--- title: 6 Costco Buys That Make Sense for Empty Nesters description: For empty nesters, buying in bulk may no longer make sense. But these six items can still be good purchases once kids have flown the coop. authors: - name: Marc Guberti url: https://money.com/author/marc-guberti/ bio: Marc Guberti is a personal finance writer who hosts Breakthrough Success, a podcast where he teaches listeners how to grow their businesses and achieve personal transformations. at_money_since: 2024 articles: 461 covers: - Shopping - Banking - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Taxes published: '2026-11-05T14:00:30.000Z' section: Shopping word_count: 510 canonical: https://money.com/costco-buys-for-empty-nesters/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** Money may earn a commission when you click on the products and services below. Opinions are our own, but compensation and in-depth research determine where and how they appear. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/) about how we make money. ![Costco Wholesale Location. Costco Wholesale is a multi-billion dollar membership retailer.](https://img.money.com/2026/10/Explainer-Costco-Empty-Nesters.jpg) We have to shop through all stages of life — but trips to the store can look a lot difference once you become an empty nester. A few products that may have been overlooked could now add extra value, depending on who is living in your home. ## Costco items for empty nesters to consider The following items can be a good buy for anyone, but they are especially worth considering once your shopping habits have adjusted to having fewer people at home. ### 1\. Rotisserie chicken A Rotisserie chicken only costs $4.99 at Costco, and it’s enough to feed two for a couple of meals. This chicken is convenient for empty nesters who don’t want to cook every meal, and it contains enough protein to be a filling meal. ### 2\. Butter and shredded cheese Butter and cheese aren’t just for empty nesters, but these foods can make it easier to plan for smaller meals, and shredded cheese is more convenient than grating cheese or softening large blocks of dairy. Empty nesters can put shredded cheese in the fridge and add butter to their freezer to preserve it. Costco offers competitive prices for these items. ### 3\. Frozen proteins Frozen proteins can become a lot more valuable for smaller homes than fresh produce. Frozen protein lasts longer than fresh protein, which means empty nesters can eat at their own pace instead of scrambling to cook every item right before they expire. ### 4\. Discounted gift cards Discounted gift cards can always be valuable, but they may contain more value for empty nesters who are looking to dine out more now. Costco offers discounted cards for a wide range of restaurant chains, including Panera Bread, Outback Steakhouse and Applebee's. ### 5\. Electronics and small appliances Every family will need electronics and small appliances, but buying them at Costco has perks. A free two-year warranty comes with eligible purchases, but they also come with tech support. If the tech-savvy person in your house recently moved out, you may benefit from this service while buying electronics and small appliances. ### 6\. Gardening supplies Gardening is a popular habit among retirees, and may be one that empty nesters want to pick up to fill some of their free time. Costco has budget-friendly options via its garden center for everything from planters, raised garden beds and garden decor to tools, pest control and sprinklers. ## What to skip Part of the appeal of a Costco membership is the ability to buy in bulk for several members of a household. But empty nesters no longer have the same shopping needs as they did when there were more mouths to feed. Empty nesters likely want to avoid buying big bags of fresh produce, since there’s a high likelihood that a large portion of it will expire before consumption. Giant spice jars, soft cheeses and party-size dips may also be worth skipping. Before you buy anything, be sure to check prices to ensure you are getting the best deal, and check the expiration date to make sure you can use it before it goes bad. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/costco-buys-for-empty-nesters/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Shopping", "item": "https://money.com/shopping/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Retail", "item": "https://money.com/retail/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "6 Costco Buys That Make Sense for Empty Nesters" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/costco-buys-for-empty-nesters/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/costco-buys-for-empty-nesters/", "name": "6 Costco Buys That Make Sense for Empty Nesters", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2026-11-05T14:00:30.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/costco-buys-for-empty-nesters/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/costco-buys-for-empty-nesters/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "6 Costco Buys That Make Sense for Empty Nesters", "articleSection": "Shopping", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2026/10/Explainer-Costco-Empty-Nesters.jpg", "width": 2121, "height": 1414, "caption": "Explainer-Costco-Empty-Nesters" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marc Guberti", "url": "https://money.com/author/marc-guberti/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/marc-guberti/#author", "description": "Marc Guberti is a personal finance writer who hosts Breakthrough Success, a podcast where he teaches listeners how to grow their businesses and achieve personal transformations.", "worksFor": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2026-11-05T14:00:30.000Z", "description": "For empty nesters, buying in bulk may no longer make sense. 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