Costco $10.82 {after rebate}
I can explain. 😉
My Costco Executive Membership Rebate came in the mail last week so I went crazy! 🙂
My parents give us a Costco membership every year for Christmas. Which I love, because honestly, I don’t know that I would shell out $110 a year for it on my own. But, when you take into account that the card costs $110 and I got back a rebate check for $104.66 this year, it seems to all work out. Paying $5.44 for a Costco membership makes sense.
Unless of course you are one of those people who cannot walk out of Costco without spending $200 per shopping trip. Then, I don’t think it’s worth it. Why? Because it seems like everything in there is an impulse purchase. Doesn’t it? I mean really, how many times have you gone in there for apples and bananas and have left with a cartload of stuff?
A million trillion times, that’s how many!
So you are probably wondering what they heck I bought at Costco in the past year to have earned this rebate check. Well, a lot actually. For starters, the HH buys all his lawn fertilizer there. He also buys stuff for his work, I buy garden stuff, books {see I get sucked in too!} clothing, socks and underwear, and sometimes furniture. I am also lucky enough to have a Costco Business center nearby too so I purchase oddball stuff there too like folding tables and chairs.
But when it all gets tallied up at the end, most of the things are impulse purchases.
Could I live without a Costco membership? Yes, but I think the HH and Monkey Boy would miss the hotdog and a soda for $1.50.
How about YOU, do you have a Costco membership? Do you think you would spend less on impulse purchases without one?
Mavis wants to know.
Total Spent This Week $10.82
Total Spent This Year $1,807.09 It’s official, I’m over for the year!
Total Spent This Year on Garden Seeds/Supplies $919.96{I bought a Meyer Lemon Tree, Rhubarb crowns, 6 Fruit Trees , 16 yards of soil}, Walla Walla Onions and 90 pounds of seed potatoes. Plus, supplies to make my own potting soil. I also picked up a boatload of heirloom tomato plants at the Seattle Tilth sale.
Read more Shopping Trip Stories.
Silvia says
Do you need to get an amex card to get the rebates? I also get a membership as a gift but I think it’s just the regular membership.
I go inside Costco 2 or 3 times a month. I usually get 3 items or less and my total is always less than $60. I go in with a list. I’ll look around, try the samples, and leave. We fill up our car there every week. It’s nice to have the card for gas.
Mavis Butterfield says
No. I don’t have a Costco Amex card, just the executive membership.
Betty AD says
Guess we dont have one….as we’re on the east coast…but we have Sams…but never heard them having rebates. Its a store mainly I/we love but dont go often….to much to like /want…..and there a distant from me….think we have 2 of them…and sure hope one comes closer…as some of there foods are cheaper….would be worth going just for those and the samples. Have a friend that her husband is in construction and goes in Sams for the sample for lunch….grin…..he buys a lot there so doesnt feel like he’s cheating them.
jp says
Did you know that they will refund any part of the membership that you don’t make back in rebates? So I believe you can go ask for you $5.34.
Mavis Butterfield says
Really? I’m going to ask, thanks!
Missy says
I think it’s actually anything over the $55 (or whatever it is for the standard membership). They will rebate you the difference between the two memberships. For example. If the standard is $55, and the executive is $110, and you got a $40 rebate check, they will refund you $15. They want your executive membership to be worth it, but I don’t think they will refund your WHOLE costco membership. Did this even make sense?
CathyB says
Missy, you are right. They guarantee that you will get at least the difference between the standard and the executive membership in a rebate. So if you don’t spend enough to pay for the difference, they will make up the difference.
kim says
Love Costco but I often fall victim to the impulse buys as well. In off season the fruit seems to be better than the local grocery so we find ourselves in there frequently to get fresh fruit. The new method of making it out for less than my mortgage payment is to skip the cart, I can’t buy what i can’t carry, ha!
Stephanie says
I LOVE my Costco membership. I split it with my mom every year and I always buy my TP and PT, eggs, milk, bulk shredded cheese, greek yogurt etc there. I try really hard not to get sucked into the fun stuff. I also have a Business Costco near by and they just started selling the Kirkland Greek Yogurt there so now I really have no excuse to go to the regular costco, everything I REALLY need is sold at Business 🙂
Quyen says
I share a executive membership with my sister. Between our families we usually get $200- 250 back in rebates after we set aside the $110 membership fee. We usually spend a lot on prescriptions for my parents, bulk grains, flour sugar and my brother spends some in his home business.
MaryW says
Yep, I have the 55 dollar one. I would probably spend less without it, but I do my best to always get out of there for less than 120 bucks. I always take my calculator so I know what kind of damage I’m doing.
