I shop for my clan primarily at two stores in particular…Costco and Fred Meyer. We have found that in the long run, these are the stores that save us the most money, a fact that may surprise some of you. We do not have many of the same stores that are popular in the midwest and east coast, nor do we have the luxury of double coupon days and similar savings. Top that off with my crazy schedule that doesn’t give me endless hours per week to shop at a variety of stores, and there you have it.
I love trying out new and unique products at Costco, so every once in a while I’ll probably tell you what I’ve tried (no they aren’t giving me anything, nor have they asked me to talk about them).
Keeping it very real I have one complaint and one absolutely DO NOT TRY.
While their milk prices are the best around, the jugs they have decided to use are absolutely horrendous. Who on earth did they use as a focus group on that one? If I can even get the seal off of the milk, it will then proceed to literally drip all over my kitchen as I pour each cup. No joke.
I don’t know if every Costco around the country is carrying these crazy milk jugs (they’re basically rectangular) or if they have decided to only bless those who live in the Pacific Northwest, but the design seriously doesn’t work.
The one absolutely DO NOT buy is the Spinach and Artichoke Penne Alfredo (frozen food section)!!! I cannot tell you how disgusting this is, but it is a dish that my husband and I would normally LOVE! Don’t buy it!
Now that that’s over with, I have to say that when I can just take my time, I love shopping there. One word of warning though, it’s easy to think of them as THE place to purchase everything and assume they will be less expensive than anywhere else, but with any purchase, you still need to price shop.
That said though, if you decide to purchase something like a camera somewhere other than Costco, you’ll have to deal with the fact that you won’t be able to bring it back if something goes wrong. A lesson that I’m having to live with right now with my digital camera that was broken over the weekend.
It’s also easy to assume that buying the store brand (Kirkland Signature in this case) is cheapest. Don’t be too sure! For instance, if you were to do a per ounce comparison of their frozen Chicken Nuggets (an occasional indulgence around here), you will find that the Disney nuggets are less than the store brand. Just sayin’.
Getting on with it though, here’s two things to try out next time you’re there and want to do something different or fun. Their Tropical Island Sorbet Fruit Cups are amazing. I may not have the name completely right here, it’s been a while since we’ve purchased them, but they are very yummy! My favorite is the pineapple coconut, served in a pineapple shell…yes, every single one of these desserts come individually wrapped in their own real fruit cup! So creative. My husband’s favorite is the Coconut and you guessed it, it’s served in a coconut shell.
Also, grab their Gourmet Ole Chicken Burritos – again, they were less expensive per ounce and although they are an indulgence around here, they are very yummy and much cheaper than eating out. So there you have it!
Later, I’ll pass on a yummy Mac and Cheese recipe for all of you!
