From its $2 combo meals to its philosophy of paying workers well, people can't get enough of Costco. But it turns out there may be membership benefits that even regular shoppers don't know about.

These perks have some Costco members wondering if they're too good to be true. But according to members who take advantage of them, other customers are missing out.

A woman who runs the Instagram account jm_klly recently realized that her Executive Membership at Costco comes with significant money-saving benefits. Costco offers Gold Star, Executive, and Business memberships; the first two are tiers available to the general public. Customers don't have to be executives to get that level of membership, and the extra $65 a year sounds worth it for the exclusive perks alone.

"Okay, so apparently we've been underutilizing our Executive Membership to Costco," the Instagrammer said. "I'm going to go over a few things that we can do at Costco with our membership. We grown now, y'all. We not kids no more. We not little kids no more."

Shoppers navigate a warehouse aisle filled with bulk items.Photo credit: Canva

One of the first things on her list is Costco Travel. It gives a surprisingly decent discount on things like flights and hotels, including an example of someone who used the perk to take her family to Italy for $3,000.

One viewer confirmed that the travel discounts are real, sharing, "I 2nd Costco travel! I got a 7 night all inclusive honeymoon in Mexico for less than $2800. Flights & hotel transfers were included." Another chimed in, "Just booked a Disney World trip for 6 people under 6k, round trip flight, rental car, hotel, and activities all through Costco."

Yes, Costco sells caskets, and no, you don't have to buy them in bulk. The enthusiastic Instagrammer can't believe it's something they offer: "Caskets at Costco. Did y'all know people were buying caskets at Costco?" She also revealed that the company will deliver the casket to the funeral home.

Once again, she was backed up by someone who had actually purchased a casket from the warehouse store. They wrote:

"I second the caskets from Costco, my late husband lovvvvved Costco, we laid him to rest in the most beautiful marine corps casket for under 3k same casket was 38k at the funeral home. We joked about the return policy, we said maybe in a year he will come back and we can return the thing. Lol a little bit of dark humor helped w the grief."

Shoppers busy at a wholesale market checkout.Photo credit: Canva

The Instagrammer continued to enthusiastically share the perks she's learned about, including $29 primary care visits, before adding, "Which brings me to my next thing. Somebody said they got a knee replacement. Baby, excuse me? Kirkland's Knee Replacement, period." While the knee replacement was likely just someone being facetious, the primary care visits are real.

Costco partnered with a company called Sesame to offer an affordable healthcare option for those without insurance. The visits are offered virtually and include $29 primary care appointments, $72 health checkups (including bloodwork), $79 mental health therapy sessions, and a $65 mental health medication subscription. They also offer women's health and weight loss options, according to Sesame's website.

"Home insurance, life insurance, car insurance," the Instagrammer said. "Speaking of car insurance. They say you can go rent a car and Costco gonna pay for car insurance. I know you lying." One person confirmed that car rental insurance is covered, saying:

"Yesss girl! You just rent it from Costco. They do not ask if you want to buy insurance for the car. They ask if you need a car seat, donate for the environment, need satellite navigation, or toll pass. That's it! They have the option of reserve now and pay later or pay in full. Of course paying in full is cheaper."

Not only does Costco offer car, home, and life insurance, but it also offers health, dental, and pet insurance, according to its website.

This perk can save people thousands on the purchase of a new car. The vehicle does have to be purchased during one of the program's "limited-time offers," according to the page, but one woman's experience suggests it's worth it. She shared with the Instagrammer, "You forgot to mention the biggest one! The Costco Car program! I saved $4,000 on my Honda."

It's starting to feel like Costco has a program for just about every need. One person said, "My parents redid their bathroom through Costco via promotion I guess and Costco gifted them a 1333.00 gift card!! I love Costco."

Someone who claims to work for the remodel program shared, "I work for their bath and showers remodel program. Hands down the best quality job done with Costco pricing plus a 10% cash card."

Bathroom renovation in progress. 🚧🛠️Photo credit: Canva

By this point in the list, it should come as no surprise that Costco has an optometry department offering affordable eyeglasses and contact lenses.

