I love Costco shopping, although it has been difficult lately. I go to the Fort Myers, Florida Costco at Gulf Coast Town Center and it has been crowded. I imagine the Naples store is just as bad. There’s just so many people in this town right now. So, we’ve had to switch our shopping habits. Instead of going on a weekend, we now go on Tuesday nights after 6. At least that way you can actually move around the store, plus the annoying people that talk on the speakerphone while they shop seems to be limited to Saturdays and Sundays. Those people are the worst. But less crowded is the key. There’s some things I always buy at Costco and I want to be able to get to them.

If you’re not already a Costco member, you have 2 options. The “Gold Star” at $60 a year, or the “Executive Member” at $120. The biggest difference is the Executive card pays you 2% cash back. If you plan on spending at least $300 a month at Costco, the Executive Member card is the way to go.

So now that we’ve established which membership to get, and on what night to go, we’re almost ready to go shopping. But before you go, here’s something we had to learn. Be aware of how much space you have at home before you go. A lot of the items at Costco are in bulk or very large sized. Take an assessment of how much room you have in your pantry. More importantly, how much refrigerator and freezer space you have available. (The Detroit style pizzas are delicious, but that box is huge.)

Ok, I think we’re ready. It’s time to grab that giant cart and hit the aisles. Here’s a list of things that I think you should always buy at Costco.

• Bottled Water

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  Since it's always good to stay stocked up with hurricane supplies, this is my number one 'must'. It's a 40 pack of 16 oz bottles priced less than what most stores charge for a 24 pack. Sure, it's heavy, but unless you don't drink water it's silly to pass up. Putting more than two on your cart will weigh you down and make the rest of your shopping trip punishing. I suggest getting one case every time you visit. If you really want to get crazy, they will sell you a whole pallet.

• Romaine Lettuce

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  First of all, this stuff is delicious. But this is all about the price. A regular head of lettuce at the grocery is $1.79. You get 5 of these Romaine Hearts for $3.99. Sure, it's a lot of lettuce, but with only two of us in the house we still don't have a problem with spoilage. keep the main bag intact and pull one of the hearts out. Wash it and put it in a separate ziploc. It gets very crispy. It's also very easy to add a quick little side salad to any meal.

• Mushrooms

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  Not everyone loves mushrooms, so you can skip this one if you want. This is 24 oz of mushrooms for the price of 16 oz. I thought of these after the romaine hearts because I always put them on my salads. They also cook well to top off a steak, or make stuffed mushrooms. The downside on these is that if you forget about them for a few days they will go bad. So try not to push them behind any leftovers.
• Cheese

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  5 bucks for a 2 pound block of cheese. Way cheaper than even the BOGO prices. It melts perfectly and is amazing on nachos. Plus, it keeps a long time in the fridge, which is important when it's 2 freaking pounds of cheese. I love cheese, too - but you have to know your limits. Ha.

• Jack’s Cantina Salsa

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  Not everything on this list is based solely on price. This stuff is just amazing. They call it salsa, but it really isn't. It's basically just tomatoes and onions with a little bit of seasoning. Which makes it perfect for what we use it for. For any dish where you'd want to add some tomatoes and onions, just put it on there. Sandwiches, salads, rice, and more. It's fantastic on a burger.

• Ground beef

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  That's $3.99 a pound. Now, you do need to buy $25 worth of ground beef to get that price, but you won't find a better deal. Plus, it's really high quality ground beef. Break it up into smaller portions, wrap them up tight, and freeze. We make a lot of it into 1/4 pound hamburger patties.
• Paper Towels

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  This is the definition of buying in bulk. 20 bucks gets you a LOT of paper towels. But - do you have room for that many? One recent downside is that they stopped individually wrapping the rolls to keep the price point down. So you need a plan to store these. And despite the price, they are really good quality. If you have pets, you already know....

• Sodas

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  This one's just on price. It's insane how much soda prices have gone up. At least it hasn't gone up as much at Costco. If you need individual cans, this is the way. If you can do 2 liters, it's actually a better deal to buy the no name cola at Publix. But an ice cold can of Diet Coke straight from the fridge really is magical.

• Starbucks Coffee Creamer

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  I love flavored creamer in my coffee, and this deal is too good to pass up. 58 oz of delicious Starbucks creamer for roughly the same price as one drink at Starbucks. Right now they only stock caramel macchiato, but I'm interested to see if any other flavors may be coming. Bonus - by using the reflection off the glass I managed to put myself in the picture.
• The Costco Hot Dog meal

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  There is no greater meal deal in town. The higher ups at Costco plan to keep this price intact forever. The real bonus is that the hot dog is also really good. I don't get this every time, but when there's no line it's hard to pass up.

• Sodas

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  This one's just on price. It's insane how much soda prices have gone up. At least it hasn't gone up as much at Costco. If you need individual cans, this is the way. If you can do 2 liters, it's actually a better deal to buy the no name cola at Publix. But an ice cold can of Diet Coke straight from the fridge really is magical.

• Girl Scout Thin Mint Pretzels

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  This falls into the "treat yourself" category. We first bought these when they were on sale and are now hooked. If you can imagine eating a Thin Mint cookie at the same time as a pretzel - you can imagine what this tastes like. Amazing. One extra tip - when you reach the end of the bag and it's just crumbs, pour them over vanilla ice cream.

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