Brad was recently asked why we shop at Costco when we’re only two people. A lot of single people and couples don’t even consider warehouse club memberships because they don’t think there is any possible way that purchasing things in bulk makes sense for them. Even as a family of two, we’ve found some excellent reasons to buy in bulk.

We joined Costco when Brad started working at his old company, there was an employee perk available so we checked it out and decided that it was worth the membership, and still is. Here’s what we get at Costco, and why.

Gas

• Most often Costco’s gas is significantly less expensive. The last time we filled up it was 8 cents a gallon less than the gas stations on my way home and 12 cents a gallon cheaper than the one across the street. The gas savings that we experience each year make up for our annual membership.

Home Products

• We purchase tissues, toilet paper, papertowels and napkins when they’re in the Costco coupon book and they last the two of us for a very long time.
• Diswasher tablets, laundry detergent, fabric softener and Lysol wipes. These things don’t really expire and we don’t have to buy them very often. The wipes came with 3 containers packaged together which is perfect for keeping one in each bathroom and one under the kitchen sink.
• Garbage and recycling bags.

It was especially nice having all of the home products in large quantities when we were painting and pulling up carpet in the house before we moved in.

Medical

• Vitamins and OTC allergy medication. We found our vitamins and allergy medication like Zyrtec were significantly less expensive when bought in bulk.
• We buy my contacts through Costco and received big rebates for buying a six month supply. Name-brand frames were also less expensive.
• I hate running out of juice boxes for low treatments, so we get them by the flat for less.

After doing some research we did find that alcohol wipes and glucose tablets were not a deal at the warehouse club.

Food/Beverages

• Glucerna and V8 juice are much more affordable in bulk (also juice boxes). Since diabetes especially hates me in the mornings, I drink a Glucerna for breakfast at least 5 days a week. It’s the only thing that works. Brad enjoys V8 fusion juice as a way to up fruit and vegetable intake, plus it’s convenient.
• When we’re having people over for anything, we usually get the refreshments at Costco. Whether it’s bakery muffins, wine, crackers, chips, fresh ground beef for the grill or fruit/vegetable trays it makes entertaining more affordable.
• I’m always impressed at the produce section in our Costco. They consistently have excellent asparagus and green beans.
• Soup, cereal, salsa and frozen items.

That list doesn’t include the non-bulk items like electronics, gifts and books that we’ve saved on there as well.

I wish I could give you a dollar amount or percent of our budget that we’ve saved by purchasing certain items in bulk, but I can’t. We joined Costco when we still lived in an apartment so we had to figure out some storage space for the paper towels, toilet paper and tissues, but it worked out just fine. There are still some things that a family of two shouldn’t buy in bulk, highly perishable things like fruit, eggs and most dairy products will expire long before we’re able to finish them… if we had a family of five, that might be a different story.

What items do you save the most on by buying in bulk?