How Often Should You Go to Costco?

Some people grumble about the cost of a Costco membership. Their logic is that they shouldn't have to pay to enter a store and spend their money there.

But I have no problem paying for my Costco membership. Since I shop there weekly, the savings I enjoy on groceries and other household products more than makes up for my $120 annual fee, which is the current cost of a Costco Executive membership. Plus, the whole reason Costco charges those fees is to pass savings onto members -- which I find that it does.

Meanwhile, I have friends who are Costco members who shop there multiple times a week. And I have to admit, I can't imagine having that need. 

On the other end of the spectrum, I have friends who pay for Costco but only visit the store a couple of times a year. And I can't help but wonder whether they're actually getting their money's worth.

All told, it's hard to land on the right cadence for visiting Costco. So if you're wondering how often you should go, you're in good company.

You'll want to go at least enough times to make back your membership fee

You can only load up on so many Costco goods in a single shopping trip, especially if you're buying groceries with a limited shelf life. You'll probably need to hit the store a number of times to reap enough savings to cover the cost of your membership. 

That number is apt to vary depending on the things you buy. But basically, you should see what you normally spend on a Costco run and how much savings that gives you compared to your local supermarket. Then, divide the cost of your annual membership by that number to see how many times you should go to Costco in a year for your fee to be worth paying.

Let's say you pay $60 a year for a basic Costco membership. Let's also say each Costco run of yours saves you $15 compared to the cost of a regular supermarket. In that case, you should aim to go to Costco at least once every three months, or four times a year, to justify the expense of a membership, because if you're not making that money back, it's probably not worth spending.

But once you've made back your membership fee, the frequency at which you visit Costco should hinge on your personal needs. If you have a large family to feed, going once a week might make sense. If you don't cook that often but like to stock up on non-perishables and other supplies with a longer shelf life, going once a month might be your best bet.

You don't, however, want to fall into the trap of going to Costco more often than you need to. If you visit too often, you might end up spending extra money for no good reason.

Granted, many of us are busy enough that we're not spending our downtime wandering the aisles of Costco for kicks. But hey, you never know.

Make sure you're getting good value from your membership

It's a good idea to visit Costco often enough to make back your membership fee, whether it's $60 for a basic membership or $120 for an Executive membership. But if you start effectively forcing yourself to go to Costco when you'd rather shop somewhere closer (or you'd simply prefer a different store), then it may be time to rethink your membership.

If you're doing well financially, it's true that $60, or even $120, isn't such a huge outlay for access to a giant store that sells a little bit of everything. And it's certainly not a lot of money to pay for the potential to save hundreds of dollars each year on food and essentials. 

But if getting over to Costco has become a hassle, you may want to cancel your membership. Shopping there should be a positive experience, and if it isn't, why torture yourself?