Comments on: Saving Money With Bulk Buying

By: LJ

LJ — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:35:44 +0000

As far as the up-front expense of buying in bulk…if you start out buying the same dollar amount of food in bulk, you can start the bulking up without a huge up-front expense.

Example: your grocery store sells chicken breast for $5.00 per pound, and you buy two pounds per week. The bulk store sells 8 pounds for $10.00. Same expenditure, differing quantity.

I also will not buy a lot of bulk at the same time. I spread my bulk meat purchases over a two month span in order to minimize the impact on my biweekly food budget.
.-= LJ´s last blog ..Open Loops 6/23/2009: Articles I Think Worth Passing Along =-.

By: Malyka

Malyka — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:15:24 +0000

Buying food from ethnic stores saves money as the quality of the food is good and you can buy in bulk at a low cost. Read my article and find more ideas on saving money in the kitchen.

http://www.gomestic.com/Personal-Finance/15-Ways-to-Save-Money-in-the-Kitchen.694327

By: Jarrod

Jarrod — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:39:23 +0000

You definitely have to completely plan out every trip to a store like Costco or Sam’s Club. Of course, any good plan will allow for a small amount of money towards misc. items, but for the most part that should be kept to a minimum. After I get done making my sampling rounds, I hit up the essentials first and try to stay away from buying a large amount of any type of perishable food. Once, I bought $80 worth of meat, cut it all up into dinner and lunch portions, and my power went out later that week for two straight days…all that money/meat right down the drain.

By: Sherry

Sherry — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:09:08 +0000

My mantra is “eat what you store & store what you eat”. The term “use” could be used in place of “eat”. Although I belong to Costco & Sam’s (for the summer only, great deal, $15/3 month membership)…I use those stores for items such as bulk toilet paper & paper towels. I do love their prepared foods, meats & produce. However, for me, their pricing on some items is not that great (see below).

Here are my efforts:

1. 3 month “pantry” supply~Essentially 3 months of food which would sustain my family. It may be purchased in bulk i.e. a case of green beans or by the can based on sales, etc. I basically tracked our menus or came up with menus we would typically eat & created a “grocery list” to purchase over time. I rotate it & try to date the food as it goes in the pantry. This is my “buffer” in the event of emergency or temporary set back. Call it my money in the (food) bank.

2. I use coupons to purchase most of my “non perishable” items i.e. toothpaste, deoderant, shampoo, laundry detergent, etc. I live in the “land of doubles & triples” i.e. the local stores double & triple the face value of a couple, thus a 2.99 tube of toothpaste becomes anywhere from .30-.60 with a coupon. This has been the easiest & most cost effective way to “bulk up” those costly items.

3. I also store “dry” or canned items such as grains, rices, legumes, pastas, sugar, salt & wheat (which I use in my bread maker). If you knew me you would laugh as I am sooo far from being a “domestic engineer” i.e. breadmaking, but all I can say is thank goodness for automatic bread makers. We love warm whole wheat bread!!! I don’t make it very often but at least I can make it & we have it as a resource.

Over the years, I have received a lot of kick back from my husband for “buying in bulk” or “stockpiling”…..with gas rising to $3 & higher & my decreased trips to the store…he isn’t laughing anymore!!! The cost of food has risen substantially since the cost of gas has gone up…and I don’t think it’s going to get better any time soon.

I do agree that planning storage location can be challenging but being innovative & purging your home of un-needed “stuff” helps. Also a great inventory system (find what works for you) is most helpful.

By: El Cheapo

El Cheapo — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 06:41:13 +0000

Amen to Costco and free sample weekends. It's an adventure like Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom trying to maneuver a cart through the crowds. But yeah, we focus on tp, napkins, soap, detergents first and then sparingly get perishable things like fruits, meats, etc. when we know we'll go through it without wasting it. Hard to plan for, but worth it. El Cheapo´s last blog post..Hackintosh

By: Kika

Kika — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:14:07 +0000

I have a small chest freezer and try to stock it with edamame, frozen berries, bread/buns, locally grown beef and some grains which I buy in huge bags from an organic food coop. Often my freezer becomes rather bare (like now). Other items we use like salmon, frozen spinach, etc. I’ll buy several of at a time if they are at a great price. I also have been finding canned tomatoes/beans/pasta sauce/salmon at great prices and keep loading up. I won’t stock up on treats or junk food b/c it’ll end up being eaten way more often than if we had to buy it for a special occasion.

By: the weakonomist

the weakonomist — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:03:47 +0000

I once argued that you should buy everything possible in bulk, but that required one to make too many assumptions about their housing situation. The items I buy in bulk are thing I use regularly. Instant coffee, deodorant, cereal, etc. I avoid buying anything I haven't used before in bulk and usually turn down anything that feels like an impulse purchase. the weakonomist´s last blog post..Hey You! Win A Free Copy of Biography of the Dollar!