Costco membership: A bodybuilder's best friend

[2XL]

I don't know about the rest of y'all, but for me following a body-builder's diet can be pretty draining on the wallet - especially if you have a kid or a pregnant mrs at home. I've found Costco or any wholesaler (BJ's, Sam's Club, etc.) to be an excellent place to food shop because you can buy your food in bulk for cheap. Here's just a few of the items i purchase there on a regular basis and save a few bucks on:

- Canned boneless/skinless chicken breast: $7.99 for a pack of 8 cans - 65 grams of protein per can!

- Sport Pharma Whey protein powder: 90 serving jug (22 grams protein per serving) for only $19.95!!

- Canned tuna; canned salmon - I don't remember the cost of these items off hand, but they come in 8 or 10 can packs like the chicken.

I buy my peanut butter, milk, meat, and bread from there as well and I definetly save some money on those items too.

Lets face it, getting big is exspensive. Do yourself a favor and get a Costco membership!

[alexclark]

Don't forget about the oats - two HUGE bags for dirt cheap.

[croftr]

Also you can get huge salmons from the fish section for £12. Just one of those does me for 4-5 meals.

[TMaG82]

The Costco that I go to also has the SportPharma protein. I heard some locations have EAS Protein. I'm on my second jug of the SP Protein and quickly running out.

I also dig all the bulk quantities of fruits they have. Frozen blueberries, bananas, and strawberries definately help the Whey shakes go down easier.

[bizzlewood]

dam didn't know we had one in the uk where is it?

[JonP-UK]

list of the UK places here : http://www.costco.co.uk/default.htm

Anyone used the UK ones and know if they are quite cheap for whey etc?

[bizzlewood]

damn they dont have one in london.

of they sell supps i will find a way lol

[croftr]

Originally Posted by JonP-UK

list of the UK places here : http://www.costco.co.uk/default.htm

Anyone used the UK ones and know if they are quite cheap for whey etc?

There is one in Liverpool (UK) which I use. The only whey protein they sell is Promax. Its slightly cheaper than other places but the only flavour they ever sell is strawberry. I guess that because its the least popular flavour so they get it cheaper, it really is a bad tasting protein though, not worth the £2 saved especially as I think Promax is overpriced anyway.

IMO none of the supplements they sell are worth getting but they are great
for bulk buying food.

[J-RODD]

i just got the 6lb. bag of eas whey for $24.88 at sams club.
awesome deal!

[SupaNatural]

Not to mention the beef roasts. Oh my time to go shopping.

[BostonGeorge]

Originally Posted by Supa Freek 420

Not to mention the beef roasts. Oh my time to go shopping.

+1, thier butcher's department is second to none.

[silv3rbull3t]

[QUOTE=croftr;14746461]There is one in Liverpool (UK) which I use. The only whey protein they sell is Promax. Its slightly cheaper than other places but the only flavour they ever sell is strawberry. I guess that because its the least popular flavour so they get it cheaper, it really is a bad tasting protein though, not worth the £2 saved especially as I think Promax is overpriced anyway.

LOL they have one in the uk but we can't even get one in florida..... what kinda sh*t is that......

[DriftMonster]

Are these quality protein supplements you are getting? Optimum 100% is pretty cheap, and I don't have to pay a monthly subscription to get it.

[eyesonly]

Originally Posted by 2XL

I don't know about the rest of y'all, but for me following a body-builder's diet can be pretty draining on the wallet - especially if you have a kid or a pregnant mrs at home. I've found Costco or any wholesaler (BJ's, Sam's Club, etc.) to be an excellent place to food shop because you can buy your food in bulk for cheap. Here's just a few of the items i purchase there on a regular basis and save a few bucks on:

- Canned boneless/skinless chicken breast: $7.99 for a pack of 8 cans - 65 grams of protein per can!

- Sport Pharma Whey protein powder: 90 serving jug (22 grams protein per serving) for only $19.95!!

- Canned tuna; canned salmon - I don't remember the cost of these items off hand, but they come in 8 or 10 can packs like the chicken.

I buy my peanut butter, milk, meat, and bread from there as well and I definetly save some money on those items too.

Lets face it, getting big is exspensive. Do yourself a favor and get a Costco membership!

