Restaurants like Burger King offer variable senior discounts, ranging from free small drinks to discounts on entire orders. For discounts on Amazon Prime, Kohl’s, and Walgreens, check out our comprehensive list. These discounts may vary by location, so be sure to check with your local stores.
A comprehensive list of senior and military retail discounts includes deals on restaurants, travel, insurance, shopping, groceries, utilities, and more. Some big stores like Aldi, Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Sam’s Club have never offered senior discounts to their shoppers, while other grocery stores like Kroger and Meijer have scrapped their senior discounts.
Cocker Barrel offers a discounted senior menu at participating locations. Corner Bakery Cafe offers a 10 discount on dine-in or takeout orders for AARP members. United Markets celebrates the senior community (60+) with a 10 discount on their total grocery bill, the first Thursday of every month. Specialty Bakery in Kelowna offers a 25 off discount on orders.
AARP members and their families can use their AARP Prescription Discount Card to save up to 61% off generic, specialty, or other medications. Claim Jumper offers 10 off for AARP members verified. Corky’s Homestyle Kitchen and Bakery offers special senior discounts.
In summary, senior discounts are available at various retailers, including restaurants, travel, insurance, shopping, groceries, utilities, and more. It is important to check with local stores to ensure the best deals are available for seniors.
📹 SECRETS THAT COSTCO DOESN’T WANT YOU TO KNOW | COSTCO DEALS
LOOKING FOR MORE SUPPORT? Private Membership Group – This takes place in a private Facebook group. Here’s what you …
Does Starbucks still do free refills?
Starbucks offers a year-round refill policy, which permits patrons to receive a complimentary refill on their Spicy Lemonade Refreshers. This is a hitherto undisclosed method of obtaining a “free-fill” at the coffee chain. While the majority of promotions are time-limited, the refill policy represents a significant benefit for customers. To obtain a complimentary refill, patrons are required to adhere to specific guidelines and follow the instructions provided.
Does Amazon have senior discount?
Amazon does not offer a specific senior discount, but certain seniors can qualify for the Prime Access Membership, which offers a reduced monthly subscription fee of $6. 99, a 50 discount. This membership provides the same benefits as a regular membership, and can be obtained through government programs like the Women, Infants and Children Program or Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.
Is a 45 year old a senior?
In the United States, a senior citizen is defined as anyone of retirement age or 62 or older, with Medicaid typically requiring a minimum age of 65. As the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the model of assisted living, Silverbell Homestead has been innovative in addressing new challenges. They have implemented new precautions to protect seniors’ health and well-being while ensuring their autonomy.
A senior citizen for assisted living residency varies depending on their age. If someone is past age 62 with early dementia or a stroke, they qualify for assisted living care. If they are older than 80 with no cognitive deficits but physical limitations to daily living tasks, they are considered a senior citizen in need of an assisted living facility. Silverbell Homestead has been at the forefront of innovation in addressing the changing needs of seniors and providing the best possible care.
Is 55 years old considered senior?
Being a senior citizen is not a specific age, but it typically begins at age 55. By age 65, retirement from work is the most common age for senior citizens. However, an increasing number of senior citizens are working after 65, making retirement no longer a key factor in becoming a senior. Senior citizen discounts exist in various sectors, including fast food restaurants, sit-down restaurants, grocery stores, airfare, sports tickets, hotel accommodations, movie theater tickets, hair salons, tire service centers, and cell phone companies. Additionally, members of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) can receive members-only discounts on various items.
These discounts are provided to help seniors afford essentials and extras, as they are on fixed incomes with limited assets. Companies offer these discounts to help seniors live a healthy, happy life in retirement, ensuring they can afford both essentials and extras.
Does Starbucks have senior discounts?
While Starbucks occasionally offers discounts to patrons over the age of 65, it is not a guaranteed benefit. Admission to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh is offered at a reduced rate to individuals aged 65 and above. Napa Valley Wine Tours provides discounts on select wine tours, which makes it an optimal choice for those seeking to experience the region’s finest wines.
Is 60 elderly or middle aged?
Middle age is a period of human adulthood that precedes the onset of old age, typically spanning between 40 and 60 years. It involves physiological and psychological changes, such as the gradual decline of physical abilities and awareness of mortality. As individuals focus on reminiscence and recollection of the past, they shift their focus from anticipating the future to focusing on the present. If approached constructively, middle age can prepare individuals for a satisfying and productive old age.
Does Amazon have an age limit?
Amazon’s policies outline the terms and conditions for users, including the need for an Amazon account to access certain services, the responsibility of maintaining confidentiality, and the potential for additional charges if payment methods are not accepted. Users are also responsible for their own account and password, and are responsible for any activities that occur under their account or password.
Amazon sells products for adults, but only with the involvement of a parent or guardian. Teenagers can create profiles in their Amazon Household, and alcohol listings are intended for adults. Amazon reserves the right to refuse service, terminate accounts, remove or edit content, or cancel orders at its discretion.
Reviews, comments, communications, and other content are allowed, provided it is not illegal, obscene, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, infringing on intellectual property rights, or objectionable. Content must not contain software viruses, political campaigning, commercial solicitation, chain letters, mass mailings, or any form of “spam” or unsolicited commercial electronic messages.
If users post content or submit material, they grant Amazon a nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, and fully sublicensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, perform, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such content worldwide in any media. Amazon and sublicensees may use the name submitted in connection with such content, and users must represent and warrant that they own or control all rights to the content, that the content is accurate, does not violate this policy, and will indemnify Amazon for claims resulting from content. Amazon has the right but not the obligation to monitor or edit any activity or content, and assumes no responsibility for any content posted by users or third parties.
What are 60 to 70 year olds called?
