Shopping for Passover at Costco 2016 (UPDATED WITH NEW ITEMS, 4/15/16)

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UPDATE 4/15/16:  Scroll to the bottom of the post to see ten new KFP items at the Columbia, MD Costco, submitted by Daily Cheapskate reader, Andy M.

UPDATED 4/3/2016:  Added: another Meal Mart pre-cooked entree, stuffed chicken breasts, a Classic Cooking apple-matzah kugel and a Yehuda Crumb cake that was submitted by rock-star blogger Mara Strom.  

I'm getting lots of emails saying I left out something really important:  fruits and vegetables.  I guess to me, buying produce at Costco is so obvious that I didn't bother to post it.  The next time I go back, I will post the prices on the romaine lettuce though, because that is a staple of most Passover seders, and Costco does have a terrific price on it.

The other thing that I didn't bother talking about was cleansers for Pesach cleaning. Again, I think those items are fairly obvious. I wanted to focus more on the items that wouldn't necessarily be on your radar for Pesach shopping.

UPDATED 3/29/2016:  I've already added quite a number of items: feta cheese, pastrami, roasted pistachios (yay!), Meal Mart pre-cooked entrees (turkey-stuffed peppers, brisket, ribeye roast), macaroons, gefilte fish, smoked salmon, and dried cranberries.  Hat tip to Daily Cheapskate readers Rebecca M., Andy M. and Tova J. for their participation. 

I realize that this post has gone viral all over social media and I'm really enjoying all the feedback.  Thank you so much to everyone who has shared this, and please keep it up!  

A word to new readers who are saying:  "well, our local Costco NEVER gets in any Passover stuff."   One of the ideas that I'm trying to convey here is that while, yes, a lot of these items are special once-a-year Pesach deals, more than half of them (i.e. the pistachios, egg whites, the frozen salmon, etc.) are available year-round and are probably stocked in every Costco in the U.S., so take advantage of these items' availability to help trim down the costs on your Passover shopping list.

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For the past two years, I've been finding that I'm doing more and more of my Passover/Pesach shopping at Costco.  I'm originally from Brooklyn, but I live in East Denver, and we are fortunate to have a Costco in nearby Aurora that stocks a nice-sized kosher section and a plethora of KFP/KLP (kosher for Passover/kosher la'Pesach) items.  But even if you live somewhere where the Costco doesn't stock special KFP items, there are still TONS of must-have Passover items that you can buy at Costco that will cost much less than at your local supermarket.  Costco has emerged to become an leading supplier of well-priced KFP food, and many of these deals (except for the specifically seasonal KFP items, like shmurah matzoh) are available for months before Pesach.   What I love about that is that I can make a significant dent in my Costco Passover shopping well before Purim, and save a ton of money as well.

This year, I included price comparisons to previous years (if available), and  I think you'll be very pleased to see how many Costco prices have either gone down or remained the same.

Of course, your local Costco is going to have different items and prices from my local Costco.  If you'd like to send me photos of KFP items at your local Costco, by all means, please do!  It's still very early and I plan to do a great deal of updating to this post as we get closer to Pesach.

FYI, I'm not affiliated with Costco at all (other than being a shopping member) and I was not compensated in any way for writing this post.  I put this together strictly as a reference for Daily Cheapskate readers.

Here's the 2015 Costco post and here's the 2014 Costco post.  These Passover-at-Costco posts are among Daily Cheapskate's most popular posts on saving money on Passover shopping.

Ok, grab your cart, and away we go.....

FOOD ITEMS:

Kirkland Egg Whites, six 16 oz. containers, OU-P $8.99

2015:  $7.99

2014:  $8.79  

Please note that the Passover hechsher on these is regional and you must check the Kirkland Egg Whites in your area for the Passover certification.  Last year, I was flooded with emails from East Coast readers telling me that the egg whites in their local Costcos were NOT KFP.

In Denver, these are actually KFP year-round.  This is one of my favorite KFP finds, as I've been attempting to minimize the (unbelievable) number of egg yolks we consume over Pesach.  Until about two years ago, I was transporting an expensive heimishe brand of KFP liquid egg whites back to Denver from my pre-Passover trip to NY, but I no longer need to do this with the Costco liquid egg whites now being KFP and priced very well. 

We never buy KFP cereal (I find it, well, revolting and expensive).  We make mushroom/veggie omelets for breakfast during Pesach with these egg whites, and they are delicious and much healthier than gross KFP cereal. These egg whites are also fantastic for multi-egg cake recipes (but because they are pasteurized, they do not whip up, so they are not useful for meringues).  The container instructs you not to freeze them, but I will tell you from my experience that they freeze and defrost beautifully.  Shake up the container after defrosting.

