Many people join Costco so they can save money on groceries and household essentials. But sometimes, in the course of saving money, you can also enjoy really tasty, high-quality products. With that in mind, here are a few Costco finds that are worth the price.
1. Rotisserie chicken
Rotisserie chicken is by no means unique to Costco. Many supermarkets offer their own version of it. Rather, it’s the price that’s out of this world.
For just $4.99, you can bring home a warm, juicy chicken that, combined with some pasta or salad, could easily serve as dinner for a family of four or five. It’s a much more financially friendly option than ordering takeout when you’re too tired or busy to cook.
2. Rao’s Marinara Sauce
There’s a world of a difference between jarred pasta sauce and sauce that’s homemade. But let’s face it — you may not have time to stew tomatoes and create your own sauce blend every other week. Heck, you may be someone who barely has time to boil a pot of pasta. So you may have no choice but to fall back on store-bought sauce.
Rao’s, however, takes pasta sauce to a whole other level. And you can generally find two-packs of it on Costco’s shelves.
The cost will vary based on your location. The cost to have two jars delivered same-day in the NYC metro area is just under $14. But same-day delivery at Costco is way more expensive than the price you’ll pay in person.
3. Kirkland muffins
Muffins are a wonderful creation because even though they might seem like they’d fall within the realm of dessert, they’ve somehow become an acceptable breakfast food. Costco sells its giant Kirkland bakery muffins in two packs of six — meaning, you have to buy 12 at a time, total. However, you can mix and match varieties so that you might bring home six corn muffins and six blueberry, or six blueberry and six chocolate.
In the NYC metro area, you’ll pay $11.69 for 12 muffins if you order same-day delivery, but the in-store price is lower. Not only do these muffins offer great value for the price, but they’re delicious. Costco bakes them up daily, so you’re getting a product that’s fluffy and fresh.
4. Kirkland Signature Cutlery
There’s nothing particularly special about plastic cutlery — it’s the sort of thing you might need when you’re hosting a crowd, but you may not use it regularly. Thanks to Costco’s 360-piece cutlery set, though, you never have to worry about running out of plastic spoons, forks, or knives. The assortment features 180 forks, 120 spoons, and 60 knives, specifically.
The online price has you paying $18.49 for the set, or $0.05 per piece. At a regular supermarket, you’re likely to pay more than that per piece (one NYC-area store has plastic forks, for example, for $0.08 per piece). But once again, Costco’s in-store prices are pretty much always cheaper than its online prices, so if you buy this item at the store, you can expect to spend less.
These are just a few items that really stand out at Costco. One thing it pays to do as a member is compare prices at Costco to your local supermarkets. In the case of cutlery, for example, you probably don’t care exactly what plastic fork or spoon you’re putting out for a party or barbecue, so you might as well get the one that’s the least expensive.
At the same time, do know that many of Costco’s food offerings are exceptionally tasty. It pays to look out for free samples for items you aren’t familiar with, since Costco tends to rotate those regularly. That way, you can taste new products before committing to a purchase.
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