The term “sexagenarians” is used to describe individuals aged 60-69, while “septuagenarians” refers to those aged 70-79. Similarly, “octogenarians” denotes individuals aged 80-89, “nonagenarians” signifies those aged 90-99, and “centenarians” represents those aged 100-109. The term “supercentenarians,” which applies to individuals aged 110 or above, is used to describe the oldest-old. The age range extends from 60 to 109 years, with supercentenarians aged 110 or above.
Does Netflix have a senior discount?
It should be noted that Netflix does not offer a senior discount. However, older users have the option of sharing an account with family or friends, which may result in a reduction in costs or even no charge. A single account may contain up to five user profiles and may be accessed on up to four devices simultaneously. It is not currently possible to access a free trial of Netflix. Nevertheless, cancelling a subscription is a simple process that can be completed with minimal effort.
What age are most senior discounts?
Seniors can enjoy promotions directed towards them, such as becoming an AARP member and qualifying for discounts. Some businesses start offering discounts to customers when they reach age 55, while others have different qualifying ages such as 62 or 65. Senior rates can be found at various retailers, restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, car rental agencies, and airlines.
Retirement accounts are designed to encourage long-term savings, and early withdrawals from 401(k) plans or IRAs typically include a 10 penalty. If money is taken out before age 59 1/2, a 10 penalty is typically required. However, after age 72, required minimum distributions (RMDs) from retirement accounts must be taken, calculated using an IRS distribution method. By considering yourself a senior citizen, you can enjoy these benefits and take advantage of the discounts available to seniors.
Is Starbucks free on birthday?
Members of the Starbucks Rewards program are entitled to a complimentary birthday beverage on an annual basis, the validity of which extends for a period of 30 days from the date of issuance. To redeem the reward, the member must first scan the QR code, which can be found in the app, and then present it at a participating Starbucks store. The reward is automatically incorporated into the account on the individual’s birthday.
📹 Perkins: Why The Restaurant Is Struggling
Time and again, Perkins has gotten into business with the wrong people, resulting in wonky business models and menus that …
Thank you Helix Sleep for sponsoring! Helix is offering an exclusive discount this month: 27% off your mattress purchase, plus two free pillows. Visit helixsleep.com/frugalfitmom and use promo code HELIXPARTNER27 to take advantage of this special offer. And act fast: this discount ends after Labor Day. If you miss my limited time offer, you can still get 20% off using my link! Offers subject to change. #helixsleep
@frugafitmom I just wanted to express my appreciation for the work you do here on YouTube. I am a Mom of 3 in metro Detroit and your recipes saved my life. Especially last year, when I was pregnant. My baby came a week away from 2023 Christmas. I had cooked all meals by Thanksgiving and put in a freezer in the basement. I had meals for Christmas all the way to Easter ( including the older kids meals for school. After 4 months, holding a 3 months old baby is when I went back to the kitchen for the first time in 2024. In short, you are doing a lot impacting many moms around the world. ❤❤❤❤.
We have no problem bypassing the “homeware, electronics, clothing/aisles of shame” section of Costco. We don’t need anything… and don’t even bother going down those sections. We have set items we buy: berries (occasionally), hamburger or ground turkey or chicken, a rotisserie chicken (occasionally, which makes us about 4 meals plus a soup), t-paper, olive oil, butter, Kirkland coffee beans, shampoo, detergent, gasoline. A weekly trip for gas but for everything else, every 4 months or so as we are a household of 2.
When I finally decided Costco was for us… . .4 rotisseries chickens that we debone, freeze the meat, make broth in crock pot and frozen vegies (they have a grilled vegie mix that we love). Sometimes eggs, sometimes Sourdough bread–hubby likes it. That’s it! Once a month/6 weeks. The savings pays for our membership (Chickens only). We are retired and cook with the chicken often.
Aside from ALWAYS shopping with a list…. 2 strategies I use for not over spending at Costco: 1. if I’m only shopping for a few items, I don’t get a cart. That REALLY limits impulse buys. 2. I drive the Miata. For a 2 seater convertible, I could still do a bit of damage, but the size of the trunk severely limits larger impulse buys.. I’ve had to take items out of my cart (Rug, pillows, lamp) when I forgot which vehicle we had driven. BONUS STRATEGY: I shop with my husband.. we may end up with some unplanned nuts or shorts, but rarely a new Vitamix or Dyson…. 😘.
Back in the last century. when I was in high school, two things made a big impact on me. One was a class on retail merchandising that I took – completely changed how I thought about shopping. Taught us all about impulse purchases with product placement (eye level and/or near the registers at child eye level) and making the best buys less convenient by shelving them high or low. Second was a book we read in Economics called “The Hidden Persuaders” which is how advertising looks for our insecurities or unrecognized wants and uses that information to convince we need something to make ourselves or our life better. Targeting of consumers has only gotten more sophisticated over time. Buyer beware!
I wouldn’t trade my 100 yr old cast iron pan for a whole Costco set!! I use it every single time I cook and I love it so much!!! It’s actually older than 100, I inherited it from a lady I took care of and it belonged to her great grandma. So. It’s pretty dang old!! There’s no telling what’s been cooked in it down through the years!!!❤❤❤
We go to Costco/Sams once a month and always buy 4 of the rotisserie chickens and remove the meat and freeze it- that way we can have a super easy meal at least once a week with the already cooked chicken (leftovers too). We also use all the bones and make chicken stock and freeze that . We make your chicken pot pie and the chicken /cream cheese (add roasted poblanos) taquito/burritos and we try to make an extra of each for the freezer. I absolutely love your articles, and binge watch them when I need inspiration /ideas for things to make!
While what you say may apply to some people it doesn’t apply to others. I keep a pantry and freezer list so I know what I have on hand. I make list for the various stores I shop and do price comparison. I also typically buy when items are on sale. Bulk meat I repackage and vacuum seal into smaller packs for our use. Paper products I buy when on sale and share with family who have needs they can’t easily afford.
