I love buying food in bulk. I am definitely a novice when it comes to the concept of food storage, but I love having things on hand to cook treats and fun dinners on a whim, and knowing that I am, at the same time, both saving money and building a small surplus of food in the event of an emergency. In addition to shopping sales at standard grocery stores, I also love shopping warehouse stores like Costco and Sam's Club. For my family, personally, the membership cost (annual) pays for itself in the first trip.
I am NOT a couponer. But, I can feed our family of four on anywhere from $250-$400 a month, depending on the month, and this includes keeping a freezer chock FULL of meat, bulk food storage, loads of things on hand that enable me to bake whatever I want, usually, on a whim. We're not talking a bare bones budget. And I've had a lot of people ask me how I do it, and there's no way I can compile it into one entry, so I'll start with one thing that works for us, and occasionally add more to the blog as time goes on.
I just love bulk shopping. Whether it be at a warehouse store, a local butcher, or the normal grocery store--there are certain items that are significantly cheaper to buy in bulk. HOWEVER, that being said, some times, it can cost you too much money and becomes wasteful if you do like we did once and buy a gallon of mayo you never actually use (although now, we actually do buy bulk sizes of mayonnaise...times change). It has to be items that you 1) use, and 2) are cheaper in the end in bulk--which means, you either need someone good at math with you in your shopping, or you're doing research/carrying a calculator with you. BUT, as someone who does all that, suck up the pride, whip out the pad and paper, and save some bucks in store.
Some suggestions for items to buy in bulk:
-25 lb. bags of flour or sugar. MUCH cheaper this way, and you can put them into an air tight bucket with a snap lid. Saves a TON of money this way, and you have it on hand in those times where you really want to bake something good.
-Honey. We buy our honey from local apiaries. Much cheaper than the cute little teddy bear jars. We pay about $7 for a few pounds of HOMEGROWN honey. Woot.
-Meat. If you have a freezer, and you use a lot of meat, this is for you. We buy from a local butcher, and the higher quality meat is actually cheaper than the cheap-o meat at the grocery store. Tip: buy only the meats you use regularly. We have about 10-15 pounds of bacon right now, and I learned really quickly, we don't use that much. It might end up going to waste. Frozen meat never expires in theory, but it can lose quality after a while. The USDA has guidelines for this. Also, you can buy luncheon meats in bulk and freeze them, taking out small packages you've divided as you need them.
-Cereal. If you have little ones, and the cereal is on sale, why not? We have about 6 boxes on hand at a time. We can also use it for snacks for our son, and not just as breakfast food. Cereal is often on sale if you buy 3-4 at a time, and this is one of the items I do admit to occasionally using a coupon on.
-Spices/baking powders, etc. Find a store in your area that sells spices in clear bulk containers. You would not believe the price difference in buying spices in bulk, especially the ones you use the most often. Can often save several dollars. Warehouse stores are good for this, too.
-Pasta. Doesn't go bad easily, and often on sale. Pasta is one of those staples that is good to have a lot on hand. You can buy big bags at places like Sam's Club...like 5 lbs. of macaroni for $5, or you can stock up during 10 for $10 sales at your grocery store.
-Canned goods you USE. Warehouse stores are exceptional in this capacity and allow you the luxury of having favorite brand names for the price of generics. Discount grocers can be good in this area, too. One weakness I have is buying canned goods we end up not using.
-Pasta sauces/pizza sauces. Same as above. Grocery stores offer the best sales on these. Make sure you find a brand you like...I tend to be a bit pickier about my sauces, but that's just me.
-Paper goods. GO TO WAREHOUSE STORES FOR THIS. My butt now only accepts Charmin toilet paper, thank you very much, and thanks to Sam's Club, I get a ton of it for several bucks less in the end than at the normal grocery store. Same with pads and tampons.
-Ice cream (if you have a large freezer). It goes on sale a lot, and having a tub in the freezer can keep you from Dairy Queen in a pinch. Stores often offer sales if you buy 2 or 3 at a time, too, and ice cream is often BOGO free.
-Cheeses. Cheese freezes well, especially when shredded. Buy this at warehouse stores. Split the big bags into smaller freezer bags and freeze--then take out a couple cups at a time if needed. Also works for sandwich cheese slices.
-Bread. You can freeze loaves of bread for a couple months. Nice to have on hand in a sandwich emergency or when you are desperate for French toast. I don't recommend having more than a couple on hand at a time, though, because it can freezer burn quite easily.
-Macaroni and cheese boxes. Much cheaper, nearly anywhere, to buy the bulk packages. Comparison price if unsure about this. Also, brand name in bulk is often cheaper than generics.
-Brown sugar. I should have mentioned this earlier. You can't often find it in 25 lb. bags, but you can find 7-10 pound bags at warehouse stores, and it FREEZES WELL. It thaws in a short amount of time on a counter. I LOVE this trick.
-Peanut butter. If you eat this a fair amount, it's a much better deal, especially if you like name brands. Buy when on sale or at a warehouse club. We always buy ours in bulk--always.
-Tubs of sour cream and margarine. A good deal found at Sam's Club and Costco, if you use enough to justify it.
-Trash bags. Big boxes at warehouse stores (or places like Lowe's) save big money.
-Diapers and wipes. If you have little ones, trust me--buy the big boxes of these. Cheaper, and buying these in the middle of the night = no fun for anyone. And, this helps you to buy the brand names more affordably if you prefer them. (Also, the big brand name boxes often have coupons or reward points toward future purchases.)
-Foil pans. If you like to make and freeze meals, as I do, you can either pay $2 per pan at the standard stores, or about $8 for 30 at Sam's Club. Enough said.
-Cleaning products. The amount of money saved by buying commercial grade dish soap, or bulk boxes of detergent, etc. is unbelievable. Laundry detergent, dish detergents, Soft Scrub, 409, Windex, etc. are really great finds at warehouse stores.
-Dog food. The big bags are always cheaper per unit in the long run--more money up front, but still cheaper per pound in the end and lasts longer.
-Batteries. We have had great luck with warehouse brand batteries, and they are significantly cheaper in bulk (and bulk can be great when your kid refuses to sleep at night unless the light-up, lullaby singing seahorse has batteries).
-Body washes and hand soaps. This is one of those things where it is cheaper...IF you use that much. I especially like nice hand soaps, and you can usually find the nice scents in bulk at warehouse clubs or heavily discounted with coupons.
-Razors. I will have enough razors to last into my forties, and hey, it's not like they expire.
-Vitamins. I don't often find good deals on prenatal vitamins, but the gummi ones are always available at Sam's Club and Costco.
-Formula. Always buy the bigger containers. They will always be cheaper in the end.
What does your family buy in bulk?
