As great as Costco’s prices can be, a manufacturer’s instant rebate, when available, makes the deal even sweeter.

Amazon currently sells Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream for Dry, Sensitive Skin, Fragrance Free, Non-comedogenic (20 Oz) for $14.39, which is higher than Costco’s regular price. Toss in the instant $4.25 rebate, and it’s a steal.

I love shopping at Costco. One of the true joys of a Costco membership is the weekly treasure hunt. Every once in a while, I will come across a new product that I have never heard of. Last weekend, I spotted the Verilux UVC Sanitizing Wand.

This magic wand, all for a one-time easy payment of $67.99, supposedly kills H1N1, MRSA, viruses, dust mites, flea eggs, influenza, mold, germs, bacteria and allergens. The package comes with a UV-C Sanitizing Wand and a UV-C Sanitizing Travel Wand.

If you are interested, read the reviews for the CleanWave UV-C Sanitizing Wand and UV-C Sanitizing Travel Wand Combo Pack at Amazon. I’ve been using Febreze Fabric Refresher, Antimicrobial, but I’m pretty sure that you cannot lug a 27-ounce spray bottle on board with you when you travel. So, I might just need a magic wand when traveling on the road.

If I wasn’t paying close attention, I would have completely missed this one. At first glance, I thought that Target sold an individual pack of Cetaphil while Costco sold a twin pack.

However, upon closer inspection, I discovered that the Target was selling a 16 oz. bottle, while Costco was selling 2 x 20 oz. bottles. Anyways, Target sells Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion for $0.559 per ounce while Costco sells it for $0.388 per ounce. If Costco sold a 16 oz. bottle at $0.388 per ounce, the total would be $6.21, quite a bit less than the $8.94 Target is charging.

Previously, I had compared the price of Allergan Refresh Plus at Target and Costco.

Wal-Mart sells a 30 single-use containers for $6.98 (or $0.233 per container) or 70 single-use containers for $13.94 (or $0.199 per container). Recall that Target sold the same 30-count box for $6.99, or one penny more than Wal-Mart. As usual, Costco sold Allergan Refresh Plus for lowest per unit price—$0.184 per single-use container.

Target sells a 30-count box of Refresh Plus single use vials for $6.99, or $0.233 per vial. Costco sells a 100-count box of Refresh Plus single use vials for $18.39, or $0.184 per vial. If you use a vial a day for an entire year, Costco will save you $17.89. That’s IF you use a vial a day.

Another Target v. Costco showdown. This time, Target is having a sale!

Target sells an 8-oz tube of Crest Whitening plus Scope toothpaste for $2.99. Regular price $3.79. Is this sale item a bargain or not?

Costco sells 5×8-oz. tubes of Crest Whitening + Scope toothpaste for $12.99. If you buy 5 tubes from Target, the sale price is $14.95 while the regular price would have been $18.95.

So, even when Target has a product on sale, Costco’s regular price beats it, but only by $1.96 provided you are willing to buy in bulk.

I’m standing in the dental products aisle at Target. I can buy 1x40M pack of Crest Glide Deep Clean Floss for $3.54 or a 2x40M pack of Crest Glide Deep Clean Floss for $5.99. I don’t even need a calculator for this one. Buying the value pack costs around $2.995 per pack.

Now, Costco sells a 6x40M pack of Crest Glide Deep Clean Floss for $12.99, which is $2.165 per pack.

Costco wins. 6x40M is around 787 feet of dental floss. If you use 1 1/2 feet of floss a day, that 6 pack will last you almost 1 1/2 years. So, while you will be saving 28% by buying a 6×40 pack instead of 3 2x40M packs, in terms of dollars, you’ll only be pocketing a difference of $4.98 excluding taxes.