Christine is spot on regarding big-box and food stores’ marketing methodologies. We don’t have a Costco where I live, nor do we have any discount or lower-cost stores like WinCo, Albertson’s, HEB, Kroger, Giant, Food Lion, Wegman’s, etc. Our local conglomerate, Price Gouger, is great at keeping them out of the area. Also as a senior living in a small place, buying in bulk is not an option. In my area, it is Walmart and Dollar Tree but you still have to shop with a good strategy and know your prices.
I do all my “regular” grocery shopping at Kroger, Meijer or Walmart. Then I hit Costco or Sam’s for certain items that I know are a good deal cat litter, cat food, dog food, rotisserie chicken, orange chicken, egg rolls (if I’m being lazy and not making them myself), hamburger (depending on the price), lunch meat, and of course toilet paper.
I started going to Costco in the 80s when I had 3 kids and a business. Spent a fortune and did save, tho I know I bought stuff we could have lived without. Retirement put me two hours from a Costco, lounging on the remote Northern Pacific coast. Haven’t gone in 7 years! A miracle. I can live without Costco…but I do miss the experience.
We absolutely ❤️ Costco‼️ (No longer have Sam’s club) Just got the Seally mattress in store for MIL and its so comfortable. These are the rules we follow when shopping. 1. We eat in the food court before shopping and also take home whole pizza (Dont forgetthe icecream sundaes) 2. Check prices of possible future purchases. 3. Make a list of needs. 4. Go about every 4-6 weeks. Thanks for you content! Always fun and informative!!👍🏻
Always think about how long it’ll take you to go through something. For example, I have a set of shampoo/conditioner that’ll last me up until the next sale/discount cycle (Black Friday, or after the major holidays). I have multiple protein options that’ll last me way beyond 8 months from now. I have 8 sets of summer t-shirts, and I only cycle through the same 5.
I have specific things I buy from Costco and from Sams. Knowing that I don’t have $800 to spend is what keeps me from going to crazy. Between you and Jordan Page I have learned that knowing my prices for items that my family will eat is so important and which store is cheapest for those things. Sometimes it’s Sams, sometimes it’s Costco, Amazon, Target, or even Harris Teeter/ Food Lion.
July 5th I was behind a young couple in Returns. Their cart was full of food. I was confused because it looked like they had already been shopping. I was behind them for 15 minutes so, the story turned out to be…on 4th of July Dad did something that caused them all to go to the ER. Doctors worked on both of his hands (bandaged). They were planning on having a July 4th party, but that didn’t work. The young woman marched everyone (gma, toddler, hubs and herself) back to return a few hundred dollars worth of party food and condiments. The only thing that they couldn’t return was the cases of White Claw. I internally applauded them for not wasting their money.
Favourite stuff is dairy and condiments and meds. We drive an hour and a half as the grocery stores in our community are outrageous priced. We make one trip a month and spend about $300 dollars that saves us half of that compared to the cost in our small town. Plus we go to a place that has good quality meat that saves us money as well.
I look at the Costco ads before I go shopping and choose the deals I want ahead of time. There are a few things I buy every time, like the rotisserie chicken, but then the rest of my shopping is based on what the sales are on items I would buy anyway. We are a family of 7 so I love Costco for buying in bulk, especially when things go on sale. I also only go about 1-2 times a month and do my weekly grocery shopping at Aldi, Walmart and Giant.
I have had All Clad before and they were great. I got this set a few months ago and I love them. I paid a lot for one of those high end ceramic skillets. From the beginning, it was awful. I would use a half a stick of better to scramble an egg and it would still stick. I will get some bulk items I know I will use and I can vacuum seal. I make my own Dawn Powerwash. I always take a list when I shop.
Costco makes the majority in their money from their memberships. Their product mark up is minimal. People take advantage of the return policy and it will end ruining it for everyone. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. I agree with your friend on the dawn power wash, it’s different than regular dawn.
Hi Christine! We love Costco! My “secrets”mirror yours w/ few additions: 1.List: when making list, I also include qty., price I last paid (2 weeks earlier) so I have approx. total I plan on spending, I look at savgs catalog as making out list. 2.Write down “wants” on separate list to add onto primary if on sale depending on budget. 3. Take only the Amt of cash needed for shopping expectations! My Hubby gets the gas and usually uses debit card but I do try to discourage his going inside and using it. I have gotten cash/gift cards while I am there shopping so he can use it for fuel and we are VERY FRUGAL! We are seniors and on limited budget. We still like our treats! Oh, BTW: I also am not fan of Rotisserie Chicken baggie. I put it in a meat bag from beside hot counter. Keeps the leaks down. I also get some produce there as I wash, prep and store it properly. Lasts 2 weeks.
Christine, I used to go to a Store called WEAR IT WELL and it was a Store for girls and women. The prices were always very low and or also marked down. Then I would go out to my car and take a marker different colors in my purse and mark all the items down even LOWER!!! YEP, a $5.00 top already marked down to $3.00 was Majestic marked down to $ 2.00 . I tought my friend to due this also. We then went home and hung OUR CHEAP PURCHASES in OUR closets. If our husbands asked were did you get that top we would just say in our our closets. But if we showed the recipe we keep our fingers on the total because we could not change it. Just thought you would get a laugh. But we did have fun doing it. I just spent $ 193. And change yesterday at Costco, but it was only for what I TRULY NEEDED. I also got Gas at $2.89 per gallon at Costco. If I got it were I live it would have been close to $ 4.00 per gallon. Have a GREAT day and God Bless you and your LOVING family.
