I mentioned on Facebook today about how I was loving all my Tide Laundry Detergent. There have been a couple of deals that I’ve stock up on and considering that we do not see Tide deals too often– I had to take advantage. Let me start off by saying that this post is not a “I hate Costco” debate. Just simply a way to show faithful costco shoppers that sometimes Bigger isn’t always better and that a tiny coupon can make a difference in your budget.
I think alot of people who are hesistant about coupons feel that Costco gives them most bang for their buck.. While this can be true on select items.. it isn’t always true.
Shabnum wrote on the same post about my Tide Laundry Deterent Stockpile:
I would like to know how much you get your tide for per ounce, cuz I found I did the math and found Costco to still be the cheapest. This is what I buy it for $19.95/170oz/110 loads. Can u get it cheaper? If so where? And how much. Thx
Shabnum got the wheels turning and inspired me to put this in a post. Above, you can see 5 bottles of Tide that I purchased at my local Drugstore. This is the transaction that I did:
Bought (5) Tide $5.94 (50 oz)
Bought 1 Dawn $0.99
Used (4) $1.50/1 Tide Detergent, exp. 1/31/13 (P&G 12/30/12)
Used $0.50/1 Dawn Hand Renewal, Power Clean, Bleach Alternative or Oxi, exp. 1/31/13 (P&G 12/30/12)
Paid: $24.19
Got Back $10 +Up rewards (Rite Aid money that I can use on almost anything in the store)
= $14.19 for 250 ounces of Tide.
That beats the Costco price by $5.76 and saves me the membership fee. So, I think I would rather shop Rite Aid then Costco in this case. I get more Tide for my money and all it took was a couple of coupons 
You can check out my other posts on Costco:
My Name is Josie and I live in sunny Southern California and I am a stay at home mom to three beautiful boys. We all know that living in California is a task of it's own and saving in California IS possible! I started this blog mainly to share all the awesome deals out there and show others how to save in any area of life. Even though you may make the commitment to be frugal and pinch your pennies doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice!
Last year, I decided to no longer renew my Costco membership. Your Tide example shows the savings but when you roll store rewards the savings are even bigger. I’ve only been couponing for about a year and a half but quickly realized that Costco was an expense for me now that I coupon. My Costco trips often resulted in me spending $200. I now pay very little for Tide detergent and other laundry items, shampoo, conditioners, body wash, razors, household cleaners, papertowels, bathroom tissue, toothpaste, deodorant, toothbrushes, etc. Nothing bests free items w/out an annual fee.
I was just going to mention about rolling rewards too. I roll my rewards every week so I don’t spent much out of pocket. I did a similar deal to the one above and had $22 in the store rewards from last week so I didn’t even spend much. I love couponing. It is not for everyone though. If I was working I would not be able to coupon as good as I do.
Great post Josie!
i was a faithful costco shopper 2 years ago…i never buy my tide from there anymore…i always divide the total cost by total ounces…
so basically you paid .06 per ounce as opposed to costco’s at .12 an ounce!!
I only buy few things at costco. Dog food is the main one. My rottie has a skin allergy that seems to get worse with most dog foods. Costco is the only one I know who sales the food he likes and can eat without getting a rash, that wont hurt the wallet. We also get a few other things here and there plus we get gas if we are close by.
Before I knew anything about coupons we went to costco for just about everything.
I LOVE Costco.
But, I too have stopped purchasing certain things from Costco since couponing. A few of the things I stopped buying at Costco is Tide, deodorant, toothpaste, paper towels, shampoo & conditioner. With Costco, you have to pick and choose what to buy there and take into account price & quality at Costco vs regular grocery stores. Specialty cheeses are great at Costco. Heavy cream, buttermilk (@ Costco business), beef (they have great prices for “prime” quality beef for steak), lamb, rotisserie chicken, gift cards, and lots of other things. We buy enough at Costco and elsewhere (gas, travel and restaurants) every year for the rewards from the AmEx card pays for our membership and more. So for us the price of the membership is worth it.
I also stopped going. I used to go for eggs, milk, bacon, and a few things here and there. Always seemed to walk out of there spending $200. Since couponing, I didn’t really find a need to go back. For diapers and wipes, I found it cheaper from Amazon and it comes straight to my door. I also wasn’t a fan of how crowded Costco gets, so when the membership came up, I was more than willing to let it go. Now $200 last me the whole month…not just on one trip. Once again, thank you Josie!
In my opinion Costco is better because you only saved about $6. Which is nothing compared to the time you put into cutting coupons and making trips to the store. its all about what you value most….money or time.
you saved $6 but also got about twice the amount of detergent!
Twice the amount of detergent and no extra membership fee.
The savings do add up! $6 maybe nothing but this example is only on detergent. I too have easily spent $200 at Cosco on one shopping trip. If I can save just 25% (the savings from the detergent alone was more than that) of that $200, that’s $50 I’m keeping. That’s hundreds of dollars per year!
Glad you posted this! I almost always get in arguments with my friend over Costco verses Drug store/grocery store prices. She always brings up the Costco coupons for laundry soap make it worth it and that she can get a larger size. I tell I get many smaller containers for pennies on the dollar. I only buy rice and meat from Costco and that’s usually every other month because its just my and I so it lasts a long time. I also buy electronics and gift cards. My 4 year old likes the samples.
Oh and for gas! I only have a basic membership that I share with my mom so It makes it worth it.
Great post! People seem to automatically think that Costco is cheaper when in fact, it’s not! I went in there once to see if I’d be saving money if I joined. I had a calculator and checked prices on things that I’d be purchasing if I was a member. Almost every item was either the same price or more expensive as other stores considering I shop sales. And this was before I started couponing!
I LOVE Costco and have been a faithful customer for countless years, although I’ve never paid for a membership (always been the extra person on the card). Lately, I ONLY shop there for gas. Nothing seems cheap there, and coupons are rare… I would ALWAYS buy millk and diapers on a regular basis, leaving the store after $100-$200 out of pocket. I still love their bakery and you can’t beat their cake dealios for bday parties! WHEN good coupons come out during the month, then its worth it.
I hate I missed all the awesome Tide deals. I was out of town for a month. That is our favorite detergent by a LONG shot. Love this post.
you can still do the one at rite aid this week. its a good one too.
Didn’t see it in time to trade for q’s. Since we were out of town for a month..we missed getting that coupon.
Costco is great for when there are no coupons or sales and you need it now. It’s a balancing act between price, quality and convenience.
I have a Costco membership and though I do shop there for some items, I would get a membership even if I never walked in the door because we have auto insurance through them. When we moved to California, I shopped extensively for the best deal on auto insurance. The coverage is excellent and it is $150 less per year than any other company. So I pay $55 each year to get $150 off our insurance–that’s $95 savings even if I never buy anything from the store. And last year we decided to upgrade to an Executive Membership, and the price of insurance went down even more–enough to compensate for the upgraded membership! So Costco isn’t all bad…