View Full Version : What do you buy in bulk to save money?
lessisbest
1-31-15, 9:31am
One reason I can stick to a small food budget for food is because I purchase a number of things in bulk and have a food storage room in the basement to store things properly. I literally shop-at-home for meals. Bulk purchases are made in pails, #10 cans, from the bulk bins at the grocery store, and more often than not good old stock-up sales. There are a number of non-food items I purchase in bulk amount for additional savings.
-I purchase powdered milk once a year, usually in a pail, but I also take advantage of BOGO offers in #10 cans.
-Before going gluten-free, I purchased wheat from a local mill for $20/50#.
-I get white distilled vinegar from Sam's Club - 2 gallons $3.88. I use it instead of fabric softener in the washer, as well as a long list of other uses, including cleaning.
-I've used Charlie's Soap for the laundry since 2007. The first time I purchase it in the 5-gallon bucket - 1,280 loads - it lasted us 3-years. You save money with Charlie's Soap because you don't use softener (liquid in the washer or sheets in the dryer). If you do, it reduces the effectiveness of the detergent. Our clothes are nice and soft even dried on the line because there isn't any soap residue build-up.
-The best price for lentils I've found is $1.08/one pound at Wal-Mart. If anyone gets them cheaper, please post the source. I store them in vacuum-sealed canning jars.
When the garden is in full swing, I can really save on groceries and the unspent money goes for large purchases in the fall, like a 30# bucket of powdered milk ($123.98 - shipping free when I order it from Sam's Club), or new crop organic beans a friend grows on their farm.
That's just a partial list of bulk items I purchase, what are things you buy in bulk?
catherine
1-31-15, 10:35am
I buy basmati rice in 20lb bags from the Indian supermarket nearby. It's our favorite kind of rice and I've figured it out to about $.06 a serving.
rodeosweetheart
1-31-15, 11:41am
I buy coffee when it goes on sale, many cans worth. I plan, when I get settled in a house where I plan to be regularly, to buy oats (from our farmer friend) and flour in bulk. We have switched to buying bulk olive oil and decanting it.
And of course our garden produced most of the bulk groceries these year, like months worth of squash!
I used to cook with the More from Less Cookbook, by the Mennonite author--made my own baking mix in bulk, etc, but that was when I was feeding three boys.
I want to want to start buying rawhide chips in bulk for our furry monster children--anyone know a cheap source for these?
We have storage space, including a pantry, freezer, and cold room for root vegetables. At harvest time we buy directly from local producers in bulk amounts: blueberries, strawberries, corn, onions, winter squash, and other things we don't grow ourselves. The price works out to about half what a supermarket would charge per pound, and the quality and freshness is far better.
In the winter, there is a vegetable growers' co-op which sells carrots, beets, rutabagas, potatoes, and cabbage in large bags very cheaply from their cold-storage building; you don't have to be a restaurant to buy from the co-op. One advantage of living in farming territory, far from Costco. There is no Sam's Club in Canada. The nearest Costco to us is an 8 hour drive, round trip, so we have not joined.
Cultivated mussels are also available locally in bulk at $1.25/lb. at the grading plant if you buy over 5 pounds. They are available fresh, year-round. We dig clams at the shore in summer for free. We don't eat much meat, but what we do buy is from local producers, also bought in bulk 3 or 4 times per year. It costs about the same per pound as supermarket meat, but we know where it came from and know it's produced without chemicals. I also like to support the small local producers rather than supermarket chains. Price is only part of the story, when it comes to food.
There is a bulk-food store in the city, where we buy dry beans, grain products, and spices, etc.
rosarugosa
1-31-15, 12:10pm
Our bulk buying is pretty minor league. We buy a case of Pastene tomatoes whenever they go on sale for .99 a can since that's a really good price. We also buy black olives by the case when they are 1.00 a can.
We get the 2-gal jug of vinegar at Costco for a similar price (I forget the exact amount).
I buy a bunch of Nicorette in Jan when Costco has their annual New Years resolution sale.
Blackdog Lin
1-31-15, 8:35pm
At Sam's Club we buy rice and beans and vinegar in bulk. Every November Swansons chicken broth, which I use a LOT of, along with Campbells cream o'chicken and mushroom soups, which I am trying to reduce our use of, goes on sale at almost half price at WalMart, so I buy a year's worth every year at that time. And at the local grocery I "stock up" when an item is on sale, like canned corn, tomato sauce, flour and sugar, pork roast or chicken quarters or bacon, cheddar cheese etc. I'm likely to buy a case when a canned good is on sale, and buy 10-20 lbs. of a meat item on sale at a good price. We have a vacuum sealer - and a freezer - and DH will package it up for me in meal-sized portions.