"Don't forget about their Optometry and glasses," one person said. "And you DO NOT need membership for an eye exam but it is required to purchase contacts /glasses. We also used them for our passport photos; not sure if they still take those." Another chimed in, "I also get my contacts at Costco for half the price anywhere else!! They just relabel an actual brand to be Kirkland. Saves me so much money."

Flowers are $20 for two dozen, which breaks down to less than $1 per flower. One man told the Instagrammer to stop sharing that particular secret, writing, "Chill on the $20 Flower hack. Any date I go on I buy a few dozen and arrange/wrap them. 3x better than a $200 bouquet." One woman shared, "I used Costco for my wedding flowers. Saved thousands."

The quality of flowers is outstanding, according to commenters.

Elegant red roses in a glass vase.Photo credit: Canva

Several people shared their experiences with Costco's generous policies, which rival those of other retailers.

"If Costco drops the price on something you've purchased within the last 30 days, go to the membership counter with the item number and they will do the price adjustment on whatever you purchased within those 30 days," one Costco shopper said. Another advised viewers to check the fine print on their receipts, saying, "Read the fine print: you can return items (even years later) with no problem. We purchased trees and they ended up dying and they refunded us."

On top of all the perks already mentioned, there are others, such as Costco's "scratch-and-dent" appliances, which one commenter said start around $100. Another shared that Costco not only delivers appliances but also installs them, including a new A/C unit they purchased. Others shared information about the cash back customers receive in the form of a check when they spend a certain amount during the year. This is in addition to the cash-back check customers can receive from Citi at the end of the year when they use its card while shopping at Costco, according to another viewer.

Some of these Costco benefits may be new to customers, but it's not because the store is trying to keep them a secret. One exasperated employee said that excited new customers don't stay to listen during the sign-up process. They wrote:

"Hey someone that's been working for Costco for almost 8 years now come, March,. And people get really annoyed when we try to educate them when we do this city visa table or their programs that we show we have all these pamphlets that educate members on all the stuff that we provide pamphlets by the Membership desk to get more benefit out of your executive membership, but nobody stops to listen. They just wanna shop and leave."

I grew up in "the house." In high school, my home was the designated place where my friends gathered, sometimes in big groups, sometimes just my small core squad. My three best friends spent the night there almost every Friday and/or Saturday night for four years straight. We devoured Totino's frozen pizzas by the dozen, inhaled soda, and laid waste to any snacks or leftovers that were brave enough to survive in the kitchen. Not only that, but my house was pretty small — four teenage boys took up a lot of space in the living room (the whole thing) and made a lot of noise playing video games deep into the night. It must have driven my parents and older brothers crazy. It's a wonder anyone put up with it.

Or so I thought when I was younger. When I became a parent myself, I started to understand a little more why my mom and dad were so willing to host and feed all my friends and me every single weekend. Why the outrageous grocery bill and constant chaos in the house were probably a small price to pay.

One mom has perfectly encapsulated the value of turning your home into "the house" for your kids and their friends, and exactly how she did it for her family.

Teens hanging out in a living room.via Canva/Photos

Amy White shared a reel on Instagram showing her college-aged son hanging in her dining room with a group of friends playing cards. The text overlay reads "What makes your kids' high school friends want to come over, play cards & spend the night on their College Christmas Break." I think most parents can agree that we want our kids to keep coming home as long as possible! So how exactly did White pull this off?

Her explanation in the caption was spot-on.

First, White says that you have to start early. Become "the hang out house" in high school or even earlier. Then you have a better chance of holding onto the mantle into your kid's college years.

Next, be ready to stock the house with snacks and drinks, and don't make a fuss when your kid's friends have at it. "The kids knew we had food," she writes, "BUT they also knew I didn't care what they had. They knew they could eat anything in my pantry and fridge."

Third, and this is a big one, don't mistake being the "cool house" for being "the house." Some parents choose to allow their underage kids and friends to drink alcohol under their supervision, but you don't have to bend your morals and the law to lure the squad over to your place. Pizza and Coke is plenty to keep most teens happy. "We were not the house that served alcohol or even allowed the kids to bring alcohol to our house. And Guess What?? The kids still came and wanted to hang at our house!"

Teenagers eating pizza.via Canva/Photos

Fourth, always say Yes (as often as possible,........

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