We have a “similar” store in Belgium, although: a lot smaller in size (EU buildings and spacing is a lot tighter). It’s called “Colruyt”, it’s the founders family name. We do not have a similar non-food section though, even though the store is for bulk shoppers; I used to get my coffee there, but I just found out that ancient “Jacobs” coffee that used to be expensive is half the price of Colruyt coffee. So that’s a thing of the past. Bulk is not always a good thing! I can still count on one hand the items we shop for there! Among other things: gas, it’s a good price!
My 1st tactic is keep a spreadsheet price book so I can actually know, product by product, serving by serving, which store’s price is the best and also sale history/trends. Bulk doesn’t always mean cheapest. Canned salmon here in Happy Valley UT is less expensive per oz at Walmart than Costco. Also I compare products against each other within categories, like oats vs bread or carrots vs sweet potatoes. 2nd tactic is actually thinking through whether I need it (grocery list, also categories that you do or don’t buy, to allow sales to help but not hurt you). You can save both a lot of money and your health by not buying a lot of snacks and desserts and other things with added sugar in them.
I live alone and going to Costco. Often i will go and say to myself not more than 100$… sometime it’s 108$ sometime it’s 99.78$! And all of that without a calculator! They are always some staples i buy every time i go. I always check the cheese section to see what’s on sale! And of course for gas too!!!!
Half and half and sour cream are also on the cheaper than anywhere else list. Yes, my husband and I can finish off 3 pounds of sour cream by ourselves. We do dip night dinners fairly often since we’re empty nesters who eat the main meal earlier in the day. One pot meals and dips, I’m always searching for more of those. I love the hot dogs!
I have a set amount I spend at Costco and every month I put that cash in the Costco envelope. Some months I spend it all and some months I carry it over to the next month. I don’t over spend at Costco. After finding Dave Ramsey and getting out of debt I watch my money carefully. I will put my Powerwash Dawn up against any cleaner you have. It has cleaned things that no other cleaner has. Every time I use it I think about you and wonder how you must be using it for it not to work.
I price shop against unit price at Walmart, and if it’s a better deal at Costco and I know we will use it before it goes bad, I buy it. I also never buy snacks unless on sale. Costco staples for us are diapers, wipes, paper towels, toilet paper, rotisserie chicken, chicken tenderloins, ground beef, lunch meat and cheese, bread, and fruit.
I canceled my Costco membership. We only shop at Sam’s club. We were Costco’s members since 2003 and I canceled after 20 years of being a member. It just wasn’t worth the stress anymore and Costco wasn’t offering groceries delivery. I use scan and go at the club. I have my grocery delivered for free and we get stuff shipped all the time for free.
So we do probably at least 80% of our grocery shopping at Costco. The way we do it is shopping sales and utilizing our big freezer, pantry, and second fridge. We also watch grocery store adds as well for deals. Then we just set our meal plan from the items we have on hand. Our big score this year was a provision company had an insane sale and we stocked up on beef, pork, and chicken. And Death Star deals can be a huge savings, especially on clothes, but have to watch and be patient for the price to drop a lot.
Sam’s club is about 30 minutes closer to us at about a 40 minute drive, so that’s our usual stop for the basics. But, I love Costco! It’s an hour and 25 minutes from us. So, we do stock up on a few things when we’re there. My daughter that is in college is a huge Alani fan. We love to have the heavy/bulky things shipped to the house, like Alani, Kirkland cold brew canned coffee (my husband is a huge fan) TP, Paper towel. So much easier!
Love what you do for us. Thanks. I’m positive that when we were both working we threw tons of money down the drain as we both had great jobs and felt we deserved to have whatever we or our children wanted. We are fortunate to have pensions to help us out. As Seniors now we march to a different drummer. I always make an assessment of our needs and then formulate a list which goes in my phone. We hit only isles that we know contain the items we need and then we are out of there. What I would like to get better at is hitting up the grocery store deals from several stores to get max advantage, and be mindful that certain stores ( Albertsons here ) have Senior shopping days. It would be helpful if you did a article on shopping and budgeting as a Senior. I have a tendency to be lable dedicated so it would be helpful to learn from you or others who comment what products are worth taking the risk of purchasing plain wrap. Have a great week, and again thank you for what you do. 😎 💰
We buy the freeze dried chicken or salmon treats for our dog. She LOVES them. After we bought the first two bags of the chicken, I couldn’t find them again. Only then did I realize, they had switched to the salmon. That was when I realized they rotated items in and out. My favorite thing to purchase is the bag of gyro meat.
The deal on gasoline is worth the membership price many times over! Besides that, we get milk, eggs, bread, cheese (we go through a lot of cheese) and the rotisserie chicken. I used to buy my kids clothes there too but now they don’t like them anymore- probably because everyone has clothes from Costco.
My mom has a Costco card so I go with her. I spend about $80.00 every 3 weeks. I get toilet paper, of course, laundry soap, a few cases of canned goods, (beans, tomato sauce, green beans). I allow myself ONE bag of treats like the S’mores clusters or the chocolate covered blueberries. I get bread, butter if I need it, and a bag of fish and I am out the door. My mom gets coffee there, hearing aid batteries, and we are DONE. If we go to the hot dogs, I get 2, since they are so cheap, one for lunch, or even just a half a hot dog for lunch one day, then I eat the other one the next day. My mom can only eat half of one of those huge hot dogs. Costco does have some great marketing strategies. I stck to my budget. O.K., sometimes I spluge on a specialty cheese.
I had to do a lot of trial and error with bulk shopping. Some things might be a better deal per ounce but if you throw away half of it, it isn’t worth it. I have found that to be true for a lot of condiments that my family uses. Another trick is to consider your kids’ snacks and treats.. if they will plow through a 40 pack of snacks in a week from Costco, but you only buy 10 packs of snacks grocery shopping once a week, you are saving yourself a ton of money. When the 10 snack treats are gone, they will eat the cheese, yogurt, and the crackers until the next grocery trip. and DO NOT buy the Nutella biscuits. Those will be gone before you even BLINK! SO GOOD!
