Healthy Food at Costco — What to Buy and How Much You Can Save
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Costco is a great place to save on so many things, but in there a lot of healthy food at Costco and does shopping there really help you save money?
You might be surprised to find out that the answer to both of these questions is a resounding YES!
Read on to see just how much you can save by shopping for not only healthy food, but also whole foods at Costco.
Costco is known for huge bulk boxes and bags of things like breakfast cereal, chips, juice bottles, and more, but there are some amazing ways to save on really healthy food at Costco too.
Eating a healthy, whole food diet can ring up some pretty expensive grocery bills.
Organic and specialty ingredients tend to be pricier than their conventional counterparts, but eating a healthy diet doesn’t have to drive you into debt. With careful shopping and meal planning, busy families can still afford to eat healthy.
Two years ago, I transitioned my family of four from the standard American diet to a life less processed.
I started making most of our food from scratch, and I was surprised to see that our grocery bills didn’t actually change much. I swapped takeout and prepared foods for dinners cooked at home using whole food ingredients.
By using lots of ideas for healthy grocery shopping on a budget, and avoiding eating out, I was able to make this transition without disrupting our family budget.
While I have access to a lot of grocery stores and warehouse clubs, I’ve found that Costco is a fantastic place to stock up on affordable and healthy whole food and organic ingredients.
They sell cheese and butter from grass-fed cows, organic canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, and giant tubs of organic coconut oil. High-quality nuts, seeds, and grains are plentiful in Costco’s aisles, and you can buy enough organic eggs, chicken, and beef to fill your protein quota indefinitely.
Does Costco Make Sense for a Small Family?
The question is a good one! For a small family of two adults and two children trying to eat a whole food diet, does it make sense to buy in bulk at Costco?
I recently did a detailed price analysis of the whole food groceries found on the shelves at Costco.
I surveyed my readers to find out what healthy food items they purchase at Costco around the country.
Based on their input as well as my own experience at multiple local stores, I compared the prices of over 50 real food items at Costco versus the best prices I could find at my local Trader Joe’s, Stop and Shop, or Whole Foods Market.
I discovered that over 90 percent of the items were less expensive at Costco, and in many cases, the price difference was dramatic.
I crunched the numbers and learned that my little family of four can save over $1,400 a year buying whole foods at Costco. The $55 membership fee seems inconsequential in the face of savings that big.
Even if you don’t have a large house with lots of pantry space and an extra freezer, you can still stock up on several items from my list to keep your savings account happy. Here are a few examples of the savings you can find at Costco.
Savings on Whole Food at Costco
Organic Eggs:
These cost $3.50 a dozen at Costco, compared to $4.29 a dozen at Stop and Shop. My family goes through about 18 eggs per week, for a savings of $61.62 per year.
Organic Canned Tomatoes (in BPA-free cans):
Organic diced tomatoes cost $.80 per pound at Costco, while they’re $2.40 a pound at Stop and Shop. A family that uses two 28-ounce cans of organic diced tomatoes each month will save $67.20 a year by buying the tomatoes at Costco.
Organic Chicken:
There are several varieties of organic chicken available at my Costco. Organic chicken breast, chicken thighs, and whole chickens are all more expensive at Trader Joe’s than at Costco. If a family eats two pounds of organic chicken breasts, two pounds of organic chicken thighs, and one whole organic chicken in a month, they’ll save $64.80 over the course of the year at Costco.
Organic Olive Oil:
Organic olive oil costs nearly twice as much at Stop and Shop as it costs at Costco. A 17-ounce container costs $6.63 at Stop and Shop, and this quantity costs $3.74 at Costco. Over the course of a year, this is a savings of $34.68.
Pure Maple Syrup:
A quart of maple syrup at Costco costs $12.79, compared to $16.99 at Trader Joe’s. If you go through a quart of syrup each month, you’ll save $50.40 by buying it at Costco instead of Trader Joe’s. Click here to download my complete Costco Real Food Savings Chart with over 50 items.
This list shows that you can save over $1,400 a year on healthy groceries.
Inventories and prices vary from one Costco to the next, and your store probably doesn’t carry all these items. You can put in a request at Costco’s Customer Service if there’s something you’d like to see on the shelf at your store.
If you have other Costco favorites that aren’t on my list, please let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you’re buying!
Annemarie Rossi is the creator of Real Food Real Deals, a website about how to feed your family real food on a budget. Her site includes many easy, delicious recipes that are made with whole food ingredients. Annemarie loves to travel and spend time outdoors with her family. You can find Annemarie on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
The Costco near me just started carrying large loaves of Udi’s gluten-free bread for $6.50. The loaves are about twice the size as a normal loaf (the slices are actually the same size as a normal piece of bread as compared to what you get in a regular loaf of Udi’s, which is great cause now I can make a sandwich out of it and not be hungry afterward LOL). IT’s a great deal since a regular loaf of Udi’s normally costs $5.00.
Wow, that’s great, Jennifer! Is the bread in the bakery section or the frozen section? Udi’s has great gluten-free bread, but those itty bitty slices can be frustrating.
I was convinced the first time I went to a Costco and checked the spices. I could buy a big container of spice for a few bucks. The equivalent amount at the grocery store would cost about $40. Same with a lot of the items. Of course that was many years ago when all you could buy was the tiny little containers at the grocery store. Most of my shopping is done there, but 3 heads of lettuce is just too much. I have taken their fresh vegetables and steamed them a bit and then freeze in loose pack. Huge savings. With the savings I can get salmon or shrimp, from them. The savings mean we can get better food for our dollar.
