Dave Ramsey Has a Warning About Costco Shopping

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If you don’t need this warning, you can still overspend at Costco.

Important points

• Costco is known for offering bargain prices on many of the items it sells.
• His house brand, Kirkland, also has many devoted fans.
• Financial expert Dave Ramsey notes that it’s easy to overspend at Costco by buying things you don’t need.

Costco is a very popular warehouse club, and for good reason. Members can enjoy significant savings on many household essentials. Costco’s house brand, Kirkland, also offers many products that have devoted fans reaching for their credit cards.

But while shopping at Costco can be both fun and thrift, many people end up making a mistake when they go to the big box store. In fact, financial expert Dave Ramsey warns of a common mistake you should avoid so you don’t end up wasting money, even if you’re trying to save some cash.

Dave Ramsey’s Costco Warning

So what’s Ramsey’s warning about Costco shopping? It is simple. “Don’t get sucked into buying things you don’t need,” said the finance guru. Ramsey Solutions blog.

Ramsey explained that many people feel pressured to spend a lot of money when they go to Costco to make their membership fee feel worthwhile. Others end up buying more than they need to avoid having to go back to the store again, or because they don’t want to go to multiple grocery stores to get their shopping done. And still others just give in to impulse buys because the stores are designed to make you want to buy more than you have to.

“Beware how easy it is to buy things in bulk that you had no intention of buying,” Ramsey warned. “Even though it might seem like a pretty good deal, if it’s going to derail your budget — it’s not worth it, folks.”

How to follow Ramsey’s advice

Ramsey is absolutely right to urge his readers and listeners to be careful when shopping at Costco. The problem is that the store has free samples and other promotions that can tempt you to buy things that weren’t on your list, that you don’t really need, or that you won’t use until they go bad.

The good news is that it’s pretty easy to follow Ramsey’s tip and not get sucked into unnecessary purchases. You just have to make sure you shop with a list whenever you go to Costco — and don’t deviate from it.

You can check what items Costco has on sale before you go by visiting the store website and seeing what special offers are available to members only. You can also do an inventory of your home before you shop. Take the time to think about which items you really need — and which items will justify the price you’re being charged. Then make a list of items that are a genuine good deal, that you can afford within your budget, and that will be used.

Once you get to the store, don’t buy anything that isn’t on your list. If you see something you think you want in the store, you can add it to your list to consider for next time or even promise yourself that you’ll come back (or order online) for it in a few days. This will give you time to consider whether the purchase is really justified so that you don’t end up making impulse purchases that you regret.

By being smart about avoiding these unplanned purchases, you can save money on your Costco purchases and not get sucked into the type of overspending that Ramsey warns about.