Frozen Chicken Breasts – Your Meal Prep Game Changer
Living alone doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality protein just because you’re cooking for one. Frozen chicken breasts from Costco are an absolute essential that I never fail to grab on each shopping trip. The quality of these chicken breasts is consistently high, with each piece being individually frozen, making it easy to thaw only what’s needed. If you’re cooking for a busy household that prioritizes healthy eating without sacrificing convenience, Costco’s frozen chicken breasts should become your new favorite freezer staple. Each piece is huge – if you are a lonely single person like I am, one breast is likely 3-4 meals.
This reduces waste and ensures I always have protein on hand for impromptu meals. Whether I’m grilling, pan-frying, or tossing them into the slow cooker, these chicken breasts adapt to a myriad of recipes and cuisines. Their neutral flavor profile makes them ideal for marinating or seasoning to suit any dish. You can prepare them from frozen or thawed, making weeknight dinners a breeze when you’re too tired to think about cooking.
Kirkland Toilet Paper – The Ultimate Single Person Staple
I think Kirkland’s toilet paper is some of the best you can buy, even compared to other big-name brands. This pack comes with 30 rolls for $22.99, and I usually share or split it with a friend. Think about it – when you’re living solo, you’re not going through rolls like a family of four would. This bulk buy can literally last you months, maybe even close to a year depending on your usage.
The quality rivals name brands, but the price per roll is significantly cheaper than buying smaller packs at regular stores. Stock up on toilet paper this month. Charmin Ultra Soft Bath Tissue is an excellent deal. Get 30 rolls of the 213-sheet tissue, both clog-safe and septic-safe, for $6 off in-warehouse and online. Even if you have to split the pack with a neighbor or friend, you’re still coming out ahead financially.
Vitamins and Supplements – Health Investment That Pays Off
Here’s something that might surprise you about living alone – you probably have more control over your health routine than people with families. Vitamins and supplements can be extremely expensive, especially if you’re relying on small pharmacy bottles. If there are some that you plan on taking indefinitely, storing them in bulk will save you time and energy. Costco’s vitamin selection is extensive and the prices are unbeatable.
I regularly take vitamin B-12 supplements. The Nature’s Bounty bottle of vitamin B-12 I buy comes with 300 tablets. I don’t take a multivitamin, but I do take a few supplements for energy, like B-12 – though the effects vary from person to person. I grabbed a bottle of 300 tablets on sale at Costco for $18.99, and I won’t need to buy more for almost a year. That’s roughly sixty cents per month for a supplement that would cost you far more buying smaller bottles elsewhere.
Olive Oil and Cooking Oils – Essential Kitchen Foundations
If you cook a lot, you probably buy olive oil in large quantities. Kirkland’s olive oil tastes great, and you can grab two liters of it at a time. When you’re cooking just for yourself, having quality oil on hand opens up endless possibilities. Costco carries a wide array of cooking oils and cooking spray that are significantly cheaper than you’ll find anywhere else. We buy avocado oil, avocado oil spray, coconut oil, and occasionally extra-virgin olive oil. You can use these cooking oils to cook all of your meals, bake cakes and chocolate chip cookies, air frying, make salad dressings, etc!
The beauty of buying cooking oils in bulk when you live alone is that they have incredibly long shelf lives. You’re not worried about them going bad before your family can use them up. Chosen Foods avocado oil products are wildly popular and a favorite of mine, and they are on sale this month – $4.20 off! My pantry is always stocked with a massive Chosen Foods Avocado Oil bottle and a few of the Avocado Oil Sprays, the best cooking oil spray I have found to cook everything from stir fry to eggs.
Frozen Mandarin Orange Chicken – Your Takeout Alternative
Let’s talk about one of those guilty pleasure foods that’s actually perfect for single living. For one thing, it’s fried chicken, which basically nobody can resist. For another, it drapes the whole crispy, craggy, crunchy affair in a divine orange sauce. What results is pure deliciousness – and now, you can get it at Costco in frozen dinner form. When you live alone, having this in your freezer means you can satisfy that takeout craving without ordering a whole meal that’ll give you leftovers for days.