Great shopping strategies! I do love a treasure hunt, but i resist buying extra goods. I visit every 2 or 3 months and spend average $400 on sale items, laundry, paper goods, bakery, fruit, veges, raw nuts, and inexpensive wine. I love to browse the seasonal clothing deals. Started buying their gas to save money.
Use a list and know your store. Don’t go up and down the aisles. Go directly to the items you need and get out. When I go with a friend, we have breakfast, go to Costco, over an hour away, shop our lists, get the hot dog combo lunch and leave. We only go when we need something, so probably only quarterly if that. We are going tomorrow, she wants to stock up on paper goods before the snow flies. I have enough paper goods but do three items on my list, with Costco bulk sizes, those three items will last me till spring.
My Costco is super close to my house so I go as often as needed and I live alone. Eggs, butter, bread (I freeze it), olive oil, TP, coffee pods, brie, pistachios, frozen blueberries, cottage cheese, sardines, pinneapple, white peaches in summer (my favorite), collegen, protein powder, wine, vodka. I want to start eating more beef so I should buy it there and freeze it.
My ex was such a sucker for Costco. It became a problem during layoffs and strikes because he used it for entertainment and we were already struggling. Fortunately, I wasn’t shy to return things when necessary. Right now, I don’t live in a country that has Costco nor would it ever (I could be wrong) fortunately I will be traveling in North America soon so I will get to check out Costco.
How? The first 30 days was difficult w/ all the temptations, but after that.. smooth sailing. Rotis. chickens, beef, butter, bacon, eggs, tuna, good salt.. & now, have added in tiny bits of dairy/cheeses too. It’s all I buy & all I eat. A year later, have NEVER EVER felt better & in every way. (& saves money!) Happy shopping!
Thanks for this great article! It’s my first experience with your website, good job! Our first time at Costco was a few months ago. We had never been to one, and had some time to kill. They gave us a pass to go look around, and we found an item that we had been looking for at 1/4 of what we were expecting to pay. More than covered the cost of our membership. My secret to shopping anywhere is that I do a lot of research – sometimes on the fly – and I have apps for everywhere I shop. So I can compare prices on the spot. And I always look at the price per unit. And on the Tramontina cookware, always make sure you get what’s made in Brazil, not some other country. Definitely a different quality. Walmart usually has them at the best price.
Here’s the thing, even if you know the ploy and tactics, most people do not have the will power to walk away from the novelty and value selling points. It’s why I don’t have a sams club or costco membership. I know so many people who do have memberships, and ask them to pickup a specific item or 2 from time to time and pay them back. It saves me $300-$500 I could easily blow each trip.
Christine, love your website. I find it REAL! What’s more, I am amazed at how much we think alike. Most of your tips I am already doing, but every now and then I learn something new and perusal our ‘likeness tips’ sort of reinforces that I am doing things ‘right’. 😉. I do wish we had a Costco in my area tho. (There isn’t even ONE in my entire state!). It would probably offer more choices than just Sam’s club. Thanks for taking me shopping with you (virtually).
No Costco where I live so no temptation to shop there. I don’t shop at Sam’s Club and only had a BJ card when the cost was $25 with a $40 credit. I used it for filling up my car. I was already $15 ahead . I kept it for a year then waited to see if they would offer me another great deal. Not yet but I can hope.
I love buying my appliances from Costco. They have faster delivery and are better warranty wise. Also get all my eye glasses there. it’s a much better deal than a regular optometrist. I have an executive membership that pays for itself each year. I also love the chicken & hot dog deal. A cooked pizza is a wonderful deal too, way less than a pizzeria.
My Costco purchases that I find the best bargains are Cheerios, Tide, tp, rotisserie chicken, rice, milk, flour, sugar, Ghirardelli brownie mix, (🙌), eggs and Dave’s killer bread. Aldi and loss leaders at grocery stores fill in the rest! We have an ingredient house, not a ready made food house which annoys my teenager to no end!
I went to Costco yesterday for the 2nd time ever!! – So not impressed!!! There are no aisle signs/labels because “we want you to go down every aisle in the store- like a treasure hunt” (employee quote when I asked about at store map). The cold and frozen items are all over the store so it’s difficult to shop for those last to keep them cold when it’s 100 degrees outside in VA this week. Also the things that I buy at bulk stores – SAMS CLUB – either Costco does not carry (cat litter!!!), or they are $2 – $6 more for an almost identical item (pre-cooked bacon, butter, hamburger, M&Ms – just to name a few.) I still haven’t found the spice aisle, because I got tired of looking in between all of the furniture!! I don’t think I’m going to renew my membership to Costco when my year is up next June!! Give me Sam’s Club any day over Costco!!
I go thru cycles about what I buy but I got my costco card for the gas prices. I rarely go inside except to visit the food court. I buy specific things #1 is parmesan cheese & can be the only reason I go inside for months. I ‘ve never spent more than $200 pre planned. Having self restraint is #1 skill in ANY store. Still I do just stroll thru the store once in a while but am at the gas station 2-3x a week
I tried refilling the dawn power wash spray bottle with just water and dawn- didn’t like it. However! In the past I have cleaned out a sprayer such as windex (something that’s not a harsh cleaner) and filled with water and dawn. I actually liked the used sprayers better, because the dawn power wash sprayer seems to wear out really fast anyway.
I bring a list and stick to it. I take the same route through the store every time, as I’m usually getting the same items each time. I don’t wander through the store looking at things not on my list, unless I’m taking pictures of prices for comparison shopping. Sometimes Costco is cheaper, sometimes not. I never try samples. Almost everything I get is on sale…I very rarely buy anything for full price.
