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Costco has established itself as the ultimate retail destination for consumers looking to buy a lot of stuff with not a lot of money — or at least, with less money than they might need if shopping elsewhere. Of course, this privilege comes at a cost, in the form of Costco’s annual membership fee of $60.
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While Costco is pretty good at offering rock-bottom prices and giving consumers the biggest bang for their buck, a certain amount of strategy is necessary if you want to stick to a shoestring budget. After all, Costco is still a superstore that depends on your dollars to stay in business. It didn’t generate $141.4 billion in revenue in the U.S. in 2021 because people only bought what they needed and used savvy savings tactics to do so. It relied on impulse buys and other sneaky sales maneuvers designed to get people to spend more, more, more.
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How can you avoid spending more than you want to and ensure that you stay under budget when shopping at Costco? Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews.com, shared her best tips with us on how to do just that.
Shop the Sales
“Costco frequently has deals that are online-only as well as offers that are available in the warehouses and you should be checking out both if you aren’t already,” Ramhold said. “These promotions take the already great prices Costco offers and tack extra savings on top, so you can save like $3 off that B12 supplement you take every day, or $5 off your favorite toilet paper.”
These promotions cover tons of items — so you’ll usually find extra savings on electronics, home goods, office supplies, food and drink and more.
“The sales are staggered, with online-only starting and stopping at different times than the warehouse offers, so be sure to keep an eye out for them and take advantage when you can,” Ramhold said. “Stocking up while these items are on sale will ensure you can save up front and avoid having to worry about grabbing items when they’re full price later on.”
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Buy Only What You Need
Costco makes it very easy to spend money — so be mindful …….
Source: https://www.gobankingrates.com/saving-money/shopping/how-to-shop-costco-on-budget/