Crazy Cuizine’s Mandarin Orange Chicken combines juicy bites of chicken with a vibrant, citrus-packed sauce. Hints of ginger and garlic take it to further heights. The breading does an excellent job of absorbing the sauce’s flavor without ever getting mushy, especially if you prepare the dish in the oven. But you don’t have to – one of the best things about this orange chicken is its versatility. You can portion out exactly what you want and save the rest for later.
Kirkland Signature Lasagna – Comfort Food for One
Now on to my top pick, and a dish I’ll certainly find myself buying again: Costco’s Kirkland Signature Italian sausage and beef lasagna. Since Costco’s Kirkland brand is always a good quality choice, I shouldn’t have been surprised that I loved this dish. I was hard-pressed to eat just one piece. Preparing this dish took the longest out of any other frozen meal on this list, but I still can’t call it labor intensive – just pre-plan so you can give this dish an hour in the oven before you’re ready to dig in.
What makes this perfect for single people is that you can cut it into individual portions and freeze them separately. Then you have homemade-tasting lasagna ready whenever you want it, without the effort of making an entire lasagna from scratch. The quality is restaurant-level, and having this comfort food available when you need it most is priceless when you’re living alone.
Paper Towels – The Unsung Hero of Solo Living
The Costco-brand paper towels are durable and absorbent. Each pack of Kirkland Signature paper towels comes with 12 large rolls. Each roll of Kirkland’s paper towels comes with 160 sheets. And with 12 rolls, this pack tends to last me a while. I snag the package for $22.99 and sometimes share it with other people. When you’re living alone, you appreciate quality cleaning supplies more than most people realize.
You’re the one doing all the cleaning, all the time. There’s no one else to pick up the slack, so investing in paper towels that actually work makes your life easier. These aren’t the cheap, thin paper towels that fall apart when they get wet. They’re substantial enough to handle real messes, and since you’re not going through them as quickly as a larger household would, this bulk pack represents months of cleaning supply security.
Frozen Wild Pacific Mahi-Mahi – Fancy Fish Made Simple
If you’re like me and appreciate quick, delicious meals with minimal effort, the 4-ounce Wild Pacific Mahi-Mahi is a game changer. Individually vacuum-packed and quick frozen, these boneless, skinless fillets makes dinner prep a breeze. No need to deal with bones or skin – just open the package, drizzle with olive oil, add your favorite seasonings and bake or pan-sear for a flavorful dish in no time.
The beauty of these individual portions is that you can take out exactly one fillet at a time. No waste, no pressure to eat fish for three days straight because you bought too much. Each portion is restaurant-quality fish that costs a fraction of what you’d pay dining out, and the convenience factor is unmatched when you want to eat well but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen.
Kirkland Allergy Medicine – Year-Round Relief
I take allergy medication year-round. Kirkland’s allergy pills are a great price. I experience allergies all year, not just seasonally. So each year, I pick up a bottle of 365 Kirkland Aller-Tec tablets for about $14 to keep my allergies at bay. Comparatively, a 30-count bottle of Zyrtec, a popular name-brand alternative, can cost over $20.
When you live alone, dealing with allergies becomes entirely your responsibility. There’s no partner to run to the store when you’re feeling miserable, and no one else to remind you to take your medication. Having a full year’s supply of allergy medicine means you’re never caught off guard during peak allergy season. The math is simple: one bottle of name-brand allergy medicine costs more than an entire year’s supply of the Kirkland equivalent.
Organic Frozen Strawberries – Smoothie Perfection
Almost every frozen organic fruit option at Costco is worth the freezer space it will need. Strawberries are a particularly good buy; they sell both conventional strawberries and organic at about $10 per bag. You’ll get a few pounds less if you pick organic, but you can rest easy knowing you’re still getting an unreal bargain, and you’re keeping unwanted pesticides out of your family’s breakfasts and smoothies.
