Sale + Coupon Vs Costco prices

[Newfiegirl]

Ok not sure where I should be posting this but I'm wondering if anything has figured out if it is better to get to get things at Walmart/Zellers/Sobeys/Dominion or at Costco. There are certain things that I would get at Costco, usually when they have their own promo - popcorn, garbage bags, dishwsher detergent, laundry detergent etc. Was wondering if I am better or worse of getting them at other stores with coupons. I can't stack here and internet coupons are getting more complicated to find a place to take them.

Also when people say printable coupon do they mean internet coupon that you print yourself?

Thanks

[blawblaw]

Ok not sure where I should be posting this but I'm wondering if anything has figured out if it is better to get to get things at Walmart/Zellers/Sobeys/Dominion or at Costco. There are certain things that I would get at Costco, usually when they have their own promo - popcorn, garbage bags, dishwsher detergent, laundry detergent etc. Was wondering if I am better or worse of getting them at other stores with coupons. I can't stack here and internet coupons are getting more complicated to find a place to take them.

Also when people say printable coupon do they mean internet coupon that you print yourself?

Thanks

Printable coupon = an internet coupon that you print yourself, yes. Or one that's emailed to you and you print it yourself.

There are also coupons that you can order online (like from save.ca, websaver.ca, and brandsaver.ca) that they send to your house.

I personally find that shopping sales at normal stores and using coupons saves me more money than buying in bulk at Costco. Especially for toilettries like shampoo, toothpaste, tampons, etc. -- you can find much better deals in stores using coupons than you can at Costco.

[ahatt]

It really depends. If you live out west and have an London Drugs, it is definitely cheaper to buy laundry detergent, toothpaste, etc there since they allow coupon stacking.

If you live in ON or any other eastern province, we don't have London Drugs here, so some things at Costco are a good deal.

Things that we buy there regularly that are cheaper:

• Keurig K-Cups 50pk $24.99 (Home Outfitters and Metro sell these for $12.99 for 18pk)
• Great Plains 10kg Flour $6.99 (almost never can you find flour this cheap, although I did recently see this flour go on sale at No Frills for $5.99, but that isn't all that often.)
• 1kg Billy Bee Honey $6.69 (excellent price for this since the much smaller one is usually $3.99 in grocery stores. Recently I saw this size of honey on sale for $5.99 at Food Basics I believe. This size honey goes on sale for that price occasionally.)
• Excel Gum 9pk $5.39 (I believe that's the correct price). Not very often are coupons found for gum.
• Lean Ground Beef - not sure what it is per pound, but last time I bought 3kg of ground beef for around $16. The price of ground beef at the grocery store is usually $3.99/lb, so for 3kg that would be about $26. Ground beef does go on sale fairly often at the grocery store for $1.99 though, so it would be cheaper to buy at the grocery store when it's on sale for that price.
• Oak Run English Muffins 3pk (each pack has 6 eng muffins) $2.69 (I've only seen english muffins on sale for as cheap as $0.99 for a pack, so this is a good deal).

Those are items that we regularly buy that are cheaper at Costco. Other things like toothpaste or laundry detergent aren't usually a good deal. You can get better deals on toothpaste and laundry detergent with sales + coupons. I don't find a lot of their meat (especially chicken breasts) to be a great deal. Chicken Breasts especially, go on sale quite often at grocery stores for anywhere between $2.97-$3.99/lb, so it's cheaper to buy at a grocery store on sale.

Anyways, hope that that helps! I'm sure there are other things that are a good deal at Costco, but those are the items I regularly buy that are a better deal.

[MelanieG]

Eggs are cheaper at shoppers then they are at Costco. I bought 5 dozen thinking it would save me money but nope. Cost me more at costco even with my 2% back card. Plus the $100 dollars it cost me to get my membership in the first place.

[Newfiegirl]

Eggs and milk are very expensive here and shoppers doesn't sell eggs so Costco is cheaper, unless Dominion is having a sale. I just came back from Walmart $3.87 for 2L milk, I usually save $0.10-$0.20 at Costco, best deal on milk is the quickie mart, but we only go there mid-week. No 4L or milk here. Lovely when you can get 8L of pop for the price of 2L milk.

I have gotten used to getting lean ground beef for $1.99/lb and skinless boneless chicken for $3.99/lb on sale at the grocery store. For other stuff sometimes it can be easier to buy at Costco than waiting for a sale. It was usually that I didn't like all the flavors of a Costco pack that would be a turnoff. I do buy the kids vitamins, maple syrup, cereal on sale, nutella, lemon juice, saran wrap, parchment paper, bananas, salad mix ($2.99 for a big tub as this is about $5 at grocery store), popcorn, grocery bags, detergents at Costco. I do know that usually toilet paper is not a great deal there. Since following on here I have gotten some dishsoap, dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent on sale with coupon but I never calculated the difference. I only have 25 tablets for dishwasher instead of 110. I have to decide if I will buy the popcorn at Costco tomorrow or not.

