I have a little bit of a love hate relationship with Costco. Sure, there is no better place for gas, engagement rings, toilet paper, and plastic plates, but do I always need the quantities of stuff I get there? No, I don’t and often times things go bad before I can use everything up all the way. While it can be annoying and a bit maddening for husbands, Costco is still kinda a cult.

We are a family of four, so we easily use products we love that come in bulk from Costco and after years of shopping there, I know exactly what those products are. That is until my parents-in-law come and buy up the entire store.

While I love to do my own grocery shopping and fruit picking, with 2 jobs and a family, I see that my time can be spent a lot more productively. This is why I started using Instacart more and more. Their personal shoppers can go to more than one local store for me and save a lot of time. Sure, I have to pay a little extra for their service, but sometimes it’s way worth it.

When I do have some free time or pas by Costco store on a way home from my last appointment, I enjoy stopping and doing some shopping and people watching. Not to mention that I always need gas, so Costco gas station is the first stop I make when I turn into the parking lot. Almost nobody can beat Costco gas price, not even QT.

After the tank is filled up, I head inside to load up my cart. If we do a family shopping trip as a family, which sometimes happens on a Saturday, I have to drag my husband and son away from TVs and laptops.

I myself enjoy looking at Apple AirPods deals, home smart devices, Fitbit, and VR systems because you know, Christmas is coming. This time a little drone caught my eye because I need one for my business, but while it was a good deal, it was too small for me.

10 years ago my husband and I, before we had kids, randomly came to shop for necessities and left with an new engagement ring, so one can never know what type of shopping will take place at Costco. And it’s definitely why so many people love this wholesaler – what happens in Costco, stays in Costco.

Here are my main destinations while at Costco any given time:

• Toy section, because there are always great deals on toys, such as LEGO or pool toys. And now, with Christmas approaching, I’ll be visiting here all the time.

• Christmas section with gift wrapping paper, scotch tape galore, and lights offers the best deals around.

• Protein section has been my frequent destination since I joined a boot camp over 3 years ago.

I have been recovering after the back injury for the past 5 months, but that doesn’t mean I stopped my protein usage. In fact, I have to work harder at finding reasons to move or to consume more protein.

I usually go for Gold Standard Whey protein powder and Instacart shoppers are very good at finding it for me because it’s front and center.

While at it, I always check out for new brands and best deals. Once in a while I buy ready to drink protein, but normally I don’t like the taste.

• Sock section keeps our family’s tootsies warm and cozy, and only those who have multiple kids will understand how many socks are needed to raise a child. Costco has the beast deals on socks for family, hands down.

• I spotted a section for Roblox and thought about my son right away. Then there is VEX Robotix HexBug Dump Truck and it looks mighty good if you want to pull your child away from all his screens and devices.

• My whole family is on Oral-B electric toothbrushes, so either I or Instacart have to get new head refills from time to time. Again, nobody has a better deal than Costco. Same goes for batteries.

• On my way to produce section, I passed a fantastic deal on Vitamix One blender super pack and for a 100th time though about how good it would be to start eating healthier and juicing or smoothie’ing.

• My KitchenAid stand mixer is so old that passing by a new red one for just $379 got me squishy in the knees. I shall and I will buy it one of these days.

• Since winter is approaching faster we can blink, I got myself a nice packable down jacket by Tommy Hilfiger. Ladies can also go for Nautica’s white or black creations.

• There are still boxes full of pumpkins. This year I took my kids to a pumpkin farm for pictures and good time, but on the way home we stopped at Costco and got 3 big pumpkins for just $6.99 each instead of farm’s $12.

• Pomegranates are my obsession from October to the end of December and I can proudly say that Costco makes a lot of money of me and my pomegranate love.

They are finally here and looking good, albeit $3 more per box than last year. It’s still the best deal by far. California needs to step up on pomegranate production.

• My kids’ combined birthdays’ celebration was next day, so I had to grab two cakes. Costco cheesecakes and tres leches cakes are better than anything Publix, Kroger, and Whole Foods can offer. And they’re only around $16! Pies are starting to come in for Thanksgiving.

• Pirates Booty popcorn is great for a party and also perfect for school snacks. So this time I got 2 huge bags and paid about the same as I would for half as much at Publix.

• A huge box of croissants is not feasible for the four of us on a regular basis, but when we go on vacation with three other families, kids kill 3 boxes of these buttery delights.
• Whenever I’m at Costco, I grab a huge package of chicken drums or wings – I like to entertain and enjoy having some grillable goodies in my freezer. If available, I always buy organic meat and nobody can beat Costco with the price.

• Right in the middle of the store there is wine section and it covers all my prosecco and margarita needs.

My favorite prosecco is usually $4 cheaper here than at Publix. Instacart helps me restock before pool parties.

• Whenever I go to Costco, I always bring either cooked cold shrimp or fresh rotisserie chicken. The chicken is $5, when everybody else wants at least $10 for smaller ones.

• I don’t buy dog food or bird food at Costco, but there are amazing deals for those who do.
• We all love Kellogg’s Red Berry kind cereal and I always get a big box – huge savings when compared with a regular grocery stores.

• And last but not least, I started buying myself flowers at least every two weeks, but sometimes every week. Costco has spectacular flowers and I make sure to always buy a bouquet of roses. This time was no exception.

The sad part about Costco is that I never leave it without at least $300 spent, but usually it’s closer to $500. On the upside, we love all the brands that Costco sells and use up everything. But especially socks. And if I don’t have to walk the great open spaces of Costco, Instacart can do it for me.