The 9 Best Deals at Costco

Discount warehouse clubs like Costco can offer substantial savings, but only if you know how to use them. Not everything is actually a great deal, and you have to find the right products at the right prices to make the annual membership fee worthwhile.

Once you do, it’s smooth sailing to superior savings.

Here’s a list of the nine best deals at Costco to get you started. Keep in mind that prices vary from region to region and store to store, but for quality and price these Costco offerings are frequently the best bargain around.

Toilet Paper

Everyone needs it, all the time, so you might as well buy in bulk. The fact that you can save a substantial amount per roll over typical retail prices, whether you’re buying name-brand or Costco’s own Kirkland brand, makes this a must-grab item every few months.

Laundry Detergent

It’s cheap yet effective and safe for virtually all laundry machines—Kirkland detergent keeps you clean without cleaning out your wallet. What more could you want in your wash?

Ice Cream

Taste-tested against leading ice cream brands, Kirkland’s premium ice cream performed just fine, and it costs up to 30% less per serving. Indulge a little, or a lot; Costco’s cheap scoops make it all possible.

Produce

This varies more widely from region to region, but thanks to their bulk deals with suppliers, Costco frequently has great deals on certain types of produce. Bagged lettuce, spinach, broccoli, and other easily-shipped produce items tend to be especially good deals.

Coconut Oil

This might seem like a luxury item at first, but once you start using it you’ll realize the versatility and health benefits make it worthy of some dedicated budget allocation. And at Costco, the coconut oil comes cheap enough to make it an easy swallow.

Eggs

The more you buy, the more you save. Uncracked eggs can keep for awhile in the fridge. If you and your family regularly have eggs for breakfast—or if you do a lot of baking and other cooking that calls for these protein-rich goodies—we suggest you stock up at Costco regularly. You can even go cage-free and organic at a wallet-friendly rate.

Ready-to-Cook Meals

Buying pre-prepared meals like Costco’s chicken pot pies and stuffed salmon might not always be the cheapest route to a hot, homemade meal, but for combined time-savings, quality, and price these are great bargains for that once-in-awhile pinch.

Wine/Alcohol

Costco’s booze offerings have almost become the stuff of legend. They’re rumored to partner with various well-known distilleries to offer premium liquors under the Kirkland name, but only on a seasonal basis—once a batch of whiskey sells out, you have to wait a year for it to roll around again. Those deals are the best, but they often have competitive prices on other brands of wine and liquor year-round.

Lunch

Our favorite Costco deal isn’t found on the shelves. A slice of pizza or a hot dog and a drink for under two bucks? That’s the deal that really blows us away, and we highly recommend capping off your Costco trip with a visit to their hot food bar for the best and cheapest lunch you’re likely to enjoy.