Living alone means you probably have more freezer space than families do, and frozen organic strawberries are perfect for utilizing that space efficiently. They never go bad, unlike fresh strawberries that seem to turn fuzzy the day after you buy them. You can add them to smoothies, oatmeal, or yogurt whenever the mood strikes, without worrying about timing your purchases perfectly.
Amy’s Organic Burritos – Healthy Convenience Food
With a melt-in-your-mouth taste and a not-so-scary nutrition label, Amy’s burritos are a cult favorite. The individually wrapped burritos pack a whopping 11grams of protein and cost just $10 for a box of 8. That’s definitely a steal, since the burritos sell for around $3 apiece at most groceries.
These burritos are perfect for those nights when you’re too tired to cook but don’t want to resort to unhealthy fast food. They’re individually wrapped, so you can grab one from the freezer and have a satisfying meal ready in minutes. The quality is restaurant-level, and at just over a dollar per burrito, you’re getting organic, healthy food for less than the cost of a candy bar.
Coffee Beans – Fuel for Your Solo Mornings
They’re such high quality, we have been using them in our Breville Espresso Machine for several years with no issues or excessive oil buildup. We love the flavor of these beans so much, it almost always beats the flavor of coffee shop coffee! In April 2024, you can get 3 pounds of organic whole coffee beans for $18.99. It also regularly goes on sale for an additional $3-$4 off (great time to stock up!). I’ve browsed the coffee options at my local grocery stores and it’s often upwards of $15 per pound!
When you live alone, your morning coffee ritual becomes even more important. It’s your moment of peace before the day begins, and there’s no one else’s preferences to consider. Quality coffee beans from Costco mean you can have cafe-quality coffee at home for a fraction of the cost. Three pounds of beans will last a single person months, and the quality is consistently excellent.
Natural Peanut Butter and Almond Butter – Protein Powerhouses
Costco sells a Kirkland Brand of both natural peanut butter and almond butter that is so much better for you than processed Skippy or peanut butter with added sugars, oils, etc! More importantly, it is by far the cheapest natural peanut butter and almond butter you can find. For reference, the peanut butter is $11.79 for a 2-pack of jars that are 28 ounces each. If you look for natural peanut butter at stores like Whole Foods, a tiny 16 ounce jar will likely cost more than $12!
Living alone means you can be selective about the quality of food you keep in your pantry. Natural nut butters are perfect for quick meals – spread on toast, mixed into smoothies, or eaten straight from the jar during those late-night snack moments we all have. The bulk size makes sense because nut butters have excellent shelf stability, and you’ll use them consistently over time.
Bar Soap – Simple, Effective, Long-Lasting
If you have sensitive skin, this pack of Dove bar soap is a must-buy. This Dove bar soap is specially made for sensitive skin. Although many people venture to Costco for food, I mostly get household, health, and beauty products – like this Dove bar soap. This package of 16 soaps sells for $16.99, which breaks down to just over $1 per bar. In other stores, a two-pack of this product can cost over $4.
When you live alone, quality soap becomes more important than you might think. You’re doing all the hand-washing, all the shower time, and all the face-washing yourself. Having gentle, effective soap that doesn’t irritate your skin is essential for your daily comfort. Sixteen bars will last a single person close to a year, making this one of the best value purchases you can make for your bathroom.
Nuts and Seeds in Bulk – Snacking and Cooking Essentials
If you’ve read my pantry staples post, you’ll know I keep almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, peanuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, ground flaxseed, and pumpkin seeds on hand and can almost always find them at Costco in a 3-pound bag. Just keep the nuts and seeds in the fridge or freezer to prevent them from going rancid!
Living alone means you have complete control over your snacking choices, and quality nuts and seeds are perfect for healthy snacking, cooking, and baking. The key insight here is storage – when you live alone, you probably have more refrigerator and freezer space available than families do. This means you can buy nuts and seeds in bulk and store them properly to maintain freshness, getting restaurant-quality ingredients at bulk prices for all your culinary adventures.
