John, Author at ILoveCostco.com

Costco Shopping – September 9, 2021

Posted by: John | September 9, 2021

20th Costco Shopping in 2021 – $118.65 / $2,324.34 this year

No! It was not Christmas time at Costco yet. I only saw one small stack (pic). It was a sad-looking Christmas display.
I have had a huge craving for chocolate for the last few months. So, I bought some chocolates.
All American Chocolate Cake is back in mini size. I tried one, and it tastes just like the original big cake.
Flu shot was free with insurance.
Kirkland Signature Cheddar Cheese is my go-to snack that I enjoy so much.
I bought a bag of Coache’s Oats Oatmeals 2 months ago. I almost finished this huge bag. I ate this much oatmeal because I work from home and have access to the kitchen. The pandemic changed my diet.
Vienna Sausage is my guilty pleasure – I always buy some at local grocery stores for about $0.70 a can. I often get a huge craving for these. Buying a case at Costco is much cheaper ($0.44 each can, 37% savings). BUT, only If I make them last a year.
Instant savings saved $22.40.
Kirkland Signature shampoo was unavailable. There were conditioners, but no shampoos. I hope I will find them on my next visit.
I tried Dunkin’ Donuts coffee several years ago, and I didn’t like it. But I wanted to give it one more chance. It was on sale.

Flu shot

I had a mixed experience today getting my flu shot. When I checked in, the lady said “wait 10-15 minutes”. But, I waited 40 minutes. At that point, I thought something was not right. I had to check to see if they didn’t lose my paperwork. So, I became THAT guy, asking for special attention. I finally paid for my flu shot ($0). And the shot was absolutely painless. This guy was amazing. I barely felt the needle. “Wow!, you are good!” I exclaimed.

My shingles shot last December (2020) was painful, and I bled. I could tell that pharmacist was reckless. I felt the negative energy from his core, and I didn’t like that. But today’s pharmacist was pleasant. He was careful, and I barely felt the needle. This made me think. Those two pharmacists wake up and go to work the same. They probably take home similar paychecks. But, one guy was pleasant and the other guy was negative. From now on, I shall be mindful of my attitude. I want to be like the Costco pharmacist I met today.

Hulu Price Increase & Cost of Watching TV

Posted by: John | September 8, 2021

| 2 Comments

| Personal

My Hulu price is going up by $1.00. I think I am OK with that.

Currently, I pay $18.98 a month on TV, soon to be $19.98. I subscribe to Hulu with No Ads ($11.99) and Discovery Plus (Ad-Free $6.99). They provide more than enough TV entertainment for me. I get free local news from Pluto, which I rarely watch anyway. Basically, I gave up watching NASCAR, NBA, and some others.

I don’t live in a big city, so the antenna won’t pick up any channels.

My philosophy is simple. If I enjoy basketball very much, then I will have no problem paying extra to watch it. If I have a girlfriend who loves to watch the WE channel? then I will subscribe to it. It’s a simple rule.

For now, I save roughly $720 a year ($60/m) by not subscribing to a big TV package. Also, I hate TV service providers so much. I refuse to give them the pleasure. Screw them. Screw all of them. I will keep $720 and skip the Super Bowl.

After cutting cable, I quickly got used to having fewer channels. It’s OK if I don’t have every channel under the Sun.

I guess I am OK paying $20 a month for TV. $0.67 a day sounds somewhat reasonable. Still, that’s $240 a year. One thousand dollars every four years.

If I become very rich, after taking care of my retirement, I will buy a house with a three-car garage. Then I will buy a Porsche. After that, I will subscribe to a full package cable TV.

It’s fascinating that my financial priority is shifting. When I was poor, I had NO~~ problem paying $60.00+/month on cable TV. Now that I have more money, I feel sick to my stomach paying more than $30/m for TV. There must be a scientific (psychological?) explanation for this. I don’t think I’m cheap or stingy. I just bought a cashmere Berluti winter coat. Cheap people don’t wear Berluti coats.

Redken Hair Care Products at JC Penney

Posted by: John | September 7, 2021

| No Comments

| Personal

I think I still have this record somewhere

I am a man and I have a hard time finding decent hair spray at a decent price. Costco has some hair sprays, but they are expensive high-class stuff I don’t have cash for. Redken’s Fashion Work 12 is my everyday hair spray. But they are still too expensive. If I’m lucky, I can find them on eBay at $10-$15 a can on used conditions. Used, as in 80% full, dented can, cap missing, etc… I constantly look for a cheaper version of Redken, but everything I see at discount stores says “Maximum Hold” and “Extra Hold”. It’s as if people with long hair don’t exist – that we are all members of some punk bands. I cannot find any good and cheap medium hold hair sprays. As a grown man, I spend way too much time looking for hair care products.

I just want to do my hair and leave it soft to touch. The goal is to look natural. I am not asking much. Why is it so difficult to find such a product? Well, I found Fashion Work 12. It does exactly that…

Anyway, JC Penney currently has a good deal on Redken hair care products. I just ordered 6 cans of my favorite hair sprays at the best price I have ever seen. They even have a discount code that they didn’t have 2 days ago. They deliver to JCPenney stores for free. Now, I don’t have to think about hair spray for the next 2-3 years.

Even though I work from home, I always do my hair in the morning. I use 4-6 hair care products depends on the mood of the day. I start my morning with a fresh attitude. Obviously, I stopped dressing up for work because of the pandemic. As a result, I now have 4 pairs of brand new Italian shoes that I haven’t worn outside. I also have 3 Winter coats that I have never worn outside.

But, working from home is the best.

JC Penney

So, I shopped at JC Penney.

