I shop at Costco monthly as an executive member. It saves me a lot of money, but there are 4 things I rarely buy there.

• I live with my husband and two teens, and we’ve had a Costco membership since 2014.
• Costco has some great deals, but sometimes buying in bulk isn’t worth it for our family.
• I’ve found many of the premade meals aren’t a good value, and buying cold cuts in bulk is wasteful.

When I moved with my husband and then-4-year-old sons from England to Texas in 2014, one of the first things we did was get a Costco membership.

The concept of buying groceries in bulk wasn’t common in England, so Costco shopping was a real novelty. We loved the chain’s deals and how it seemed to sell everything from freshly baked croissants to electronics.

Ten years later, we still shop there and have an executive membership — but I’ve learned that not everything is an awesome value and that it doesn’t always make sense for our family of four to buy in bulk.

I also try to remember that a Costco membership isn’t free. Our membership recently went up to $130 a year, and although we get a 2% reward on purchases, it makes me a better shopper not to lose sight of this.

Here are a few things we usually don’t buy at Costco and why.