How to use Costco Wholesale as an ATM

A shopping trip to Costco Wholesale in Hackensack on Friday proved exhausting.

This month, many shoppers were spending their American Express rebate checks.

Editor's note: Costco Wholesale shoppers get rebate checks that far exceed their annual membership fee. Today, I also discuss Starbucks coffee and two more fish dishes.

I received more than $450 in rebates on  purchases at Costco Wholesale, gasoline stations, restaurants and everywhere else with my TrueEarnings credit card from American Express, and they arrived in the form of two checks.

A week apart, I took the checks to my Costco in Hackensack, spent only part of the total and walked away with lots of cash.

That's a no-fee ATM for the frugal shopper.

A cup of Starbucks Blonde Veranda Blend brewed at home.

Hold the milk 

Starbucks describes its Blonde Veranda Blend of whole coffee beans as "mellow and soft," and I can add that the brew is free of any trace of bitterness.

I bought 1 pound for $6.95 during a promotion (regularly $11.95), and asked for it as a Turkish grind, essentially a powder.

I brewed a few cups on Friday, and didn't add any of the usual low-fat milk.

After drinking a cup, I decided it is better than anything I have bought in recent years at Fairway Market in Manhattan and Paramus.

 
More fish dishes

Sliced cucumber with canned fish salad -- pink salmon, yellow fin tuna and sardines with diced celery and apple; Dijon mustard, lime juice and ground cumin. Most of the ingredients are available at Costco Wholesale.

Leftover pan-fried fresh wild cod from Costco Wholesale served over leftover Goya low-sodium black beans with Kirkland Signature Diced Organic Tomatoes.