[cjunk]

If you like to read or you get a lot of prescriptions, Costco is worth it just for that alone.

As for groceries, the Maple Syrup is a great price, as are the Ciabatta Triangle Buns ($5. and change for a HUGE bag and freeze and toast well), large slab cakes for parties, extra large pies for company. The large pack of spanakopita in the frozen section for 6.00 is cheaper than to make it yourself and is great for both large parties or at home with salad for lunch or light dinner. Last week I got 2 HUGE Hummous containers for 3.87 for both on a sale they had going. Their whole pre-cooked chickens are great price for how large they are as well.



If you like decent coffee the Zavida Organica whole bean is very good and occasionally goes on sale for 10.80 for a huge bag of beans.

[parkmomma]

The things that we find way cheaper at costco are:

disney gummy vitamins (8.99 for 200) compared to 6.99 - even with stacking this price is often better because I can only usually find 2 types of $2 coupons.

Chicken

Fruit cups

Kids books.

Other than that though, the prices for toiletries seem ridiculous compared to sales and coupons. We walked through last night and husb was in full appreciation of the things that i get for free. (:

[AryanasMommy]

We buy most of our groceries at Walmart because we can price match. But since I bake all of our bread from scratch I buy Flour, Sugar and Yeast from Costco. I don't pay the annual fee (I just shop with my MIL who has a membership lol)

[corbinx]

I find Wal-Mart and other stores cheaper than Costco for everyday items (and yes, I do have a LD to stack at so I would not likely buy laundry detergent, personal items, diapers, etc at Costco again). However, Costco has a lot of great items that you can't find elsewhere and are a good deal such as baby clothes, kitchen gadgets, lunch snacks, and toys. As well, even though their meat can be quite pricey it is better quality than anywhere else and when divided into portions lasts for quite a while. A lot of baking ingredients such as chocolate chips, brown sugar, yeast, spices, and nuts and other bulk items like honey, lemon juice, parchment paper, and buns are cheaper there too. They have lots of great convenience foods for parties that are well worth it in both quality and price compared to other stores like their fruit/veggie trays, cakes, pies, hummus, and frozen appetizers. I also get their brand of maternity vitamins for crazy cheap there and getting pictures developed is also significantly less. I love going there to see their new items and pick up my old favorites, test out the samples, and sometimes eat lunch there. I rarely get out of there spending less than a few hundred dollars but I can't help myself!

[ahhc]

Usually I PM in Zellers, with SPC 10% off and coupons, they are sure alot cheaper than in Costco, also, I am in family of 3 in household, the size of package in Costco for my family is a bit oversize.

[PinkLincoln]

Sugar is the cheapest I've ever found at costco, something like a 10kg bag was $5.99, vanilla is very cheap, dog food, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, meat is cheaper and AMAZING quality. Also, some stuff that might not be a great deal, if you wait for a sale the prices are great. I love costco. Also the vacuum sealer bags are cheapest there, I buy all my meat in bulk, set up portions that are 2 servings a bag, and freeze it all.

[QueenH]

Thanks for all the great Costco info. I usually buy the BillyBee Honey there too. I also buy my Cheerios there as I can never find a coupon for them. I hope its a good deal. My DH is a chip monster so we always end up buying the two bag packs there too. I wish they would accept coupons now that would be awesome.

[nuca95]

I find this topic very interesting. Thank you. Now I know that I can find some good prices at Costco.

[Pouf]

THere are pros and cons to Costco. We regularly purchase from Costco:

- maple syrup
- chips (ah, so bad for me!)
- peanut butter (huge container for $5.49 and it's always on sale for $3.99)
- almond butter $8 or so for a huge jar
- contact lens solution
- wipes (because their wipes are the BEST)

Items we purchase occasionally from Costco if I haven't stocked up or if I have no coupons:

- Dempster's whole grain bread
- meats (the quality of meat there is phenomenal)

Plus DH always picks up DD1 at least 1 book, and their kids books are SO much cheaper than elsewhere. We have also had art framed there and their prices are fantastic, and the quality is excellent.

The downside of course is #1- the price of membership #2- we ALWAYS spend WAY more than what we ever plan to.

[FallenPixels]

Make yourself a list of the prices and work it out per 100g so when you look at flyers you can easily tell if its better to buy grocery sized ones with coupons