oil ($18.99 for two 2L) and extra virgin olive oil ($11.99 for 2 L). We go through these like crazy but for normal people, these cost-effective bottles will last awhile. I love to fry foods in my extra light olive oil because it doesn’t give off that “fried food” smell.
7. Walnuts are priced well ($9.99 for 3 pounds)
8. You can’t beat a 2 lb bag of Organic Chia Seeds for $7.49.
9. Sweetened Condensed Milk ($8.99 for a pack of 6)
10. Honey! I love that they carry a wild raw LOCAL honey at our Costco ($9.89 for 40 oz)
11. From the spice aisle we buy Kirkland brand everything: sea salt ($2.79), pepper corns for the grinder and cinnamon.
12. Mayo – how do I love you, let me count the ways (don’t judge me). Have you even seen our list of mayo-containing recipes? #ridiculous ($4.99 for 64 oz)
13. Pickles – if you know me, you understand my love of pickles and I’m sad that we only have 6 pickle recipes. ($4.39 for two 33.8 oz jars)
DAIRY at Costco:
14. Mozzarella is always hanging out in our fridge. Costco has the best price that I’ve found ($3.89 for 2 lb)
15. We keep this giant bag of parmesan in the freezer and refill a small container in the fridge as needed ($10.99 for a 3 lb)
16. $5.69 for 2 (32 oz each) tubs of Greek yogurt is a steal! We use this for our typical breakfast; topped with homemade granola and berries.
17. I bake alot and love the quality of Raskas Cream Cheese. It works perfectly for my blueberry or raspberry apricot cheesecakes ($5.99 for 48 oz)
Produce at Costco:
18. Their watermelon prices are generally on the lower end and 90% of the watermelon’s we’ve purchased at Costco taste really good. Maybe it’s due to my amazing watermelon knocking skills… maybe not 😉 ($4.99 each)
19. The produce we get there varies by season but during winter, we buy their Romaine lettuce ($3.49)
20. and baby cucumbers ($4.99).
Other Things to Buy at Costco:
It’s really hard to leave Costco without hitting the snack and cookbook aisles. We always go home with a treat :).
Healthy Choices at Costco:
I kid, I kid. Don’t go anywhere, we don’t EVER buy spam. lol.
We’re hooked on using the Fooducate App (Officially called “Weight Loss Coach by Fooducate – Personalized…” So just search Fooducate in the app store. Once in the app, click: “Food Finder” to initialize the barcode scanner). I always use it at the grocery store, especially with products that are new. You scan the products barcode and it provides a health food rating with explanations to defend their ratings.
These sausages didn’t make the cut. I’ve been spared from unknowingly consuming hidden MSG and other products with unhealthy ingredients.
YOUR TURN!! What do YOU buy at Costco? Let me know in a comment below 🙂
Love Costco- I buy my cheese slices and our cheeses find it real good prices. Buy our berries and my multi-grain bun mmmm they are delicious. And I get books there too and great deli products.
Those are all great suggestions! Thanks for sharing 🙂
My Costco shopping includes many of your choices such as the tortilla chips. It was mentioned about things from the spice aisle but specifically I want to mention Kirkland Garlic Powder and Kirkland Minced Onion.
Also…Better Than Bouillon Organic Reduced Sodium in both Roasted Beef Base and Roasted Chicken Base. These jars are the mother load…16 oz each. I use one or the other often for many recipes. The prices are amazing and I couldn’t afford such luxury at super market store prices. My hope is that Costco never stops carrying either one.
Other must have super affordable staples are Jasmine Rice, Quaker Oats, and white granulated sugar.
Yes, my hubby and I do use some white sugar…but mostly large affordable quantities are needed to feed the hummingbirds which live in my area all year around even in winter.
These are all great suggestions Myra! Thanks for sharing 🙂
You’re welcome. It was my pleasure.
😀
We love your recipe and sense of humor! And we buy everything at Costco they are the best! Excellent salmon also for the beautiful recipes you have! Thank you so much for sharing!
Beth Shaver
You’re welcome Beth! Thank you for following and sharing your thoughtful comments!
Wild smoked salmon is a steal at our Bellingham Costco
Oh ya, thanks for sharing with other readers!
I love Costco, I buy all my meats there.
