Here's Why I Like Buying Produce at Costco

As of July, grocery prices were up 3.6% on an annual basis, according to that month's Consumer Price Index. Compare that to July of 2022, when grocery prices were up 13.1% on an annual basis, and there's clearly been some nice improvement.

Still, a lot of people are struggling to put food on the table even though inflation is cooling. And a lot of households have a particularly hard time affording fruits and vegetables, which, unfortunately, tend to be more expensive than foods that are generally considered to be less healthy.

Because feeding my family plenty of produce is important to me, I do my best to find ways to save money on it so we don't have to cut back. And one strategy I use is loading up on fruits and vegetables in bulk at my local Costco. But while this strategy works well for me, it may not be best for everyone.

Why I love getting my produce at Costco

Some people will tell you that the produce at Costco isn't as high in quality as the produce you'll find in supermarkets. I disagree.

Sure, I've had situations where certain produce purchases at Costco didn't last as long as I would've liked. But for the most part, I find that my Costco produce has a very comparable shelf life to the items I buy on a one-off occasion at my local supermarket. That's pretty impressive given the larger quantities.

In fact, it's because I buy my produce in bulk that I'm able to save so much money on it. Now it's hard to put a finger on exactly how much I save because produce prices fluctuate constantly both at my neighborhood supermarket as well as Costco.

But right now, in my area, you'll pay $2.73 per pound by ordering plums for same-day delivery at Costco. And the cost of same-day delivery is always noticeably higher than the in-store cost. At my local supermarket last week, plums were $3.49 a pound.

There are weeks when I can easily save myself $10 to $20 on the cost of produce alone by getting it at Costco. Seeing as how my Executive membership to Costco costs me $120 a year, I can often make up for that expense in just a few months.

Plus, because Costco produce is so affordable, I'm able to purchase a variety of it. And keeping things interesting is a good way to get my kids to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

If I were to keep serving them the same steamed broccoli night after night, they'd probably get bored and start to rebel. But if I can mix things up by doing sides of spinach or squash or even mixed greens in a salad blend, my kids are less likely to protest.

A strategy that won't work for everyone

The reason it makes sense for me to buy produce in bulk from Costco is that there are five of us (plus, often a stray child from another household who's at my place after school and asks to stay for dinner). So the produce we buy doesn't go to waste.

But if you have a smaller household, it may not make sense to purchase produce in bulk. If doing so shaves something off of your bill compared to the supermarket but you end up throwing half of your haul away, you might end up wasting money rather than saving it.

Also, if your family is larger but doesn't eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, be honest with yourself about your personal habits. You may be inclined to take the mindset that you're going to commit to a three-pound bag of broccoli, and gosh darn it, you're going to make sure you eat it. But if your kids have historically refused broccoli and you're not such a big fan yourself, you're probably going to end up throwing most of those three pounds away.

All told, I'm grateful that Costco offers a wide selection of fruits and vegetables in bulk. If that weren't the case, I'd still do my best to serve lots of produce to my family, but it would have to come at the expense of other things.