Ah, Costco.  I thought I could live without you and your hay-bale sized packages of paper towels, your discounted Cheerio prices, the huge tubs of baby spinach leaves, and your blessed coupons. It was a sacrifice, but I even thought I could live without the huge package of Craisins, even though the best salad in the world is made up of spinach leaves, craisins, cucumber, and a nice strong balsamic vinaigrette.

(I knew I could live without the diapers, since P has been potty-trained for about a year now.)

But there were problems in my love affair with Costco.  Costco is a creature of the ‘burbs, and we live in the city center.  A round trip to the world’s biggest Costco (or at least what was the world’s biggest when it was built, and the one where you could find little people from you know, that TLC show) is 30 miles round trip.  And really, where do we have to store Costco sized packages of anything?  Nowhere.   And so we let our executive membership lapse this spring.

But the coupons kept coming.  Then an offer for a $10 cash card if we re-upped.  Another $26 for the rebates we’d earned the first few months of the year.  I was tired of having to remember to buy TP all the time.  Plus, it is really expensive to buy Craisins in the regular grocery store.  Who knew?

Today, we went back.  With all of our coupons, strict adherence to the list, and focus on (mostly) food, we left and spent “only” $180. ($41 of which is FSA reimburseable – yay!)  On the positive end of things, we are well-stocked with V-8 cans, Craisins, spinach leaves, grapefruit, plums, melons, Honeycrisp apples (and even some pre-sliced apples for those truly slothful days), and even one decadent loaf of the Apple Strudel bread.  (And enough TP to last until Christmas.  Yay again!)

Costco, I know it’s been rough recently.  It’s the damn economy.  But I really love you.