I drive 3 hours to shop at Costco. Here are 21 things that make the 140-mile trip worth it.

Whether they end up in my third-grader's lunch box or my high-schooler's mountain-biking pack, Goldfish snack packs are nice to have on hand.

When we're on snack duty after a soccer or baseball game, we usually opt for a variety of Frito-Lay chips and Kool-Aid juice pouches from Costco.

It's super simple and the kids love them.

Costco's organic applesauce pouches are tasty and conveniently packaged in boxes of 24.

They're also are a great alternative for classroom or sports snacks when we've had too many chips in a row.

My family appreciates that the plain popcorn can be flavored to our liking.

I use seasoned salt and shredded parmesan or sea salt and lime juice.

In addition to salty snacks, I also try to pick up these sweet BarkThins for my husband.

The chocolaty snack has just enough sweetness to pep him up for the rest of the day.

My family goes through a bunch of bananas quickly, but if any of them go brown too soon, I use them for baking or freeze them for later.

Between shredding it for tacos on Tuesday nights, making lettuce wraps, and enjoying crisp salads for lunches, at least one kind of lettuce is always on the Costco list.

I like to stock up on all kinds of produce at Costco, including this pack of tricolored bell peppers.

If we don't use them up right away, I slice them and pop them in the freezer.

We rarely go out for dinner, so I'm always looking for quick, healthy meals my picky eaters will enjoy.

This 42-ounce pack of shredded rotisserie chicken can be used for several recipes, including salads and enchiladas.

Since my closest Costco is all the way in a neighboring state, I bring freezer bags and fill them with ice for my meats and other perishables.

Finding flank steak in our hometown grocery stores can be challenging, but Costco has good-sized packages of two at an affordable price.

Once I'm home, I package each one separately and put it in the freezer. Then I just thaw it in the refrigerator the night before I need it.

Sheet-pan flank-steak fajitas are one of our favorite meals.

Like the flank steaks, I divide and freeze packages of bulk ground beef for tacos, sloppy joes, and casseroles.

Sometimes I even make bulk batches of taco meat or a casserole to freeze for an easy weeknight dinner.

My kids have declared Ore-Ida extra-crispy, fast-food fries as their favorite, so I pair them with Golden Platter organic chicken nuggets and some fresh veggies for a fast meal that avoids the drive-through.

Another easy, weeknight dinner idea from Costco is the store's five-cheese tortellini with basil pesto.

We amp it up to a date-night meal by subbing the tortellini for Rana Maine lobster ravioli and turning the pesto into a cream sauce.

I pick up a bulk pack of Duracell 9V batteries twice a year for our smoke detectors, and I replace the Kirkland C or D batteries in our flashlights before the start of every severe-weather season.

Aside from using Dawn for dishes, I mix it with baking soda for an oven cleaner and vinegar for a shower scrub.

The multipacks of allergy pills and nasal sprays, like Zyrtec and Flonase, at Costco are a lifesaver for us throughout the year.

I just check the expiration dates to make sure we use the bulk packs up in time.

The multipacks of name-brand sunscreen and bug spray at the store make it easy for us to have a bottle or two everywhere we'll need it.

I also appreciate that there are usually a few different brands and application varieties available.

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