I grew up thinking that Costco memberships were for families with a gazillion kids. I’d tag along with friends on occasion to stock up on frozen fruit and coconut oil. I’d Venmo money to friends that made trips without me. After years of wheeling and dealing and for affordable, organic bulk fruit, I still couldn’t justify the $60/year membership cost {seems silly now}. What finally tipped me over the edge was moving in with my boyfriend and going through double the amount of frozen fruit. I needed the ability to purchase on my own time.

So $60 later and I’m able to purchase frozen fruit whenever I want. Even if the frozen fruit didn’t cost less than my regular grocery store {which it does}, it’s so much more convenient to purchase large bags. We make a version of this smoothie every morning and Costco prevents me from making three frozen fruit runs per week. Although the types of fruit rotate, there’s always a few types of organic bags to choose from.

Frozen fruit, toilet paper, and paper towels alone make the membership cost worth it. But I’ve also found a ton of new products that have become staples in my house, too. You have to be strategic with fresh produce because, unless you’re a family with a gazillion kids, a LOT can go to waste. Every trip, I buy organic broccoli, greens, and squash. We eat about as much broccoli and greens as we can handle and then freeze the rest of the broccoli for future dinners and the rest of the greens for future smoothies. And when you spiralize the squash, it’ll be eaten up in no time. This week, I supplemented with peppers and mushrooms. I know we’ll go through the mushrooms without a problem, but the peppers may be a challenge.

Prior to Costco, I was a meat snob. I would only buy meat and seafood at Whole Foods or Central Market. And while there are still types of meat that I’ll only buy at Whole Foods or Central Market {steak, chicken drums, pork, and non-salmon seafood}, I’ve found plenty of Costco meat to stock our freezer. After my Alaska trip, I’m so excited that Costco carries a few varieties of Alaska seafood. And I always keep frozen shrimp on hand because it thaws the quickest and eliminates a lot of excuses for going out to eat.

My coolest “find” to date is the 9-pack of Daily Greens. Cold pressed juice bottles run anywhere from $6 to $9 and this case is just over $2 per bottle. Purchasing this juice is also how I learned that each Costco carries a handful of local products. The coffee pictured above is also roasted in Austin, which I find pretty awesome!

I use the avocado oils pictured above to cook all of our meat, seafood, and veggies. I also purchased the spices I use all the time {Himalayan pink salt, pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes} from Costco, purchasing the rest in the bulk department at Whole Foods or Central Market as-needed. The spaghetti sauce pictured above is pretty much my favorite {I have mini panic whenever I think this brand has been rotated out}. And I add a tablespoon of butter and cooked ground turkey to the sauce, which makes the perfect zoodle dinner.

 

As you can see, I’m a total Costco convert. And even though we’re only a house of two most of the time, I think this membership is totally worth it. We spent about $400 on our first trip in May because we stocked up all of the new house things. But it’s four months later and we still haven’t needed to refill toilet paper, paper towels, flushable wipes, or ziplok bags. Subsequent trips have run about $200 and we go every two to three weeks.