A few weeks ago our local grocery had bulk bacon in 10 lb. boxes for $1.78/lb.!!! So of course I had to have two and now have 6 months or so's worth of bacon in the freezer. And this week's ad had block 1 lb. hard cheeses for $3.00/lb., so I bought 6. It feels good to want a grocery item for a menu and not have to just go to the store and pay full price for it.
Rice, wheat, barley, beans, lentils, cheese, beef, lamb, goat, fish, shellfish, nuts, pasta, canned soups, wine, vinegar, garlic, onions, potatoes, spices.
Toilet paper, paper towels, paper napkins.
Advil, Aleve, Tums.
Fasteners/hardware: nuts, bolts, nails, screws, wire, metal stock, ...
Ammunition.
ToomuchStuff
2-1-15, 3:15am
lessisbest,
Do you have any issues with static electricity when using the dryer? What do you do for dryer sheets? I line dry from spring to fall. and have been using the laudramat currently (can do multiple loads, washed and dried in 1 hour), but my laundramat thing is a time issue (working extra due to employers medical issue). I have often wondered what one does for a dryer.
That said, I tend to buy my meat up at Sam's and split it with my parents (don't need mass quantities and sometimes everyone gets together for family meals), as well as some paper goods (towels, and especially tissue paper). For home, vinegar and TP (probably not a real bargin on TP, but I have the space and I tend to buy it when I am already there for work, once a year). Some things are bought there for convenience as it saves me gas and allows me to multitask while being paid. That tends to be things like toothpaste, soap, and such. (sometimes that gets split up between me and the bosses and when we do, mine is covered for getting it)
I buy the biggest sacks of catt and dogg food; packaging is a major cost, so the bigger the package, the more economical it is. I don't worry bout stored pet food attracting rodents--the cats and dogs can catch the rats and mice and eat them, too. How do you like that?
lessisbest,
Do you have any issues with static electricity when using the dryer? What do you do for dryer sheets? I line dry from spring to fall. and have been using the laudramat currently (can do multiple loads, washed and dried in 1 hour), but my laundramat thing is a time issue (working extra due to employers medical issue). I have often wondered what one does for a dryer.
That said, I tend to buy my meat up at Sam's and split it with my parents (don't need mass quantities and sometimes everyone gets together for family meals), as well as some paper goods (towels, and especially tissue paper). For home, vinegar and TP (probably not a real bargin on TP, but I have the space and I tend to buy it when I am already there for work, once a year). Some things are bought there for convenience as it saves me gas and allows me to multitask while being paid. That tends to be things like toothpaste, soap, and such. (sometimes that gets split up between me and the bosses and when we do, mine is covered for getting it)
We hang our clothes to dry in the basement all year round. We have a ceiling fan that helps get the air flowing, which helps with evaporation. We do laundry in the evening while we are watching TV and it's dry in the morning and we take it down after we finish our exercise program in the basement. Everything that normally hangs on a hanger is placed wet on a wooden hanger to dry and are placed on a 6-foot rod on the back wall. Some of hubby's heavy shirts/knits are placed on a plastic TIDE hanger. TIDE hangers are broad and have vents so they support the heavy garment and allows for air-flow through the shoulders. You don't get pointed "rabbit ears" on the shoulders using a TIDE hanger. When the item is dry, I remove the TIDE hanger and use a wooden hanger in the closet. The items already on a hanger go directly from the basement to the closet. I used an outside line for years, but 8-years ago we put 6-lines (enough for 2 loads of laundry) in a small unfinished room in the basement so I could use it in the winter. I loved it so much I always use the basement now. Our clothes last sooooooooo much longer by not hanging them outdoors. The wind and sun destroy fabric equally as much as using a dryer.
Static in the dryer is caused from synthetic fabrics and over-drying your load. Remove synthetics before the load is completely dry to avoid static. You can discharge the static by misting the clothing lightly with water (use a spritz bottle of some kind), and give the dryer load a few more tumbles to distribute the moisture. I never use fabric softeners or softener sheets because they are toxic. I can't even be outdoors if our neighbor is drying clothing with their toxic perfumed softener billowing out of the dryer vent or I'll have breathing problems. You may want to do some on-line searches about toxins and fabric softeners.
I buy the biggest sacks of catt and dogg food; packaging is a major cost, so the bigger the package, the more economical it is. I don't worry bout stored pet food attracting rodents--the cats and dogs can catch and eat the rats and mice and eat them, too. How do you like that?
