The Benefits of Bulk
My husband G. Grod and I finally started to rein in our household spending, and one of the first things we did was establish a grocery budget. As I’ve worked with the budget, I’ve changed my shopping habits, and with practice I’ve reduced our grocery bill with better planning and fewer impulse buys.
One of the key cost saving measures is buying items from the bulk aisle. Our grocery coop has an impressive selection of items. And if I plan ahead, I can bring my own containers to fill, so I’m reducing waste and not paying for packaging. I now buy a huge number of our staples in bulk: eggs, peanut butter, honey, olive oil, vanilla, pasta, flour, sugar, granola, popcorn, dried fruit and other baking supplies like oats and nuts.
Not only has our weekly grocery bill gone down, but this helps with inventory control, as I’m able to buy just a little at a time, and our recycling has been reduced, because we’re buying much less packaging.
Our coop is having a sale on bulk till the end of April; if you live nearby, give it a try. Bring your own bags, bring your own bulk containers, and save money, space, and waste.
April 17th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
sheesh am I jealous! To the best of my knowledge we have nothing like that around here…
we worked on getting our grocery bill under control about a year ago and it was successful for a while, but it’s begun breaking down. I’m not sure why - perhaps we’re getting tired of the “same old” and venturing to the more exotic (and expensive) items, or perhaps prices are just rising (quite possible, given the state of gas prices). I suppose I should track that kind of thing, but who really has the time!?
April 20th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
I think a lot of bigger groceries like Cub are getting more and more items in bulk.
I know what you mean about fudging the budget. I bought books today. Ergh. I think it’s like a diet–I restrict, I restrict, and then I have to bust out and binge.