Make The Most Of Your Costco Haul By Going With Friend

Costco is well known for offering great prices on bulk items. However, that great deal is no longer much of a deal if you don't have the space in your home to fit those giant-sized purchases, or if you can't finish all of the food items before they go bad. One way to minimize food and other waste, and to make the most of your Costco haul, is to go shopping with a friend and split the haul so that the portions sizes are more reasonable.

Each Costco membership comes with two cards, one for the member and one for someone residing in the same household. However, having two cards in the same household doesn't really help the issue of fitting or finishing bulk items. Luckily, one of the benefits of Costco membership is that Costco members can brings up to two guests along. Once you bring along a friend or two and go in on your purchase together, then all of a sudden it does make sense to get that 12-pack of paper towels, that 60-count pack of chips, and especially that bulk fresh fruit and produce that would definitely spoil otherwise.

Luckily, certain pantry items, like many canned goods, come in multi-packs for easy splitting with a friend or two. For other items that only come in extra-large sizes, such as a 25-pound bag of rice, you'll have to portion them out into different containers for splitting — a clever way is to use the giant tubs of pretzels or protein powders that Costco also sells.

As always, make sure to check the expiration dates for all items, especially perishable goods, and don't forget to write them down on any new packages that you may have decanted your bulk goods into. Also keep in mind that even with two or three people to split a haul, some items still may not make sense, like that entire wheel of cheese or a whole goat or lamb from the Costco business center. Lastly, when shopping with a friend (who isn't a Costco member), be aware that only members can purchase goods, so you may have to pay for everything at the store and settle up with your friend later, which, really, is a small price to pay to be able to take advantage of those great bulk deals while also not contributing to food waste.