How to Shop Azure Standard and Costco for a Whole Foods Kitchen
Looking to stock your whole foods kitchen? Here are the best foods to buy from Azure Standard and Costco to completely stock your kitchen with clean, wholesome ingredients for from-scratch cooking.
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Why shop at Azure Standard and Costco?
Combined Better Pricing – When comparing prices, both Azure Standard and Costco have better prices on different items. For example, you could purchase a 25 lb bag of organic unbleached flour at Azure for $1.18 per pound while Costco sells organic unbleached flour for $1.99 per pound. However, Costco has better prices on frozen organic green beans. By shopping at both companies, you will save on healthy groceries.
Bulk vs. Weekly – The beauty of Azure Standard is that the more you buy an item in bulk, the cheaper it becomes. Some pantry staples are great to buy in 25 lb bags and to have on hand for a couple of months at a time. Other foods such as produce is best to buy at Costco because it will spoil quicker.
Quality, Organic Ingredients – Both stores offer quality, organic ingredients. By shopping at Azure Standard and Costco, you are able to get the best prices on your favorite organic staples for your kitchen at an affordable price.
What is Azure Standard?
Azure Standard is a family owned and operated food distribution service that is focused on healthy, sustainably raised food that is affordable to the average family. They offer a wide variety of food and other products that are produced on their own farms or ethically sourced from other like-minded companies.
Azure Standard is unique in that they offer their food items in small packages and in bulk. The bigger bulk you buy of an item, the more money you save. Many shoppers will buy a 25 lb bag of a pantry staple that will last their family months.
Groceries from Azure Standard are delivered once a month to a drop location near you to save money on shipping and handling. New to Azure? Check out this beginner guide to shopping at Azure Standard.
Learn more: Azure Standard for Beginners: What You Need to Know
Why Costco?
Costco is a well-known, membership based, local bulk food store. In order to shop at Costco, you must pay an annual fee for a membership card.
Costco offers a wide variety of products and food, including many organic options and healthy food brands. Food at Costco is offered in “bulk” compared to your average grocery store. For example, the packaged peanut butter comes with 2 jars, not just one. The flour comes in 10 lb packages, not just 3 lb or 5 lb like the local grocery store.
To cut costs at Costco, stick to buying ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, or baking supplies and skip the boxes of granola bars or packages of kids’ snacks. While it’s nice to buy a box of 30 granola bars all at once (compared to a box of 5 at the local grocery store), it is still cheaper to buy oats and honey to make your own.
What to buy at Azure Standard?
While you could stock your entire kitchen with Azure Standard products, I have found that it is most cost effective to buy pantry items in bulk as these product can stock my pantry for months.
Here are the items I recommend from Azure Standard to stock your pantry:
- Organic All Purpose Flour
- Grain Berries
- Einkorn Pasta
- Organic Rolled Oats
- Organic Brown Rice
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Yeast
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Raw Wildflower Honey
- Olive Oil
- Dry Beans
- Coconut Oil
- Raw Cheese
- Organic Yogurt
- Organic Kefir
- Herbs
- Redmond Real Salt
It is worth checking the prices on bulk produce. Seasonally, there is fruit or vegetables offered in 20 lb cases at a discounted price. The bulk produce is a great choice IF you are able to process it right away so that it is preserved (freeze, can, dehydrate, etc.).
Learn more: Azure Standard Haul to Save Hundreds on Organic Groceries
What to buy at Costco?
Costco is a great place to buy frozen fruits, vegetables, and meat to stock your freezer at great prices. For a small family, these items may fill your freezer for a whole month of healthy eating.
Here’s what to buy at Costco to stock your kitchen:
- Frozen Organic Green Beans
- Frozen Organic Broccoli
- Frozen Organic Blueberries
- Frozen Organic Strawberries
- Salted Butter (baking)
- Grass-Fed Butter (spreading)
- Organic Chicken Thighs
- Grass-fed Ground Beef
- Taco Seasoning
- Organic Spices
- Organic Maple Syrup
- Organic Peanut Butter
- Blocks of Cheese
- Organic Apples
- Oranges
- Frozen Wild Caught Salmon
- Organic Tomato Sauce
- Organic Tomato Paste
Please note that every Costco is a little different, and they do rotate their products therefore some of these items may not be offered at your Costco. Keep checking! The item back on the shelves soon.
How to avoid food waste?
Use Your Freezer – If you are looking to stock your kitchen for the whole month with whole foods and ingredients, it is important to utilize your freezer. Costco is a great place to stock your freezer full of frozen fruit, vegetables, and meat that will last all month. You could also freeze your cheese until you are ready to use it.
