Should You Really Buy A Costco Membership If You Live Alone?

Costco's known for its gloriously cheap $1.50 hot dogs and its enormous (and affordable) $5 rotisserie chickens, but it's also known for its bulk groceries and home goods. The word "bulk" is key here: Unit prices tend to be cheaper than what you'd get at a supermarket, but the catch is having to buy a large quantity all at once. So if you're single and live alone, is it worth getting your own membership?

Personally, I think it is. But it depends on your approach. There are some things that don't make sense purchasing in bulk, like items that have the potential to go bad or go stale (think produce or baked goods). If you can crush multiple pounds of strawberries before they go bad, then excellent; otherwise, you may want to steer clear of fresh items.

But a membership may be worth having in regard to staple items, since savings eventually add up. Imagine buying toilet paper once and having it stocked for  a whole year. And anything you eat regularly, like frozen pizza or canned items, is priced well. You just need space for these packages, because some take up room, like the aforementioned toilet paper. 

Clothes at Costco are remarkably cheap; I snagged a winter coat for $25 this past season. It also sells gas, electronics, tires, and more, which are things you may actually need at some point. If you can limit your purchases to tailor your needs (it's doable!), then a membership is definitely justified.

Sharing is caring, as they say. But Costco's not too keen on the idea, and have cracked down on membership sharing on several occasions. Sharing a membership only works if you have a multi-person household, in which case you can add people to your Costco membership. But if the whole point is your independence, sharing a card across households obviously won't work.

But you can still split a yearly membership with someone. You'll just both need to shop together. That's because each Costco member is allowed to bring up to two guests during a visit. The catch is that the actual cardholder needs to pay for the entire transaction, so if you're not the one with the membership, you'll have to pay your companion for what you got once you leave Costco. We've also got some other workarounds that can get you into Costco, even without a membership card.

Is that a bit of a pain? Sure. But consider it a bonding experience. Plus, you can split things that you would both like to get, like a two-pack of Chick-Fil-A sauce, ketchup, or bulk butcher pack of meat. Then you can sit and enjoy a few slices of pizza afterwards and tally up your savings just for fun.