Budgeting

Fear Of Costco

Posted by Jean

The last time I went to Costco — about three years ago — I came out with two bathing suits my daughter never wore, boxes of snack foods that purchased in a normal size my family would have devoured but in supersize we never seemed to eat, and a surprisingly  big charge on my credit card.  One friend of mine went in for dog food and came out with a tent.  Yet I know others, people I trust, for whom a trip to Costco is a bi-weekly must.  They swear by the white fish salad, the bags of frozen shrimp, the turkey meatballs.

I was afraid to get back in there, renew my membership and start again.  But this weekend an opportunity presented itself. I was out of precisely the things I think I should be buying at Costco: not food, and not the odd random impulse item.  But ziploc bags, cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper.  I was planning a cocktail party so I needed paper plates, plastic cups and napkins in large quantities.  Eliot was game.  Actually he was more than game, he was eager (something about Costco definitely appeals to men — and I don’t think it’s just the Hebrew National Hot Dog and soda deal).  So we went late on Sunday afternoon.

The line to renew a membership was mercifully short.  And we maneuvered around the aisles fairly easily.   He hit the pharmaceuticals — Advil, extra large, if you please — while I went for paper products.  I would have loaded up on printer cartridges if I had remembered to check the style number before I left the house.  I resisted the urge to buy new beach towels ($9.99) and steered away from the best sellers.  And I didn’t even go near the food.

Not even an hour later, we emerged with a year’s worth of precisely what we went for, plus some much-needed pens.  (Do pens disappear in your house, too?)  I felt triumphant with the extra-large laundry detergent which cost soooo much less than in the grocery store, with enough Bounce to last a decade.   As I was checking out, I even felt a twinge of jealously looking at the big-sized package of fresh blueberries the woman in the next aisle had snagged.   Food at Costco?  Maybe next time.