Real Food Finds at Costco

One of the ways that I save money on real food is by shopping at my local Costco. Although I initially wondered whether it would be worth it to maintain our Costco membership as we were beginning to transition to real foods, I have found that Costco is an excellent source for certain real food and natural living items. We visit Costco once a month or so and usually spend around $80 at a time. (More if we are buying a lot of butter!)

Here are the items that I purchase at the Costco in Superior, Colorado. I would guess that some of these offerings may vary depending on your location. Items may also not be available at all times. I have chosen not to list prices, since I would assume that these vary across the country.  I have found, however, that Costco nearly always has better prices than other retailers.

  • Kerrygold butter (If this was the only thing we bought at Costco I think it would still make our membership worth it. Grass-fed butter is very expensive everywhere else I can find it and we go through a LOT of butter. Sadly this seems to be seasonal, as it was not there when I last shopped in October.)
  • Tillamook cheese (Various varieties. A bit of a compromise because it is not entirely grass-fed but it works for us.)
  • 10 lb bag organic carrots (I don’t always have room for these in my fridge, but I buy them when I can because they are an amazing price.)
  • Frozen organic peas and green beans
  • Frozen organic fruit (Selection varies – in the past I’ve bought peaches, blueberries, strawberries, cherries and blackberries.)
  • Organic baby spinach
  • Canned wild salmon
  • Kirkland organic peanut butter (I bought this for several years before I started making my own soaked and roasted peanut butter.)
  • Organic sugar (for water kefir)
  • Epsom salts (for GAPS detox baths)
  • Baking soda (Huge bag that I use for washing our hair and cleaning)
  • Vinegar (for cleaning)
  • Hydrogen peroxide (for cleaning)
  • Toilet paper (I buy the brand with part recycled content)

In terms of ease of shopping experience, we’ve also discovered that the timing of your visit matters a great deal. Our favorite times to go are weekday evenings, an hour or two before the store closes.  Our Costco is practically deserted at this time. Of course this is not an option for everyone, but it’s worth considering if you have any flexibility. Shopping at a very busy Costco is not much fun.

Here is more information about becoming a Costco member. The basic membership is $50 a year. For our family I believe that the money we save more than makes up for the membership fee.

This post is part of Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet.

Do you shop at Costco? What are your favorite items to buy?

 

 

———————————————————————————————————

STANDARD FTC DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only ever endorse products that are in alignment with Whole Natural Life’s ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. Please also note that Whole Natural Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

9 Responses to Real Food Finds at Costco

  1. This was very interesting! -- please share this next week at Fat Tuesday @ RealFoodForager.com
  2. reb says:
    hooray! i didn't know costco had kerrygold! i may have to make a costco run this afternoon!
    • Meghan says:
      Thanks for stopping by, Reb! I'm hoping that Costco gets Kerrygold butter back in stock soon. In the past it's shown up around St. Patrick's Day. I was there a couple of weeks ago and there wasn't any yet but St. Patrick's Day isn't till tomorrow, of course. Crossing my fingers it's there on my next trip! If you do end up going, maybe you could share whether you find any at your local Costco?
      • reb says:
        they didn't! not yet at the one in littleton, anyway. but i did get two blocks of kerrygold cheese and i took your advice and got some organic frozen blueberries and peas. i also got a bag of the frozen kirkland wild alaskan sockeye salmon. it seemed to pass all the tests on the seafood watch website. i've honestly not really looked at costco as a good source for real food because it's all just SO packaged there. but this post really made me second-guess that view and i'm so glad i did!
        • Meghan says:
          Aw, that's too bad about the butter! I really hoped that it would be there soon! I will be so sad if they stop carrying it. I'm glad your Costco trip was successful otherwise, though. Most of the food there is complete junk but you can find some great deals on real food when you know where to look.
  3. Jesi says:
    Don't know if this is always true, but I stumbled upon Kerrygold at my Costco in the gourmet meat and cheese section! I was thrilled. Anyhow - it is not with the other butter at our store, so be sure to check next to the GOURMET cheeses which is near the fresh meats side.
  4. TinaC says:
    Our Costco also carries several varieties of frozen wild caught seafood, Alaskan Sockeye Salmon and the scallops are our favorites and there are others. Other great finds are: Organic extra virgin coconut oil, organic lettuces, organic fresh strawberries (not available in all parts of the country unfortunately) organic basmati rice, organic free trade coffee, organic olive oil (I do prefer to support certain farms but this is a great source in a pinch, and they are one of the few national brands that have been tested to be actually totally olive oil), vanilla extract, and another couple of compromise foods we get between meat orders at the farm are the organic chickens and ground beef, organic chicken broth, and organic beef patties for parties. And they have the BEST tasting cinnamon for a phenomenal price!

Leave a reply