Eggs, from $0.93 per dozen to $1.45 per dozen, depending on quantity.  No hechsher needed, but must buy before onset of Pesach.

2014: N/A

2015: N/A

I also buy my regular eggs for Pesach from Costco.  I know Target just held an amazing 50 cents/dozen Cartwheel egg sale for Easter, but I don't really hold on to raw eggs in my fridge beyond two weeks (I know the published guideline is 3 weeks) and I can't even fathom using month-old eggs, so I'll probably still buy eggs from Costco this year. I'm really glad they've dropped in price from last year, when they were insanely expensive.  To tell you the truth, because I buy the Costco egg whites and have cut down on my Pesach baking, I buy far fewer raw eggs for Pesach.  This year, I'll probably buy no more than 4 dozen.

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Holyland Hand Shmura Matzoh, 16 oz. boxes, OU-P, $14.69  (compare this price to Amazon)

2015:  $14.99

2014:  $13.99

The price on this round, hand-made, Shmurah matzah from Israel is fantastic, especially compared to what hand shmurah costs everywhere else ($20 and above).   The fact that Costco stocks this has saved us a fortune for the last three years.  I also feel extra great about buying shmurah matzoh that comes from Israel.

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Kirkland  Farmed Atlantic Frozen Salmon Filets, 3 lbs. - OU, $19.99

2015: $23.99

2014: $24.99 

Salmon has really zoomed up in price over the last few years, so it's nice to finally see a substantial price drop on Kirkland's frozen Atlantic Salmon. 

For the past six years, the OU has been okay'ing this for Pesach without a special Passover hashgacha (see page 65 in the 2016 OU Pesach Guide) This frozen salmon is a staple in our house all year long as well as on Pesach, and has made purchasing uber-pricey KFP tuna and gefilte fish unnecessary.  

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Classic Cooking Sweet Apple Matzah Kugel 2.5 lbs. (2 kugels) - Star-K-P, gebrokts, $9.99

2015: N/A

2014: N/A 

Last year our Costco stocked a Classic Cooking Broccoli Kugel and this year they went with a sweet apple-matzah kugel. I don't really serve kugels any other time of year (everyone is watching carbs and they go to waste), but I do on Pesach.  I actually bought one of these, because we have company at nearly every YomTov meal, and this will be a great help when I'm running out of ideas for sides.  The last time I was in Brooklyn, I was surprised at how much even a small kugel cost these days, so I think $9.99 for two kugels, each weighing a 1.25 lbs., is an excellent price.

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Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon Filets, 3 lbs. - OU, $26.99

2015: $29.79

2014: N/A 

If you prefer not to eat farmed fish, Costco also has this more expensive wild sockeye salmon selection, which was okay'd again for 2016 (see page 65 in the 2016 OU Pesach Guide; you just need to rinse it with water before cooking it).

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Empire Kosher Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts, 2 lbs., OU-P, $10.99

2015: $10.99

2014: $10.99

These frozen chicken breasts have KFP hashgacha year-round which facilitates early shopping, and Costco has held their price of $5.50 per lb. for several years.  Because kosher chicken prices have gone up by almost 40% in Denver for the last few years, this is actually the best price in town for chicken breasts, and I appreciate that Costco does not raise the price before Pesach.

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Empire Kosher Rock Cornish Whole Chickens, 2 lbs., OU-P, KAJ, $2.09/lb.

2015: $2.09

2014: $2.09

The crazylow $2.09/lb. price on these Cornish Hens is a fantastic price for reliably kosher chickens, especially in Denver, but even for New York! These are KFP year round.  I use these as soup chickens, slow-cooker chickens, rotisserie chickens and occasionally,  I even roast them.  I do prefer to buy my chicken in quarters or eighths, but I can't argue with this price and the Empire quality.

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Yuban Gold Original Ground Coffee, 44 oz. OK-P, $9.39 - $2.10 manuf.'s instant rebate = $7.29.  (Compare this price to Amazon)

2015:  N/A

2014:  N/A

KFP coffee is not such an amazing find, because basically all unflavored, non-decaff, non-instant, non-k-cup ground coffees are okay for Pesach without any special Pesach certification, but we like the flavor of Yuban, and the price is unbeatable (comes to $2.65 per lb.) and the Pesach hashgacha is a great plus. 

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Kirkland Organic Honey, three 24 oz. honeybears, OU-P,  $13.59 (Compare this price to Amazon)

2015: $13.59

2014: $11.69

This is easily the best price on organic honey in town.  We buy this 3-pack for Pesach each year and always have at least one 24 oz. honeybear left over for the following Rosh Hashana.

