I swear I do not know how to buy in bulk. I always feel as if I will run out of money by the end of the month. Even if I did attempt it, I probably would run out of money in the end. So I go grocery shopping almost every day. Sometimes every other day, but mostly every day. I just feel safer buying a little at a time and tracking/subtracting my money in small amounts. Some will say it's a waste of gas, but my local grocery store is only 2 minutes away from my house. What about you? How often do you go grocery shopping? Would you say you buy in bulk, or in smaller amounts, like me?
If I have enough money to buy in bulk I would do that so I won't have to go out everyday. This is usually not the case since I rarely have enough to by everything at once. I have no other choice than to go grocery shopping every other day. I wouldn't mind too much if I had more time in my day.
We always buy in bulk food that are not perishable like canned goods, rice and pasta. But for ingredients to the daily cooking like meat, fish and vegetables, we buy as the need arises. It is our policy to use only fresh food items in cooking. Our food cabinet is filled with canned food and bottled food items. By the way, buying in bulk items like catsup, cheese, cooking oil earns us big savings in the promo packs.
I buy in bulk those items that are relatively non perishable and that I use daily like rice, wheat flour and oil. Perishable goods like vegetables I buy for a whole week. I buy small amounts (suffices to cook 1 meal) of a variety of vegetables. So that throughout the week I make new dishes daily. Tomatoes, potatoes and onions I can buy upto 3kgs, 5 and 5kgs respectively.
I have to shop a little every day because I never have enough to accumulate for one big bulk. When I buy online, that is when I buy in bulk. You can find great deals that heavily discounted items if you buy a larger amount. Let's take Lays for example. Buying one is 2 dollars while buying 2 is 2.79 dollars.
It depends on the amount of money I have for shopping that particular time and how well I can preserve the items. If I have enough money to buy things in bulk, regarding food items, I will buy those that can take a long time to go bad in bulk. For example food stuffs like rice, beans, oil, flour, sugar etc I will buy them in bulk since they can stay a month without going bad. On the other hand perishable items like tomatoes, vegetables, fish will be bought in smaller amounts.
I don't usually buy in bulk. When in terms of daily stocks, I just buy food good for a week. Well the only food that I buy in bulk is rice, since it is much cheaper when you buy in huge amounts unlike when retail. But when it comes to fresh products like meat and fish, I just buy them that will last for 6-7 days. And then will just do the grocery the following week.
I go grocery shopping once a month, and that is about it, I make do with what I have if I run out (I usually don't though). It is just me and my husband and I try to keep the monthly shopping budget around 150-200 (for 30 day/3 meals a day and this figure includes my pet and household budget). Also we do work at a CSA once a week for fresh veggies (weekly) and we take the weekly leftover and prepare them and freeze them for the winter months. Anyways the best way to shop month or, biweekly or even weekly is to make a meal plan and list and stick to it. I find it helpful to make up breakfast (like waffles and burritos) and lunches at the begining of the month that can be frozen and reheated for fast, easy meals.
@abonnen Just curious, what do you guys eat for lunch and dinner? I always struggle with these 2 meals. I end up getting a pizza or some kind of take-out, even if it's just a sandwich and fries. But I'm wondering what kinds of meals could be prepared at home that wouldn't be too costly to make? When I do the math, making a simple casserole comes up to about the same amount of $$ as getting something from a restaurant. I realize the casserole would last a couple days more, but I'm kinda picky and usually don't like to eat the same thing 2 days in a row. Just wondering what kinds of groceries you buy that last you all through the month for lunches and dinners....thanks!
I do buy in bulk, but I always check the expiration dates and make sure there is at least a year unless it is a bargain. Space is an issue and if you don't have the space, then buying for a couple a weeks is best. When I rented, I bought for a couple of weeks at a time because I didn't want to have too much waste when I left. In the last few weeks I ended up using up all the items I have stockpiled. I top up weekly with eggs and bread as those are the only things I need fresh. Other things can be bought in bulk if they are on offer, if not, I buy what I need.
Buying in wholesale or in retail depends on the needs of the users or the customers. Those who make big purchases are government agencies. Ordinary citizen may sometime buy them for their subordinates or people working in their farm. In our case, we buy our needs for our one week supply and that is the maximum I think.
I too buy in bulk as the grocery store is too far away from my home. So on a particular day of every month I purchase all necessary items required for a month. Needless to say perishable items like fish, vegetables, fruits etc are not included in this. We have some grocery shops nearby but the quality is not good. I have a regular super market. Another advantage is that I can select the best quality products and compare prices of various brands. They got a huge collection of all brands and types. There are many monthly offers and I also got a consumer card which saves some money.
@Natasha0717 Well at the beginning of the month I make about 3-4 different meals for lunch, one is broccoli, chicken and rice, another that we like is black bean burritos, meatballs or meal ball subs, etc ( I make these to freeze about 3-5 of each) then the rest of the days for lunch we fill in with salads and leftovers. Then I have all different meals for supper like chicken burritos, chili. enchilada, hobo soup tonight we had yam "noodles" stir fry. I basically I use what I have first when making a meal plan then I look at what is on sale when I am going to be shopping. The best advice I can give if you don't like eating things more then one day in a row is to try to make food that you can freeze and then you can have it the next week. I am working on a meal list right now actually for next month I can post my list and shopping list when I get done
I have to nod either way. At the beginning of the month I make a list of the items needed for that particular month. Order them online or personally go to the store to procure them. However, due to my poor planning or unanticipated scenarios.... often I've to do emergency buying as well. Kitchen is an exhaustible inventory, and you've to keep on replenishing.
Our family is small only 2 of us so I don't usually buy in bulk. I buy veggies and other perishables a needed. I buy mostly on sale. If it's a good sale I'll stock up depending on expiration dates. Rice I buy in bulk. We have weekly sales like CVS has weekly sales, so we are lucky. I also only bus, so I can't carry much on the bus. I got a bus pass luckily and can go almost anywhere on the bus, but can carry limitedly while riding the bus. One thing I like is the smaller version of things for our small family can't eat so much at one time. Like the pop up cans of dough, so much at one time we can't eat it all. I like having fresh bake Pillsbury biscuits and found a little half can of just 5 biscuits, great for my family.
We tend to do both, and with some items we will buy in bulk whereas other items we find it best to just buy as and when we need them. Items such as pasta and tinned foods then we will buy a certain amount of all at once but fresh food or foods that we only eat every now and again we just buy from day to day. Buying in bulk can save you a lot of money but you have to make sure that what you are buying is going to last. There's no point in buying 20 bottles of fresh milk, because you know that it's not going to last any longer than just buying it as you go due to the date and when it goes off. A tin of baked beans on the other hand can stay in the cupboard for years!
I am just like the lady in the OP. I have this feeling that buying in bulk will make me run out of cash. I tend to buy in smaller instalments and then make purchases on need basis. