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Smart Things for Singles and Couples to Buy From Costco
Raechel Conover October 01, 2021
Big Discounts for Small Households
Shopping at Costco and other warehouse stores often seems best for large families and businesses. A package of a dozen giant muffins calls for many mouths, or at least lots of freezer space. But there are Costco purchases that make sense for single people and couples, even after taking the annual membership fee into consideration. Here are some examples of the savings (prices may vary by location and in-store vs. online). We also have 12 Tips for Shopping at Costco If You Live in a Small Home.
Related: 34 Things Not to Buy at Costco, Sam's, or BJ's
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Food With a Long Shelf Life
Uncooked rice, dried beans, dry pasta, oatmeal, and canned goods come in bulk quantities, but all have a long shelf life and are pantry staples that will help reduce weekly grocery costs.
Related: 28 Recipes to Use Up the Bulk Food You Overbought at Costco
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Costco has a reliable supply of clothing staples and sometimes even carries brand names. Price cuts can be deep enough to cover the membership fee in one shopping trip. Currently a pair of $170 Sorel boots can be found for $120 with Costco membership.
Related: 14 Things to Splurge on at Costco and Sam's Club
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Spruce up the yard or porch with Costco plants, which are often large and well-established. Large mums have been known to sell for less than $20 each — what a garden center might charge for a container half the size.
Related: 12 Reasons Why Shoppers Are Addicted to Costco
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Costco's Kirkland Signature brand vodka, gin, whiskey, and other hard liquors cost $15 to $20 less than name brands. Likewise, don't dismiss brands you don't recognize. Insiders say wines and spirits at Costco are pricey remaindered goods from other producers. A bottle that would cost $50 under another label at a liquor or grocery store might average $12 to $16 at Costco. Costco's low profit margins also keep alcohol prices low, regardless of the brand. (If this is the primary draw for you, check state laws, as some allow alcohol purchases at Costco without a membership.)
Related: The Best Costco-Brand Liquors to Buy — and Which to Leave on the Shelf
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Costco sells gift cards for less than their face value — for example, a pack of five $20 Peet's Coffee gift cards for $80, a 20% savings. Gift cards for restaurants, movie tickets, video games, and more are available. Keep in mind you can use these to get a discount for yourself, not just for gifts.
Related: 30 Holiday Gift Bargains From Costco
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Costco is significantly cheaper than conventional retail stores for some TVs, Blu-ray players, and other electronics. When it's time to buy, compare prices and consider putting down the $60 for a membership, which can pay for itself with one big-ticket purchase.
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Even with a limited selection, Costco has some impressive deals on small appliances and home goods, including a Dyson Ball Animal vacuum for $350 (a price available to members only) compared with $500 for a similar model from Target.
Shoppers can find big savings on big-ticket workout equipment at Costco. Buying a ProForm Carbon R10 Rower from Walmart would cost $950. The same piece of equipment is offered at Costco for $800.
Related: This Cheap Workout Gear Can Help You Stay in Shape at Home
Beauty and Personal Care Products
Lotions, hair care products, soaps, toothpaste, and more can all be found at bargain prices in large quantities at Costco — and don't take up much space, even in large containers. You can buy a pack of five 8.2-ounce tubes of Crest Complete Plus Scope extra whitening toothpaste for $12 from Costco, or 29 cents an ounce. About the best you're going to do at Walgreens for Crest Complete Plus Scope toothpaste is a two-pack of 5.4-ounce tubes on sale for $5, or 46 cents an ounce.
Health products, including over-the-counter medicines, can be good buys at Costco — but be sure to check the expiration date to calculate whether a supersize quantity will get used in time. The regular price for three 16-ounce bottles of Renu Advanced Formula multipurpose contact lens solution, plus a 2-ounce travel size, is $24 from Costco, or 48 cents an ounce. A two-pack of 12-ounce bottles of the same solution costs $14 at Walmart, or 58 cents an ounce.
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Cleaning wipes, toilet bowl cleaner, dish detergent, laundry detergent, dusting spray, and mop refills can be found in bulk for less at Costco. Given that these items don't expire, you can save a bundle if you have the storage space. Take Windex Original Glass Cleaner: A 32-ounce spray bottle and 176-ounce refill is $13 from Costco, or 6 cents an ounce, while buying the same size trigger bottle from Home Depot (no refill) costs $3.78, or about 12 cents an ounce. Even in a small house or apartment, storing the refill shouldn't be too much of a challenge — and it may come in handy, with many stores currently limiting purchases of cleaning supplies due to surge in COVID-19 and continuing supply-chain woes.
Related: 32 Must-Have Cleaning and Maintenance Products From Costco
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The Costco travel department helps members find rental cars for less than other travel services by scanning the market for money-saving coupons, discounts, and deals. It's not only a budget boost but a time saver, and some rental car companies waive their additional-driver fees for Costco members.
Related: 11 Ways Costco Can Save You Money on Your Car
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Printer paper, pens, labels, and notepads eventually run out, and they never go out of style. Buying office supplies in bulk is cheap and all but guarantees they will be available when needed. A case of simple copy paper, for example, costs $38 from Costco, or $3.80 per ream (500 sheets). A box half the size is $32 from Walmart, or $6.10 per ream.
People often forget that Costco has a photo department that not only turns digital photos into everything from calendars to Christmas cards, but charges lower prices, too. A 12x12 premium lay-flat photo book with 30 pages included starts at $40, while Shutterfly charges $85 for the same size with only 20 pages included.
Related: 20 Gifts for Women Who Say, 'Don't Get Me Anything'
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Glasses and Contact Lenses
If you've grown tired of the upsell to pick up new frames or contact lenses whenever you go to your optometrist, it's time to check out Costco Optical. Not only is an independent Doctor of Optometry located at or near most Costco locations, but Costco Optical was also named the No. 1 place to buy glasses by a leading consumer product testing organization. The chain received high marks on price, after-sale customer service, frame quality, and more, though was deemed to have a limited choice when it came to frames. If you find a pair you like elsewhere, you can bring them to Costco to have lenses installed, sometimes for as little as $40. Prices for contact lenses are competitive, and Costco posts sales on the website.
Related: 10 Things to Know Before Using Costco Optical
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For romantic singletons (or couples celebrating an anniversary), the floral department at Costco may not seem like the to-go spot for picking up a bouquet, but the savings may make up for the warehouse ambience. For $43, a bouquet of 50 roses (pick from red, yellow, hot pink, orange, multicolored, and more) can be delivered next-day or whenever you prefer along with gift messaging. Other arrangements are available, too. For a bundle of roses the same size, most other florists charge at least $60.
Related: Cheap Flower Delivery: Local Florists vs. ProFlowers vs. 1-800-Flowers vs. FTD
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Buying new tires is one of the biggest regular expenses you'll face when it comes to your car or truck. Not only does Costco offer reasonable prices for swapping out your tires, they also offer free lifetime balancing, rotation, air pressure checks, replacement valve stems, and air pressure checks. There's just one catch: Nowadays, they'll only install tires purchased at the warehouse. So if your local Costco has the tires you want and is close enough to serve as a service center, jump on the deal.
Related: Tire Installation Cost Comparison: What's the Best Place to Get New Tires?
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