My kids eat an excessive amount of the seaweed snack packs from Costco’s in-house label. When they disappeared for a while (apparently due to a dismissed lawsuit) we realized no other brand offers sufficiently big portions, or just the right neutral salt-sesame flavor. Their return to Costco’s jumbo aisles was cause for celebration. We stocked up, just in case, and now have an entire shelf of green packets, waiting to be thrown in a soccer backpack, tossed in a lunchbox, or eaten with messy abandon on our couch after school. —Allecia Vermillion

Shout-out to my family’s dinnertime hero, the vaguely dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets found in Costco’s freezer aisle. They’re technically known as Dino Buddies but everyone I know calls them dino nuggets. Or d-nugs, when you are texting your spouse wondering WTF to have for dinner. If we really want to get fancy, we serve them with rice and the aforementioned Kirkland seaweed for the world’s least authentic kiddie temaki bar. —AV

Fire bans have slipped into the rhythms of a Northwest summer with depressing permanence, rendering wood-smoked s'mores extinct during a large chunk of camping season. But many (not all) burn restrictions allow for propane-fueled firepits like Costco's affordable version, filled with pumice stones that look like coals if you squint hard enough. The gas flames can adequately toast a marshmallow and serve as the focal point for outdoor overnights or backyard hangs—Smokey Bear approved. —Allison Williams

There are a lot of Costco products that underpin my family’s daily existence: paper towels, toilet paper, giant plastic jars of Kirkland Signature pesto, cheap wine. But nothing brings more joy to everybody—kids and grown-ups alike—than a massive tray of frozen Beecher’s Mac and Cheese. Tucked away beyond the burger patties, the frozen Beecher’s is essentially an entire meal plus leftovers for a family of four at a cost of less than $20. We like to make it “healthy” by sautéing some cherry tomatoes (also purchased at Costco, probably) and mixing them into the pan after it’s out of the oven. —Eric Nusbaum

Nothing about owning a dog is cheap. Rover sittings charge $75 a night, nail trims cost more than my own manicures, and memory foam dog beds lurk in my targeted ads. But when I adopted my pup, the rescue recommended a surprising source of kibble: Kirkland brand dog food. Like many of Costco's house brands, it comes with the rumor that it's identical to a spendy name brand; maker Diamond Pet Company also owns the fancier Taste of the Wild dog food, for example. Regardless, my dog reliably eats the kibble I haul in giant bags from Costco, at a price that's literally cents per day. It's the sole cheap aspect of dog ownership. —AW

The ordinary Costco shopper just buys a bunch of random stuff they need. The elite shopper is operating at the same level as the sample employees, combining various products to create elite flavor profiles. For example, Tasty Bite Madras Lentils come in a yellow pouch and take approximately one minute to microwave for a (relatively) healthy meal. But add Stonefire Mini Naan Flatbread? And all of a sudden you are dining on a higher culinary plane. —Nate Bullis

A base layer made from 100 percent wool costs $80, minimum, at REI; fancier brands run in the three figures. Yet somehow Costco stacks pure wool long-sleeved shirts for less than 20 bucks every fall, initiating a frenzy of "they're BACK" posts in online hiking groups and more than one of my personal group chats. Though the men's cut has been MIA for a while, the women's version functions as a winter layer that dries fast, breathes well, and almost never smells like it's been worn for three ski days in a row. Fingers crossed they return this year. —AW

There are two things my son cannot get enough of: Legos and croissants. I take full responsibility for fostering both of these obsessions. While he (and I) would certainly prefer that I stock the pantry with a selection of pastries from our neighborhood spot, Bakery Nouveau, the budget puts those in special occasion territory. For our (nearly) daily dose of laminated dough we turn to the dozen croissants you can procure for the price of just one at most local coffee shops. They may not be the very best, but they are huge, and the ingredients are shockingly on point—flour and butter come first and second on the list. They freeze beautifully too, so dreaded waste is not an issue. And with the savings we can occasionally placate that Lego addiction (often also at Costco). —Jane Sherman

I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time pricing ways to get my family to the Magic Kingdom. Last year we bought a travel package through Costco and headed to Anaheim. The words “Costco travel package” make me think of octogenarians on bingo cruises, but it was a fabulous deal. Even better, it seriously boosted our Costco rebate a few months later. —AV