The Refreshingly Low Deal On Milk Found At A Costco

While the price of milk may vary widely by region as well as retailer, the USDA reports that the average cost as of July 2024 is $3.53 per gallon, which is a significant improvement over the $4.32-per-gallon average from March. Are milk prices on their way down? For one Costco shopper, this certainly seems to be the case since they boasted on Reddit on July 13 that they found 2-gallon cartons of Kirkland Signature whole milk on sale at Costco for $3.98.

While the original poster didn't share their general location, commenters seemed surprised (and perhaps a bit envious). One person noted that milk was selling for $5.99 in Oregon, although they didn't specify either the retailer or the size of the carton. Fortunately, the thread's original poster did provide a few other local prices for comparison purposes. In their area (wherever it may be), grocery stores seem to be pricing their milk between $2.49 and $3.59 per gallon, while Walmart is charging $2.28. Target, however, is giving Costco a run for its money since its milk is apparently marked at $2 per gallon, which is just a penny a gallon more than the Costco deal.

Buying a 2-gallon carton of milk may not be your best bet if, unlike the Redditor who posted about Costco's prices, you don't have a house full of kids drinking the stuff. Whole milk, once it's opened, may start to go bad in as little as four days, so you'd need to use up 2 quarts a day in order to make the most of your bargain buy. Even if you don't open the milk right away, it still won't last more than a week. Similarly, 2% and 1% milk will last about the same amount of time, although unopened nonfat and lactose-free milk can last for up to 10 days.

If you do succumb to the lure of a bargain buy and find that your milk's expiration date is rapidly approaching, you'll be glad to know that yes, you can put milk in the freezer. Even if its texture once thawed is such that you don't want to drink it plain, it should be fine for adding to shakes and smoothies and will definitely be okay for cooking. Yet another thing you can do with milk, even if it's a bit sour, is using it to make from-scratch ricotta cheese or the Indian cheese known as paneer. Either would be a fun, easy kitchen project, and you can then use the cheeses in an easy lasagna recipe or a palak paneer recipe.