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Costco can be a great place to shop to save money and keep your credit card bills down. But the store is chock full of impulse buys and “must-have” items, so visiting can also cause you to overspend if you aren’t careful.
The good news is, there are a few simple ways to reduce the amount of money you’re shelling out at the warehouse club — and these suggestions go beyond the obvious of just shopping with a list and making sure you aren’t swayed by store samples to buy items you don’t really need.
Here are three techniques for keeping your spending down and positively impacting your personal finances with your Costco membership.
1. Buy Kirkland-brand products
Kirkland is Costco’s house brand. Somewhere around 350 products are sold under the Kirkland label, many of which are made by the same manufacturers as big-name national brands. Every one of these Kirkland items was subject to a rigorous quality control process set by Costco — and each one also costs at least 20% less than a comparable national brand would sell for at the warehouse club.
The next time you’re shopping at Costco, make it your mission to swap out as many of the name-brand items you’d ordinarily put into your cart for the Kirkland alternative. If you normally spend around $100 per trip (which is what the average Costco customer spends), you could end up getting out of the store with somewhere around $20 extra left in your checking account if you try this approach.
2. Be strategic about when you shop
Costco’s products tend to go on sale on predictable schedules. For example, you may be able to get leftover holiday decorations at a significantly reduced price after the holiday is over. Store employees have also advised that Costco gets tons of returns after the holidays, with many of those items put back on the shelves at a heavily discounted price. On the other hand, January and February can be an ideal time to buy a TV at Costco, while Labor Day and Black Friday can be ideal times to buy mattresses.
You can look back at past Costco coupon books to see when certain items have gone on sale in the past so if you have a big upcoming purchase to make at the warehouse club, you can wait until the right time to make it.
3. Download the Costco app
The Costco mobile app can be a great tool to help you save because you can view all of the current promotions that are available on the Savings Panel. Both online and warehouse promotions are listed there so you can find bargain-priced items.
Of course, you don’t want to buy something just because it’s on sale as this would end up costing you money (no matter how good of a deal you get). But if you spot something that you tend to buy and use regularly that’s on sale, you may want to stock up on a few of that item so you won’t have to buy it again at full price later.
By taking these three steps, ideally you can reduce the amount you’re spending at Costco while still buying all the great items that you need that the store has to offer.
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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
