Dave Ramsey Said to Skip These 6 Items at Costco. Should You?

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Read this before your next Costco trip. 

If you’re headed to Costco, it’s important to make sure you have a shopping list so you aren’t tempted to run up a big credit card bill with impulse buys. Deciding what to buy at this warehouse store — and what to skip — can be a challenge, though, since Costco has so many products on sale.

Finance expert Dave Ramsey has some advice to consider to help you decide what you should and should not purchase at Costco. In fact, here are six items he says you should skip.

Ramsey says to leave these on the shelf

Although Ramsey has made clear he believes you can get some great deals at Costco and other warehouse clubs, the six items he says you should steer clear of include the following products:

FruitsVeggiesDairy itemsAnything perishableCondimentsSpices

There’s a very simple reason why Ramsey doesn’t believe any of these items belong in your Costco cart. You could end up wasting money if you purchase them because Costco requires you to buy in large quantities. Buying too many of any of the items on this list could leave you with products that go bad before you get a chance to use them up.

“Buying perishable items like produce in bulk is always a huge gamble. The odds are rarely ever in your favor that it’s going to spoil before you can eat all of it,” Ramsey warned. As for spices, Ramsey also said they could “outlive their shelf life and flavor” even if they don’t necessarily spoil the way that fruits and vegetables might.

Should you follow Ramsey’s advice?

Ramsey’s advice on items to skip at Costco makes sense in a lot of situations. After all, if you end up buying a huge container of blueberries and half of them get moldy, all you’ve done is drain your bank account to pay for food that gets tossed in the trash.

Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone should listen to him, though. If you have a huge family of milk drinkers who go through gallons a week or if you need a few pounds of strawberries in order to make jam, then buying these perishable items at Costco could be a wise use of your hard-earned funds if you can get them cheaper there than elsewhere.

The important thing before going to Costco is to know your consumption habits and to make a plan before you buy anything. And that doesn’t just include perishable items that will go bad within weeks, but also things like canned goods or frozen items that could have a longer shelf life.

You should think about how much of any product your family is realistically going to use — and consider whether you’re likely to get sick of it or have your tastes change — before you’ve finished up all of the servings you’ve bought. Unless you’re confident that you will use up a bulk purchase in full while it’s still good, you shouldn’t make it.

By taking the time to consider your consumption needs, you can make smarter choices about what kinds of Costco products are worth buying for you.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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