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Small family and costco

babyaustin725babyaustin725 member
in Washington Babies

I am considering getting a costco membership.  We had one when we were first married and used it maybe twice.  We don't have extra room to store piles of toilet paper and our freezer is pretty much pouring out when you open the door (it needs to be cleaned out, though, some of that can be trashed).  So, I'm wondering if anyone with a small family (1 child or 1 child and an infant) and limited space shops Costco? 

I was thinking of maybe getting a small chest freezer and putting it on our back patio (there's an outlet out there).  We have no room in the rest of the house.  Is that weird?  I was thinking we could put like an outdoor tablecloth on it big enough to cover the whole thing (we are the bottom unit in a condo so it's not exactly private) and stack toys and stuff on it...just a small freezer, mind you.  Maybe that would be odd?  Risky?

Okay, so the things I'm thinking that would be beneficial is: cat food, dog food, and stuff for lunches (since Tillman takes his lunch to school 4 days/week now).

Do the big items that you might buy there rarely:  electronics, furniture, other misc. stuff, really make it worth the membership fee?

Full disclosure:  a lot of the reason we didn't use our old membership very much is probably because there wasn't a costco convenient to us.  Since we have moved there is one in an area we are in several times a week.

 

 

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Re: Small family and costco

  • kimberly.kentkimberly.kent member

    We use ours alot and it's just us two. We buy our meat in bulk so we can seperate it out which means we shop for meat maybe once every month or so. We also buy our lunch supplies, dry goods, cat food, and shower stuff from there. For us, it is definately worth it. We also do bulk shopping for various activities we are apart of and it's always more cost effective to go the costco route when planning large meals. It all really depends on what you want to use it for.

    I don't know about the chest on the patio thing but when we were in a small apartment, we bought the same amout of meat we do now and we were fine with the standard freezer.

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  • BriAndSeanBriAndSean

    We have an executive membership at Costco and it pays for itself every year. We still have to supplement our shopping at our local grocer since there are some things we can't buy in bulk as a small family (my mom ONLY shops at Costco!). I could probably save as much as I do at Costco by using coupons and shopping sales at more than one store, but I like the convenience of buying at Costco and getting a good price without the work.

    As for the storage aspect, we have talked about getting a chest freezer but have yet to do it. I would not put a freezer outside though because I would be worried about someone taking the contents. A chest freezer would be nice but I find as long as I go to Costco once a month, I have room to store what we use in 1 month.

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  • chibipoechibipoe

    DH and I have had a membership since before we were married and it's just us and DD now. We go probably once every two weeks. A couple years ago we bought a chest freezer that we keep in the garage and we got a food saver vacuum sealer as a wedding gift. We buy all of our meat there (I love the chicken because it's already portioned out and packaged) and big bags of frozen organic veggies. We also buy a lot of our fresh produce there, brussel sprouts, salad greens, carrots, pears. I think the membership is worth it just for the discounts on books and clothes but it can also be dangerous because the deals are so good it is easy to over spend. We wait for coupons on our non-perishable items to save a little money (toothbrushes, toothpaste, coffee). Heads up though - toilet paper is usually cheaper on sale at the grocery stores or Target.

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  • Savara07Savara07 member

    We also have an executive membership at costco, its great not only for food, but for gas as well!

    I wouldn't put a chest freezer outside unless it has a lock on it.  I would worry that it is a liability, especially if there are small children around.

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  • keri1013keri1013
    It's just us and Max and we've had a membership since before we were married. My MIL could go on and on about how worth it the Costco membership is, even for one person. ;) I do think it's worth it, we have a freezer in the garage but even when DH was by himself in a little condo he got his money's worth. I don't buy a lot of perishables there but we get things like canned goods, pasta, condiments, frozen chicken breasts, salmon burgers, regular burgers, bread, etc. They also have good deals on clothes, not a ton of selection but you could find things like winter jammies for Tillman. And their gas is a great deal.
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  • Alli923Alli923
    We have a membership and go about once a month.  We get some staples there, chicken, frozen veggies, english muffins, salmon burgers, onions, avocados, etc.  We often get a big lot of groceries there and then make meals ahead and those go in our chest freezer.  It helps a lot for us when I'm really busy at work, that way DH just throws something into the oven and we have a nice hot dinner and neither of us has to worry about it.
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  • braveangel2braveangel2 member
    You sound like us...we had a membership when we were newly married and used it like once. But since having the baby, they put one in closer to where we live and we go there every few weeks. We buy eggs regularly (we have them for b-fast each morning) and get photos printed, but as for the larger stuff, I've bought a camcorder and our much-loved a/c unit there. Oh, and towels.
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  • CDMay2006CDMay2006 member
    imagebaby_austin7/25:

    So, I'm wondering if anyone with a small family (1 child or 1 child and an infant) and limited space shops Costco? 

    Is there something you have to share?

    I think the freezer would be ok, but like others said, be sure to get one with a lock on it, and confirm that it is wired to be safe outdoors.

    I think costco is useful, but not essential.  We usually get it, then let is lapse for 6 months or so, then go back.  We like fresh, local things, and while costco has a lot more of that now, you can really only eat so much spinach, even if it is half the price you'd find at the grocery stoer.  Also, i don't buy electronics there because i don't like their policies for electronics.

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  • N.CarolinaGirlN.CarolinaGirl

    We buy toddler clothes, regular clothes, great prices on underwear, nyquil/meds, contact solution, pregnancy and BC stuff, baby wipes, diapers, sunglasses, printer ink, cookware, fans, and oddly only a few food items since I don't need 3 gallons of soy sauce, for instance.  Good price on mondavi chardonnay four packs.

     We do have an upright freezer in our basement.  I can buy the chicken and split it up, or buy some of the frozen food stuff and split it up.

    btw, great chicken pot pies there.

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