Post #50 Costco for Groceries? Yes for Me

Reporting back now, I would say that my 1 year experiment to lower the cost of my groceries by mostly shopping for them at Costco (Canada) has been successful. My grocery bill has dropped (quite dramatically; 30% or more). Instead of my grocery bill increasing over the past year, it has dropped.

Month by month, I have steadily become more Costco educated:

about the choices at my local warehouse; &
by reading some of the many articles written to enlighten me about some of the best Costco deals. Grocery choices & much more (car buying discount, some major household appliances buying, travel deals, possible health insurance discount, etc. Who knew?); &

I have transitioned to only 1 (one!) big grocery shopping trip there per month (with a list in hand now that I already know some choices). I find this more time efficient, & for me there’s much less impulse buying now. Also it’s true that one can encounter crowds shopping at the warehouse, & I only face this once a month.

I have built a satisfying amount of variety into my shopping items. In fact, I purposefully aim for food variety. Each month I make sure to buy several different items than last month. Different fresh fruit(s); different vegetable & protein choices. I am always on the lookout for some brand new choices to try (food with a discount because it’s a new item might be an “impulse buy”; I sub it in for something else that was on my list).

Even shopping as a single person, I have found that I can build a reasonable amount of variety into my Costco meal component choices; I have a fairly large fridge…

I have just passed the one year mark & renewed my membership (& was able to do so before the membership price increase). I know that to some of you, I am (perhaps vastly?) late to the Costco party. & I am enjoying the party.