For someone who is living on a budget, my partner and I like to bulk buy our meats, bread, dry goods, snacks, and anything that can LAST in our freezer or cupboards as I said in my Food Disclaimer post! If you’re able to share the produce with your roommates or a partner, this also helps with the costs significantly, but in any living situation you are in, you are still saving a lot of money instead of eating out! Every Costco is different but you can still find about everything you need to stock your kitchen at any Costco.
For protein, we like to have fish, chicken, and ground turkey or beef as options. Costco sells all of these that will have you prepared for at least five meals per protein purchase depending on your serving size. We usually buy it fresh from Costco and then one of us will separate the meat by meals and put it in the freezer. When we’re ready to eat it, we put it in the fridge to defrost and then we will use it for whatever meal we are feeling. Bacon or turkey bacon is another meat we always get for breakfast or to throw in a pasta dish! We also get ham or turkey so that we can whip up a good sandwich.
Meat: Fish, Chicken, Ground Turkey, Bacon, Luncheon Meat
The wheat bread from Dave’s Killer Bread is my favorite, it tastes good, is semi-healthy, and does well after being frozen. Since Costco sells them two at a time, we put one loaf in the freezer and when we run out, we put the loaf in the fridge to defrost. Bread doesn’t get affected after it’s frozen, and I really can’t tell a difference. I can understand if you’re more into natural, fresh things but that is just not the option for me right now. Other great carbs to buy would be their bagels, pasta, canned beans, quinoa, and a bag of their baby potatoes. Since we try to limit ourselves from eating out, this helps us mix it up so we’re not eating the same things all the time and getting sick of it, because for me personally, I can get sick of food quickly if I eat it too often.
Carbs: Wheat Bread, Bagels, Pasta, Canned Beans, Quinoa, and Baby Potatoes
Besides the abundance of protein and carbs that Costco sells, other things we like to buy from them is coffee, oatmeal, granola bars, and Cholula. All these things have a shelf life so we don’t have to worry about them getting old and having to toss them. I’m not very picky with coffee, so Folgers Instant Coffee and Classic Roast work for me and I can mix it up depending on what I prefer that morning. Oatmeal is great for when I’m too lazy to put something together, It’s easy and quick and fills me up in the morning. Lastly, if you’ve seen those Cholula bottles at the grocery store, you know they’re tiny! Costco sells the extra-large bottles in a two-pack which is amazing and I don’t have to worry about rationing the bottle (hah). Granola bars are just great for snacks throughout the day instead of going for the chocolate I have and fills me up enough not to just ruin my next meal.
Other: Coffee, Oatmeal, Granola Bars, and Cholula
I could literally go on and on about Costco but for now, these are all things we purchase when we are running low or we are completely out of. Costco runs are not cheap for us, we usually spend at least $200 on every Costco run, but this stuff LASTS for us. We usually won’t have to purchase almond milk for the next couple of months, or pasta for the next six months! If you are able to have a little bit of each; snack, carbs, and protein, making meals becomes way easier! For fresh fruits and vegetables, depending on how long they can last, we will purchase them at the grocery store or Costco, but I will save that for my next blog post! 😉 Happy Costco Shopping!