John, Author at ILoveCostco.com

Big Shoulders Smokehouse Baby Back Pork Ribs

Posted by: John | March 23, 2021

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

I enjoyed these baby back pork ribs by Big Shoulders Smokehouse. This 48 oz (3 lb) package was $12.99. That’s cheaper than 2 double cheeseburgers without drinks. 2 average-sized adults can pig out on this. In my case, 2 of us could only eat 2/3 of it. This is an excellent value. I shall buy some more.

Update: I went back to Costco 2 weeks later for some more. Now they were $13.99 each. The price went up by $1.00.

I bought this on my Costco Shopping – March 10, 2021. They are fully cooked, so I just needed to reheat in the oven. I put it in the 375-degree oven for 27 minutes.

Maybe these were as good as Tony Roma’s. Maybe these were better than Tony Roma’s. I am not sure. They are that good. The meat was tender and falling off the bone. The sauce was just right. Next time, I shall scrape off BBQ sauce and warm it up separately. Then I shall re-apply the sauce after the ribs are cooked.

As a side dish, I microwaved Kirkland Signature’s Normandy-Style Vegetable mix. I always keep a bag of Kirkland Signature’s frozen mixed vegetables. The bread was from a local store.

It took me about 40 minutes to prepare everything. It was an excellent dinner. Baby back ribs are crazy good times. If you have young dogs (with good teeth) they will love the bones. They will enjoy the bones more than we enjoy the meat.

Costco Shopping – March 10, 2021

Corned Beef Round – St. Patrick’s Day

Posted by: John | March 16, 2021

| 16 Comments

| Costco Blog, Kitchen

Created March 17, 2017. Updated March 16, 2021.

Top of the morning to you.

I’ve been making a special St. Patrick’s Day dinner since 2013 (9 years as of 2021). I always buy Bill Bailey’s Irish Brand Corned Beef Brisket from Costco. In 2020, they switched from briskets to round cut. Personally, I didn’t notice the difference between brisket and round. I enjoy their brisket (Round) very much. Costco always stocks an extra amount of Corned Beef Rounds from late February to the beginning of March.

The traditional cooking method is slow cooking for 10-12 hours. I set my slow cooker in the morning before I go to work. The dinner would be ready when I come home from work.

Since 2020, Costco also sells pre-cooked Corned Beef Brisket that you can microwave for about 20 minutes. So, if you don’t like to cook, you can microwave. Personally, I prefer slow cook. I enjoy the cooking experience. It looks like the microwave version is gaining popularity. My visitor reported she enjoyed precooked round very much.

March 13, 2021. Bill Bailey’s Corned Beef Round, formerly Brisket, with Cabbage and potatoes

The slow cooking method is simple. I put the meat and water to cover the meat and cook it low for 10-12 hours. I put cabbages in the pot later (last 2 hours or so). And I boil potatoes.

Some people soak the meat in cold water over-night to take the salt out. I think that’s an excellent idea to promote a healthy diet. But that will change the taste that Bill Bailey originally intended. So, I follow the direction on the package.

I like to eat my corned beef brisket (round) with juice. I don’t know how authentic this is, but I like it.

To me, it is frustrating to think that I may never get to eat an authentic home-cooked Irish meal, prepared by real Irish people in the real Irish household. The same goes with real home-cooked Chinese food, real home-cooked Cajun food, real Texas BBQ, authentic soul food, etc… I am very frustrated about this. I wish I can make friends everywhere so I can visit them and enjoy their cooking.

Costco Corned Beef Brisket, Bill Bailey — Brisket

CLA and weight loss – 135 days experiment

Posted by: John | March 16, 2021

| No Comments

| Fitness, Personal

Quick update. Just the fact. No opinion. Your results may vary.

CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) – is a dietary supplement that’s supposed to burn fat. Costco sells 2 kinds of CLA pills.

I am 5’7″. My normally weigh is 158 lb. I wear a size 40 suit jacket and 31-inch waist pants. I am a little wider on top. Although I haven’t been to the gym in 20 years, I can comfortably do 10 pull-ups in competition standard (no kicking, no swinging – no cheating).

I gained 6 pounds during the pandemic lockdown. When I weighed myself 165 lb on September 2020, I bought some CLA pills.

I took CLA pills for 45 days and lost a few pounds.
Next, I took different CLA pills for 45 days and lost another few pounds.
After that, I didn’t take any pills but watched my diet for 45 days, and lost additional few pounds.
During that 135 days, there were no changes in my physical activities.
During that 135 days, I thought about losing weight a lot. So, I watched my diet more than usual.
Then the holiday season came. My weight went up (160) and down (157) after the holiday season.
Currently, I don’t take any fat burners, and I keep my weight at 156 lb.
Overall, I lost 2 pounds after 12 months of pandemic lockdown. I lost more than I gained.
I plan to bring my body weight down a few more pounds with no supplements. I would like 155 lb or under.
For this experiment, I made sure I didn’t work out.

This experiment doesn’t prove much. Everyone has a unique body and a unique scenario. I just thought some people might find it interesting.

November 24, 2020. The end of the 135-day experiment & the beginning of the holiday season (massive eating). I hit 152.5 lb once, but I didn’t maintain that weight.

Costco Shopping – March 10, 2021

Posted by: John | March 10, 2021

| No Comments

| Costco Blog

6th Costco Shopping in 2021 – $130.86 today / $1178.17 this year
Coupon saved $25.30 today

Last week I ordered 4 tires for my Miata. Today I went to Costco for installation. Everything went smoothly, except the guy who greeted me didn’t like me. Maybe he was having a bad day. I felt something off the very moment I walked into the Costco Tire Center. So, I quickly put on my acting face and pretended I was clueless. I was extra polite to him. I thought I would just get this over with and I never have to see him again. People like that rarely last long, so… smell you later, friend.

