4 Telltale Signs You Are Overspending at Costco

You love Costco, but it’s possible you love it a bit too much. If you typically leave the store feeling like you spent more than you wanted, it might be time for a reality check.

The average Costco shopper makes about 30 trips — i.e., approximately one visit every two weeks — to the members-only warehouse club per year, spending around $100 per trip, according to Business Insider.

Overall, this equates to around $3,000 per year. If you’re spending a lot more than this, it’s possible you’re overdoing it.

Whether you paid $60 for the Gold Star Membership this year or $120 for the Executive Membership, there’s a good chance you decided to join the club to save money. While that isn’t currently happening, it’s never too late to turn this habit around.

Still not quite sure if you’re overspending at Costco? Keep reading to learn four telltale signs you need to start using a bit more restraint on future shopping trips.

“Costco can be a great place to find bargains, and there’s a very good reason for its widespread popularity,” said Natalie Warb, a finance expert at CouponBirds. “However, sometimes we may have a tendency to overspend on goods if we feel that we’re getting a good deal — this can lead to buying too much produce, which is then thrown away and ultimately goes to waste.”

She said a clear sign of overbuying is frequently being left with food that expired before you had a chance to use it.

“If you find that you’re often having to throw away moldy or expired food, this might be a sign that you are buying too much,” she said.

“If you’re often guilty of making spontaneous purchases or grabbing the first thing you see and then returning them later the same day — or a couple of days later — this could also be a good indicator that your Costco spending is becoming slightly excessive,” Warb said.

While you may have the urge to snap up a deal as soon as you see it, she said this can cause you to purchase items you don’t actually want or need.

“Instead, it’s recommended to shop with a list — which can then help you to identify savings on products that you know you’ll use on a frequent basis,” she said.

“Finding that you have several variations of the same product can also be a good warning that you’re overspending on food,” Warb said. “This is also more likely to lead to food waste.”

Of course, wasted food equates to wasted money.

“If you’re often reaching the end of the month short on funds with no idea where the money has gone, this is likely due to overspending on food,” she said. “When we make small, additional purchases throughout the month — these can very quickly add up without us noticing.”

Saving money is the whole purpose of shopping in bulk — Costco style. However, if your grocery bill has gone up or stayed the same since you joined this members-only warehouse club, this means you’re doing it wrong.

For example, you can get two 48-ounce jars of Creamy Skippy Peanut Butter for $11.99 online at Costco, which equates to 12 cents per ounce. Nearly double the cost, the member price for a 28-ounce jar of this same peanut butter at Safeway is $6.49 — i.e., 23 cents per ounce.

Shopping smart can save you good money, so if Costco isn’t saving you money, examine your receipts to devise a better shopping strategy.