{ Extreme Coupon Education }

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I used to call Costco the $100 store. I could not seem to get out of Costco with out spending at least $100! You probably did not learn this secret on reality television. We are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family. I first talked about Costco and coupons a few years ago, but a few things have changed since.

Before I started to coupon the fabuless way you could say I had an addiction to shopping at Costco. I live near a Costco so I would go 1-2 times every week, and I could not get out of the store with out spending $100!

Old way of couponing- The only form of couponing I knew was to use the coupons in the Costco coupon booklet. Buying in bulk was saving me money, but I had no idea how much more money I could be saving.

Know your price points- When I started doing more research about price points I was finding that if I am  patient and wait for a deal I can get a better price with coupons! So I started buying more things with coupons at other stores.

When I started couponing I had to still shop at Costco sometimes because I was still in stockpile building mode. I would stop by Costco to get the items that I had not found on sale with coupons.  As I got my stockpile built with some good basics I was shopping at Costco less and less.  When I walk through the store now it makes me sick to see how much I used to pay for things I now pay pennies for.

We often get this question in our inbox:

Do you use the Costco coupons?
The answer is rarely. I find that almost every time I can get an item for less if I wait for a sale and use my coupons from the newspaper or printable coupons. Or buy the item on amazon.

Can Costco coupons be used anywhere else?
No they can only be used at Costco!

Items I used to buy at Costco, but can now get for less shopping the fabuless way:

Chicken Now I stock up on this and freeze it when I can get it for $1.88/lb or less for boneless skinless
Carnation Instant Breakfast
Prego Sauce
Bagels
Hamburger I stock up and freeze why I can buy from Zaycon
Oatmeal
Bread
Cheese I buy cheese for $2/lb or less and buy several. These can be frozen. They have a long shelf life in the fridge as well as long as you do not open them.
Toilet Paper Find great deal on amazon here. 
Diapers & Wipes Great diaper deals on amazon
Fruit Snacks
Sour Cream
Juice
Granola Bars
Vitamins
Shaving Cream
Produce I buy the produce that is on sale usually at Fred Meyer or WinCo
Paper Towels
Kleenex
Shampoo I like to get FREE  shampoo
Body Wash
Razors will not pay more than $1 for razors
Tampons
Toothpaste I only buy free toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Floss
Laundry Soap
Dish Soap
Cereal do not pay more than $1.00 a box!
Dish Detergent
Yogurt

Download the price point list. 

After getting the hang of couponing I found that I did not need to shop at Costco much at all. Instead of spending $5,000 a year at Costco I was spending more like $500 a year at Costco. So here is the next big question we get…..

Is it worth it to keep your Costco Membership?

Yes. To me it is. Why?
I can still get some great deals on some staple foods and I don’t pay much if anything for the membership. I pay for our membership with cash back from our executive membership and our American Express Card.

Electronics: Costco has great prices for electronics and a 90 day return policy no matter what!

The Return Policy: Costco will let you return almost anything for any reason, even dead trees! haha. (you know you have seen it)

Clothing: It is hard to beat Costco’s price for name brand jeans!

Gifts: We love to shop Costco at Christmas time, we alway find some great gifts there! Although since I discovered Amazon for Christmas shopping, I do most of my shopping from home online.

Gas Prices: Costco has the lowest price in town for gas! Yes, I can get if for less at Albertsons some of the time with my preferred card gas rewards, but not every time.

Prescriptions: Costco usually has the lowest price for prescriptions! Don’t believe me? Check out the Costco Drug Price Checker! Type in any prescription you usually buy and I bet it will be less. They even give you the price for the generic alternative! (You do not have to be a member for this benefit.)

So how do I get out of Costco spending under $100?

I can easily get out of Costco now spending less than $50!  I only buy the staple items that I have not been able to get for good deals with coupons. Now that I have learned my price points I know which items are worth buying at Costco.

• bread
• eggs
• produce
• milk (If I am out for milk coupons)
• gas
• take and bake pizza
• croissants (My weakness)

PS One rule I often follow is to only buy what I can carry!

So I want to know.

Is it still worth it for you to shop at Costco?

More Coupon Education Resources:

• Read more tips to answer your couponing questions or get more Extreme Couponing Education tips.
• Get a quick start on Extreme Couponing done right with our coupon class on DVD

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