This Costco deal on Groupon continues.  I’m amazed there are people who still don’t have a membership – well out here, anyway! Get all your household shopping done (buy a car!) and enjoy lots of samples.  Groupon deal costs the same as buying directly from Costco, but you get the $20 or $40 gift card.  The $130 Executive membership is also available and that one snags not only the gift card, but you also earn 2% back on purchases, a nice benefit (This is the card we have and sigh, use heavily).  Your $65 yearly Gold Star Membership Package includes:

• • A membership card for the Primary Cardholder and one additional Household Card for anyone living at the same address, over the age of 16
  • A $40 Digital Costco Shop Card (valid at Costco locations and Costco.com)A One-Year Costco Gold Star Membership

Costco is good for more than toilet paper and eggs; gas is always cheaper so fill up before or after you shop. Pita and I are driving to SIU over COD’s Spring Break for a personalized campus visit (she starts this Fall).   We went to Avis, where a basic economy Toyota was almost $600 for the week or almost twice what FirstBorn had paid a few months ago. They suggested checking Costco online because of their travel discounts; I did and saved almost $250 (chose Budget, but Enterprise & Avis were also listed). Membership entitles you to add another driver for free instead of paying their usual extra charge. I would NEVER have thought about this, so that one tip would have paid for a yearly membership at either level!