I often think about if the $60 Costco membership is worth it considering that we do a significant amount of price matching. So, I carefully looked at some of the items that most people purchase and here are five things that you will almost win with when shopping at Costco.

Lettuce mixes

Regardless of how thoroughly I scan weekly flyers, I cannot beat the $2.99/box price tag found at Costco.  I have seen over the past two years a box go down to $2.88 / $3.00 once or twice every summer, but usually run around $4.99. We eat a lot of salad, but it’s not a perishable item that one can really “stock up on”. We average at least four boxes a month.  The difference between the cheapest price that I have seen and Costco’s price already saves me $ 8.00/month 8×12= $96 a year. So in salad alone, I have made back my membership, but let’s keep going.

Skinny Pop and Pop Corners

We LOVE to watch movies in the comfort of our home. Costco carries large super party sizes of both of these items. When not on special they will run you around $6.99 /bag BUT on special, they will run you exactly $3.99. This is when we usually buy approximately 6 bags of each at a time (yes 6 bags!!!). They have a long storage life so you will be fine. At full price, you will probably save around $2.00 as compared to the regular sized bags at the store. On special, you will be looking at approximately 2 for the price of 1. These specials occur on average every 8-10 weeks.  If I use the 10 week special as a comparison point, I’m looking at approximately $240 a year.

Prana nut mixes

This is another item that I see huge savings on. They rarely go on special at the supermarkets (as very few carry it), but I’ve seen the 150 g portion run between $3.49-$5.49. At Costco the Prana mix that I like ( Kilimanjaro Deluxe Chocolate Mix) 1kg is regularly $12.99 on special it’s $9.99.  I go through at least 2 bags a month. Using regular prices, This saves me over $246.00 a year.

Cashew Nuts

 I used to buy cashew nuts at Bulk Barn, but only when they had the $3 off a $10 or more purchase. Even with that, the quality was sometimes missing. When I started buying cashew nuts last year, it was at an amazing $12.99 a kilo bag. Since then it has gone up to  $16.99 and then $19.99  for a kilo bag. Although I eat these nuts often,  I don’t buy cashew nuts all the time, so it wouldn’t be fair for me to put yearly savings on it.

Frozen Produce

For fresh produce, I prefer to buy at the local grocery market because often times, Costco sells large and pre-packaged amounts. I like to smell and feel my produce and I find that most times, I can price match for less at RCSS.

Bonus: Oils

In particular, coconut oil and olive oil. The prices at Costco for the quality of what you are purchasing cannot be beaten. We use either or both oils daily in our preparation of foods.

What else is there?:

Gas – Gas is always competitively priced at Costco.
Pharmacy – Costco also prices their pharmaceutical products very competitively (note: you do not need a membership to fill a prescription).
Eyeglasses: Costco has very competitive prices compared to other retailers.
Passport pictures: Yes at $6.99, you will not find this price anywhere!

Of course, there are things that I don’t by large portions of because they don’t make sense when price-matching products.

•  Yogurt
•  Condiments
•  Cereal
• Most produce (apart from lettuce, most items will be cheaper when I price match or spoil before we finish using them)
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels

If your goal is saving money, you also need to stay away from the vendors selling items that you need. (e.g. $200 blenders anyone?)

Final verdict:  Price matching hands down. There are good deals to find at Costco and I pay off my membership with my savings every year, but since I have become very good at price matching, I find the savings a lot greater overall than shopping at Costco. What’s your experience? Do your prefer price matching over shopping at Costco?