Our Costco Staples

Pretty early on in my dating relationship with Kevin, we got a Sam’s Club membership. (Our relationship moved fast right from the start, this being just one sign of that.) We weren’t even living together, but we did enjoy cooking together often, and so buying certain things in bulk just made sense.

We’ve continued to love club shopping, but were thrilled to discover, upon moving to Winston-Salem, that Costco was just as convenient as Sam’s Club. (We’d always preferred Costco over Sam’s, but when we lived in Atlanta there wasn’t a Costco nearby.) We happily changed our membership to Costco six years ago and haven’t looked back.

I love Costco, but Kevin LOVES Costco. He loves it so much that sometimes he’ll just pop in on a Wednesday over lunch to wander around a bit, check out the inventory, and grab a hot dog. His favorite pair of running shoes ever came from Costco. I probably average one Costco trip a month (almost always with Kevin), but he goes much more frequently. This works out great, because our family has developed quite the list of Costco staples over the years, and so it’s great that he can replenish our inventory frequently.

Below is a list of (just some of) our favorite items to get at Costco (both food items and others!), in no particular order:

• Almond Butter. Let’s start with a real essential here, why don’t we? (I keep one jar of this at home and one at work at all times!) The Kirkland brand is so good and so cheap.

• Vanilla Extract (and spices and seasoning in general). As a baker, this is a must for me!
• Frozen Fruit. We make lots of smoothies in our house, and so it makes lots of sense to load up on the big bags of frozen fruit Costco carries.
• Organic Spinach. Between huge salads, stir fries, and the smoothies I mentioned above, we fly through spinach at an alarming rate at our house.
• Kombucha. Although sadly our Costco isn’t selling my go-to GT’s Kombucha at the moment, they do usually have at least one brand available, and their multi-packs are a much better deal than buying kombucha bottles individually.
• Baby Formula. We had to start supplementing breastmilk with formula for Maggie starting about a month and a half ago (gotta love those supply issues), and the Kirkland brand was recommended to us by friends. Maggie seems to tolerate it well, and we tolerate the price well, too!
• Coffee. Huge bags of caffeinated deliciousness at a good price? Enough said.
• Riced Cauliflower. It’s frozen and will last for several meals (it comes in four 12-ounce bags). We adore this stuff!
• Hemp Hearts. A great source of protein to add to things like salads, yogurt, and smoothies.
• Sweet Kale Gourmet Salad. I like mine with balsamic vinegar and Kevin likes the dressing it comes with, but we both love this stuff.
• Seeds of Change Organic Quinoa and Brown Rice Packets. So convenient to have on hand and super quick to prepare!
• Coconut Oil. Lots of coconut oil.
• Edamame Noodles. I posted about these recently. We’re fans! These noodles are high in protein AND taste.

• Pasta Sauce. Perfect for topping said edamame noodles.
• Dog Supplies. We’ve loved shopping at Costco for Fulton’s necessities since adopting him, and get everything from his food to his beds to his dog chews there.
• Stir Fry Veggies. These huge bags of frozen stir fry veggies are perfect for a last-minute weekday dinner (especially when paired with cauliflower rice!).
• Red Wine. Great prices and a solid selection.
• Prescription Medicines. Get them filled here for sure!
• Cholula Hot Sauce. We devour this stuff, so getting it in a Costco-sized bottle is essential at the Keller house.

• Bread. Costco always has awesome prices on brands we love (Dave’s Killer Bread and Eureka).
• Car Tires. Kevin and I have both needed new tires in the last few months, and have been thankful to be able to use Costco for those replacements.
• Miscellaneous. One of the best things about Costco is that it’s a place where you can discover new, wonderful products. Who knows what new treasures they’ll offer between this week and next? I’d recommend swinging through the clothing section (you never know!) and skimming the coupon booklets they send through the mail before your shopping trip, too. And, of course, those samples on Saturday are pretty excellent. It’s also nice that the inventory in any particular category is never overwhelming. As Kevin says about Costco, “It’s like someone you really trust knows you’re looking for a garden hose, and they say, ‘Hey, I have one garden hose for you. You can trust me — I looked at dozens and this is the very best one, plus the price is amazing.’ And so you get that hose, and you know you’ll love it.” The gist of this post? Trust Costco for all things, garden hose-related and otherwise. 🙂

Fellow Costco aficionados: What are some of your essentials?