12 Costco deals everyone should stop wasting money on

Dogs may be worth every penny you spend, but know there are a lot of pennies involved — the minimum annual cost of owning a dog is $1,001 and can be as high as $1,448. If you buy your pup's food at Costco, it may be even higher.

The Krazy Coupon Lady switched from Kirkland Signature Nature's Domain dry dog food to Diamond Naturals dry dog food when she realized that Costco sold the former at $0.97 per pound and Amazon sold the latter for $0.82 per pound. That saves you both 15% and the hassle of lugging a 40-pound bag of dog food on a flat bed Costco cart.

No one does pasta like Italy, but sometimes purchasing it from the store will have to make do — just make sure it's not from Costco.

Blogger The Many Little Joys has had better experience stocking up on pasta when it's on sale at the normal grocery store than when buying it at Costco. "I usually only pay $0.50 to $1 per pound for pasta, which Costco can't beat," she writes.

While you're tending to personal care, don't neglect caring for your wallet. Whether lotion, toothpaste, deodorant, conditioner, or the like is on your shopping list, Costco may not be your best bet to check those items off.

"If you are a coupon and deal shopper, supermarkets and drugstores feature these types of items with coupons frequently, so you can stock up on multiple quantities of smaller sizes for pennies," Stephanie Nelson, founder of The Coupon Mom, told Bankrate.

If you don't believe her, consider The Krazy Coupon Lady's incredible find: a deal where razors were $0.99 each at Target, compared to $1.43 at Costco.

Sleep well at night knowing you didn't overspend on your sheets at Costco.

According to Kyle James of Rather-Be-Shopping, shoppers can typically save 30% to 40% more by purchasing bed sheets, comforters, and towels at off-price retail chains such as TJ Maxx, Ross, and Marshalls. Sales and coupons for department stores, such as JCPenney and Macy's, can also be the ticket to a better deal.

Canned goods have a long shelf life, but their price at Costco isn't as promising. Teri Gault, founder of TheGroceryGame.com, tells Kiplinger that you can score better deals on canned goods when they're on sale at the supermarket — expect them to be 20% to 40% less per unit.

The Many Little Joys points out that buying generic brand canned goods is your best bet when saving pennies — even better when they're on sale, too.

Bargain hunters alike agree that America's favorite sugar morning fix is better bought on sale at the grocery store. A two-pack of Honey Bunches of Oats cereal can cost $7.99 at Costco, but with the right coupons, you can bring this price way down elsewhere.

"Don't let the bigger boxes at Costco fool you," writes James. "They're almost always more expensive per serving than what you can find at the cheapest grocery store in your town."

Author and frugal living expert Jeff Yeager told Kiplinger that you can always find soda on sale for less than you'd spend at a place like Costco.

A $7 to $8 24-pack at the wholesaler can run a hole in your wallet twice as big as paying for two discounted 12-packs at the grocery store — Coke products go on sale every other week for $2 to $2.50 per 12-pack.

Don't let the large size of the packaging of printer ink at Costco trick you, warns The Krazy Coupon Lady.

Amazon actually sells the same ink, only cheaper — it's just $22.04 per cartridge compared to Costco's $29.50 per cartridge. Bonus: it comes without the giant packaging.

Women's periods cost more than just painful cramps — they also cost a good chunk of their paycheck. The Huffington Post revealed that the average woman spends $1,773.33 on tampons throughout her lifetime. Ouch.

That number is high enough without overspending at Costco, where prices for feminine hygiene products are almost 50% more than the base sale price at other stores.

And that doesn't exclude online retailers — Amazon has a history of selling pantyliners for a couple dollars cheaper than those at Costco. You can also snag a lower price buying from drugstores with printable coupons.

Housekeeping demands can get expensive. Save the dollar signs for home maintenance instead by cutting costs on household cleaners.

Costco's household cleaner prices are almost 50% more than the bottom line deal at other stores, says The Krazy Coupon Lady. "The smaller the quantity of an item, the larger the savings when using store sales and coupons," she writes.

The blogger behind Root of Good compared the price of a 16-ounce jar of generic peanut butter among five grocery stores — Aldi ($1.08), Walmart ($1.16), Target ($1.20), Costco ($1.67), and Trader Joe's ($1.99).

Notably, Costco is the fourth most expensive on the list. You'd be nuts to pay for that price.