This is a definite sign of Christmas.

Costco, August 25, 2008

FYI: Michael’s now have a full scaled display of Christmas items.

This is my club card.

I put three club cards in one.

It contains Vons, Ralphs, & Albertsons.   I had this for about 6-8 years now.  Vons club card is the oldest one.  It’s about 10 years old.

Christmas shopping has officially begun.  I bought gifts for 2 nephews today.

I bought 2 RC cars from Costco, they were $49 for a set of two.  I paid $34 after $15.00 coupon.

Then I went to Wal*Mart and bought a $100.00 worth of rechargeable batteries and a 15 minutes charger.  I believe my nephews will like the batteries.  With today’s electronic gadgets, you can never have too much batteries.  And 15 minute recharging time is cool.

Now I have about $70.00 allowance for my niece. 

Christmas is for the children.  I spend all my possible money on the youngsters.  My grown up family members udnerstand that I don’t buy gifts for grown ups.  We have fun watching the kids opening presents. 

For grown ups, I bring cakes and shrimp cocktails from Costco.  I can’t wait to Christmas. 4 months will fly by.  Oh boy…

Costco doesn’t always carry Guinness in my area.  I don’t normally see Guinness at my Costco, but I see them occasionally.

18 cans of Guinness sell for $20.99 at Costco.  That’s $1.17 a can.  Considering a cup of coffee is $2.00, I think it’s a reasonable price.  Still, Guinness is priced two times more than cheaper domestic beers.  Guinness is imported beer from Ireland.

I favor expensive beers because I am not a drinker.  I rarely drink any alcoholic beverages.  I drink maybe 1 can of beer a month. 

Also, I don’t like the taste of beer.  All beers taste bitter to me.  Expensive beers tend to taste less yucky, so when I drink beer, I go for expensive ones. 

I bought the beer mug from Bed Bath & Beyond for $5.00.  Cold frosty mug makes beer drinking experience more enjoyable. 

– Cheers –

I never buy blank DVD’s from Costco.  Blank DVD’s at Costco don’t have good price.  Costco sells spindles of 100 blank Sony DVDs at $29.49 each. I can easily find the exact same Sony DVD’s for $23.00.

This time Costco had "Buy one, get one free" coupon on these Sony DVD’s.

So, they come out under $15.00 each spindle (100 pack).  Now that’s a pretty good price on blank DVD’s.

PS. I forgot to use this coupon the other day.  I dropped by today when I was on my way to meet somebody. 

I have a BS degree in computer.  But I don’t know the difference between -R and +R.  They all work for me  But I always mix -R’s & +R’s just in case.

Today’s treat was the shrimps.  I look at these shrimps everytime I go to Costco.  I thought I’ve waited long enough to enjoy some. 

I also had a hotdog.  and I put gas in the car. (3.99/gal)

Oops!  I ate this at Costco with a Costco Hotdog
At first, I was going to get a taste or two.  I hate myself.

Costco Receipt

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Hotdogs

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Gas

This was today’s breakfast. 

Everything you see in this picture is from Costco. I try to eat good, but it’s not easy.  I often eat really bad lunch (with fries and all…).

I went to a wedding today.  They had dinner catered from Wood Ranch.  Good stuff.

Anyway.
I was presently surprised to see some Costco shrimps on the kitchen table.  I had to grab some.   Costco shrimps completed my dinner.   Good stuff.

Costco Shrimps at the Wedding

It was an incredible dinner.  I loved it.

I used my new American Express card for the first time today.  After shopping, I even put gas in the car.   There was absolutely no line at the gas station.  Gas was $4.159 a Gallon.

The price on eggs was pretty good at $5.49 (5 dz).  This is a lot cheaper than $9.29 I paid 4 months ago. ($6.59 in April)

We are in grape season now.  So enjoy fresh graps while they last. 

Costco Coupon Book (what’s left from my last shopping) saved me another $10.00.  So my total savings from this Costco coupon book is now $41.50. 

I love Costco coupons.  Today I saved $31.50 with Costco coupon book. 

Everything I bought was something we absolutely needed, except for the M&M candies and the wicked long pillow in the back.  Today was Friday so I treated myself with a bag of M&M.  After working 70 hours (or more) this week, I think I deserve something sweet.

I was tempted to buy some sodas (Pepsi) with the coupon.  But I decided not to.  I try not to drink soda.  Also, I do not have that kind of money.  Sodas are bad for you anyway.

