So many folks I know have also raved about Costco. I wonder how it is for organic though? I end up going to Whole Foods (aka “whole paycheck”) for my organic veggies, fruit, coffee, hot cocoa, etc. etc…
I know that Costco has organic berries. Other than that, I’m not sure.
Berries are one of the few perishable items that we can eat before they go bad
1 Like
There are a lot of organic products - will there be all that WF has? Probably not. But definitely worth checking out. Plenty of organic fruit and veggies, meats, staples, etc.
Here’s some of them - not sure how old this article is for pricing. Also some products do go in and out of stock. But most is consistent.
2 Likes
Off the top of my head, they have a decent variety of organic snacks, condiments, pastas, salads, some fresh veggies, coffees and other beverages, sometimes beef and chicken, eggs and milk. They also sell wild caught fish.
In addition to that, i like that some (not all) of their bulk foods use considerably less packaging than grocery store sizes.
2 Likes
I will def check out Costco then. My hub has a membership that he never uses, lol…
2 Likes
You have a membership but have never been? Be sure you leave plenty of time to go up and down the aisles. It’s big. Or if your primary desire is for produce/meats, go straight to the back of the store (at least all of them I’ve been in) to produce/meat/refrigerated foods. Then wander the other stuff.
2 Likes
Individual store manager at Costco has discretion over what products it carries. So how much organic products it carries varies by location. In a more upscale neighborhood, a local Costco is likely to carry more organic products. However, as Costco is more focused on product quality and volume than variety, it doesn’t try to compete with local supermarkets on product variety, or with stores specialized in selling organic products on the variety in organic products.
2 Likes
We found that pretty much every Costco in our area has a similar selection of organic produce. The berries are often Driscoll’s. Cream of the crop. 
We buy strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, apples, bananas, watermelon, asparagus, cucumbers, lettuce blend, corn, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, yellow onions, eggplant… Plus some others, so this variety works for us. Our local stores started selling some lesser known fruits grown in Mexico: star fruit, jackfruit, etc. We generally don’t buy pre-packaged snacks like protein bars, so no ideas if any of those are organic or not, but there is usually a whole isle to pick from. I noticed that there is also a good selection of organic frozen fruit and vegetables. Sure, there are no things like turnips or celery root, but I usually swing by TJ to get those if I need them.
I have not stepped into a Whole Foods - since about the time Amazon took over - other than to return some online purchases, but I heard that their over the top selection has been trimmed by Amazon.
2 Likes
Thanks for the feedback! Yes, Whole Foods has definitely reduced their ‘unique’ inventory (wasn’t ‘asparagus juice’ a thing a while back? lol) - but I never bought that anyway - stuck to the basics like fruits/veg/hot cocoa/soup/probiotic vitamins, etc.!
1 Like
I value locally grown food over organic options. (Whole Foods may have some of that?). Soon our Farmer’s Market season will kick in - Yay. Many farmers here don’t have official organic status, but the do grow with organic-ish methods. This article is 2014, but it explains more.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-08-13/for-many-small-farmers-being-certified-organic-isn-t-worth-the-trouble
There was a time when buying at Farmer’s Market did save money. So I know people that complain about it being too expensive. For us, it’s a good way to support the local farmers and get fresh produce. It’s also a fun Saturday morning outing. Oh, and the local music is free (unless you are like us and like to throws a bit of cash in their jar).
Back to money saving tips; we choose to buy cars new but keep them for a long time. The “new” car just turned 10. I also have a 2006 Odyssey minivan, but since retired hubby and I do so much together it only gets driven a few thousand miles per year. Someday we may go down to one car, but it’s nice to have my own…. which has seats removed and is my “pickup truck” for yard waste and other hauling.
5 Likes
We’re fortunate enough to get oodles of local or closer to us produce too, much of that organic. And when our garden is producing, that’s all organic.
4 Likes
As noted earlier, .I buy a good amount of groceries at Costco. However, I do not buy produce. Much of Costco produce is sold in bulk size beyond what I’d eat in a typical week (or time until quality loss). For example, bananas are sold in 3lb bunches. I instead prefer to buy fruits and vegetables in smaller amounts, selecting individual fruit/vegetable pieces that appear to be highest quality.
