The Single Best Thing To Buy at Costco If You’re on a Middle Class Budget
Written by
Brooke Barley
Edited by
Amber Barkley
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 Years
Helping You Live Richer
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
The middle class is defined as households making $40,000 to a little over $119,000. That’s a pretty wide range that covers a lot of types of consumers. Perhaps you’re supporting a family, or you just need to keep costs low. Though Costco is known for keeping its prices pretty affordable, it can be easy to overspend.
However, there are a few standout items that, if you’re passing by a Costco, you should definitely stop in for. GOBankingRates asked consumer experts what you should not pass up at Costco. If you’re trying to make smart decisions while still keeping things affordable, here is what they recommend.
Option 1: Gas
No matter how high the price gets, you’ll probably still buy gas. Why not buy it somewhere known for selling it cheap?
“Take advantage of the gas prices at Costco. Rarely are gas prices lower anywhere else in comparison to Costco,” said David Kemmerer, CEO of CoinLedger. “So, middle class individuals and families should aim to gas up there in order to make that necessary expense less costly.”
In fact, Costco gas is so cheap that other gas stations have taken Costco to court, saying they weren’t fairly pricing their product, as reported by Supermarket News. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh District recently ruled that those gas stations were wrong: Costco’s prices are completely fair. Even more reason for you to start shopping there.
For example, the average gas price in Burbank, California right now is $5.33 a gallon for regular, but at Costco in Burbank, gas is only $4.89 a gallon for regular. It’s been reported that Costco gas is often about $0.30 cheaper than regular gas stations, so next time you’re planning a long road trip, make sure you map out where all of the Costco gas stations will be on your trip.
Option 2: Meat
Do you have a big party coming up? Are you trying to prepare to have a large group of people over for the next holiday? Or maybe you’re just trying to save cash and have some meat on hand for all of your future meals? Costco is your place to shop.
“When it comes to must-buy items at Costco, you can put anything in their meat department on the top of the list,” said Dan Gallagher, a registered dietitian at Aegle Nutrition. “You’re going to get a great price, per pound, for whatever choice of meat you buy, and you don’t need to use it all at once.” Gallagher added that meat is a great pick on a budget, because you can freeze your leftovers.
Here’s an example of how much you could save. At Ralphs, a pound of grass-fed ground beef goes for $11.99. At Costco, you can get a package of 12 pounds of grass-fed ground beef for $129.99. That’s $10.83 a pound. You’re saving more than $1 a pound, plus you can be certain you’ll be stocked up on beef for months to come — or you’ll be all set for a big event.
Melanie Musson, a shopping expert with Clearsurance, agreed, saying Costco’s rotisserie chicken is a particularly good pick. “It’s hard to find a better deal than Costco rotisserie chicken. At $4.99 per chicken, you can bring home a dinner entrée that feeds your family with healthy protein. You can use the leftovers for chicken sandwiches or chicken noodle soup.”
Option 3: Medications and Supplements
If you’re stocking up your medicine cabinet, Musson said you should look no further than Costco. “Vitamins and supplements for cold and flu season are a great deal at Costco. You’ll pay about what you’d pay at the drugstore but get twice as much product.”
For example, a bottle of 500 vitamin C tablets will cost you $19.99 at Costco. If you were to buy vitamin C from a grocery store like Ralphs, 110 tablets would cost you $10.29. You’d end up spending more than twice the Costco price to get the same quantity.
The same goes for pain relievers, like acetaminophen. At Costco, you can get a bottle of 400 tablets with 500mg each for $17.99. At Ralphs, even the Kroger brand will cost you much more than that: For 150 tablets with 500mg each, you’d pay $11.99. To get 500 tablets at Ralphs, you’d end up spending more than $40.
More From GOBankingRates
