May 7, 2026
Even the ultra-rich celebrities who walk among us love a good deal. Jet Li, the martial arts movie star, whose rumored net worth is $250 million (1), shops at Costco (NASDAQ: COST) for his favorite T-shirts.
In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal (2), Li said he has been wearing the same Costco shirt style for years.
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"In the Chinese zodiac I am a rabbit, and during your zodiac year you need to wear red for good luck, so I had my daughter buy 30 red cotton T-shirts from Costco. My wife and I have been wearing the same comfortable red T-shirts at home for five years."
Li has been visiting Costco since the '90s. "It's cheap and you can buy things in bulk that you can use for two years. Toilet paper, instant coffee, toothpaste," he added.
He's not the first celebrity to comment on Costco. Many celebrities (3) have been spotted in the stores including the Kardashians, Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama and John Mayer. Singer Lana Del Ray called Costco her "happy place" and reality star Bethenny Frankel said it's "my religion."
Everybody loves buying in bulk
Close to one third of Americans (4) regularly shop at Costco. There are around 924 Costco locations worldwide with the majority located in North America (5). The wholesale retail club's own brand, Kirkland, has a rave following due to its quality, price point and access across categories — from groceries and household goods to clothing and electronics. The Kirkland brand brought in $90 million (6) for Costco in the 2025 fiscal year.
A recent Consumer Reports (7) comparison found Costco 21.4% less expensive than Walmart.
There's an assumption that the rich don't need to access savings like this. But there's a difference between need and want. Frugality isn't just for everyday folks. According to research by Experian Automotive, 61% of wealthy people actually (8) drive Hondas, Toyotas and Fords just like the rest of us.
The truly wealthy are focused on preserving and growing their financial resources, rather than buying flashy status symbols. This is especially true for the self-aware and spiritually nourished, like Li.
The martial artist actor meditates for an hour or two every morning, after which he has the same breakfast. "I'm a very boring person. For three years I'll never change this breakfast if I'm at home," Li told The Wall Street Journal (9).
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There's also something to be said about decision fatigue and the rich valuing time as an asset to protect. Wearing the same clothes and eating the same meals everyday removes unnecessary decisions.
Personal finances and identity are inextricably linked. By working on yourself, you're influencing your finances.
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Frugality no matter the finances
It's not what you earn, but what you keep. There are high earners (10) who are struggling to pay their bills — with some reports showing 40% of Americans (11) earning over $300,000 are struggling to keep up with their lifestyle.
Dave Ramsay has famously said (12) you have no excuse not to retire rich.
"In this country, if you retire broke, it's your fault," he stated in a post on Facebook. "Let's do the math. If you invest just $100 a month from age 25 to age 65 in good growth stock mutual funds, that's $1,176,000. One hundred bucks a month."
Building extra savings into your budget might mean buying in bulk, working toward a pay rise, taking a second job or side hustle, while also doing the internal work to get curious about your spending triggers.
There's a lot of pressure to buy here, do this, wear that, and more. Finding your own version of Li's meditation practice can help reduce that noise.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
Celebrity Net Worth (1); The Wall Street Journal (2),(9); Business Insider (3); The New York Times (4); Wikipedia (5); Yahoo Finance (6); Consumer Reports (7); Ramsey Solutions (8); Fortune (10); Goldman Sachs Asset Management (11); Facebook (12)
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Amanda Smith is an Australian freelance journalist and writer based in the New York City area who reports on culture/society, technology, and health.
