As prices increase and wages stagnate, you might be thinking about how to save money on your next Costco bill.
Thankfully Lihn Phan, a viral content creator, shared a hack for getting the most out of your membership. In a recent TikTok video, he shared how he orders “protein for [his] weekly meal prep.” He called this money-saving method his “favorite Costco hack.” As of Sunday, Phan’s video had over 2.9 million views.
What’s the Costco meal prep hack?
Taking advantage of Phan’s viral hack mostly entails ordering one item from Costco’s “meat window.”
“Once you’re there,” he said, “ask them for the 10-pound tube of 90% lean ground beef.”
Phan said he uses this to create his meals for the week and that “it’s actually cheaper than what they usually sell.” Indeed, for 10 pounds of meat—with a unit price of $4.69 per pound—Phan purchased the tube for just under $47.
Next, Phan showed viewers how he turns this purchase into a week’s worth of meals. He started by cutting the tube into 9-ounce pieces, which he said contained 50 grams of protein each.
“If you were doing this, I recommend getting a bigger cutting board,” he quipped.
After measuring out each piece, Phan put them into separate Ziploc bags. And for easier access to smaller portions of meat, Phan said that he likes to “smash them flat and let all the air out.”
“It’s easier to defrost this way,” he explained. And with this, Phan said he was able to get 17 separate portions.
“That’s 17 meals for [$47] total,” he said. “That is a steal.” He put the meat in a freezer that he said is dedicated to storing his protein.
Is it worth it?
Cooking websites have long promoted Costco for its unique items. One chef said that the store’s rotisserie chickens are “THE BOMB!” A second story praised another one of Costco’s staples: Its pies, which the writer called “a great deal.”
But the best thing about Costco may be its prices.
The Ascent, a Motley Fool service which rates and reviews essential products, found, for example, that Costco generally has cheaper prices than HEB, a grocery store chain based primarily out of Texas and Mexico.
“Costco requires a membership to shop, but when it comes to pricing, Costco tends to have lower prices per unit compared to HEB,” the write-up read. “This is because you are purchasing items in bulk. While it may initially seem like you are spending more at Costco, you are getting more value for your money in the long run as long as you use all of the products. Overall, Costco is a great option for those who can afford to stock up on items in larger quantities.”
Other sites also confirmed that buying a ground beef chub at Costco, as Phan did, is significantly cheaper than buying smaller amounts. ChowHound said that the chub is “almost always” cheaper per pound than the smaller, square packages of beef sold on the shelves.
The trade-off, it noted, is that you’re left with a lot more meat as the chubs are usually sold in five- or 10-pound increments.
“So you might pay more upfront, but so long as you plan to use all that meat, you’ll have more for less money in the long run,” it read. ChowHound noted, too, that Costco’s meat chubs contain leaner ground beef.
Viewers are torn
In the comments section of Phan’s video, some users thanked him for sharing his hack with the masses.
“Brilliant,” one user wrote.
“Good to know!!” another said.
“This is such a great hack love this thank you,” a third person added.
But some people said there are ways to take Phan’s Costco hack to the next level.
“I do this but I season my meat before I freeze it,” one person noted. “Less work for the future.”
“If you put the whole tube in the freezer for about 45 minutes [it’ll firm] up and be easier to cut,” another advised.
“Invest in a vacuum sealer,” a third person said.
Of course, not everyone was impressed with this method of meal prepping. Some viewers worried that the meat was too bland or that it would eventually get freezer burn.
“Love the micro plastic you’re adding into the meat,” one user quipped.
@mrbescene COSTCO HACK! Protein for my weekly meal prep. @Costco Wholesale ♬ original sound – MrBescene
“90% lean ground beef has no flavor. It has to be at least 80/20 or it has no taste,” another complained.
“Imagine the amount of ziploc wasted in a year,” a third commenter noted.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Phan via TikTok comment and to Costco through its media request form.
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