PSA: Costco stock up vs. weekly grocery trips - which actually saves more?

I went to Costco in Tulsa last weekend and dropped $280 on bulk staples like rice, canned goods, and toilet paper. But my buddy swears he saves more by hitting Aldi every Friday with a list and never buying in bulk. I feel like the Costco membership pays for itself if you use it right, but the upfront cost hurts. Has anyone actually done the math on this or is it just a matter of habit?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbara3998d ago

...and I read this whole breakdown online from some guy who actually tracked his spending for a year. He did Costco trips every month versus weekly Aldi runs, and Costco came out ahead by like $200 a year but only if you actually used everything you bought. The problem is most people buy stuff at Costco they don't need or let bulk items go bad before using them up. For my family of four, the upfront cost is worth it for diapers and paper goods alone since those don't expire, but fresh stuff I still get weekly at the local store. Honestly it depends on what you buy and how much space you have to store things.

the_vera8d ago

@barbara399 the part about letting bulk items go bad really hit home for me. I bought a giant bag of onions from Costco once and ended up throwing half of them out because they sprouted before I could use them. Learned my lesson - now I only get the non-perishable stuff there too.