This Dad’s Costco Hack Involves Ditching The One Thing Everyone Else Uses, And It’s Saving Him Serious Money

A TikTok user has found a simple way to spend less money at Costco, and people online are paying attention. Danny Hoang, who posts under the username @the.hoang.family, shared how his family avoids buying too much at the warehouse store. The trick is easy: don’t use a cart.

Hoang posted a TikTok video showing how he shops at Costco by carrying items in a recycled cardboard box instead of using a cart. In the video, he keeps adding things to his pile, including pancake mix, 18 eggs, pomegranates, and even a bouquet of 24 roses. The video shows how you naturally buy less when you can only carry what fits in your arms.

The idea behind this hack is pretty straightforward. If you can only buy what you can hold, you will spend less money. Hoang’s method makes shoppers think harder about what they really need, and it gets rid of the urge to fill up a big cart. People who watched his TikTok video liked the idea, with one person writing “& STILL GOT THE ROSES!!” and another saying “I do this too.”

This Is Not The First Time Shoppers Have Used This Trick

Hoang’s video might be going viral now, but people have been shopping this way for years. A 2021 Reddit thread in the r/Costco community showed that lots of shoppers were already doing this long before it became popular on TikTok. One Reddit user wrote about shopping at Costco without a cart and said it helps keep the bill under $100.

Other people on Reddit shared how they do the same thing. One person said they grab an empty box while walking around the store. Another person suggested getting a cardboard flat and filling it up, but still only buying what you can carry. The cardboard boxes that Costco gives out at checkout, which they use instead of bags, make this trick even easier to pull off.

Some people shared other tips for saving money too. One person had a different view and said “the more you buy at costco the less you buy elsewhere so you save more money.” Another user made a joke about the downsides, writing, “And not the lady briskly beating you to the line seeing you with no cart but hands full.”

Like other people who have gotten attention online for finding smart solutions to everyday problems, Hoang’s basic approach connected with viewers who want easy ways to save money.

Hoang said in a comment on his video that he was shopping for his anniversary, which is why he got the roses and pomegranates. Even though it was a special day, he still used his money-saving shopping trick. This shows the method works even when you need to buy certain things for big occasions.