I was surprised that Penney still existed, let alone having excellent prices on Redken products. I think the last time I shopped at JC Penney was in the 80s. I believe I actually bought a Members Only jacket there. Remember the Members Only jacket? At that time, I didn’t know the significance of the jacket. I bought the jacket because it looked cool. Then 10-20 years later, people started to talk about the Members Only jacket as a part of the 80s reference. Anyway, I am glad my money is going to JC Penney. I look forward to visiting there to pick up my hair sprays.

Under the master bathroom sink, Sept 21
Used Redken hair sprays I found from eBay

Ground Coffee vs Whole Bean Coffee

Posted by: John | August 30, 2021

| 2 Comments

| Uncategorized

Peet’s Organic French Roast. Costco item #1471986 – Purchase price $11.49 (instant savings $4.50)

I slowly became a coffee snob in the past 13 years. I am picky about my coffee. I use 2 coffee grinders so I don’t mix flavors. I used to have 4 coffee grinders. I cannot enjoy Starbucks Coffee because I find it inferior to my taste. I like strong coffee that’s not acidic.

I favor whole bean coffee over ground coffee. I assume I get a better coffee experience if I grind the coffee beans just before I brew it. Whole bean coffee seems superior overall.

On my August 2021 Costco Shopping, I picked up a ground coffee by mistake. And I thought I would try it.

And you know what? This coffee is just as enjoyable. I cannot tell the difference. Maybe if I taste both whole bean coffee and ground coffee side-by-side, I will know the difference? But, this is not a competition. I enjoy this coffee a lot. And that concludes my experiment. Only the evil people go through a war to decide which coffee is 1% better than the other. And if you are hell bent on enjoying the coffee, that’s 1% better? More power to you. I used to be like you.

From this point, I will look at ground coffee and coffee beans as equal. If I see a (good) ground coffee on sale, I will buy it.

Peet's Ground Organic French Roast Coffee — This morning – August 30, 2021

Costco Coffee Pumpkin Spice — 2008. My first coffee grinder and a pot – $15 for both.
I remember buying these at Riteaid. I was excited about grinding coffee for the first time – just like rich people (that’s what I thought).

Coffee Grinders — 2013. I used to enjoy 4 varieties of coffee.
All 4 coffee grinders were from Costco

Thank you for the hot dog

Posted by: John | August 26, 2021

| No Comments

| Costco Blog

19th Costco Shopping in 2021 – $1.64 / $2205.69 this year

Friday, August 20, 2021 – Sunny and warm. Lazy day. Still working from home.

I took a quick ride to Costco for a hot dog lunch. I didn’t go inside the warehouse.

The food court was busy. The drink station was open for everyone. Catchup, mustard, & relish dispensers were back, but there was no onion. And they still had sippy cup tops instead of straws. They cut down the number of tables by about 75%. I was lucky that I found the only empty table.

Thank you for the hot dog donation.

Chicken Sausages at Costco

Posted by: John | August 24, 2021

| 1 Comment

| Costco Blog, Costco Product Review, Food, Household, Pet

Article submitted by a new reader of the blog, David from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

One of the things I love about Costco is that, despite being a warehouse type store, they often manage to offer multiple options for many products. A case in point are the chicken sausages they have for sale!

I love chicken sausages. They taste great and have less fat and cholesterol than traditional pork and beef sausages. When I am eating chicken sausages I can at least pretend that I am eating healthy. By the way, they are especially great when sliced thin and used as a topping for the Costco Caesar Salad!

Costco is currently offering chicken sausages from the following brands:

Chef Bruce Aidells
Amylou
Sabatino’s

The sausages from all of these brands are pre-cooked and ready to eat.

Aidells’ Chicken and Apple Sausage

Bruce Aidells was a pioneer in the poultry sausage marketplace. His brand has developed a lot of different flavors and there are a ton of great recipes on the company’s website.

I have tried lots of different Aidells products and the apple flavored sausage is one of my favorites.

Amylou’s Andouille Chicken Sausage

Amylou Foods started in 1992 out of Chicago as a side business from an existing sausage shop.

Amylou has developed a lot of interesting chicken products and even has a line of chicken bacon!

The sausage they are selling at Costco is an andouille style that is being marketed as Paleo friendly.

Sabatino’s Basil and Black Pepper Chicken Sausage

Sabatino’s is based out of California and traces its food styling origins to Palermo, Italy.
The Sabatino sausage at Costco is the Paleo friendly Basil and Black pepper flavor that they feature in this amazing recipe for Keto Corndogs!

Which of These Sausages is the Best?

I wish I could tell you that Brand XYZ is the absolute best option so I could make your shopping decision easy.

However, the reality is that all of these brands are great and the flavor profiles of the sausages are so different from each other that a Head to Head taste comparison wouldn’t make any sense.

I think it would be fun to hear what other folks think about these sausages and learn which ones are their favorites!

Costco Coupons, Member-Only Savings, September 2021

Posted by: John | August 24, 2021

| No Comments

| Costco Coupons

Costco will be closed Monday, September 6, 2021

Costco Member-Only Savings, September 1, 2021 – September 26, 2021.

Savings are available only to current Costco members.

I like this month’s savings (September 2021).

Finally! Hershey’s Nuggets are on sale. I mean, chocolate of any kind is finally on sale at Costco. Jarlsberg Cheese Wedges are always good, but I may not buy it because I am saving money. After reading David’s blog, I am tempted to try Amylu Andouille Chicken Sausage. I shall get Oikos Greek Yogurt.

And I have some more items on my Costco shopping list. So, it looks like a plan. I look forward to my September Costco shopping (2021). I hope there will be some Christmas items.