9 Tips And Tricks For Shopping At Costco On A Budget In 2026

Money's tight. You don't need us to tell you that. As we plunge deeper into 2026, the bleak economic outlook of the last few years doesn't look set to magically reverse. Although inflation has eased, prices aren't dropping significantly, and, because of this, people everywhere will have to continue thinking about where they can save cash. While stores like Costco seem to offer bargains on their food, there's no denying that shopping there can be just as expensive as in other stores.

Things aren't as bleak as they sound, though, people. Not only are there a number of food items under $5 you can snag at Costco, it's one of those places where you can find a bunch of ways to save money, as long as you know what to do and where to look. Simple things like looking out for price codes, grabbing frozen items instead of fresh ones, or opting for larger items and breaking them down yourself can help you save a chunk of change. Furthermore, there are some little-known avenues that Costco offers, through its pharmacy partnerships and website options, which can help you score big savings. Let's check out all of our favorite ways to save at Costco this year.

You may not know it, but Costco's comprehensive e-commerce options include one platform that often flies under the radar. We're talking here about Costco Next, an offshoot of its website that presents a range of limited products from brands that the retailer works with and trusts, which its buyers have hand-selected thanks to their usefulness and quality. These products go beyond the items that you typically find in Costco stores, and, by buying through Costco Next, you'll gain a discount on the wares that they showcase. Costco doesn't handle any of the shipping or (if needed) returns; it just acts as the funnel for you to get to the items you like.

The great thing about Costco Next is that the products available are pretty wide-ranging. There is a host of grocery products from brands like Love, Corn, Yo Mama's, and Blake's, as well as specialty goods, like gluten-free items. There are also beauty products, appliances, electronics, and baby items. Such is the range available that you might find that you're spending all day on the section of the site, and you might be pleasantly surprised by how much you save. It's only available to Costco members, though, so make sure your card is valid before you start shopping.

You'll find no shortage of bulk goods at Costco, but a lot of the time, they'll be smaller items grouped into a larger package. This is as true of meat as it is of anything else. When purchasing steaks, pork chops, or chicken breasts at the store, you're basically just grabbing a larger version of the packs you'd find in any other supermarket, with loads of cuts in a tray or bag.

If you're willing to do a little more work at home, though, you can grab the same amount of meat for less money. Costco sells big packs of sliced meat, but it also sometimes sells that meat in unsliced form. Rather than picking up a pack of ribeye steaks, for example, you can get yourself a whole beef ribeye primal for several dollars less per pound. You can then butcher it at home, freezing the steaks and saving money in the process. Costco Business Centers (which you can easily go to if you're a regular Costco member) also sell larger cuts of plenty of types of meat, which you can break down yourself. Just make sure you're comparing the prices of things that you're buying by the pound, so you don't inadvertently spend more.

Have you ever wondered why some Costco price codes don't end in .99? Well, the answer is that those that don't are usually items that you should snap up immediately, because they'll give you an absolutely huge savings. As a rule, regularly priced Costco products typically end in .99, but if you see one that ends in .97, it means that it's a clearance item that's had its price reduced. Once this item's gone, it's gone, and so seeing these could be your last chance to snap up a Costco goodie that's way cheaper than it'd normally be.

Elsewhere, items that end in .49, .59, or .79 are generally products that are seasonal or available on rotation. These products will usually be slightly cheaper than the equivalent or same items in other stores, so they're a great opportunity to hoover something up on the cheap. Finally, items that end in .00 are usually those that have been marked down by the manager, and are therefore cheaper than they'd usually be. It's common to see this price code in the fresh and deli sections, as using it is a good way to clear out stock that's about to be past its sell-by date. These items are perfectly safe to eat, though, so grab them while you can.

Costco debuts new products all the time, and as 2026 rolls on, that doesn't look set to change. In fact, Costco itself has confirmed that it'll be expanding its Kirkland Signature line throughout the year. The store is doing this both to offer more selection to customers, but also in response to the introduction of tariffs (and likely worry around more of them appearing further down the line), giving it greater control over the production of its own items.

This is good news for folks trying to save money at the store. For customers, the introduction of new Kirkland items represents an opportunity to potentially pivot to private label goods that Costco previously sold non-Kirkland versions of, with the former potentially being much cheaper. As of January 2026, Costco doesn't seem to have added many new Kirkland items to the fray, but keeping an eye out and being aware of the Kirkland expansion as the year goes on could well help customers nab savings — or else see new items appear that are now in their budget.