The Organic chicken breast is priced very well compared to everywhere else, Romano cheese bag $10.99, Babybell huge cheese bag for only $7.99, awesome wine selection for a very fair price.
We are HUGE fans of the Whisps parmesan cheese crisps and the rotisserie chicken!
Those are both great suggestions Adrianne! Thanks for sharing 😀
In your salmon cake recipe you say “Garlic Salt – I use Lawry’s brand”. In your 20 things to buy at Cosco article you indicated you avoid MSG. That’s good. But Annie Lowery’s seasoning is loaded with MSG. It is a very inferior product. Be consistent!
Hi Tom, I think they have different varieties and this one clearly states there is no MSG on the label. I double checked. The one they sell at Costco I believe does have msg in it. You do have to be careful!
Almond butter
Butter
Frozen Shrimp, cleaned, peeled ,deveined ,
Those are great suggestions Gail! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I always purchase the large bag of real bacon bits. It’s handy to have for Ceasar salads and baked potatoes.
And I just heard from a friend that they have pre-cooked wings now! Apparently they rival KFC for taste, at a fraction of the price!
YUM! Those sound like great additions! Thanks for sharing Chantal 🙂
I bought one of those bags of bacon bits a while ago, and left it out on the counter. My cat got into it… lesson learned lol don’t leave the bacon bits out on the counter!
Yes Costco has pre cooked wings and they are the best and so much better than KFC – I recommend trying them
Germaine
Thank you for sharing that tip! 🙂
On Pinterest, someone posted a recipe using Costco Panko Crusted Chicken Tenders. We bought a pack. They are not precooked and take 20 minutes to cook, flipping once during cooking. They are pretty damn good. A great quick fix for a snack for the kids! I used them for my orange peel chicken and it was awesome.
Actually, the tenders are made by Tyson.
Never leave without one or two of their rotisserie chickens!
YES! Those are so delicious!
I love Costco! I buy many of those sane staples, plus:
cage free organic eggs
chicken stock
coconut oils
most of our meats and seafood (I have a big freezer)
Kerrygold butter
dried fruits
Kirkland organic canned tomato products
sardines
and so much more. Recently tried their baguette (sample lady) and it was fabulous (even though we’re not big bread eaters).
What I don’t buy anymore is the mayo. It has unhealthy fats in it, so I make my own with their avocado oil and eggs.
Those are all great suggestions Melanie! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Please tell me how to make the mayo with avocado oil and eggs. My husband eats so much mayo, I really need to make a healthy one for him.
Thanks for your help.
My Costco list:
Steaks, ground beef/turkey and chicken breasts. (The quality of their meats is much better than supermarkets)
Organic milk
Eggs
Seasonal produce always very good
Bananas
Almond butter!!!
Bottled water
Laundry detergent
I agree! Their meats are just top notch! Thanks for sharing your suggestions!
My staples:
~Kirkland brand butter
~Almond butter
~100% organic maple syrup
~Frozen fruit
~Brie cheese
~Flour
~Almond milk
LOOOVE Costco 🙂
Those are all great suggestions Lina! Thanks for sharing 😀
Heavy whipping cream, salted butter, bread flour and Kirkland EVOO! All the staples for homemade everything! 😃
I just bought the traeger pellet BBQ and used my Costco annual rebate to get it!! A couple organic whole chickens were slowly smoked and deliciously juicy.
Aussie Bites and Premier Protein shakes.
i also buy Costco cream cheese, i think it comes in a 4 pack…i freeze and thaw packages out to use as needed. and cream cheese is a secret ingredient in my deviled eggs. it gives them a great shape when you pipe out of a pastry bag.
YUM! I’ve never thought to use it for that! Great idea Jackie, thanks for sharing!!
We buy everything food that we possibly can at Costco especially organic items. Fresh baby spinach, baby kale, asparagus, organic lemons, baby romaine- the list goes on!
Nobody beats Costco prices or quality.
-SPAM, of course! (not kidding, but not for me)
-whipping cream (summertime, for making ice cream)
-eggs, egg whites (for protein shakes)
-yogurt
-chicken broth
-frozen berries
-frozen veggies
-brown rice
-rotisserie chickens
-coconut oil
-organic maple syrup
-batteries