I asked him if they have a battery for my car. He said “no” and told me I should order it online and they will ship it there. He said it without checking the inventory. He said it while there were hundreds of batteries behind him. But Costco doesn’t have such a thing as an online car battery shopping. I am supposed to check with the person at the warehouse. I wanted to grab the battery myself and say “I’ll take this one”, but that’s not my style. Instead, I quickly said “OK, thank you” and walked out. I’ll get my battery later. I am just not dealing with this guy tonight.

With my tires getting installed, I walked over to Costco warehouse for some shopping.

The first thing I noticed was the size of the shopping carts. I think the shopping carts are bigger than before.

Strawberries are fresh and crispy, but it’s lacking flavor. Next time I will try to smell before I buy strawberries. But I wear a mask at Costco, and it’s a little awkward.

T-Fal frying pan set (3 pack) was $19.99 after $5 saving. These pans were selling out fast. I was lucky that I got mine. I don’t need a pan now, but this is such a great price. I will keep it in the garage until I need it… I don’t know when.

After shopping, I went back to the tire center, but my car was not ready. So I stood outside and ate some almonds and Jelly Belly. Finally, after getting my car back, I bought a hot dog and ate it in my convertible with the top down. Costco is still selling hot dogs in pandemic style. The clerk handed me the catchup, mustard, and soda. The hot dog was enjoyable. Costco hot dog is such a treat. It makes people happy.

Costco Tire Installation Schedule Hack

Posted by: John | March 9, 2021

| No Comments

| Costco Blog

When you order tires from Costco, the earliest day you can schedule for installation is in 10 days. They need time to ship tires to your local Costco tire center.

When I ordered the tires for my Miata, the earliest available day for installation was Monday, March 15. But I wanted to schedule it several days earlier because I am scheduled for Costco shopping soon.

So, this is what I did.

I kept track of UPS tire shipping status. Also, Costco sent me an email notification when they received the tires. So I quickly called Costco and asked if they can find me an earlier date. Updating the schedule was painless and instantaneous. I refreshed the online appointment page and saw my updated schedule.

Now I can enjoy Costco shopping while they install my tires.

Costco Shopping – March 3, 2021 – Tires

Posted by: John | March 3, 2021

| No Comments

| Costco Blog

5th Costco Shopping in 2021 – $554.55 today / $1047.31 this year

I ordered 4 tires for my 2017 Miata from the Costco website. There was a $150 saving on 4 Bridgestone tires. This sale is still going on through April 4, 2021. The money you save on this one purchase will pay for your Costco membership for almost 3 years.

The $150 saving is a real deal. Let me show you.

The tire price is very competitive that the price is almost universal. If you shop around, you will find out that tire cost is almost identical everywhere you shop. For my Miata, I checked prices from 3 stores including Costco, and the tire was $146 each at all three stores. But the out the door price of the four tires varied from $554.55 to $730.26. Costco had the lowest price, of course.

Plus, Costco will give you guaranteed service and you will not get scammed. Some tire stores are shady, you know. Also, Costco covers all their tires with 5 years Road Hazard Warranty.

Costco only sells quality tires. So, I ordered the cheapest tires available from Costco, which is still fancy. They will ship the tires to my local Costco warehouse. I am on schedule for installation in 10 days.

My Costco shopping philosophy

My Costco shopping philosophy hasn’t changed since my early days of Costco shopping. I don’t shop at Costco to save the last penny. I shop at Costco to buy high-quality products, so I enjoy an elevated lifestyle. I could buy low-quality tires for $300. But, if I’m in that kind of financial situation, I will not have a weekend convertible. Now I have a fancy set of tires. I will enjoy my sweet ride.

Below is a price comparison from 3 stores.

4 Tires, installation, & tax: Bridgestone Potenza RE980 AS 205/45R17
Costco – $554.55
– A single tire with no discount: $145.99
– $70.00 Bridgestone savings + $80 Costco savings
bigbrandtire.com – $730.26
– A single tire with no discount: $145.99
americastire.com – $651.91
– A single tire with no discount: $146.00
– $70 Bridgestone savings applied.

Costco Tire shopping — Costco shoping – March 3, 2021

Costco tire ordering process

Go to Costco.com and log in as a member.
Now, go to tires.costco.com and find your tire.
– Tire finder will find tires for you. But please know your tire size(s) so you can make sure you are buying the correct tires.
Complete your shopping (make a payment).
After shopping, schedule an appointment at costcotireappointments.com
– Costco.com login doesn’t work here. You need a separate login for this website. Create a membership if you are new.
– The website will walk you through the process. It’s straightforward.
You are set. You can cancel or change your appointment date from the website. They will remind us when the appointment date is coming near.

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Please be safe. Talk to you soon.

Costco Coupons, Member-Only Savings, March 2021

Posted by: John | March 3, 2021

| No Comments

| Costco Coupons

Costco Member-Only Savings, March 10, 2021 – April 4, 2021.

View Costco coupon book from below gallery or view from Costco website available during the sales period (March 10, 2021 – April 4, 2021).

Set of 4 Bridgestone tires are $150 off. Oh, the $150 discount is available right now. This is great timing. I need 4 tires for my Miata. I’m going to order them right now. I don’t need to shop around. I know I’m getting the best deal and now I don’t have to settle for super cheap tires.

My Costco shopping list is short this month. Maybe I’ll get a jar of Jelly Belly.