Peanut butter? I couldn't find any good pb at the Costco by me. They don't seem to carry natural pb; all the ones I saw had excess oils included. They don't carry brown rice either. I was rather disappointed in their selection from a bb standpoint, though the other things you mentioned I also take advantage of.

[SupaNatural]

Originally Posted by eyesonly

Peanut butter? I couldn't find any good pb at the Costco by me. They don't seem to carry natural pb; all the ones I saw had excess oils included. They don't carry brown rice either. I was rather disappointed in their selection from a bb standpoint, though the other things you mentioned I also take advantage of.

I always see them carrying 2-packs of big jars of Laura Scudders natty PB. By excess oils included I hope you don't mean the oil floating at the top. That is not excess, it's separation.

[ElMariachi]

Originally Posted by DriftMonster

Are these quality protein supplements you are getting? Optimum 100% is pretty cheap, and I don't have to pay a monthly subscription to get it.

How do you know that Optimum is quality? Did you personally do an independent assay? Hype and popularity do not necessarily make a product better. I'm sure the Costco protein is pretty comparable in quality to the stuff from Optimum.

Also, there is no monthly "subscription" to shop at Costco. You pay a small fee once a year, and that is all.

[eyesonly]

Originally Posted by Supa Freek 420

I always see them carrying 2-packs of big jars of Laura Scudders natty PB. By excess oils included I hope you don't mean the oil floating at the top. That is not excess, it's separation.

Hmm... haven't seen Laura Scudders at my Costco. Unfortunate, because that's what I buy from my local grocery stores (Laura Scudders natural, unsalted).

No, I didn't mean that, though I do pour that out too. I mean the salt, and "partially hydrogenated oil" I saw in the ingredients.

[SupaNatural]

Originally Posted by eyesonly

No, I didn't mean that, though I do pour that out too. I mean the salt, and "partially hydrogenated oil" I saw in the ingredients.

Cool, no offense intended by my post. You never know about some members these days.

The LS natty PB @ costco has salt added, but it doesn't bother me.

[Dave P]

I get all my Tuna, Almonds, Grapefruit, Avocado, Chicken, and Broccoli from Costco.

[PhoenixBuff]

Don't forget the beef and chicken too - along with veggies (yuk!), oats, water and vitamins.

[eyesonly]

Originally Posted by Supa Freek 420

Cool, no offense intended by my post. You never know about some members these days.

The LS natty PB @ costco has salt added, but it doesn't bother me.

Cool. I admit I was slightly annoyed by the comment, but I'm better now.

I should probably try the salt added ones, at least in the interest of saving money (I go through 4 jars of pb a week).

[DriftMonster]

Originally Posted by ElMariachi

How do you know that Optimum is quality? Did you personally do an independent assay? Hype and popularity do not necessarily make a product better. I'm sure the Costco protein is pretty comparable in quality to the stuff from Optimum.

Also, there is no monthly "subscription" to shop at Costco. You pay a small fee once a year, and that is all.

Well, Optimum received bb.com supplement of the year and protein powder of the year, and I've notice excellent gains on it, so it seems pretty quality to me. I did no independent essays, but I have tried many other protein powders and not noticed the same. I wasn't saying the hype and popularity made a good product, but bulk supply of a product usually denotes not exceptional quality.

Sorry if my point wasn't conveyed with monthly subscription. How about membership fee. Better? Right now I shop at the commissary on base, so it would take some pretty good deals to get me away from that.

[AndyKram]

Ditto concerning the commissary. The commissary's normal prices are usually (like 99% of the time) better than other grocers' sale prices.

[gischer]

big bunches of bannanas for $1.30 each. Too bad bannanas only last about a week. I also got a nice sized flat of 60 eggs for something like 3 or 4 bux. They also had giant bags of yummy frozen veggies.


that place is awesome. I don't even pay for the membership, i use my GF's mom's. Me and my roomate figured we probably saved a good 30-40% shopping there in bulk

[VillanovaBlue]

[QUOTE=silv3rbull3t;14778711]

Originally Posted by croftr

There is one in Liverpool (UK) which I use. The only whey protein they sell is Promax. Its slightly cheaper than other places but the only flavour they ever sell is strawberry. I guess that because its the least popular flavour so they get it cheaper, it really is a bad tasting protein though, not worth the £2 saved especially as I think Promax is overpriced anyway.

