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John

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• John’s Big Update - October 8, 2025
• Question: 3 pieces of dark meat - September 20, 2025
• Sorry I was away for so long. I am still here - August 19, 2025

Below are items from Costco that I use every single day. I tried to put them in chronological order.

#1 Eyeglasses (2 frames & many lenses)

I have a pair of eyeglasses from Costco on my face every waking moment. I have three pairs of eyeglasses from Costco. I also have several pairs of old pairs with new lenses from Costco.

I keep a backup pair of eyeglasses in both of my cars. I have 2 pairs of eyeglasses at work. I carry an extra pair of eyeglasses wherever I go. For example, if you call me from a hospital to take care of you, I will put two pairs of eyeglasses in my travel bag (regular & reading).

#2 Toilet paper, toilet brush.

I use 2 toilet brushes every morning for both of my toilets. My toilets are always super clean and super white. All it takes is a quick brush every day. I scrub my toilets with a pumice stone about once a year.

#3 Toothbrush (Sonicare & Manual), Waterpik

Electric toothbrushes are the only way to go. I hope you use them, too. And, I may be wrong, but I think Waterpik is superior to dental floss.

#4 Shampoo, soap, razor, shaving cream, bath towels

I bought 6 bath towels at Costco in 2008 & 2009. I bought 6 towels because 6 will wear out twice slower than 3. But 2008 was a long time ago. They show their ages after 13 years.

#5 Hair dryer – T3 Featherweight 3i

I have long hair and I use a $200 professional hairdryer. The diffuser alone was $38. 2 years ago, T3 sent me a Featherweight 3i hairdryer to review. So, I compared the 3i with my professional one. I confirmed that the T3 hairdryer can compete with expensive hairdryers. They perform so very similar, if not the same.

That was almost 2 years ago. After that review, I’ve been using T3 Featherweight 3i every day. I was too lazy to switch back to my favorite hairdryer. Featherweight 3i lacks some professional touch, such as a hanging loop. Also, it doesn’t have +/- ion switch. It generates negative iron permanently, which is good enough for me. So, I still use this hairdryer every day. Featherweight 3i is Costco’s regular stock item ($99.99). They go on sale about twice a year.

One more thing. Featherweight 3i is smaller than professional hair dryers. So, if you do your own hair, you might find a smaller hair dryer easier to operate (easier to maneuver and rich in certain spots).

*Diffusers sold separately. Most hair dryers don’t come with diffusers.

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John

Thank you for visiting.

Latest posts by John (see all)

• John’s Big Update - October 8, 2025
• Question: 3 pieces of dark meat - September 20, 2025
• Sorry I was away for so long. I am still here - August 19, 2025

22nd Costco Shopping in 2021 – $149.86 / $2,512.66 this year

Costo hasn’t brought back the onion crank at the food court yet. So, tonight I brought my own chopped onion to Costco. The hot dog was brilliant.

Since this blog, I heard they brought back the onion cranks.

There was no full-scale Christmas display at Costco. This is highly unusual in October. I only saw some Christmas items, but not even close to what we normally see. Also, Kirkland Signature shampoos weren’t there. In fact, Costco took down their shampoo from the website.

I picked up a bag of salted peanuts by mistake when I wanted an unsalted one. Salted peanuts are tasty, but I don’t want too much salt in my body. This bag of peanuts had an expiration date of March 2022. I wonder if they will be good for that long (6 months from now).

Better treat for my neighbors

This will sound condescending, but…

When I lived in a government-subsidized apartment, there were a lot of kids in the neighborhood, but I had zero trick-or-treaters in 8 years. They all went to rich neighborhoods for better candies. Then, I moved to an above-average neighborhood.

Now, on every Halloween, my street gets packed with strange cars and SUVs, each car carrying several kids from the poor side of the town. I get 60 to 120 kids every year. The number is unpredictable.

That’s why I bought 2 kinds of chocolates at Costco. I will hand out small chocolates to the trick-or-treaters. But, when I see my neighbors’ kids. I will let them pick a full-sized bar of chocolate from the box of Hershey’s. I feel bad doing this, for I am from the poor side of the town. But, what can I do?

* Hershey’s full-size chocolates were on sale ($5 off).

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John

Thank you for visiting.

Latest posts by John (see all)

• John’s Big Update - October 8, 2025
• Question: 3 pieces of dark meat - September 20, 2025
• Sorry I was away for so long. I am still here - August 19, 2025

Costco doesn’t have Combination Pizza anymore. The last time I enjoyed a slice of combo pizza was right before the pandemic (Feb 19, 2020). The following year was a blur. I guess the food court was shut down(?). I don’t remember. I didn’t go to Costco because people were yelling and freaking out at Costco.

When we came to our senses, we realized that there was no more combination pizza.

Currently, there is a petition to bring back combination pizza. They want 7500 digital signatures and they will meet that number. But, I believe the combination pizza will come back regardless, but when they are ready. I have a theory.

Below is my theory. I can be wrong :

Costco’s combo pizza disappeared because of the pandemic. If there was no pandemic, Costco will not abandon our beloved combination pizza. I believe it because Costco took away the onion dispensers in the food court. It can be a safety-related reason or a supply-chain-related issue. Whatever the reason is, the onion dispensers are gone because of the pandemic.

Now – to make a combination pizza, they need various chopped vegetables, including the onion.

I believe there is an onion connection. I don’t know what’s going on, but at this moment, the pandemic and the onions don’t mix in the Costco food court.

I believe the combination pizza will come back when the onion dispensers are back in the food court. You must believe.

My God, I need to get a life.

Talk to you later.

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John

Thank you for visiting.

Latest posts by John (see all)

• John’s Big Update - October 8, 2025
• Question: 3 pieces of dark meat - September 20, 2025
• Sorry I was away for so long. I am still here - August 19, 2025

21st Costco Shopping in 2021 – $38.46 / $2,362.80 this year

I didn’t see many Christmas items at Costco. It’s almost October, and it is highly unusual not to see the full-on Christmas display at Costco. But we live in an unusual time. I saw some Christmas items, but not a lot.

Not only that, they still didn’t have Kirkland Signature shampoo. They had conditioners, but there was no shampoo. I guess this has something to do with the pandemic and supply. I hope there is no global shortage of shampoo.

The peanut season is back. Last year, we had peanuts from Hampton Farms. This year Costco is carrying Sachs peanuts. In my experience, peanuts are good between October and November. These peanuts are good. Also, my favorite cookies are back for the season.

That’s about it. Today’s Costco shopping was not as productive. I shall come back in a few weeks.

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John

Thank you for visiting.

Latest posts by John (see all)

• John’s Big Update - October 8, 2025
• Question: 3 pieces of dark meat - September 20, 2025
• Sorry I was away for so long. I am still here - August 19, 2025

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.