I was especially happy with Gillette Mach3 disposable shavers.  They have the same Gillette Mach3 blades, except the whole bodies are disposable.  The price on this 10 pack was better than buying 10 pack of identical razors (heads only, per item cost calculated).

I don’t have any work this weekend.  So, I’m going to relax and enjoy M&M as I work on my websites.  I don’t think I will use the razors ’til Monday morning.  

After shopping I went to El Pollo Loco to eat (next story).

Good day everyone.

I had two meetings with customers today (Sunday).  I was in the neighborhood, and today was the last day I could use $10.00 coupon for Brita water filters.  After picking up Brita Filters, I picked up some food items as well.

Saving Money with Brita Water Filter:
Box of Brita Filters was $32.00 (after $10.00 coupon).  These 10 filters will last well over 1 year.  With this, I have a guaranteed supply of good tasting water.  I don’t buy bottled water.  I do not have a reverse osmosis water purification system. I believe Brita is the cheapest source for clean and tasty water.

Oh, and there is NO WAY I am buying water from one of those vending machines in front of supermarkets.  I don’t know about you, but I woudn’t drink that water if you pay me to.

– Costco Shopping blog –

Another Costco Blog.

I bought some booze, cake, ribs, and such to celebrate 4th of July.

Bamboo cutting boards were $15.99 for a set of two.  This is an incredible price.  I know the price of bamboo cutting boards.  You cannot find this kind of value anywhere.  I don’t know why I like bamboo boards at the first place. They tend to split in half.  Maybe because the ones I bought were too thin.  Maybe I don’t know how to properly maintain them.  These boards from Costco are pretty think.  I hope these will last.

PS. Later, I found out that I need to use some kind of oil to clean these bamboo boards.  Screw oil treatment, I will just buy new boards next time.

There are three bags of Jose’s coffee and syrups.

I’ve been waiting over 2 years for Jose’s Coffee sales team to make a round at my Costco. 

About 2 years ago, I bought a bag of Butterscotch Toffee flavored Coffee when there was a special coffee booth at Costco.  I normally do not tolerate flavored coffee.  I believe coffee should taste like coffee, not like candy.

Jose’s Butterscotch Toffee Coffee from Costco, and Syrups

But this particular coffee tasted like Christmas.  It’s quite enjoyable and cozy.  So I bought a bag.  Then I finished the bag pretty fast.  Since then I’ve been looking for Jose’s Butterscotch Toffee Coffee.  But I couldn’t find it anywhere. 

For last 2 years, every-time I go to Costco, I would check coffee aisle very carefully for butterscotch toffee coffee. 

Finally, today, I saw Jose’s Coffee booth at my Costco.  This time I asked a few questions to find out more.  They normally make round to our Costco about twice a year.  I must have missed them last two years.  They also have a mailing list that I can mail-order the coffee.  I also found out that their coffee products are Costco exclusive.

I’ve been waiting over 2 years for Jose’s Coffee sales team to make a round at my Costco. 

About 2 years ago, I bought a bag of Butterscotch Toffee flavored Coffee when there was a special coffee booth at Costco.  I normally do not tolerate flavored coffee.  I believe coffee should taste like coffee, not like candy.

Jose’s Butterscotch Toffee Coffee from Costco, and Syrups

But this particular coffee tasted like Christmas.  It’s quite enjoyable and cozy.  So I bought a bag.  Then I finished the bag pretty fast.  Since then I’ve been looking for Jose’s Butterscotch Toffee Coffee.  But I couldn’t find it anywhere. 

For last 2 years, every-time I go to Costco, I would check coffee aisle very carefully for butterscotch toffee coffee. 

Finally, today, I saw Jose’s Coffee booth at my Costco.  This time I asked a few questions to find out more.  They normally make round to our Costco about twice a year.  I must have missed them last two years.  They also have a mailing list that I can mail-order the coffee.  I also found out that their coffee products are Costco exclusive.

Anyway, I bought three bags of butterscotch toffee coffee and two bottles of syrups.  I spent roughly $50.00.  $50.00 seems like a lot of money for coffee.  But, considering a cup of coffee is over $2.00 at any coffee shops.. I am actually saving a lot of money this way.  I bet I spend a lot less in coffee than most people.

I can’t wait to enjoy Butterscotch Toffee coffee with Caramel Syrup.

Costco spoils me.  This is the point.  I spend less money, but I enjoy exclusive, high quality products.  It’s a good thing.