LOL they have one in the uk but we can't even get one in florida..... what kinda sh*t is that......

There's one in Jacksonville...of course, that probably doesn't help if you aren't close by...

[Hikeon3]

How does the American Express thing work? I've been told that if you have an American Express card, you don't need a membership. You can just buy things from Costco with the card with/without member status.

Confirmation anyone?

If so, I'm going to my local Safeway and cashing in for a 50 dollar American Express gift card.

[Mdonnelly33]

Originally Posted by Hikeon3

How does the American Express thing work? I've been told that if you have an American Express card, you don't need a membership. You can just buy things from Costco with the card with/without member status.

Confirmation anyone?

If so, I'm going to my local Safeway and cashing in for a 50 dollar American Express gift card.

Yeah, AMEX is the only credit card Costco accepts. You can sign up for a Costco AMEX card, which I'm thinking about doing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that when you use the Costco card, you get a certain percentage back (I believe like 1-2%) on your total purchase in store, and some other places you can get up to 4% back! It's a hell of a deal if you ask me, because my dad has an Executive Business membership there, so he buys a lot thru costco for his company. He ended up with around $1,200 in rebates, so we used it to purchase a Nautilus Smith Machine they had on costco.com. It's pretty damn sturdy, too.

[SupaNatural]

Originally Posted by DriftMonster

Sorry if my point wasn't conveyed with monthly subscription. How about membership fee. Better? Right now I shop at the commissary on base, so it would take some pretty good deals to get me away from that.

I prefer the commissary, you get the same if not better prices and you don't have to buy in bulk.

[BigDutchman]

Originally Posted by Hikeon3

How does the American Express thing work? I've been told that if you have an American Express card, you don't need a membership. You can just buy things from Costco with the card with/without member status.

Confirmation anyone?

If so, I'm going to my local Safeway and cashing in for a 50 dollar American Express gift card.

While Amex is the only credit card Costco accepts, you still need a valid membership to use it. Costco sponsors its own Amex cards, which will also have your membership info on it. Thus, if you have a Costco Amex card, you can do all of your Costco business with one card. Additionally, you receive fantastic cash-back rebates (as long as you use your credit responsibly). See my breakdown below:...

Originally Posted by Mdonnelly33

Yeah, AMEX is the only credit card Costco accepts. You can sign up for a Costco AMEX card, which I'm thinking about doing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that when you use the Costco card, you get a certain percentage back (I believe like 1-2%) on your total purchase in store, and some other places you can get up to 4% back! It's a hell of a deal if you ask me, because my dad has an Executive Business membership there, so he buys a lot thru costco for his company. He ended up with around $1,200 in rebates, so we used it to purchase a Nautilus Smith Machine they had on costco.com. It's pretty damn sturdy, too.

I have a Costco Amex card. Here is how it works:

Cash rebate:
The Costco Amex card is accepted anywhere Amex is accepted! You receive the following CASH rebates on your Costco-Amex purchases:
3%on anything travel related (i.e. airline tickets, hotel, rental car, etc. A great way to piggyback this is to use Costco travel to book your vacations. Costco vacations are the shiz nizzle. If you didn't know, now you know)
2%on dining (this includes everything from Ruth's Chris steak house to everyday purchases like starbucks, Subway, etc)
1%on everything else, including Costco purchases.

The rebate is awarded annually via a check in February. I have accumulated over $130 this year, and I am a "poor" grad student.

Also, you receive all of the benefits of Amex service, which in my experience, is the best among any credit company. Amex also has great travel service, etc., and they will extend a very generous credit line. I love me some Costco and Amex.

Remeber though, Credit Cards are not to be trifled with, and the illusion of free money via a cash rebate can bite you in the @ss if you aren't responsible with your spending.

I hope that helped!

[JIA]

Solid post, AmEx rewards sound tempting. I almost opted for a Costco membership but decided that Sam's Club is cheaper, albeit with less variety and fewer luxury items(like coffins heh). Sam's club now accepts mastercard, and if you're a business member you are entitled to extended operating hours.

Sam's club highlights:
cottage cheese comes in a three-pound tub.
eggs come in two big cartons.
6.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $14!
Sportspharma whey protein is cheap but as others stated, tastes horrible. I mix mine 50/50 with casein.