I grew up on a farm. They're called "barn cats" for a reason.... We stored dry pet food in a steel trash container with a tight-fitting lid to avoid a rodent buffet. I would be more concerned with the pantry pests brought into the house with dry pet food improperly stored indoors. Dry pet food and bird seed are the #1 carrier of pantry pests (weevils), but your pets don't hunt them. However, all is not lost, weevils are a good source of protein, and how vegetarians in 3rd world countries get their B12.
Packy, do your pets eat the large bags all the way till the end? If I buy the large bags at Sam's I think it becomes stale and I notice the dogs are not to thrilled about it near the bottom of bag. I store it in Rubbermade tubs in the house as in the garage it gets frozen or damp depending on year. So though the jumbo bags of Iams seems like a better deal, not sure it is.
Packy, do your pets eat the large bags all the way till the end? If I buy the large bags at Sam's I think it becomes stale and I notice the dogs are not to thrilled about it near the bottom of bag. I store it in Rubbermade tubs in the house as in the garage it gets frozen or damp depending on year. So though the jumbo bags of Iams seems like a better deal, not sure it is.
Depends. Look at the expiration date on the bag. My dogs go through 2-30# bags of dog food every month so we come nowhere near the expiration date. I also store it in Rubbermaid totes as it is more convenient.
Yes, I used to "stock up" on dogg food, and I used these sealed plastic storage barrels that I bought used. See, there are several companies in the food processing industry, and some of the containers for ingredients(spices, flavorings) are salvaged by individuals and sold to the public, for reuse. But lately, I haven't been doing that. I just buy 1 XX-large sack at a time, keep it in a cool dry place, and it is long gone before it has a chance to go stale. But, I can understand how, for example, a 50-lb bag o' food, left in an outside shed in heat and humidity, might go bad before a single 10 year old shi-tzu gets around to finishing it up. But, with cats, nibbling is a round-the-clock endeavor, and they use it up. The Huskees, are different. They tend to want to gorge themselves, then not eat until they are famished, again. If I fill their dishes every single day, they will sniff it, pee on it, leave it, and the birds and rats will get it. A situation that is frustrating and wasteful. So, though it may sound as though I lack empathy to some of you with small dogs--the Huskees get fed a large amount every other day, with some vegetable oil on dry food....a lesser amount in hot weather. I usually give them some leftovers as a snack on the off day; a hamburger bun or tortilla shell; something like that. But yes--they go through a 50 pounder, while it's still fresh. No problem, there.
We have teens - we buy a lot in bulk :)
Brown rice, pinto beans, black beans, green split peas. steel cut oats, quick oats, red wheat berries, white wheat berries, einkorn berries, einkorn flour, popcorn, sucanat, hemp seed
canned pumpkin and sweet potatoes, canned beans, pasta, pasta sauce, salsa, olive oil
frozen fruits and veggies in 3 - 5# bags: mango, mixed berries, strawberries, blueberries, mixed fruit, white corn, green beans, mixed veggies
white vinegar, baking soda, epsom salt, Dr. Bronner's soap
toilet paper (but that is more about having it on hand than saving money)
We have a super picky dog when it comes to his kibble; sometimes the big bag is unacceptable to him from the moment opened, but always he starts turning his nose up at it at the end. With two big dogs they go through a large bag every three weeks or so, so he must be very sensitive to rancidity. It doesn't matter what brand, he has always been like this :)
early morning
2-1-15, 9:52pm
We don't buy nearly as much in bulk as we used to - our eating habits have changed, we don't cook, bake, or eat at home as much as we did when our kids were younger. Not that we eat out, but we eat more easy fast meals - grilled cheese, soups, quesadillas, etc. I also need to spend more time at my mothers, so she is paying for food cooked and consumed there. I do buy TP in bulk, and when we buy beef or pork, we generally get a whole side. I also buy long distance minutes in large chunks when they are on sale, does that count?
Tussiemussies
2-2-15, 1:39am
I used to take our grocery store sale flyer and look up on the coupon site I use to see what I could get on sale with as doubled coupon. I loved it when the Weis store would triple their coupons vbut I haven't seen that in years. Our store lets you buy four of one item with coupons, so I would check out twice. None of the food coupons usually applied to us since they were all processed items. We usually saved on Paper products, detergents, and toiletries. Sometimes . Pasta and canned tomatoes. Since moving we have a very creepy looking closet in the basement that will have to be repurpsed for some stockpiling. There is so much to do here I don't think my DH will get to it soon....