Sam’s has started where you can only bring back food within two weeks…so if you live a distance from one of the clubs…you do just wind up throwing it away. I bought two rotisserie chickens and got home to use one for dinner and it was not cooked all the way…had blood near the bone in the thigh area. I had frozen the other one and decided to check it later and time got away from me. So it still remains in my freezer! I hate taking it out to look at it to see if I wasted gasoline, time and money on that purchase! 🥴
Our closest Costco is about 40 minutes away. There is tons of traffic, and the store is always mobbed with no parking. We go to Sam’s and BJ’S instead. We buy the $4.99 rotisserie chicken and Sam’s and sometimes steak, pork and our wine. The meats are way cheaper than our supermarket and they will cut it for you. We’ve gotten inch thick pork chops at $1.99/lb! We love BJ’S too because they take coupons and you can also stack manufacturer.and store coupons together. They reset too! They have some amazing deals because of that. I buy our coffee, Applegate turkey bacon, Bibigo wontons there. We also got a crazy Heinz ketchup deal a couple years ago. With the stacking coupons I got the huge 3 packs $1 each! I also stocked up on the only soap my husband uses. It came out to something crazy like 30 cents for each 16 pack. We bought more each time it reset and we have enough for life now lol!
To be fair, if you have allergies, pain, and take vitamins, and especially if you use gas in your car, the membership pays for itself in a year using the Kirkland brand products. Per unit, these things at Costco are WAY less than even wal mart. My closest one is about 45 min away so I like to go to the food court first and get that sweet sweet hotdog meal… then I proceed into the rest of the store because shopping while hungry is the worst for your budget, lol.
I think $60 for membership is too expensive when I get my BJs membership for $25 with negotiations and sales. Plus, BJs has smaller products and accepts all forms of payment. I don’t have a Visa Card, so I can’t purchase without cash. BJs also has $4.99 chickens and their gas is always the cheapest in the area. And you really have to know your prices as not all things are the best price. Always love your articles Christine!
I love Costco but “always” stick to my list. When something is getting low I put it on my “wait for sale list” and always check. That works great for paper towels/TP/ cleaning products etc. For example, we love Peet’s coffee. It was on sale last week ($5 off) and I bought the max – 5 packages. We drink a lot of coffee and it won’t go bad. Thankfully there is a Costco on my way to work so I can go frequently and get a lot of my basics there (milk, eggs, bread, manchego cheese, olive oil, organic ground beef and a few others). We don’t really buy vegetables there. Oh.. another trick, they change the location of products – since I am a frequent shopper I know where things are but sometimes they still make you walk around….
Having shopped there a couple of years now, the wife and I really have culled down our list to only a couple of hundred dollars a week at most. Great advice on eating before you go, but you do want to sample and then see if the sample is even on sale if you like it. And beware…COSTCO constantly moves items on purpose! They want you to wander and impulse buy. It is part of their design. And don’t get too attached to ANY product unless it is their product brand. Anything can be gone for good at any time…I call this pulling a “Sams”…because Sams club does this as well. Good article though!
I always eat before I go as well. A few of my Costco favorites are the Supplements, Dishwasher detergent, Dish detergent, Laundry detergent, Dog food, Cat food, Spices, Olive & Avocado oil, Bagged whole nuts (no trail mix), Sparkling water, Organic eggs, Paper products, Grass fed butter, Coffee, and sometimes clothes. I don’t buy meat or produce because its just the two of us and the packages are way too much for us. I also don’t buy any food court, it’s not healthy for me.
I do a good job of not overspending at Costco, though I occasionally splurge. I try to limit my purchases to things I’m certain I’ll use. I have an allergy to most laundry detergents and can only use All brand free and clear. While I know I could find better prices elsewhere if I waited for a sale, Costco offers a reasonable price for the quantity, and it’s more convenient for me. I don’t like most jarred pestos, but the Costco brand in the refrigerated section is the only store-bought one I’ll eat. I also buy their frozen chicken tenderloins for meal prepping sheet pan meals. If I had more time to shop around or a bigger family, I could probably save more by shopping sales at different stores. But for now, I prefer to buy in bulk at a reasonable price and use what I have. I also pick up things like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and Kerrygold butter because they taste or work better.
I always go when as soon as they open. This way I get prime parking and the store is relatively slow. If I miss opening I go a half an hour before closing. The store is slowest just before closing. :)I always make a list. As soon as entering I make a beeline for the refrigerated produce, then the room temp produce, freezer section for frozen veg and sometimes fruit, then pantry isle for oats, rice and to the cashier. If I am lallygagging then I meander through the clothing on the way to the cashier. Here’s a list of what I buy from Costco. White mushrooms Shitake mushrooms Cucumbers Zucchini Bell peppers Mini sweet peppers Cauliflower florets Broccoli florets Onions Yellow potatoes Sweet potatoes Snacking apples Pears Clementines Oranges Grapefruit Lemons Watermelon Bananas Oatmeal White rice Brown rice Frozen Broccoli Frozen triple berry Frozen pineapple Frozen mango Frozen cherries Clementines Oranges Lemons Grapefruit Bananas Watermelon Pineapple Frozen cherries Frozen mango Frozen pineapple Frozen triple berry Frozen broccoli Balsamic vinegar Razors White vinegar Dawn power wash Free and Clear Tide Pods white terry cloth rags for cleaning Tops Leggings Pajamas Socks Jackets
We have a family of 5 and are mostly an “ingredients house” haha. I budget monthly for groceries and love to do the bulk of my shopping at Costco. I put off a membership for a really long time because it simply didn’t work for weekly shopping, but for monthly it is a lot better. I am always so happy when I go there, I get so much more for my money than at Walmart or Kroger, especially if they are on sale! My favorite things to buy there are grass fed butter (such a steal), 5 dozen eggs, block of cheddar cheese, cane sugar, rice, raisins (really great price compared to walmart), some produce – particularly bananas and asparagus, toilet paper, baby wipes are a good price, tissues are a GREAT price if you’re a tissue family, tortilla chips, and some frozen convenience foods like chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries (costco has the best deal on this, they’re organic and they taste the best), and maple syrup (best price of any place I’ve found). Oh and printer paper! We have little kids and homeschool so we use a lot of that haha. We have been a little disappointed by the food court, Sam’s club one is much better in our humble opinion. But we still end up going there lol. Also, we tried the new chobani yogurt and we liked it! I don’t know if we will again, we tend to not buy individual cups of yogurt but it was on sale. I was glad they didn’t put any stevia or artificial sweeteners in it!