Kirkland Signature Pure Honey, 5 lbs. (80 oz.), OU-P, $13.99  (Compare this price to Amazon)

2015: $13.59

2014: $13.59

If your Pesach budget is really tight, ounce for ounce. this honey is slightly less expensive than the organic version.

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Kirkland Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), 2 liter bottles (67.6 oz.), OU, for $11.99.  (Compare this price to Amazon)

2015: $12.99

2014: $12.99

The OU and other major kashrus organizations have permitted EVOO for Pesach without any special KFP hashgacha.  Only the extra virgin varieties come under this ruling; other types of olive oil DO require special Passover hashgacha.

Costco has some of the best prices on high-quality EVOO and it saves me from having to buy that uber-expensive (and kind of yucky) KFP cottonseed oil. Even though EVOO is not the best oil for frying and baking, it works for a week, and  it's terrific for salad dressings, cooking, sauteing, etc.  If you're really opposed to using this for baking, try substituting KFP coconut oil (FYI, for 2016, it appears that the only coconut oil that is KFP is Spectrum, and unlike previous years, it must have special OU-P certification.)

You'll notice that this year's Costco EVOO looks different from last year's, as it is now labeled "Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil."

Kirkland Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 liter, OU-P, $10.99
2015:  $12.99
2014:  N/A

If you prefer, you can get a bottle of Kirkland Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil that's half the size of the regular EVOO for the roughly the same price.  This actually has a hashgacha for Pesach on it, OU-P.

Bellucci Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 liter, OU, $7.99
2015:  N/A
2014:  N/A

This Bellucci Spanish EVOO is actually listed by name on page 66 in the 2016 OU Pesach Guide as not requiring special Passover certification.

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C & H Granulated Sugar, 10 lb., OK-P, $4.89 (49 cents per lb.)
2015:  $4.75
2014:  N/A

 C&H sugar is yet another item that is KFP year-round, which facilitates early shopping.

Costco has this 10 lb. bag of C&H sugar for $4.89 or 49 cents per lb., which is about 20% less than Walmart for smaller sizes.  

C & H Granulated Sugar, 25 lb., OK-P, $12.19 (49 cents per lb.)  (Compare this price to Amazon)
2015:  $11.89
2014:  N/A

If you are one of those people who bakes dozens of cakes on Pesach and feeds a horde, there is also a 25 lb. bag of sugar available for the same price per lb..  That is a LOT of sugar, but the price is wonderful, and you can definitely use this after Passover.

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Kedem Grape Juice, two 96 oz. bottles, OU-P, $9.99 (Compare this price to Amazon)
2015:  $9.99
2014:  $9.99

For whatever reason, kosher grape juice is ridiculously expensive in Denver. Everyone who is in the know waits for this Costco sale (always right before Pesach) and stockpiles enough for the entire year.  We buy five of these (10-96 oz. bottles) at this sale each year.  Because grape juice does go bad after some time, I write the year that I buy these on top of the cap, so that we can cycle out the oldest bottles first.

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Kirkland Himalayan Pink Salt in a Grinder, 13 oz. $3.99, OU-P (Compare this price to Amazon)

2015: N/A

2014: N/A

Kirkland Mediterranean White in a Grinder, 13 oz. $3.49, OU-P (Compare this price to Amazon)

2015: N/A

2014: N/A

Here are two year-round KFP salt items that I didn't see last year.  The downside to these is that they both come in a grinder and you can't grind salt on Yom Tov/Shabbos, but they are certainly good to use when cooking before Yom Tov or on Chol HaMoed. And these are both items that are easily absorbed into your chametz kitchen after Passover (or if you decide to keep it with your Pesach stuff, salt won't go bad for a very long time, if ever).

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Kirkland Signature Walnuts, 3 lbs. $11.99 (Compare this price to Amazon)

2015: N/A

2014: N/A

Kirkland Signature Whole Almonds, 3 lbs. $17.89 (Compare this price to Amazon)

2015: N/A

2014: N/A

The OU has stated that raw shelled nuts that do not contain any other ingredients (specifically BHA or BHT) are ok for Pesach without any other special Passover certification.  Please doublecheck that the Kirkland brand bulk raw nuts at your local Costco do not contain any BHA or BHT before purchasing for Pesach.

I am not one of those people who enjoys making stuff from scratch in the kitchen, but last year, for the first time ever, I actually made Pesach pareve almond milk from scratch using Costco almonds and I was shocked at how easy it was. 1 cup of almonds makes about a quart of almond milk, so this year, I'll be making enough for a few friends, as there are about 9 cups in this 3-lb. bag. You can use the leftover almond meal for Pesach nut cookies.

