I Always Buy Milk at Costco for This Reason -- and It's Not the Price

As a mom of three kids, milk is something we go through a lot of in my household. Not only do my kids still drink it with many meals, but as a cereal lover and coffee drinker, it's a necessity for me, too. In fact, most weeks, we go through two or three gallons of milk, so it's important to me to find milk at a reasonable price point. 

And Costco definitely has great prices on milk. But that's not the only reason I buy my milk there.

It's a matter of quality and staying power, too

My family's preference is 1% milk, and the Kirkland version costs $3.74 per gallon for same-day delivery through Costco. But that's the online/delivery price -- not the in-store price. I find that when I buy that same milk at my local Costco, it's about $0.50 cheaper per gallon. By contrast, at my local Stop & Shop, a gallon of 1% milk costs $4.79.

Now, it's worth noting that Costco prices vary by region, so the cost of milk in New Jersey might be different from the cost of milk in New York or California or Tennessee. But either way, I find that there are savings to be reaped by purchasing milk at Costco versus another source.

That's just part of the reason I buy my milk there, though. See, I tend to refer to Costco milk as "magic milk" because its expiration date is often two weeks out or more from when I buy it. By contrast, when I go to a local supermarket, I find that the milk's printed expiration date is usually just two or three days out. That's not at all convenient. 

Even though we drink milk regularly in my household, a short expiration date makes it more likely that we'll end up having to throw out some milk due to spoilage and run to the store for more. But that's not a concern with Costco milk.

And to be clear, I've purchased Costco milk with an expiration date two-plus weeks out many times over, and I've found repeatedly that the milk actually does last and taste good 15 days after purchasing it. So those lengthy expiration dates really are legit.

So how does Costco manage to pull that off? I spoke to a store employee and their theory was that Costco's means of transporting and storing milk may be superior to those employed by regular supermarkets. In other words, that employee seemed to think that it wasn't the milk itself that was so particularly long-lasting. Rather, it was the way Costco procures and stores it.

That makes sense, because if you've ever purchased milk from Costco, you've probably had the experience of walking into a freezing cold room, grabbing your gallons, and running back out before your nose turns red and your fingers lose feeling. But hey, I'm willing to endure 45 seconds of personal discomfort to get low-cost, quality milk that lasts.

A great way to avoid food waste

Many people routinely throw money away in the form of food waste. And at Costco, that's a real danger seeing as how you may be buying a lot of things in bulk. 

But thankfully, Costco's milk is less likely to go bad on you before you get a chance to use it. So in addition to a lower credit card tab, you get the benefit of not having to go back to the supermarket every two days to replenish your milk supply.