2 Likes
You can always freeze chopped up bananas for a healthy frozen snack or to use in smoothies. Ditto berries, but we never seem to get to that point because we finish them quickly. That said, many other fruits and vegetables that come in larger quantities are not amenable to freezing so not such a good option for a single person.
And here is my pet peeve!! Please, please do not squeeze fruits and veggies when you shop for that perfect one. A slightly misshapen looking apple is just as good nutritionally as the one that looks like it came out of a glossy magazine photo. I often see people rummaging through piles of apples just to get “the one” while leaving many others bruised.
4 Likes
3 things: got sucked into a FB group called 10xtravel Insiders. anyone else there? I’m not sure i agree or can keep up with the premise: to constantly be opening and closing new credit cards and combining the points for travel. It overwhelms me reading it all.
-
LOVE my new SW visa with a companion fare pass through feb 28, 2024. it was a 2-week promotion SW held - $69 fee, probably to help with their image after Holiday time fiascos. So far i’ve booked one free ticket for my husband to join me for D16s masters thesis presentation in providence; and have 3 more flights coming with companions (all free)!
-
we have used my DH’s government (state entity) ties for hotels - government rate. Have saved incredibly on this over the years. His ID says “eligible for government rates” on the back. Some chains check the ID; some dont - but he knows now to travel with it at all times. If any of you have that, it’s a great benefit.
2 Likes
One other tidbit that can be helpful on some sites:
Always check prices when not logged in, preferably from a source where you can’t be logged in. Many times I searched at school during my free period or over lunch and discovered the price for “newbies” was better than the price for “members.” If you start as a newbie, then log in once you’ve selected what you want, you get the better price (or the complete discount when members get a % off). If you log in first, you can end up paying more.
It’s crazy, but happened to us again when H and I were looking for places to stay for my son’s wedding. We saved $10/night by doing it on his computer vs mine. It could have been more had we chosen different places.
ETA: And not just hotels. Flights can be similar.
2 Likes
Many foods store well for longer periods, such as frozen foods and dry foods. Produce does not. Fruit quality is lost with freezing. I’ve also noted that the quality and price of Costco produce is often not better than other sources in my area (when buying in season + sale). Continuing with the bananas example, I bought some bananas yesterday at a local market for $0.49/lb. Costco had them at ~$0.70/lb when I last checked with a minimum 3lb purchase and no way to select individual bananas with the size, ripeness (I choose variable spectrum of ripeness with different shades of green/yellow to last throughout the week), and quality I prefer. I don’t see the benefit of getting bananas at Costco over alternatives.
1 Like
I think this thread is going to have to become my wintertime project! Thanks to all of you who have offered up ideas. I have not had time to carefully read through everything the past few days but I will. Looking forward to finding some tricks and tips I have missed out on.
I remembered another one of my BEST Costco deals: Once or twice a year, they offer $500 Alaska Airlines gift cards for $450. AA is the only one that flies nonstop to my hometown where we go 2-3 times a year, plus nonstop from Seattle to HI (also an annual trip).
So we stock up when this offer rolls around. If I buy 5 cards, with my 2% Costco rebate and my 2% cc rebate, $2500 worth of gift cards cost $2150.
I get 3 AA companion fare vouchers a year (which we have to pay $100 to use) , so I combine the two. On top of that then, we are getting our AA miles when we fly. On average, 3 RT tickets between the two of us would give us enough miles for another free flight.
I won’t go into the more boring details, but the combination of miles, Costco savings, and companion fare means I can get, using average fare to fly to KC and KOA, 8 RT tickets for roughly $2750.
4 Likes
Most people (other than those in the Pacific Northwest) think AA means American Airlines, not Alaska Airlines. 
Costco used to sell them year-round at 10% discount. However, about a year ago, Costco sold them at 20% discount (or more) at some locations to clear out its inventory. It doesn’t seem to sell them any more, at least not nationally.
haha…thanks for the heads up on the acronyms!
Dang! I have never seen the gift cards for $400, but if I did, I would buy the limit (10 cards). Last time they had them for sale, you could buy them online, too, so they were available to everyone.
I am worried though. I’ve been checking periodically for the last couple of months and have not seen them for sale. It’s going to be very painful if they don’t come back!
Very recently, within the last 2 weeks, Costco had a $500 Southwest card for $450 and then another $20 off so $70 savings. Did I grab on in time? I did not. Dumb.