Mary
Mary, isn’t it so nice to be able to get better food for your dollar? That’s my favorite thing about Costco. I agree that some of the fresh produce is just too much for a small family, but it sounds like you’ve been doing a good job freezing what you can. A stocked freezer is such a blessing!
Freezing the extra is great if you have room in the freezer. I’ve also dehydrated some of the excess produce.
Thanks for this article. I have been buying from Costco, and I agree the prices are better, and the quality is good.
And don’t forget the gas. If you live in Texas, or somewhere where you need to drive a lot – it pays off, just to fill in at a discounted prices.
I so wish we had gas stations at our Costco stores here in Massachusetts! That would make me want to go there even more.
I eat a vegan diet, so many of these don’t apply to me, either, but I can say that the savings are almost as good in my case! I’ve found organic quinoa, frozen berries, coconut sugar, and of course bulk veggies and organic baby greens at Costco (and I’m sure I’m forgetting other items). Not to mention all the other stuff you can buy in bulk, from parchment paper to ziploc bags.
Ricki, there’s something for everyone at Costco. My list of over 50 items covers lots of vegan items and allergy-friendly food. I haven’t seen coconut sugar at my Costco. I’ll have to look for that next time!
This is a great post! Thank you BOTH for sharing this! I need to shop at Costco more. As a single gal, I just usually visit Ingles (nearby supermarket with organic produce), or Walmart and buy organic produce and wild fish, which is actually good quality. I don’t own a Costco membership, but my parents do. I may just have to visit Costco next time I’m out with them! Thanks so much for sharing this:)
Heather, you should take a field trip with your parents! I have a good friend who’s single and she does find lots of food that makes sense for her at Costco.
I just bought a membership at Costco a few months ago. In the past I have had a BJ’s card and weren’t impressed with them. Costco is so much cheaper and has so much healthier stuff available. I am very happy with my membership there!
Kate, there’s a BJ’s close to my house (closer than Costco), but I’ve been happier with the selection at Costco so it’s worth the drive. I did hear that BJ’s recently launched an organic line, so I want to check them out again.
Organic coconut oil is cheaper than the Food Co-op in my little town…as is the organic spinach, carrots, berries, and lettuces available at Costco.
Would you buy bulk spices from Costco?
Bulk spices are tricky. The Costco containers are so large that it would difficult for me to go through them in a timely manner. I think if there’s a spice you use a lot, it would be worthwhile.
I personally use tons of spices and if you can use the ground w/in a year and whole w/in 2 or longer you are OK but that’s just me.
Do you know if the spices at Costco are irradiated or not? I use a lot of spices and have been tempted to by some from there but don’t know about the quality. I don’t remember seeing any organic spices there. I do love their coconut oil, Kerry Gold butter, organic ground beef and organic chicken. Oh, and if we want to indulge just a bit (usually only if we are having a party), their pretzel rolls are out of this world but certainly not a healthy whole food item!
Costco does carry some organic spices such as oregano and basil. Again, it varies from store to store!
I guess I’m just skeptical of such huge savings when referencing organic foods: they DO cost more to produce due to the scarcity of organic feeds for livestock, and the government fees to be labeled “organic”. I would be very careful about organic eggs only costing $3-$4 (the feed alone for them is quite costly, if you don’t want GMO, unless you grow your own…) …, Olive oil has been proved to be faked by several companies (including very prominent brands) and even most large stores are guilty of having these brands..
Finally, although I also buy in BPA free cans if possible, I’ve heard that the replacement is just as toxic, if not more!
I guess, as stated above, I’m skeptical of such huge savings, that the products are either faked or an outright lie regarding their purity and true organic, natural production…
I know that eating healthy foods is costly, especially if you have kids, or large families, but it is SO important! Just be SURE that you really ARE getting what you pay for, whether it is a great deal or expensive…your body is worth it.
Just chiming in here. Kirkland’s olive oil has been verified to be the real deal. BPA free – I can’t say. I have heard mixed things about that. Depends what the replacement is I suppose. Did you by chance read my post on their coconut oil? The link is in the post. Much of the savings at Costco isn’t due to the stuff being “junk” but due to the large volume. Thanks!
It’s so true that people need to invest in healthy food and research what they’re buying. The bulk volume at Costco does allow them to charge less per item than a smaller store would, but many of the organic items at Costco are still a bit more expensive than their conventional counterparts at the mainstream grocery stores.
I don’t buy a lot of these things on this list.. but everyone’s situation for finding real food is different, including where they live! I have great access to local pastured eggs.. and while they are a little more expensive than regular organic eggs.. it’s something I feel is important to buy. Same with the olive oil and maple syrup.. I don’t go through much of those two so I do buy a better quality elsewhere. I do love Costco for lots of other stuff, though!! 🙂
My Costco carries Kerrygold butter and I buy a lot of that. I also buy organic quinoa at Costco. Organic frozen fruit and vegetables like green beans and asparagus. They also have organic cubed butternut squash in the refrigerated section, oh.. and organic salad! I buy the organic Wholly Guacamole mini cups for an easy lunchbox snack. I found some organic trail mix the other day that I buy for lunchbox snack, too. I get some organic spices like oregano and basil.. I know I’m probably missing some other things. I just wanted to share the real foods I find at Costco.
Going to check out your chart now. Thanks for putting this post together for people. 🙂
Jasmine, thanks for letting us know what whole food items you’ve been buying at Costco. I wish my store had more organic frozen veggies like you’re getting. I’ll look for the Wholly Guacamole cups next time I’m there. That would be a treat to have on hand!