5 Ways Splitting a Costco Membership Can Save You $400 a Year
Sure, Costco is infamous for its bulk-everything approach, perfect if you're feeding a small army or have a freezer the size of a car. But what if you're flying solo or running a modest household? Suddenly, those massive packages feel more like commitment than savings.
When friends team up to share Costco buys, the warehouse discounts suddenly make sense at any household size. You get the bulk savings without the commitment to eat 12 pounds of chicken before it goes bad.
Find Out: How Much Does a Costco Membership Actually Save You?
Be Smart: How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires — and How You Can, Too
We broke down the numbers, and they're solid. Following a strategic split shopping approach can save you around $400 a year. Here's exactly what to buy together and how to make it work.
Learn More: The Best Costco Buys To Grab Now For Fall
1. Split Bulk Meat
Sharing freezer-friendly bulk meat lets smaller households keep the value of buying in volume without paying for food they may not use before it goes bad.
Take Costco’s Quality Ethnic Foods Halal chicken variety pack. It comes with 12 pounds of chicken divided into individual packs of drumsticks, tenders and boneless breast — easy to split without repackaging.
Melanie Musson, a consumer finance expert with Quote.com, said bacon is another category where Costco’s larger packs can offer meaningful savings.
“Bacon is significantly cheaper at Costco in a 4-lb pack,” she said. “It makes sense to split things that can be broken up but still kept in original packaging.”
2. Share Coffee
A 72-count box of Starbucks Caffè Verona K-cup pods at Costco costs $40 and is already packaged in individual servings, making it easy for friends to share the box and the cost.
“Splitting single-container drinks doesn’t make sense,” Musson said. “You could split a quart of cream, but who’s going to bring the pint jar? Separating liquids doesn’t make sense unless you’re really committed to making it work.”
Friends who already use K-Cup machines can divide the pods, keep Starbucks coffee at home and potentially cut back on pricier coffeeshop runs.
3. Divide Household Staples
“Things like paper products and some household supplies that don’t have a small shelf life can be great buys at these Costco stores,” said Ralph Estep Jr., host of the daily podcast Becoming Financially Confident.
A 36-roll pack of Kirkland Signature ultra soft bath tissue costs about $25.
While you can never have too much toilet paper, splitting the cost gives smaller households Costco’s bulk value without asking one person to find room for 36 rolls at once.
4. Split Pantry Basics
Costco’s Kirkland Signature organic unbleached all purpose flour comes as two separate 10-pound bags for $20, making it easier to share.
“If you get a 25-lb bag of flour, splitting it will be annoying,” Musson said. “However, if your Costco has flour packaged in a set of two 10-lb bags, splitting makes perfect sense.”
The same split-friendly packaging works for baking mixes.
Costco’s Ghirardelli triple chocolate premium brownie mix costs about $20 for a six-count box. Since the mixes are already portioned into separate packages, friends can share the box without measuring or repackaging anything.
5. Stack the Savings
“Switching to shared warehouse shopping for paper towels, baking staples and dairy will easily save a household $400 a year,” Musson said.
However, it only works if shoppers pay attention to what they actually use.
“If you’re saving 50% and [you] waste 25%, you’re still ahead,” Musson said. “However, if you save 25% and waste 50%, you should not buy in bulk.”
Editor’s note: Prices and availability are subject to change.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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