I Tried Costco's Most Ridiculous Food Court Hack So You Don't Have To

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There are many benefits to being a Costco member. For one thing, shopping at Costco sure makes my grocery bills cheaper. And if you're planning a vacation, booking through Costco could mean paying less for a cruise, resort, or theme park package.

But one unquestionable benefit of joining Costco is getting access to the store's food court. And to be clear, you can't just waltz in as a non-member like in the past and pick up a cheap lunch.

Costco has been cracking down on food court access for non-members. So if you want a taste of that delicious, inexpensive food, you'll need to pony up $60 for a basic membership or $120 for an Executive one. And come September, these prices are rising by $5 and $10, respectively.

Now many people are familiar with Costco's famous hot dog and soda combo. At a price of just $1.50, it's hard to find a prepared meal for less. But recently, my husband and I joined forces to pull off a ridiculous Costco food court hack. And while it was undeniably delicious, it isn't for the faint of heart.

When you combine two great deals into one

Because the food court menu items at Costco are so inexpensive, it's easy enough to play around with different hacks that have the potential to result in a very tasty meal. Such was an experiment my husband and I recently undertook.

Here's how it went down. We were shopping at Costco when our stomachs got rumbly. My husband usually gets a hot dog and soda combo and calls it a day, while I usually get either an ice cream or a slice of pizza. But on this particular day, my husband felt like having something different, so I suggested that he get a slice of pizza.

He was on board -- except, well, he always gets the hot dog. So from there arose an idea -- why not ditch the not-so-spectacular hot dog bun and wrap the hot dog in a slice of pepperoni pizza?

Now as a vegetarian, I can't pretend that the idea of this meat lover's pizza roll-up was appealing to me, even though I came up with it. But my husband said it was fantastic. And best of all, it didn't come close to breaking the bank.

Even though he paid $1.50 for the hot dog plus soda and $1.99 for the pizza slice, he got a rich, filling lunch for just $3.50. It's hard to find lunch on the go for less elsewhere, even at fast food joints.

Costco's food court is loaded with deals

You may not be so inclined to go to Costco for the express purpose of grabbing a food court meal. But while it's usually better, financially speaking, to prepare your own meals at home rather than buy them outside the home, Costco's food court is an exception to that rule. Some of the items on the menu are so inexpensive that you can spend the money without absorbing a budget hit.

In fact, in addition to the hot dog meal, one of the best deals at the Costco food court is a large-sized pizza for just $9.99. In my area of New Jersey, a whole pizza is usually $20 or more. And there, you don't get as much pizza for your buck.

All told, it's not a bad idea to plan on grabbing a quick meal at Costco's food court if you'll be doing some shopping there -- at least not financially. Nutritionally speaking, well, that's a different story.

But hey, if you're going to grab a Costco hot dog or pizza slice -- or, in the case of my husband, both -- you can always offset it with some low-cost produce in bulk, or a large package of salad. That way, you, too, can enjoy a meat lover's pizza roll-up at Costco without feeling too guilty about it.

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