Costco's pharmacy isn't exactly one of its best-kept secrets, but it's definitely a part of the store that people forget can offer savings. Medication bought at Costco's pharmacies is typically way cheaper than at other stores, in part due to its lower dispensing fees. As of January 2026, though, millions of customers may well find that their medication is suddenly even more cost-effective. Costco recently announced a partnership with Navitus, a pharmacy solutions provider that has 800 major clients, including unions, government plans, and employers, which cover nearly 18 million people. This partnership will see folks who are covered by Navitus have access to cost-plus pricing for their medication.

As a result, you may well find that buying your medication from Costco is suddenly much more affordable, and most likely cheaper than if you were to purchase it elsewhere — so it's definitely worth checking with your employer or union about whether they work with Navitus. If they do, you could have access to savings without even realizing it. If you don't, though, it's still worth taking advantage of Costco's pharmacy, as it can be a great way to save cash (and it's included in your membership, so why wouldn't you?).

There's a hidden secret on the Costco website, and its name is Costco Direct. Okay, maybe it's not so hidden after all: Costco Direct is right there in plain sight on its main page, in the form of dozens of red labels on the listings for home goods and appliances. If you've never taken advantage of it, though, it's time to do so. Costco Direct is a section of its site that offers limited-time discounts on bigger, more expensive items, like fridges, dishwashers, and furniture, which are delivered right to your home. More importantly, though, it gives customers the chance to save big on these items, provided that they buy more than one at a time.

These multi-buy offers are actually seriously impressive. At the time of writing this article, if you purchase two Costco Direct items, you save $100. This amount continues to scale up the more that you buy, and by the time you're buying five or more products, you could be saving $400. As such, if you have a relatively tight budget for bigger-ticket home items, this could be the option for you, especially if you're kitting out your kitchen or living room.

Most of the time, trying to beat inflation is pretty impossible. That's unless you're shopping at Costco, that is. The store by no means freezes the prices on the majority of its items, but it's famously kept a few of its products costing the same for years, if not decades. Both its fan-favorite rotisserie chicken and its food court hot dog have remained the same price seemingly forever, and they look unlikely to change any time soon, as they work as loss leaders for the company to entice customers through its doors. Indeed, the amazing $1.50 hot dog and drink combo could well stay that way until the end of time, if Costco execs can keep its shareholders on its side.

These highly publicized products represent an opportunity for customers who are looking to create cheap meals. Its rotisserie chicken, which costs $4.99, can be used to make several easy weeknight dinners in one go. All you have to do is shred it up at home and mix it into your curries or casseroles, and you've got a lightning-quick, super-cheap source of protein. Its hot dogs, meanwhile, are not just an affordable lunch, but can also be repurposed into different meals. Slice up the hot dog and add it to pasta or rice, and boom: A frugal meal that tastes amazing.

The next time you visit Costco you may want to skip the fresh produce. A lot of the time, its fresh produce seems to go past its prime the moment you get it home from the store. Its fruit is especially temperamental, and fresh produce, like its strawberries, has repeatedly been a disappointment to customers, both for their quality when ripe and for how quickly they go bad. Some people have even found creepy crawlies in the fresh produce from Costco. Oh, and you're paying fresh prices for the privilege.

So, let 2026 be the year that you skip its fresh aisles and go for the frozen section. Costco has an excellent selection of frozen fruit, and you can pick up a bag of its Frozen Organic Strawberries for a couple of bucks per pound. These strawberries aren't just price-beaters, but they may well be as nutritious, or even more so, than their fresh counterparts. Plus, they'll last way longer than the fresh strawberries you're buying, and they have a versatility to them that goes beyond just using them in a smoothie. The same principle applies to other frozen fruits and vegetables. Generally speaking, you get more for your money, and you can keep it for months.

Okay, so we know that a budgeting tip that encourages you to spend more money might not be the most exciting one to hear about, but bear with us. Somewhat counterintuitively, spending slightly more on your Costco membership may benefit your budget in the long run, if you spend a fair amount of money at the store each year. Costco Executive Membership costs $130 per year, double the price of a standard membership, but it gives you a 2% reward on qualifying purchases. This means that if you spend a couple of hundred dollars per month at the store, you essentially make your money back, and then you start to save money on top of that.

To put this into perspective, if you spend more than around $540 per month at Costco, you'll make back the $130 that you spend on membership, and anything above that will basically be free money. You also gain cash back when you shop online, and when you spend money through Costco Travel. Bear in mind that you can only receive a maximum of $1,250 per year as a reward, but to get that, you have to spend around $62,500 annually at the store.