What I Love at Costco and Trader Joe’s

Sorry to be gone so long!  Here is where I was all week every single night and all day Saturday.  I’m the third one from the left in the light pink shirt.  Being 5″ taller than all the girls makes you stick out a little.  Okay, not 5″.  It felt like it, LOL

Normally, I post recipes or a craft.  However, I know a number have also joined through viewing me on Money Saving Mom and I have been thinking about posting this for a long time.  This is just my go-to list for the least expensive things I can find for normal, stockpile items like toilet paper, butter, etc.  Disclaimer!!!  I know that once in a while you can get toilet paper for free or cheaper than this.  But, hey, once I run out I’m going to get more whether I can get it free or not.  I don’t see too many coupons for staples here like milk, butter, vanilla extract, etc.  Second, these are the prices for here in St. Louis, Missouri which will be different than other parts of the country.   And if you are one of the many locals that visit this site, maybe you can compare these prices to what you get.  Maybe I’m wrong and there is some other store I know is cheaper….  But I also love the samples at Costco 🙂

What are your favs?

My Costco List

Charmin UltraSoft Toilet Paper (30 Jumbo Rolls = 83 Regular Rolls) = $19.99 or $17.99 with a Costco coupon
(Ok, I’m picky about toilet paper.  Also, Target’s “sale price” on Charmin is 72 regular rolls (36 Double Rolls) is $17.99 or buy two get $5 gift card.  Not          bad actually.)

Bounty Paper Towels (12 Rolls or 22 Regular Rolls)= $19.99  or $17.99 with coupon (I think… around that anyway.)

Kirkland Shredded Mozzerella Cheese (5 lbs.)= $9.69  (that is 6.66 normal 12 oz. packages which cost about $2 each = $13.33 regularly)
What to do with 5 lbs. of shredded delicious cheese?  Freeze it!

Eagle Mills Unbleached Flour (20 lbs.)= $7.69  (equivalent of 4 – 5lb bags which are usually $3/each and would be $12 regularly)  (their huge bag of flour is an even better deal, however, it is bleached flour so I don’t use it.)

Jacks Salsa (48 oz.) =  $4.99  (This is the best salsa ever.  I don’t care how much it costs.)

Kirkland Premium Vanilla Ice Cream (128 oz.) = $8.99  ( equivalent to 8 pints.  Ben and Jerry’s premium is $3.75 each or $30 for 8 pints.  Remember this is premium ice cream.  Edy’s is cheaper, but full of air.  Literally.)

Wyland’s Frozen Wild Blueberries (4 lbs.) = $10.99   (I just can’t find these anywhere else but Costco.)

Organic Frozen Broccoli Florets (4 lbs.) = $5.99     (Same price as Walmart, but these are organic.)

Russet House Sweet Potato Fries (4 lbs.) = $5.99  (I think.  These were much tastier than Alexia’s in the regular stores.  And much cheaper.)

Fage Greek Yogurt, Plain and Fat Free (35.3 oz.) =  $4.99  (Amazon sells 17 oz. for $6.99.  Dannon is extremely expensive.  If you really like your vanilla flavored one, then just add a little vanilla extract.  You’ll avoid all that extra sugar as well.)

Plain Yogurt (64 oz.)  = $3.49  (This is a no brainer.  The 6 oz. Yoplait or other Yogurt cups on sale with a coupon run about 50 cents each.  Total for 64 ounces would be $5.33 and that is with a sale and coupon!)

36 xL eggs = $2.99  (Aldi charges $1.89 for 12 eggs or $5.67 the equivalent to Costco’s package)

4 lbs. Unsalted Butter = $7.99  (about the same at Aldi.)

Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats (10 lbs) = $6.89 (about 17 cents/ounce at the store.  This costs 4 cents/ounce at Costco.)
Go Go Applesauce (10 packages) = $7.99 (across the board these are about 50 cents elsewhere.  Costco also had a coupon deal on them a while back making them even cheaper. )

Ground Turkey = $2.49 per pound (This used to be $2.29/lb.  But still this price is less than most stores for ground turkey or lean ground beef)

Perdue Boneless, Skinless Chicken = $2.89  (On sale, your grocery store can beat this price, but normally it runs about $4-5/lb.)

Ziplock Freezer Bags (152 count)= $10.99  (7 cents each.  I can’t find a price to beat anywhere even when I have a coupon and a sale.)

Ground Saigon Cinnamon (10.5 oz)  =$3.99  (Best deal ever.  The quality is excellent.  I normally use our local spice shop for ALL my spices because they have vast superior quality to the megamart stuff, but this deal can’t be beat.)

Vanilla Extract (16 oz) = $6.75  (Another hard to beat deal.  The stuff lasts me 6 months.  A normal bottle would be $16.75 for 16 oz.)

Brown Sugar (4 lbs.) = $3.25 (I think… it is cheaper than Aldi.  Costco’s white sugar was clumpy, so I stopped using it.)

Nestle Chocolate Chips, Semisweet (72 oz.) = $8.99  (This comes to $1.49 per 12 oz. bag.  I really like Trader Joe’s as well.  They are $2.29/bag.)

Real American Cheese (5 lbs. sliced) = $9.69  (this is the real stuff, not the “cheese product” that most people buy as “Kraft Singles American Slices” which is not a regulated term by the FDA.  Read the ingredients.  You’ll see a difference.)

Strawberries (2 lbs.) = $7.99  (pretty good.  Aldi is cheaper sometimes.)

Bananas (3 lbs.) = $1.39  (46 cents per pound)

Granny Smith Apples, Fuji Apples, Gala Apples = $1.17/lb  (These come in plastic containers that keep them from getting bruised and the best price unless you see a 99 cent sale somewhere.  But this price is generally consistent.)

For many more prices, though some are different when I enter the store, go to this link.  It isn’t completely 100% accurate because it is old.  But it gives you a good idea in case you are interested in something specifically.

My Trader Joe’s List – much shorter
Antioxidant Fruit and Nut Mix (12 oz.) = $4.49

Pizza Dough Balls – $1.19

Quinoa and Black Bean Tortilla Chips = $2.69

 Joe Joe’s (aka Oreos) = $3

Trader Joe’s Baking Cocoa = $2.69 (I saw them using this on Cupcake Wars!  This is NOT Aldi’s cocoa powder.  The nutritional facts are vastly different.  The calorie count per gram is twice as much in TJ’s.)

Trader Joe’s Semisweet Chocolate Chips = $2.29  (Again, nutrition different from Aldi, but they look exactly the same!!)

White Whole Wheat Bread = $2.49

Whole Wheat English Muffins = $??  I can’t remember!

Most people will have more Trader Joe favorites.  These are just the ones I go to every time.