Do You Overspend Every Time You Go to Costco? Here Are 3 Ways to Break the Cycle

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Tired of sky-high Costco tabs? Read on for ways to start spending less. 

For many people, the primary purpose of having a Costco membership is to save money on everyday needs, like foods and household supplies. But if you’re someone who tends to go overboard with Costco shopping, then your membership may be hurting your finances rather than helping them. If that’s the case, here are a few steps you can take to break that cycle.

1. Make shopping lists

It’s easy enough to get distracted when shopping at Costco, since those warehouse club stores are utterly massive. But a good way to stay on track is to make a shopping list before you visit Costco and carry it around with you. Staying focused on the things you need could help you avoid impulse buys.

That said, your lists shouldn’t be thrown together randomly. Actually look through your pantry and fridge before heading to Costco. You don’t want to buy a bulk pack of eggs if there’s a carton hidden in the back of your fridge that’s mostly full.

2. Don’t go into aisles you don’t need

Some people shop at Costco by wandering in and out of every single aisle in the store. That’s a good way to spend extra money. A better bet? If you don’t have a need for a given Costco aisle based on your shopping list, don’t set foot in it. Period.

Sure, you might enjoy “just seeing what’s there” or scoping out new items on the shelves. But if that leads to extra spending, then it’s not worth doing.

3. Only shop with cash

There are different ways you can pay for purchases at Costco. The warehouse club giant will accept any Visa credit card you have, plus debit cards, personal checks, and cash. But if you’ve been known to overspend at Costco, then you may want to leave your credit cards behind when you go there and only bring enough cash to cover the items you’re planning to buy based on your list.

Of course, the problem with paying in cash is that you forgo the perks that come with using a credit card, like getting to score cash back on your purchases. But if you have an Executive membership at Costco, you can earn 2% back on all of your purchases regardless of how you choose to pay for them. So either way, you get an opportunity to earn money back on the things you’re buying.

Don’t let your Costco membership become a negative thing

The whole point of joining Costco is to enjoy savings on groceries and household essentials, plus the other items you might need to buy there, like apparel. So the last thing you want is to ruin that by overspending at the store on a regular basis.

But if you take these tips to heart, you may find that you’re able to avoid needless or impulse purchases and just stick to the basics. That could work wonders for your finances at a time when things are still pretty expensive across the board thanks to higher inflation.

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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.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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