Dawn says
I don’t have a Costco Membership, but my (very sweet) best friend does, and if I need to go, she’ll take me along with her. The good thing about this is that I bring the cash for my purchases and keep track with a calculator so that I don’t overspend. I usually buy more than is on my list, but I can’t go too far over, because I only bring so much money, and it’s usually less than $150. I think Costco is great for some things, but I’ve found great bulk deals on Amazon too, so I don’t go as often anymore.
Susan Finton says
I have had a Costco membership for 30 years (it was Price Club when I started). Obviously I like it. I have a regular card and use the AMEX card to get the yearly rebate. My check is usually about twice my membership fee. I generally avoid impulse buys, but am not perfect my any means – have a hard time resisting the book section. I do not shop there exclusively for anything. I keep a price list of my usual Costco items so that I know if the same things are on sale cheaper out in the rest of the world.
Elizabeth S. says
I totally remember when they were Price Club, Susan! I love Costco. Even for a family of two it makes sense for my husband and I. I recently signed up for the executive membership and I’m excited about a potential rebate check. My mom has the executive and the AMEX card so she gets two rebates. She was able to pay for $300 worth of stuff with her checks. The prices on veggies, cheeses, meat, and water can’t be beat. The Costco near me started selling organic ground beef (if you are into that type of thing) and regularly have organics. I also find it irritating to coupon for TP and paper towels, so just buy it when they offer their Costco coupons. We had a shooting in the summer in our local Costco which was terribly sad, but they have recovered since the shooting and mostly everything is back to normal. I truly love Costco and can’t stop telling people about it.
cam116 says
I always feel inspired by these posts but my bargain-hunting, couponing, and stockpiling skills fall apart under the pressure of two little kids with two working parents. I’m ready for a Mavis Makeover of our household spending: set me up with good systems, and I’ll donate the annual savings to our local food bank. Let me know when I can expect you at my front door. 🙂 I might need a whole Spend Swat team of readers (Susan Finton and her price list! I aspire to that level of organization). Someday . . . .a girl can dream.
Michele C. says
I have a Costco Exec Membership and the Amex card. Look into the card- it really does pay. I have 4 children and three are teens. I can shop Costco like a regular grocery! I am careful what I shop for- they have a lot of organic products. I only use the card for Costco and for Costco gas, pay it off every month, and by Feb. I get a check back for about $300-400. PS. I am not affiliated with Costco! 😉
Sarah says
We have the American Express Card too! It is THE way to go. We do 93% of our shopping at Costco, and buy all of our gas there as well, plus use their affiliated sites as well. We get back a ridiculous amount every year…We always go on a weekend get away with it!
vanessa says
I enjoy having a Costco membership. I would enjoy it even more if my membership were paid for like yours. I always end up using the rebate for the next year’s membership fee. The big fun comes when we get the Costco AmEx check! Like you, I used to do a lot of coupon shopping. I don’t do much of that anymore and I find that buying vitamins, pain relievers, tp, etc. is just so much easier at Costco. The coupon way to those items is just so much time and trouble. I also appreciate the quality of their clothing items and shoes. Cheese is another good deal-especially the specialty cheeses. I’ve heard that Costco doesn’t use pink slime in their ground beef and I do think it tastes good (compared to grocery store beef). Lastly, Costco is great when it comes to returns.
Christina Davis says
I have never tried COSTCO but I love GFS which has no membership. My husband is a restaurant manager so he has memberships at Sam’s and Restaurant Depot -and then he HAS to go shopping with me. 😉 I love the 72 oz bag of chocolate chips on your table! I was gifted a bag that size but previously was unaware of their existence.
karen says
You don’t need to be a member to walk in for a hot dog. Anyone can go eat there. I believe that anyone can use the pharmacy too. I love my membership. I know I make it back just in gas I purchase. I take Actos, and three month supply of generic is like $40 at Costco! That makes it worth it alone. The cheapest generic i I found outside of that was $160 for 30 days worth.
Michelle says
I find myself getting sucked in more and more to Costco shopping. We just got a $60 check. I guess I need to find someone to share it with.
Jess Johnson says
Betty AD- Sams Club does have an “executive membership” called Plus Membership. You get discounts that regular members and business members do not get.
maile says
I’m a costco-holic so I have two rebates. The standard costco rebate and the costco american express rebate. LOVE it!
Jenn says
I have a Costco and a Sam’s membership and I use them both. I buy gas at whichever one I am closest to when I need it and I also price shop as well. I buy bottles water because our city water is horrible, and I know I can buy a case 50 cents cheaper at Sam’s but Costco has better prices on meat and they also carry organic products. I generally go once a month to both places and unless I have used up everything in my pantry I usually spend about $50 in at each store.