End-of-summer-shopping: Costco items to stock up on – Las Vegas Review-Journal

The calendar still says summer, but the start of school and football season means were in a time of transition. While we spent the summer stocking up on refreshing juice pops, T-shirts and pool toys, what well buy this fall is different.

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Costco also is in that in-between stage, still selling some of summers staples while introducing merchandise for cooler weather and holidays ahead. From lingering school supplies to stuff for the final barbecues of the year to holiday treats, Costco is ready for the change of seasons.

As you start to stock your shelves for colder weather ahead, here are some great deals on the Costco shelves.

Hamburger patties

With summer winding down, its a good time to get all the grilling in that you can, said Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst for DealNews.com. And if youre planning to grill for the beginning of tailgate season, buying in bulk from Costco means having to buy less overall.

Unless you have a tried-and-true secret burger recipe and no other will do, the patties at Costco are solid picks that provide a tasty shortcut. A bag of 18 frozen patties will cost around $28 to $30, depending on whether you opt for Angus chuck or ground sirloin, which works out to about $1.56 to $1.67 each far better than what youll spend at a standard grocery store.

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Gel pens

Back-to-school season is basically over, which means nows a good time to grab extra school supplies before they disappear from shelves, Ramhold said. Costco has a few different types of gel pens that are perfect for students and office workers alike, including a UNI-BALL 12-pack for $12, a 20-pack of Pilot G2 pens for around $16, and a 40-count pack of Zebra retractable pens in various colors for around $10, so buying in bulk is definitely a good way to save.

Cooling Towels

Temperatures may be starting to cool down, but that doesnt mean these items are useless, Ramhold said. For one thing, theyre ideal during workouts, but theyre also useful to have on hand for when next summer rolls around.

Since Costco will sell seasonal items sometimes, theres no guarantee that the 4-pack of Arctic Cool cooling towels will hang around, so grab them while you can. Theyre about $22 for the pack, which is much cheaper than other places that tend to charge around $10 or so for just one cooling towel.

Create a treat pre-built chocolate Halloween house

It isnt too early to start thinking about the fall holidays if something in the aisle grabs your attention at Costco.

Yes, summer isnt quite over, but Costco has seasonal products earlier than the actual holiday, so if you want to take advantage of things like this product, its better to buy them now while theyre still available Ramhold said of the Halloween house. Typically once they sell out, thats it, so dont count on them being restocked.

The great thing about this is that it takes the gingerbread house tradition of winter holidays and turns it into a spooky tradition for Halloween made with chocolate cookies. Its also pre-built, so you dont have to worry about fitting the pieces together and it comes with additional spooky cookies and a full pound of icing and candy to decorate with. Itll also only set you back around $15, which isnt a bad deal at all for all that you get.

Leaf blower

If youre not looking forward to raking and bagging the mass of leaves in your yard this fall, its time for a leaf blower. One of the things Costco is known for is offering items with some extras in a bundle, and thats what they have done with the Greenworks 80V Jet Blower. While the price sounds high at just shy of $300, its packaged with two rechargeable batteries and a charger. At Amazon, the blower is a la carte you buy the tool and the batteries separately, and the cost will well exceed the Costco price.

Starbucks Hot Cocoa Mix

As the nights grow chillier, cuddling up on the couch with a cup of delicious hot cocoa just might sound good. Or, fill a thermos and head to the football game at your local high school. The rich Starbucks mix will make a much better cup than what you can buy at the stadium concession stand. If you and your family consume a lot of hot cocoa, buy it in bulk at Costco, where two 30-ounce cans cost $34.99. Youll pay $21.75 for just one can at Amazon.

Allergy medications

If the end of summer and beginning of fall brings allergy symptoms your way, then its time to stock up on daily allergy meds, Ramhold said. Opt for Costcos Kirkland Signature brand to save even more whether you prefer Zyrtec, Allegra, Flonase or Claritin as Costco has store-brand versions of all of these items.

A bottle of 365 Aller-Tec pills, for instance, is anywhere from $13 to $16, depending on if its on sale, Ramhold added. And thats a years supply if youre the only one taking it. Other meds will vary in price, but all of them are cheaper to buy Kirkland Signatures brand over name brand, and theyre definitely cheaper to buy in bulk than shopping elsewhere.

Laundry soap packets

You can do a load of laundry a day for almost a year with the 350-pack of Nellies Laundry Nuggets premeasured soap packets that you just throw in with the dirty clothes. The giant case costs $85, which sounds steep. But consider how much you spend picking up the laundry packs when you do your weekly grocery shopping.

If you shop at Ralphs in Southern California, for example, youll pay $6 for a 19-count package of All with Stainlifters Free Clear Laundry Detergent Mighty Pacs about 32 cents a load. With the Nellies nuggets, the per-load price is about 24 cents and you wont run out for a long, long time.

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End-of-summer-shopping: Costco items to stock up on - Las Vegas Review-Journal