Cheaper by the Dozen aka I Heart Costco

When I was pregnant with #4 a cranky old dude in line behind me at Costco was complaining about how many kids I had, and it's only okay to have a lot of kids if you can afford them, and blah, blah, blah...I wasn't overhearing his deaf whisper to his wife, he was actually telling me, my pregnant self, with a cart overflowing with groceries and 3 kiddos.  

 

I smiled politely, adding that we pay our own way in life AND that my future tax payers will ensure that Social Security continues to be funded so he should actually thank us.
(Okay, so I didn't actually say that last part, but I SHOULD have, and I will if I ever run into another old dude who fails to mind his own business.)

The thing that is so funny to me about his stupid comment is that we were at COSTCO, you know, the store that sells everything in bulk.  The store that caters to large groups, businesses, or in my case what society deems as a freakishly huge family.  We shop at Costco so we can afford to have a large family.  Admittedly, some things are cheaper elsewhere, especially on coupon or store brand, but there are several Costco products that I love and always buy.

In no particular order of importance, Costco products I love are:

The price has increased to $1.50 a pound since we started buying these years ago, but its still a good price.  We blend them with milk, yogurt, and a bit of sugar for a yummy breakfast smoothie.  A great way to get fruit into your kids in the winter when strawberries are icky and pricey.
 

It's Zyrtec, for like $17 a year!  and it goes on coupon every so often as well.  Our allergic to all things outdoors family loves this stuff!
 

Totally Lean and only $1.99 a pound.  Need I say more. YUMMY!



I was nervous to buy this when they first came out with it, because lets face it, some store brands just aren't worth the savings.  And store brand PAM is one of those things.  When they offered a coupon for it, I gave it a try.  It, like most Kirkland brand products is excellent.

These are the best wipes! That Tencel material they use is amazing. They are thin enough that you can feel/grip the poop off the cute bum, but strong enough that they don't rip. These wipes stretch forever. Nothing worse than an wipe ripping when you are trying to pull it out of the package, lame wipes increase the likelihood of a squirming infant getting poop on something. Bonus: they are pretty cheap and have coupons regularly.  Their diapers are also great, but are the same price as their case of Huggies, so I buy whatever is on coupon.

Formula
FDA requires that it have the same nutrition as the name brand stuff, but this is significantly cheaper. Like make a special trip to the store 30 miles away cheaper. I have never seen it in Soy or Sensitive, but if you are lucky enough not to need soy or sensitive formula then this is a great option.



I also really enjoy their selection of specialty cheeses for affordable prices and their produce rarely disappoints.



 

 I don't like their milk, not the taste, just the jug.  I shouldn't need a knife to open a gallon of milk.   I know they say it pours fine if you set it on the counter and tilt, but that isn't how my world rolls.  I am pouring milk on cereal in in sippy cups on the fly, not a counter in site (or at least not a clean one).

And the best part about Costco...
The Return Policy!  (you thought I was going to say samples) and of course I love the Churros!