I live, write, and garden in the PNW with my husband of 27 years, disabled daughter, college-aged son, and my 84-year-old mother. We have paid off $250,000.00 worth of debt (if you include the interest) in the last fifteen years and as of 6/12/2020 are 100% DEBT FREE!!!!I just filled up my gas tank for $1.86 a gallon. I had 30 points on my Safeway card since I've spent $300 there this month. So that was 30 cents off per gallon, and then I used cash which made it an additional 10 cents off per gallon. So while Safeway's regular gas price won't beat Costco's regular gas price, with points and cash discount, it is 20 cents cheaper to get it at Safeway. Plus Safeway is only a mile from my house and not on the other side of town.
I am thinking hard about letting my Costco card go when it expires in March. I keep it mostly for buying organic olive oil, butter, toilet paper, organic brown rice, organic sugar, organic tomato sauce and paste, organic frozen broccoli, and organic chicken.
But...we have a freezer full of chicken we grew this year. I now have enough spaghetti sauce canned for a year from my garden. I could stock up on a year's supply of olive oil, butter, tomato paste, brown rice, sugar and frozen broccoli right before it expires. I don't have to renew it and I can revisit the idea in a year of using the membership. Or my FIL and MIL have a membership so we could have them pick up what we need when we need it.
I used to buy cheese there, but Safeway's sales and often their regular prices are better than Costco's regular price. I am finding a lot of things that is true on. I know if I watch sales I can probably find Charmin for cheaper and find coupons for it. And when we run out of chicken, Trader Joe's does have less expensive organic chicken nowadays.
Another reason I am thinking of dropping Costco is that they will no longer be partnering with AMEX, which means I'd have to get another credit card and I don't want to.
It's just that the many things that used to be selling points for a Costco membership are now being chipped away at and as prices rise it just no longer seems the bargain it once was. The parking is atrocious and it's just getting to the point where it is not really worth it anymore.
Gas for $1.86 a Gallon and Rethinking Costco
October 22nd, 2015 at 10:45 pm
October 22nd, 2015 at 11:34 pm 1445556881
I will downgrade from Executive to Standard next year and likely not accept the Citi credit card. The letter I received from Costco states that any Visa card can be used when the switch over occurs, and I already get three percent back on gas from B of A cash rewards Visa. B of A recognizes Safeway Fuel as a gas station, while AMEX, Discover and Chase do not. My guess is the same will hold true for Costco.
I buy dry cat food, Bolthouse Farms carrot juice, and occasionally some odd item such as paper towels at Costco. There is rarely anything interesting in the monthly circular. I go every 6 weeks now, so need to spend the extra for the Executive membership.
October 22nd, 2015 at 11:40 pm 1445557254
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October 23rd, 2015 at 04:09 am 1445573385
I turned 3 friends onto costco auto and all three left who they were with for MUCH cheaper insurance. Two signed up for Costco just for the auto insurance and rarely shop there.
As for me I use the gas station and it's across the street from safeway. My BIL is single guy and shops infrequently at costco but keeps it for the auto insurance savings alone.
October 23rd, 2015 at 05:38 am 1445578722
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