Costco Trip on Tuesday

I was running low on juice boxes for the kids' lunches, so I stopped in at Costco for a quick trip. (Yeah, right.) I went WITHOUT a list. Big mistake #1. I took the kids. Big mistake #2. ;-)

I did find a couple good deals...they always have their bisquick at the cheapest per ounce price (works out to about 6 cents per ounce). I also found butter for pretty cheap - I have found that butter is really getting expensive. I am sure it has something to do with energy costs, but it seems to have gone up about $1 since just last year. Costco's Kirkland brand butter worked out to about $1.75 per 4-stick package, which is way cheaper than what I have found ($2.50-$3 at the grocery store). Costco also has the Capri Sun 100% juice for about $2.70 per box.

I was kicking myself, though, because their half-and-half is much cheaper than at the grocery store and I had just bought some at Sprouts. I also get interested in their milk, but I am reluctant to buy that much unless it is the organic milk. Organic milk and most half-and-half will last a very long time because they "ultra-pasteurize" it; this means it is super-heated (275 degrees F) for a short time of 1-2 seconds and then cooled quickly. (For reference, regular pasteurization requires that the milk is heated to 165 degrees F for 15 seconds.) That's why you see "best if used by" dates that are much further out on these products. The organic milk at Costco is a pretty good price...I wasn't paying close attention yesterday, but previously it has been about $3 for a half-gallon, which is competitive with or better than sale prices at Sprouts.

And of course they placed the kids' swimsuits at the front of the store, so we had to pick those up. Swimming season is going to arrive much sooner than desired, I am afraid. :-) And I can never leave Costco without getting some of their raisin bread.

So, it was a quick trip that turned into a much bigger trip. Oh well: since it is Costco I can successfully avoid it for at least a month since everything comes in massive quantities.

Good luck to you in your shopping...
--Katie