Reddit Can't Believe One Shopper's 'Cheapest Costco Run Ever'

Sticking to a grocery list should be an accomplishment equivalent to an Olympic gold medal. We all want to save money, so we write a list of items we actually need, walk into a store like Costco confidently ... and then somehow walk out with a new lamp and 20 pounds of shrimp. After hearing our parents preach endlessly about their savings at the bulk stores, even though we live alone with our cat, we still decide to get a membership. In our heads, we are saving money, but in reality we may be wasting money and food.

According to the USDA, 30-40% percent of the food we purchase ends up in landfills. "People need to consider shopping more and buying less. Shop on a more frequent basis, so that you are only buying what you are going to consume in the short term," says The University of Arizona's Victoria Ligon who has a master's degree in Retailing and Consumer Sciences. Another simple (in theory) way to prevent waste and spend less money is to not impulse buy items and stick to your list, according to Coupons.com savings expert Lisa Thompson (via Best Life). Heeding that advice, one Reddit user recently set the gold standard for sticking to a shopping list and shared it on the r/Costco thread — and the comments section is filled with disbelief.

The Costco thread on Reddit is filled with fun finds, helpful tips, and occasional gloating about savings. The author of the latest bulk-buying brag had posted the above photo of their receipt for 99 cents, with the caption, "Cheapest Costco run ever." Though they since deleted the image, the comments section is still alive and well. Some Redditors were impressed, some were in disbelief, and a few had to one-up it. "You can't even get a hotdog and drink for that," commented one person. Another didn't believe the literal receipt of this shopping trip and said, "The real story: He went there just for a rotisserie chicken, came out with $300 of stuff but no chicken, went back in without a cart to get the chicken, and came back out with just a pineapple," which, though far-fetched, does sound more in line with a typical Costco trip.

Meanwhile, other Redditors boasted that they have left Costco with more money than they started with. "Prescription covered in full. Returned an item. Ate food at the display end caps. Food in my stomach, free meds, and more money in pocket than when I arrived. Tri-fecta," commented one person. We didn't even know this was possible, so congrats to the select few who have Costco self-control.