Nothing. Maybe toilet paper if 12-packs count as "bulk". Just not enough storage space and not enough turnover between the two of us to justify buying that barrel of maple syrup :) at Costco.
lessisbest
2-2-15, 11:40am
Nothing. Maybe toilet paper if 12-packs count as "bulk". Just not enough storage space and not enough turnover between the two of us to justify buying that barrel of maple syrup :) at Costco.
There are only 2 of us and we are just the opposite, and all on a $125/month food budget and without the convenience of a stand-alone freezer (we have a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer). We store enough food for a year. This was really important several years ago when the manufacturing plant where hubby works reduced the workforce by 50% and hubby took three pay cuts. We at least had food security, a paid for home, and no debt. We were able to share our food with many who lost their jobs who weren't as fortunate.
As an example of home food storage when you think you don't have room, you can store enough food (dried and freeze-dried in #10 cans) for a year for one person under a single bed.
Gardenarian
2-3-15, 2:53am
What Bae said, minus the ammo.
Also birdseed. And whatever is a really good deal.
Gardenarian
2-3-15, 2:55am
Fabric softener - I rarely need, but have used an inexpensive organic hair conditioner when needed. It works well.
I also buy as much as possible in bulk. I do this to reduce shopping trips and to reduce the price of things I buy.
I buy beans, rice and pasta, the few canned good that I do buy and paper and household items like laundry soap and tinfoil. If there is something I use all the time, I always buy in multiples. Most things I buy two and then add to my shopping list when I open the last one. I only buy one bag of dog food at a time, it is a 35 lb bag that lasts about 2 months for two small dogs. I do buy birdseed in the largest bags I can find, and sometimes get two at a time.
I buy TP and kleenex at Costco and get the big packages. I have two kids in their twenties and share with them when they need things too. I just prefer to not have to shop as often. I lived on a very tight budget in my 20s and early 30s and feel better having a nice stock of things available to me.
I buy soap blocks from the local store that sells ingredients for making soaps to crafters.
1 pound of goats milk soap costs $3.50. I buy, cut with a hot knife, put heat proof glass measuring cup, microwave 45 sec at a time, then pour into plastic ice cube trays or paper-lined muffin tins. Let cool.
Got unscented healthy soap. Cheap.
Dried herbs and spices. Dried beans and lentils. That's about it.
Dried herbs and spices.
That's true; I do buy herbs and spices from the bulk section at the co-op. But I do that to keep them fresh at a reasonable expense, not to buy large quantities. If I need only one teaspoon of coriander, one teaspoon it is. All $.12 of it. :)
Blackdog Lin
2-8-15, 9:29pm
That's true; I do buy herbs and spices from the bulk section at the co-op. But I do that to keep them fresh at a reasonable expense, not to buy large quantities. If I need only one teaspoon of coriander, one teaspoon it is. All $.12 of it.
Steve, that is to me just the coolest and most awesome grocery shopping thing I've ever heard of!
I have a very extensive spice cabinet, but many of them of course I only use a few times a year. They do get old. To be able to just buy (and freshly even!) miniscule amounts.....it boggles my mind.
But.....still not worth moving to a big city, I guess. :)
I don't buy large quantities of anything normally but do buy a lot of bulk since most of our stores have that option. We have one grocery where I buy bulk grains, nuts, lentils and spices. I too like buying small quantities of many of these things so that they are fresher. It is kind of nice to be able to buy for example, six dried apricots, if that is all I need for a new recipe sine I wouldn't otherwise use them. Last week, I bought a 12 pack of toilet paper and that was a first for me.
freshstart
7-1-15, 11:07am
I stockpile butter, too. Dog food. Cereal when it is a great deal.
I love lip balm, as does DD. I would order it from Avon when it was 99c, get 10 or so. But last time it came to me by mistake with no sticky label covering the tube and you could see into the tubes. There was barely any in there, not even close to a third of the tube. I thought that was the cheapest lip balm I'd find but I found this site:
http://www.bulkapothecary.com/lip-balm/white-stick-lip-balm-comes-in-6-great-flavors-starting-at-19-unit/
they have beauty supplies or the ingredients to make your own stuff. I found basic lip balm for 28c a tube if you buy 50. I had free shipping. Enough women in my circle, 50 is not a problem, besides they don't seem to go bad when I've stockpiled lip balm in the past. You can inexpensively make labels for the tubes. I don't bother. I got cherry and it's just as good, if not better than Avon.
oh, if anyone is planning a wedding, this site has lots of great things you can personalize and leave at each guest's place setting
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