Kirkland Roasted California Pistachio Nuts, 3 lbs. bag, OK-P, $19.99 ($6.66 per lb.) (Compare this price to Amazon)
2015:  N/A
2014:  N/A

Ok, big hat tip to new Daily Cheapskate reader Tova J. for alerting me to this because I never would have even thought to look!  This 3-lb. bag of Kirkland California Pistachio Nuts, bag has a kosher-for-Passover run!  Wow!  I don't know if this is the first year this is out or if I've just never noticed this before, but I'm all in! 

Pistachios are great for snacking, baking, cooking (I see an pistachio-crusted salmon dish in our Pesach future), and they also make great hostess gifts when you package them up with nice presentation in a pretty new bowl.  I actually bought two of these, one for us, one for gifts. 

Please be aware that this is a special KFP run and that it's mixed in the non-KFP pistachios.  Here's a photo of the two side by side, the one on the left with an OU hechsher and the one on the right with a OK-P hechsher (I know the tiny little symbols are hard to make out).  Make sure you buy the OK-P one! They are otherwise identical.

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Tnuva Feta Cheese, OU-P, $5.99/lb.

2015: N/A

2014: N/A

Natural & Kosher 1.5 lbs. Sliced Cheese Variety, OK-P, $10.39
2015:  $10.29
2014:  $10.29

Look for the packages with the special Pesach hashgacha as these are not KFP year-round.  The price on this is fabulous ($6.86/lb.), and my husband loves this cheese and eats it all the time, not just on Pesach, and he's a cheese snob.  If you haven't already taken advantage of the Natural & Kosher cheese rebate, make sure you save the UPC symbols and save $1 per package.

Natural & Kosher Shredded Mozarella, 2 lbs. $8.89
2015: $8.89
2014: N/A

Costco also stocks a 2 lb. bag of Natural & Kosher shredded mozzarella for $8.89, or $4.45 per lb. OK-P, which is an excellent price, (almost comparable to non-kosher cheese).  My husband uses this to make matzoh pizza in the toaster oven and also adds it to his morning egg-white omelet.

If you live on the East Coast, you'll find that most heimishe brand cheeses are KFP year-round, and if they are well-priced, you won't have any problem shopping for Pesach cheese at any kosher store

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Seasons Boneless/Skinless Sardines, 6-count 4.38 oz. cans, OU-P, $9.99 - $3.00 coupon = $6.99
2015:  N/A

2014:  N/A

If you like sardines, these are a great frugal and healthy alternative to pricey KFP tuna. 

FYI, for comparison purposes, here are the single can Seasons KFP sardine prices at the Denver Kroger affiliate, King Soopers (more than double):

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Meal Mart Turkey Stuffed Peppers, 2.5 lbs., OU-P $10.99 per lb.

Meal Mart Oven Roasted Beef Brisket, OU-P, $9.49 per lb.

Meal Mart RibEye Roast, OU-P, $12.49 per lb.

Meal Mart Stuffed Chicken Breasts, OU-P, $13.99 

2015: N/A

2014: N/A

These Meal Mart pre-cooked KFP dishes are pricey, but not too bad compared to the usual Pesach take-out places.  These are great if you have to travel over Pesach, but please read the back of the package; most of these dishes are swimming in sodium and not too healthy.  Still, if you are, say, not kashering your oven for Pesach and are making do with a microwave, these are a dream come true, and I'm very grateful our Costco stocks them.

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San Pellegrino Mineral Water, 15-25.3 oz , OU-P, $16.99 - $3.50 manuf. instant rebate = $13.49 (90 cents per bottle)

2015: 12-25.3 oz. bottles, $10.99 (92 cents per bottle)

2014:  12-25.3 oz. bottles $13.99 ($1.17 per bottle)

Perrier Sparkling Mineral Water, 24-16.9 oz., OK-P, $16.99 (71 cents per bottle)

2015: N/A

2014:  $16.99

The unflavored varieties of Pellegrino and Perrier are KFP year-round which facilitates early shopping, and these Costco case prices are usually much better than the supermarket prices.  We usually pick up a case of the Pellegrino, (even though we mostly just use our SodaStream on Pesach now). It's always nice to be able to put a few bottles of Italian sparkling water on the Yom Tov table.

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Manischewitz 40 oz. (2.5 lbs.) Coconut Macaroons, OU-P $8.79
2015:  N/A
2014: N/A

Our Costco got in this giant pack of Manischewitz Coconut Macaroons.  What would Pesach be without macaroons?  (I confess, we never buy this stuff.)

