Don’t Live Near a Costco? Here Are 3 Great Alternatives

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Costco memberships are a great deal, but store locations aren’t always convenient. Read on to find out how you can still save without a membership. [[{“value”:”

Having a Costco membership is a great way to save money on groceries and other household products. The discount warehouse club’s low prices, cheap gas, and other perks like low prescription drug prices can help anyone keep to a strict budget.

But what if you don’t live near a Costco? My local store is technically just a few miles from me, but it’s on a busy road with lots of traffic and is in the opposite direction of where I’m usually driving. That alone makes a Costco membership less of a draw for me.

If your local Costco store isn’t as convenient as you’d like, here are three great alternatives to help you stick to your budget.

1. Give Aldi a try

Thanks to Aldi’s simplicity and low prices, I’m an unabashed fan. I don’t like having too many options when I’m shopping, making Aldi’s no-frills experience ideal. Sure, you can’t get many popular brands that some people prefer, but you get really low prices in return.

A recent report from AARP found that Aldi is the cheapest grocery store, beating out Target and Walmart for the best prices. Aldi even cut prices on 250 of its items earlier this year to help relieve the pain of inflation for customers.

If you’ve never been to an Aldi store, you should know a few things about it before you go. First, you’ll need to bring a quarter to unlock a shopping cart. To help keep prices low, Aldi doesn’t have employees chasing down shopping carts in the parking lot. Instead, you return your own cart and get your quarter back.

Also, as I mentioned before, you won’t find some of the popular brands you might be used to at other stores. Instead, about 90% of Aldi’s items are under its own brand. I’ve rarely had any issues with the quality of products I’ve purchased.

2. Buy your household goods on Amazon

I’ve been an Amazon Prime member for years and can’t imagine not having the subscription. It costs just $139 annually (or $15 for a one-month membership), and you’ll receive Prime member discounts on products and free two-day shipping (and sometimes, shipping is faster).

My family frequently buys our household goods on Amazon, so we take advantage of the company’s Subscribe & Save option. Amazon’s Subscribe & Save gives you a discount of up to 15% if you set up a recurring order schedule. We use it for things we buy frequently, like paper towels, soap, and cereal.

We also have a Prime Visa credit card, which gives us unlimited 5% cash rewards on Amazon, AmazonFresh, and Whole Foods, and Chase Travel purchases with an eligible Prime membership. The cash back rewards we get each year more than cover the annual cost of a Prime membership.

3. Score deals at your local grocery store

Local grocery stores don’t always get the credit they deserve for saving customers money. Sure, prices are often higher than at Costco and other discount stores. But if you time the sales right, you can save big.

Publix is a large local chain in our area, and the store regularly has great buy one, get one free deals. My wife regularly plans her grocery store trips to Publix just for these BOGO deals, and we save money by (mostly) only buying the items on sale.

While shopping at Costco can save you lots of money, the store locations aren’t ideal for everyone. Thankfully, there are plenty of alternatives where you can save money. It might take a little more effort to track down a good deal, but a combination of shopping at Aldi, Amazon, and your local grocery store can help keep you within your budget.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
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.JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Chris Neiger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Costco Wholesale, JPMorgan Chase, Target, Visa, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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