What I Buy at Trader Joe’s vs. Costco for My Family

I shop at both Trader Joe’s and Costco, but my shopping cart looks very different at each store.

At Costco, I’m buying bulk household items and foods. At Trader Joe’s, I’m only food and picking up smaller quantities we can actually finish.

Even with a family of four and hungry teenagers, we don’t need everything in bulk. We can go through drinks and yogurt quickly, but a Costco-size bag of onions or potatoes is just too much for us.

Over time, I’ve figured out which purchases make sense for my family at each store. Here’s what I buy at Trader Joe’s versus Costco for my family.

1. I Buy Household Essentials at Costco

Gain detergent, Bounty paper towels, Charmin toilet paper, Kirkland baby wipes and Kirkland trash bags are some of my regular Costco purchases. We use these consistently, so buying the larger packages makes sense for my family.

I don’t like paying full price for them, though, so I’m always watching for sales. I’ve found that these items go on sale often enough that I can usually wait for a discount.

Since they keep well and I have room in my garage to store extras, I stock up when the price drops. That way, I have them on hand without having to pay full price when we run out.

2. Costco Is Also Where I Buy Personal Care Products

I buy personal care products like Pantene shampoo and conditioner, Sensodyne toothpaste, Dove body wash, Cetaphil lotion and Sonicare replacement toothbrush heads at Costco.

I also buy supplements such as One A Day multivitamins and Kirkland vitamin D from Costco.

Just like with household essentials, I’m always watching for sales on these products. I try not to buy them at full price. Since they’re things we use regularly, I buy them when there’s a discount rather than wait until we’ve run out.

3. I Buy Seltzer, Yogurt and Protein Milkshakes at Costco

My family goes through seltzer, yogurt and protein milkshakes quickly, so these are things I buy at Costco instead of Trader Joe’s.

I drink plain Vintage seltzer every day, so buying it by the case makes sense. It’s something I always like to have on hand.

With a teenage son who plays football, protein milkshakes are another regular purchase. They can get expensive, so I especially watch for sales and buy a few cases when they’re discounted.

Chobani yogurt is another everyday staple in our house. I usually pick up a case whenever I go to Costco because I know we’ll finish it.

For these purchases, I don’t worry much about the larger package sizes. Even with yogurt, which has a shorter shelf life, we go through it quickly enough that buying in bulk works for us.

4. I Buy Prepared Meals at Costco

Costco’s prepared meals are another category I buy regularly. On busy days, having dinner ready to put in the oven makes things easier.

Chicken pot pie, shepherd’s pie and the chicken street taco kit are some of the meals I’ve bought. They give me easy dinners for days when I don’t have time to cook an entire dinner from scratch.

I also like the burrata salad for a work-from-home lunch. The rotisserie chicken chef salad is another favorite because the portion is generous enough for me to split into two meals or share with my husband.

I still have to be realistic about how many prepared meals I bring home at once. I try to choose things that fit into the next few days so I don’t end up with a refrigerator full of meals that all need to be eaten.

5. I Buy Bagged Salads at Trader Joe’s Because the Bags Are Smaller

Bagged salads are one of the things I prefer buying at Trader Joe’s. The smaller bags are easier for me to finish in time.

A larger bag might look appealing, but it doesn’t help me if I can’t get through it before the salad starts going bad. I’d rather buy an amount that fits what I’ll actually eat.

This is one category where the package size matters more to me than having extra on hand. I want to open a bag of salad and enjoy it without feeling like I have to eat salad at every meal to finish it.

6. I Buy Frozen Foods at Trader Joe’s So I Can Have More Variety

When I go to Trader Joe’s, my cart is mostly filled with frozen foods and snacks.

Some of my regular TJ frozen food purchases are Mandarin Orange Chicken, mac and cheese balls, scallion pancakes, Korean beef short ribs and griddle cakes.

One of the biggest reasons I buy frozen foods there is that I want variety without filling my freezer with just a few big boxes. I have two refrigerators, but somehow the freezer space is still always full.

The smaller packages at Trader Joe’s let me fit more different foods into the space I have. I can keep a few favorites on hand and still make room to try something new.

I do have to pay attention to how many packages I need for a meal. With hungry teenagers, one bag of Mandarin Orange Chicken isn’t enough for my family of four. I need two bags.

If I know a meal takes two packages, I buy in multiples of two so I don’t end up with one bag left that won’t be enough the next time.

7. I’m More Willing to Try Something New at Trader Joe’s

I’m more comfortable making an impulse purchase at Trader Joe’s, especially if it’s a new frozen food or snack. The smaller package makes it feel like less of a commitment, both in how much I’m spending and how much food I’m bringing home.

At Costco, I have to think twice before buying a box of frozen food I haven’t tried.

It’s a bigger purchase, and that box is going to take up a lot of room in an already full freezer. If we don’t like it, I’m left with a lot more food to get through.

That’s why Costco samples work for me. If I try something and like it, I’m much more willing to buy the larger package. Being able to taste it first helps me decide whether it’s worth the money and the freezer space.

At Trader Joe’s, I’m more likely to put a new snack or frozen food in my cart just because it looks good. I don’t need to be quite as sure about it when I’m only buying a small package.

8. Trader Joe’s Snack Sizes Work Better for Us

I buy chips like Ghost Pepper Potato Chips and White Truffle Potato Chips at Trader Joe’s because the bag size works better for my family.

We can usually finish a bag before the chips get stale or we get tired of eating them.

I also like that we aren’t bringing home an enormous bag that encourages us to eat more chips than we intended. The smaller size feels like the right amount for us to enjoy and then move on to something else.

The same goes for other snacks like cookies and crackers. My son loves the Trader Joe’s Cinnamon schoolbook cookies.

I like having variety, and I don’t always want a huge quantity of one thing sitting in the pantry.

9. I Prefer Trader Joe’s for Smaller Jars of Condiments

Condiments are another category where Trader Joe’s smaller sizes work better for my family.

Trader Joe’s Pepper jelly and Trader Joe’s Crunchy Chili Onion are two of my favorites, and I don’t need a giant jar of it.

We don’t go through every condiment quickly enough to justify buying it in bulk.

I’d rather have a smaller jar we can finish in a reasonable amount of time than a large container sitting in the refrigerator for ages.

The smaller size also makes me more willing to try a new condiment. It’s less of a commitment when I don’t know yet how often we’ll use it.

10. I Buy Sweet Potatoes, Onions and Potatoes at Trader Joe’s

Sweet potatoes, onions and potatoes are good examples of produce I prefer buying at Trader Joe’s because the packages are smaller.

I can’t buy these at Costco in quantities that work for us. It’s just too much.

Even with a family of four, we don’t go through everything fast enough to make the larger bags worthwhile.

At Trader Joe’s, I can buy a more manageable amount without committing to a huge bag. That makes it easier to shop for what I’m cooking and avoid having extra produce sitting around.