Buy Staples That Don’t Spoil – Buy pantry staples such as grain, rice, pasta, flour, or oats in large 25 lb bags to save money on quality, organic baking ingredients. It is possible to store this items in such large quantities because they are slow to spoil if put in the right containers. Store in a climate controlled storage area and put all of these staples in tightly sealed, food storage buckets so that they last.
Don’t Buy Fresh Produce in Bulk – Unless you plan to can or freeze bulk produce, do not buy it in bulk. Chances are, your small family will not go through all of the produce before it starts to go bad. If it is a perishable item, only buy enough for a week or two so that it doesn’t spoil.
How much do you spend?
Monthly Grocery Budget – I typically spend about $300 at Costco each month to replenish my freezer and feed a young family of 5. I avoid buying packaged snacks and stick to ingredients to cut costs. On average, I will also spend around $200-$300 (if its a big restock) at Azure Standard to restock my pantry for baking.
How often I order from Azure? I order from Azure Standard every month, however, I do not buy everything on my pantry list each month. When I switched to bulk buying from Azure, I staggered my bulk purchases so that I don’t run out of all of my staples all at once. Now that I have my staples, I replace a few items each month. Not every month is a large purchase and restock.
How often do I shop at Costco? I shop at Costco once a month. The food I buy at Costco generally lasts my young family of 5 for one month. You may find that some of these food items will last your family longer than a month which means that not every month’s Costco run will be an expensive order.
Is bulk buying really worth it?
Here’s everyone’s first question. Is bulk buying really worth it? And the simple answer is yes!
Save money – Bulk buying will save you money in the long run, especially at Azure Standard. While it seems like a large outright cost, purchasing organic, quality ingredients at bulk food stores, such as Costco and Azure Standard, will save you money compared to buying those quality items in your local grocery store. If you are going to try to buy organic, bulk buying is a must.
Less Grocery Runs – Another reason why bulk buying saves money is because your kitchen is stocked for cooking at all times. Buying your food in bulk and stocking your pantry and freezer with ingredients lessens your chances of having to run to the store multiple times a month to pick up groceries that your family has run out of.
Less Packaged Food – Lastly, I believe that if you bulk buy INGREDIENTS for your kitchen, you will save money on packaged food (and save your health too!). For example, if your pantry is stocked with oats, honey, and peanut butter, you could whip up a batch of granola bars that are delicious, healthy, and cheaper than a box of packaged granola bars from ANY grocery store.
Learn More: Healthy Snack Recipes From Scratch
Money-Saving Tips
Avoid Packaged Foods – Food packaging and processed foods will eat up your grocery budget (no pun intended!). Spend your grocery money on buying basic ingredients such as flour, sugar, meat, and vegetables. You would be surprised how much you could make at home from scratch with simple, basic ingredients. Plus, it’s healthier!
Buy In Bulk – At Costco and Azure Standard, you will often save on the overall price of the item if you buy a larger quantity.
Watch for Sales – Watch for sales at both Costco and Azure Standard. If one of your kitchen staples is on sale? Stock up while the price is low!
Compare Unit Prices – While the overall price of food at Costco or Azure may seem expensive compared to what you usually buy at the grocery store, compare the unit prices instead. Often you will find that food products purchased in bulk are cheaper per pound or per ounce than they are at the grocery store.
Slowly Build Your Pantry – If you are looking to switch to bulk buying ingredients, don’t try to switch your pantry all at once. Slowly build your whole food kitchen buy replacing a few regular items on your weekly grocery list with bulk versions. Plus, this staggered approach will ensure that you don’t run out of EVERY item all at once in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I shop at Azure Standard without buying huge quantities? Yes! Azure offers smaller packages of every item. However, the real cost savings is buying in bulk.
Does Costco have organic options? Yes! I have found that Costco has many affordable organic options to choose from compared to other bulk grocery stores.
Which store has better prices? There are good prices at both Azure and Costco depending on what you are buying. For example, organic meat is cheaper at Costco than Azure, but Azure’s flour is cheaper than Costco’s. Research your usual grocery list and see which store offers the best price.
What’s the first thing I should buy if I’m starting a whole food kitchen? I would buy baking basics such as flour, baking power, baking soda, sugar, and butter. Many snack items that you would normally buy packages can be made at home with just a few simple ingredients.
How to keep pantry staples fresh? Store your pantry staples in air-tight containers, food-storage buckets, or in the freezer.
Stock your kitchen with quality, whole foods from Costco and Azure Standard so that you can cook healthy food from scratch all month long!