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Rokeach 64 oz. (4 lbs.) OU-P $8.99
2015:  N/A
2014:  N/A

Ah, more stuff that I grew up not eating.  Honestly, I wouldn't eat fish out of a jar if I were stuck on a desert island, but I know this very traditional stuff gives many of us the warm fuzzies and I'm very impressed that our Costco is carrying it this year.

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Kirkland Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon, Kof-K-P, 2-count 8 oz., $14.89

2015:  Kirkland Smoked Salmon (not Wild), OU-P, 2-count 12 oz. $19.99
2014:  Kirkland Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon, Kof-K-P, 2-count 8 oz. $18.99

So happy that these showed up again. These are NOT KFP year-round, so look for the packages with the special blue circle Kof-K-P hashgacha (which are usually mixed in with the non-KFP packages for added confusion). Some of you have asked me if that blue circle is a sticker; it's NOT.  The hechsher is imprinted on the package.  

If you're looking for a less boring Chol HaMoed lunch, pile some of this lox on top of a cream cheese slathered slab of matzoh and you're in business. Who needs bagels, right?

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Meal Mart NY Deli Passover Sliced Pastrami, Corn Beef or Smoked Turkey Breast-OU-P, 1.25 lbs. $14.99 (comes to $9.99 per lb.)

2015:  $9.99

2014:  $9.99

Again, these are not KFP year-round, so look for the packages with the special hashgacha. The price did go up by a whopping 50%, but even so, it's still a nice deal on glatt kosher cold cuts for Pesach.  I'm planning on making a deli roll with a potato-based crust with these.  In past years, Costco had corn beef and smoked turkey as well; this year, they have only brisket pastrami.

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Food items that were available in the past but haven't shown up yet at our Costco:

2015: Classic Cooking Broccoli Kugel, 44 oz. (2 kugels), Star-K-P not gebrokts, $9.99

2014: N/A

The price on this cannot be beat.  I wasn't thrilled with the taste or the ingredients because it was made with KFP mayonnaise (ich), but it was good to have in the house as a spare side dish.  I hope our Costco comes out with other (non-mayonnaise) varieties this year.

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Reader submissions:

This Yehuda Crumb Cake (two almost-1 lb. cakes), OU-P for $8.79 was submitted by my buddy and fellow blogger, Mara Strom from Kosher on a Budget, taken at the Cleveland Costco last week (3/31/16). 

This is a 2015 submission that came in from Daily Cheapskate reader Andy M. from Wheaton, MD:

This 2-pack of Kirkland Apple Juice is OU-P and priced at $8.49 for two 128 oz. jugs.

 

And then Andy sent this in for 2016. I've seen glatt kosher canned chicken in New York, but I've never seen anything quite like this for Passover!  Andy took this photo in the Columbia, MD Costco:  this 4-count 10 oz. (2.5 lbs.) of Kosher Club Kosher White Chicken in water, under OU-P Meat, $15.99. 

Also from Andy at the Wheaton Costco is this 3 lb. bag of Klein's Delights Dried Cranberries, OK-P, $8.99.

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PAPER GOODS:

Now, if I posted pictures of all the paper goods that Costco stocks, I'd be here for a week month.  Costco is known for disposables that are very well-priced.  But I will rave about their prices on a few things that are crucial to me for Pesach.

Caterer's Choice Half-Size Steam Pans, 30 count, $5.95 (20 cents per pan)

2015:  $6.49

2014: N/A

East-coasters, I know that the first response to this is usually that Amazing Savings has cheaper pans, but let me head you off at the pass by saying that sadly, we can't all live near an Amazing Savings.  :)  This price is WAY cheaper than supermarket or Amazon prices and the pans are much higher quality than the dollar stores. 

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Kirkland Signature Parchment Paper 2-count 205 square feet. Star-K-P, $9.69

2015:  $9.69

2014: N/A

Best deal around for parchment paper. I use a ton of parchment liner on Pesach because I cook so many things in disposable aluminum pans, and I hate cooking directly on aluminum.

Kirkland Signature Standard Foil, 12" x 1,000', $22.89

2015:  N/A

2014:  N/A

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Here are some other various paper good items that I occasionally shop for at Costco, depending on  how competitive the prices are against online prices.  I'll add to this grouping as I update this post.

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UPDATE 4/15/16: With much thanks to Daily Cheapskate reader, Andy M., these KFP items were all found in the Columbia, MD Costco.

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What Pesach/Passover treasures were you able to find in your local Costco?  Write to me and let me know.

Please make sure you check out and bookmark Pesach.DailyCheapskate.com for ALL of DailyCheapskate's excellent deals and resources on everything you need for Pesach/Passover! 

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