The 5 Best Kirkland Products to Buy at Costco

Buying generic brands can save you money, but rarely can they surpass (or even replicate) the taste of the original. The exception is Costco's Kirkland Signature products. Many of these products have amassed a cult following simply for being better in taste and lower in price than many nationally recognized brands.

It's tough to pick which Kirkland products are the best, but if I had to narrow it down, here are five Kirkland products I'm buying regularly at Costco.

1. Shelled pistachios

Price: $14.99 to $16.99

I've always loved pistachios but could never betray my personal finances to pay exorbitant prices for such small bags. Costco, however, changed that. The Kirkland Signature Pistachios come in 24 ounce bags (1.5 pounds) and cost only $15 to $17. That's cheaper than Kroger ($5.49 for six ounces), Safeway ($7.99 for six ounces), and Walmart ($9.98 for 12 ounces).

2. Lounge pants

Price: $16.99

Fall has just arrived in my home city, Portland, and we're already breaking out the winter clothes. This year, I bought a pair of Kirkland Signature lounge pants and they're super comfortable. Plus, you can't beat that price. Costco is even running a promotion online that will save you $25 if you buy five to nine qualifying clothing items and $60 if you buy 10.

3. Kitchen bags

Price: $20.49

The Kirkland Signature Kitchen Bags are a staple in our household. They're big, sturdy, and have flexible tops to wrap around trash and avoid punctures. These bags are strong enough to hold our garbage, plus cat litter when we clean the boxes.

4. Adult multivitamin gummies

Price: $16.99 for two

Not the most exciting Costco purchase you'll ever make, but nevertheless a good value, this two-pack of multivitamins comes with 320 gummies for about $17. That's cheaper than buying Vitafusion gummies off Amazon ($12.19 for 150 gummies) and even rivals the price on Walmart's brand of adult gummies ($8.88 for 150).

5. Variety snack pack

Price: $32.99

This is one of the best buys I've seen in awhile. For about $33, this snack pack gives you 51 single-serving pouches with snacks you'll actually like, like granola bars, trail mix, almonds, cashews, peanuts, and blueberries. Perfect for kids' lunches or your own snacks during the day.

How to find good Kirkland products

Prepare yourself for some trial and error. Fortunately, even the worst Kirkland Signature products are still decent enough to consume (case in point: the notoriously ugly "Costco sweater" you can't help but buy). Even better: Most are covered by Costco's 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you don't like it, you can bring it back for a full refund.

There is one little-known way to find popular Kirkland products. You'll need to the download the Costco shopping app, then follow these steps:

1. Open the Costco shopping app.
2. Click "Shop" from the bottom menu.
3. Scroll to the bottom and click "View more categories."
4. Click "Explore Our Brands" from the list of categories (in my app, the categories are in alphabetical order, so just look for the "E's").
5. Find Kirkland Signature from the list.
6. Click "Shop All Kirkland Signature."
7. Organize the products by "Most Viewed."

This will bring up product pages that have received a large volume of traffic. When I did it recently, I saw the variety snack pack was number one, followed by toilet paper, batteries, and a stone island 12-burner gas grill (shrug). Take a look for yourself the next time you browse the Costco app and see what other Costco members are buying.