Why I Purchased a Costco Membership After Not Having One for 10 Years

Recently we purchased a Costco membership and I had many ask, how come?

Well, here are my reasons.

Big box, big bulk stores.  I've found over the years people either love them or hate them.  Saying this I've also realized that people will tend to join one during various periods of their lives.

Single, living in a one room apartment and on a tight budget?  Not so much.

Mother of four, working full-time, willing to pay for convenience?  Absolutely.

The husband and I recently purchased a membership at Costco. 10 years ago we had one {before kids} when we lived in a much, much bigger city with it right down the road.  Then we moved, went down to one income, had 3 kids in 5 years and didn't have one close.  Needless to say it wasn't needed or in the budget.

Then a few years ago one opened up 25 minutes from us and then recently another one opened up 30 minutes from us in a different direction.  We were basically sandwiched between two brand new stores.  We talked about joining again in recent years, but up until last week we hadn't.  When I announced on Instagram we had joined again, I had quite a few readers ask simply, "WHY?".  There weren't being critical, they just really wanted to know the reasons for our decision.

And so I have written this blog post.

Here are the reasons that after 10 years of not being a member, we now are back in the saddle.  Read on and I'd love to hear your opinions {keep 'em nice}!

1.  Like I said prior, we now have two Costcos each within a 30 minute driving distance.  Both are in towns that we frequent at least monthly {if not more}, so it is not "out of the way" for us.  I strongly feel that if we did NOT have them this close then having a membership would be slim to none.

2.  We have 3 very hungry kids.  Ten years ago we were childless and even though we took advantage of many of their deals, let's face it - we were not going through granola bars like we are now.  It's simple math, we have a 9 year old boy, an 8 year old girl and a 5 year old girl.  In the summer especially I feel as soon as we finished breakfast, they are asking for lunch and as soon as we've finished lunch they are asking for a snack.  You get the picture.

3.  Two of our kids are on travel ball teams.  Baseball and softball consume our lives from April until July.  I'm not complaining, I absolutely LOVE watching them both play a sport they love, but it does require some planning when it comes to meals.  In fact last week when we bought our Costco membership it was prompted because we needed to purchase hot dogs, brats, buns and condiments for 50 people.  It was our daughter's end of the year softball pool party and since the husband is the head coach and in charge of the team's funds, we needed to purchase the food.  Let's just say purchasing this many hot dogs, brats, etc. was much cheaper at Costco then buying multiple of smaller quantities at a regular grocery store.

4.  I often found myself asking friends and relatives to purchase items for me at Costco.  My parents have a membership and a good friend of mine here in town has a membership, so if they ever mentioned they were making a trip there I'd ask them to grab me this or that or in some case I'd go with them.  I never needed much, but after awhile didn't want to rely on them for what I wanted to buy.

5.  As a food blogger I need to keep certain larger quantities of ingredients on hand.  I am forever running out of butter.  ALL THE TIME.  I bake a lot and generally just use it in our everyday cooking so I tend to keep a few boxes in the fridge and then a few more in the freezer {butter freezes great!}.  Often I'll have to remake a recipe as it needed some tweaking, therefore my butter stash dwindles quickly.  I also use a lot of canned tomatoes {fresh salsa, homemade sauces, etc.} and various kinds of cheese {do I have to explain why I need a lot of cheese?}.

6.  During the sports seasons we are often eating on the go.  All of our kids are involved in various sports, many of which require us being gone all day on a Saturday for a meet or multiple games.  Our rule is they can get ONE item at that said game or event, but I will not be purchasing junk for them all day long.  Let's face it some days we leave at 7 a.m. and don't get home till dinner.  Therefore, I'm packing a cooler and we're eating a lot of sandwiches, chips, cut up fruit and dip, granola bars and sports drinks.  It's much easier for me buy a 54 count bag of Frito Lay mini chips for $14.99, then to buy 54 separate mini bags of chips at the grocery store for 75 cents a piece each.  Easy math.

7.  Sometimes life hands you curve balls or special events come into play.  I will never become a weekly Costco shopper {our home is just too small with little storage}, but I can see myself stocking up for events on the calendar.  Forseeable we leave for vacation the first week of August.  I will be making a trip to purchase juice boxes, crackers and other fun food.  Remember how I mentioned that softball pool party?  Definitely an event that doesn't come around often.  And let's not forget that school starts in late August.  I'll be making a trip for granola bars, hands down.  Other life events include holiday Christmas parties, birthday parties and other various events like showers, family reunions and such.

8.  Frankly, I just like the store.  I like that I can walk in and buy a mattress, or a couch, a best selling book or a case of ketchup.  It's kinda fun!  Saying this, you do need to keep yourself in check.  It can be VERY easy to walk out spending much more than you budgeted for.  Plus they have many more amendities that we haven't even used {yet} like their photo department, pharmacy, optical, grocery delivery and heck even travel services (rental cars, vacation packages and hotels}.

9.  We chose to purchase the Executive Membership for $120 a year annually.  This also gives us 2% back on all our purchases at the end of the year.  Many people have told me it is often enough or they receive at least half back to pay for your membership that following year.

So there you go!  Those are the 9 reasons WE chose to buy a Costco membership.  I fully understand not all of our reasons will pertain to everyone.  If you have 8 kids, then you clearly have another reason I don't with only 3 kids.  If your kids aren't in sports then you might not care about their snack food as much.  But if you are a techy and love always having the latest and greatest in TVs, phones, laptops and more, then you might really love Costco {as they have it all}.  We all have different reasons and that is okay.

Here are a few of our favorites and/or staples that we often throw in the cart.

Clorox Wipes, $16.49 for a 5 pack {super handy during the winter flu season}

Pure Maple Syrup, $13.29 for 33.8 oz {I use a drizzle in this for my coffee every morning}

Quaker Oatmeal Packets, $11.49 for 52 packs {great for back to school busy mornings}

Gatorade, $10.99 for 28 count, 12 oz. bottles {ideal for summer sports}

Planters Variety Pack Nuts, $9.79 for 24 bags {the husband loves taking these to work}

Metamucil, $31.99, 2 pack {for the husband - who might be 80 - but this is such a cheap price!}

Capri Sun Juice Boxes, $8.99, 40 count {great for vacation coming up}