Yesterday Kyle and I joined the rest of the economically conscientious population…
and became Costco members! We are now officially adults, budgeting and meal planning like we never have before (it’s that whole unemployed thing…).
After paying $5 for a 2 oz. can of tomato paste in NYC, we were prepared to be awed by the crazy low prices. What we weren’t prepared for was the sheer quantity that we would end up with.
I like oats, but I don’t need 10 pounds of them. Geez.
We came away $500 poorer, but I don’t think we will have to leave our apartment again until 2012. Literally.
Don Lee Farms’ veggie patties were just one of our new purchases.
As much as the phrase “all natural” makes my skin crawl, the ingredients were really impressive. In addition to actual vegetables (carrots, celery, onion, etc.), the burgers contain sunflower seeds and soybean oil, making it a very cheap vegan option. As far as processed food goes, these are on the hippie-approved end of the spectrum.
Plus, if you do the math, each patty costs less than $1. Now that’s just ridiculous. Boca burgers at Whole Foods cost $6 for 4.
I tried one as soon as we got home.
Multigrain bread, stone ground mustard, roasted red pepper hummus, spinach, and a veggie burger…yum!
There was a serious amount of onion going on in the burger, but I love that it was almost entirely veggies and seeds. That’s the kind of veggie burger I like…please no imitation meat for me…if I wanted meat, I wouldn’t be a vegetarian!
So far, I’m impressed with Costco’s goods, but I was a little bothered that they didn’t have vegetable broth or brown rice.
Any other Costco members out there? How do you leave the store without buying everything under the sun? We had a list going into the store that we stuck to pretty precisely, so I’m thinking it was all the basics that added up (first time apartment expenses…shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc.).
For Costco and non-Costco members alike, how do you keep your budget in check? Do you keep track of your grocery (or other) expenses? Kyle and I are going to start keeping track of these things now that we are living on a different kind of budget. Not that we were rolling dough before (trust me we weren’t), but since he’s starting MBA school next month and I still haven’t gotten a job, it’s back to the student broke a$$ lifestyle.
I love those veggie burgers. I eat meat so I really don’t want fake meat burgers – ewww. A veggie burger should be about the veggies! My only teensy complaint is that I found them a little oily, but otherwise all good! They’re awesome over rice – tastes like fried rice!
I’ve always been envious of you Costco members–sometimes my sister is kind enough to take me so I can stock up on almond butter and granola:)
costco=cereal and popcorn overload. it’s fantastic, in that sense!!
their produce isnt bad either!!
hope you have a great night!
love, becca
http://fromheretothereinpurple.blogspot.com
Long time reader, but only commented a few times…It’s really hard to buy in bulk at Costco and not end up being wasteful and/or feeling totally overwhelmed with all of the food you have in your pantry! My advice is to buy only stuff you can freeze, has a decent shelf life, or you KNOW you will eat, like spinach. Also, you can’t beat their beer/wine prices! My costco has vegan falafel balls that I am pretty sure you’d love!
Congrats on your new life on the west coast!
We joined Costco for the dog food (their name brand is really cheap and high quality), but I’ve found a lot of other things we like there as well.
I’ve been liking the MorningStar chipotle black bean veggie burgers and my husband consumes a LOT of cheese, which they have great deals on (for good stuff!). Their wine selection is pretty dang good as well.
Besides a few things that we consistently buy, I find there isn’t a whole lot of super healthy, amazing stuff to be had at CostCo (i think it has something to do with who would normally buy huge bulk quantities).
I also find that as long as I’m cooking at home, I don’t really spend that much money on food, so my number one trick for spending less on food is eating out less!
I usually never buy “first-time” products at Costco/Sam’s Club. I mean, they come in such big packages and what if I try one bite and don’t like it? I only buy things that I eat really often, and things that are cost-effective.
Some products I like are the huge cottage cheese tubs, string cheese, oj, granola bars, etc. If you like protein/energy bars they are much cheaper in bulk too.
OMG, Costco is phenomenal. Dangerous to the checkbook, but phenomenal nonetheless. And they always have an amazing selection of hummus!! It’s one of my favorite places to go to, after Whole Foods, of course 😉
I don’t think I’ve ever CostCo-ed. It seems to have a cult following though!
I do frequent CostPlus World Market that they also own. It’s so awesome for homegoods, kitchen supplies, and wine/beer form all over the world!
I don’t think I knew that Costco owned Cost Plus…I do love that place too!
OH my gosh thank you sooo much for helping me identify what the familiar flavor of those burgers was (is)…I am definitely trying that fried rice idea soon!
When I’ve had to be really strict with my budget, I’ve made sure to always make a list and only go to the store once a week — because there are always sneaky things that somehow wind up in the cart! I’d also recommend figuring out how much you can spend on groceries every week and having that in cash. It’s so much easier to ‘forgive’ splurges when they’re coming straight from your account and don’t really see them, but cash helps stop that — or at least makes you think more seriously about the splurges!
I’ve never been to CostCo, but I’m intrigued! Sounds like the quantities might be a bit much for me, though.
costco is amazing. if you like balsamic their HUGE bottle of it is totally worth it and totally good. we buy everything in bulk because my family is huge haha. we even bought the 10lbs of oats once. damn mice got into 5 lbs of it before we did though. dammit.
it’s hard to not want to buy everything but i think you start to find your favs and realize what you need in bulk and what you prob don’t need in bulk haha. that’s also why i like BJS Wholesale because things are bulk but a little smaller bulk action
please tell me you’re tuning into hard knocks tonight!!
i live riiiight around the corner from costco- it’s seriously dangerous. but since it is so close, i grab one of those ginormous re-usable bags and walk there. it’s a big help for impulse buying… knowing that i’ll have to carry everything home.
can i please get a picture of your $500 haul? that would be amazing.
Its super easy to spend $500 at costco everything you pick up is at least 6-12 dollars. Mine (brooklyn) started carrying ground flax and agave (super lucky). I also buy Dr. Praegers burgers in costco. I love their romaine (six heads for like 3.50). I could go on and on. I try to go when my fridge is empty, make a list ( i never stick to it) and the fact the my husband is the only one on the account, making it impossible for me to go alone and buy the whole store helps. I love costco and nothing makes me happier then going there. They even have organic natural peanut butter!
honestly, ive never had better avocado! and for the amount of apples i eat, its pretty much the way to go…
If you go to the Costco in Marina del Rey – the best time to go if you have to go on the weekend is in the morning. Its always super busy – but Saturday or Sunday morning is by far the best!
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