you did not mention anything about their app.. they’re starting to roll out where you can go into your warehouse on the app and see if a product is in stock n the price. you can also keep a running Costco grocery list on the app and if you put in chips, it will show you if there’s any chips on sale at the time.
Crunchmaster GF seed crackers are a HUGE savings at Costco. My kids like them. Every child I’ve handed one to I know is picky likes them! It’s about $1 per oz (just double checked) elsewhere. Actually a bit more the smaller bags. It’s $12 for 28 oz at Costco and it’s actually 2 bags so we often bring them as a party gift and I still SAVED by giving away a bag at $12 for 14 oz single bag. Late July multigrain chips when they go on sale are an insane deal at $4. They have fiber! Lol I only buy a snack I know we like in that section as they tend to go stale but we love to buy 5 bags on sale and then we use them for a week and take a bag to BBQs. Picky eater approved! Butter is an entire pack of 4 sticks more than I can get at Aldi. I only buy it around the holidays due to limited freezer space. Organic packaged products just tend to be cheaper there. We don’t have a Kroger in Pittsburgh so we have no amazing sale ads like others do. Aldi is our reference and we love ALDI so so much. I shop there for a lot of things. Organic bread is a toss up for my family. Aldi brand organic vs Dave’s Killer bread awesome Costco deal. If I know I want to make grilled cheese or French toast I’ll get the 2 loafs at Costco. Otherwise I do Aldi off brand organic as 1 loaf is good for us.
Gasoline after 8pm on Wednesday nights, when I’m already there for a weekly event I attend hat close by. Rotisserie chicken every time I go. Nothing else unless I have a specific need and cn actually use the large quantity and not waste any. I find Aldi consistently lower priced for reasonably sized products, especially produce.
In a nutshell, please, what are Costco’s secrets? I don’t see why there’s an issue with spending that much in one trip to Costco. The quantities are big so I shop less often. If I compare the Kroger price per ounce to the Costco price per ounce, I’m usually saving at Costco even though my bill at check-out is hundreds more. And did I mention, I shop less often??? More time to do stuff that isn’t shopping. Win-win.
I recently got us a Costco membership after I realized the Kirkland brand unbleached flour I was buying on Amazon cost about twice as much as I could have been getting it at Costco. 🤦♀ Didn’t think I needed a membership since we’ve been a member at Sam’s forever, but Sam’s doesn’t have as big a selection of healthier ingredients as Costco does.
ppl think getting a deal with 5$ chicken. what not know there isnt a lot of meat on it. least not 1s we got. picking it all off the bones. if i get boneless yes, it is more, but i get so much more meat. i think membership price is too much. i dont really save that much $ esp when they raised the prices so high. m &ms use to be less than 10. now almost 17. chips went from 6 to almost 9. recently more hikes. less in the packs we buy. smaller containers. i love Costco & i can find some deals. the sodas are too pricey though.
I’m Team Sam’s Club and sodas are not a good buy there. On sale at a grocery store is. This last week I made a pickup order from Safeway for 20 boxes of soda (half Diet Coke, half Dr Pepper Zero), several packages of cheese, and 2 bags of grapes for about $80. The sodas were on sale buy 2 get 3 free, there was a coupon for something like $5 off $25 on store brands which brought cheese price down, and grapes were on sale, PLUS a $30 off coupon for pick-up orders (I think the minimum was $75-80). Restaurant (food) supply stores are also the best place to buy meats, especially the pieces that require further breakdown like tri tip (almost half the price for the one you trim yourself vs “peeled” version), or the huge chuck rolls you can break down into many different cuts. Eye of round close to $4/lb, season and roast then slice for cheap roast beef lunch meat.
We have a new Costco 10 minutes from my house. So I try not to go there every week. It is hard as my family is like hey lets go walk around Costco and get a hotdog for something to do. (Hate to say it but i am getting burnt out on hotdogs and skip them sometimes.) LOL I do find that I don’t spend as much as i used to. I can just wait and go back later and don’t have to feel like i have to buy things like right now. I love Costco!
I get cat food a few of the veggies we eat tons of, half and half,oats I always count my items the average is about 12-15 now(used to be 10) and I have a certain amount I can spend. I just have to be strict with myself. Also is about 45 miles to my Costco so I don’t go very often Thanks for the rundown. Very helpful
I shop the flyers on Flipp every week so I know what the best prices are. I have items I always buy at Costco because I know they’re the best deals in my area and I try to buy them when they go on sale. I do buy a lot of meats there too, they aren’t the cheapest options but for where I live they are the best quality for the price. Again I try to stock up and freeze them when they are on sale!
Ha ha…I want that greenhouse they had in the spring 😍😅 I don’t typically try samples. Saw a sample worker with plastic gloves on reach down, pick up the floor mat she’d been standing on, shake it off and stuff on the bottom shelf of her cart, then go back to putting food into the paper sample cups 🤢🤮 I think she was getting off soon so she was getting ready to get out of dodge quickly when the time was right! That cured me from ever trying samples again. I will try things individually packaged or drinks that are just poured into cups, but noooooo more food. I try to only buy things I know I’ll use. Dog food, cat litter. I use a ton of the greek yogurt to get my daily protein. I use a lot of the organic nuts in cooking or snacking. Butter, Kerigold cheese. Olive and avocaco oil! You can’t beat the prices on the things you actually use a lot of. Especially if you are buying organic or non gmo.
I love the free samples as I try them all but never buy them. I get out my calculator to divide bulk buys into individual items to see if its worth it. Never buy the hot dog because I only eat proper sausages. So I do OK in Costco. My friend who has the card(I don’t, and I don’t drive) not so good. What she spends on groceries in a month would easily do me 2 or 3 months. 🏴
Had to make 3 trips to costco in iceland recently, first to shop, grabbed one wrong thing, went back to return, the person on the desk didn’t really want to take it back since it was a frozen item but “i’ll take it this time” attitude saying they don’t take back frozen items, third trip i had to get the correct amount refunded cause she gave me the wrong amount second trip 🙁
It’s kind of weird that the day after you talk about Costco that there is a bid cleaning product sale. Would you buy the cleaning products in bulk or just do a one of each? Is it a consumer marketing ploy if they are offering a rebate if you spend more to save more? Promo is $25 back for spending $100 or $50 for spending $200. What would you do in this situation?
I’m not sure if it’s a loss leader, but their brownberry loaves of bread are the best price anywhere in my town. And I did the math and we break even on our executive costco membership with the 2% cash back…. We made a deal with ourselves, if we ever have a year where the membership cahs back doesn’t pay for itself, we would cancel our membership… Well, guess who needs hearing aids and Costco is the best price by like $1500 less! And that right there, even after insurance copay, will definitely pay for the membership! haha. Also, it’s the best price in town for DOG FOOD! Hello my puppies, it’s half the price per pound of anywhere else in my town.
Are you still walking to Sam’s and Costco‘s and yes, come out with four $500 worth of stuff and no more after the big C I really changed my budget and just buy what I need. I make a list go get it if I get anything extra, it’s gonna be the chicken and the hotdog special other than that I’m really good. I stay on budget and stay on my list
Please take back the statement about taking your used Christmas tree back after it dies back. As a shipper of Christmas trees from Oregon that takes 8 years to grow before we send them to Costco ends up hurting our orders for the following years. You get a tree that costs money to feed, trim every year, train the top, Basel prune underneath for presents, cut, bale and helicopter into where it is loaded onto a truck. Counted, inspected and insured it doesn’t have pests your suggestion is hurting our Costco relationship. Otherwise I love most of your content.
I am not sure what is happening with Costco lately but a lot of my cheese or pasta has been moldy even if I used it on the same day as purchasing The vegetables are going slimy with 2 days. I thought I was alone and there are tonnes of articles showing people having mouldy items. While costco will take things back it is a fair jaunt to return 10 dollar item.
Does the rotisserie chicken cost $4.97? Or does it cost you $500 by the time you check out? Buying a membership to somewhere like Costco doesn’t make me feel like a member of a privileged group. It makes me feel like a sap for paying a company for the privilege of shopping at their store. All stores are lucky we choose to shop there. They should keep that in mind and so should we.
I have a Costco that’s a 5 minute drive from my house. What I do is put on my backpack and WALK. It’s about a 20 minute walk and I can’t Spend alot, because I can’t Carry alot. I go wih my list (the pre cooked bacon, avocados and eggs are always on my list) and I motor through all the looky loos dawdling through the store. 5 minutes in and out.
Love Costco, but don’t do the chicken. Too many ingredients that are not good. PT, TP, walnuts, berries, wine, sale items like vitamins, allergy meds, prescription prices can’t be beat. Dawn, Tide, Cascade when on sale. Organic eggs/pasture eggs.Some special items like almond flour, organic sprouted oats, maple syrup, half and half. Only place I buy all my tires and get them rotated for free.
Favorite items- vitamins when on sale, bread and tortillas, fruit, frozen veggies, spinach and their Kirkland cheese pizza (4 pizzas for $12). Sometimes I can find crazy clearance deals. Last week I purchased Eddie Bauer pants for $2.97. I can’t thrift pants that cheap!!! Unless I am buying bulky items, I don’t use a cart. I have a big bag and use it to shop (bought it at Costco on clearance 😊).
I think Costco and Sam’s are overrated! It makes a good cheap date. Look around, eat samples, get a hot dog… I just went shopping at our local Ingles. I got a bag of lettuce for 99 cents, 4/12 pks of coke for $3.98 each. I got Texas Pete hot sauce for $1.74 for 12 oz. Last week, I got kens salad dressing for $1.43 16oz bottle. Doritos tacos meal kit for $3.98. I got 6 country ribs for $1.97. Regular $4.93. Hormel chili $1.88. Ground chuck is $4.88 lb this week but I’m going to try to get it on Managers special. I got brownie mix and cake mix for 99 cents each. I got 2 lbs of broccoli carrots and cauliflower for 99. Orange juice is $1.98. Shredded cheese is $1.88 for 12oz. 4pk of ravioli was $2.98. 3 lb bag of apples was $2.48. Cantilope is $1.98. Plus whatever rings up wrong is free. I have a free steak in my freezer. The last rotisserie chicken I got was $2.43 at Walmart. I got a loaf of French bread yesterday for 33 cents. I got 3 white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies 3 for 43 cents. I got sour Skittles for my grandsons $1 each regular $2.24. Other taffy candy for 40 cents regular 74 cents. Groceries are cheap if you know how to shop.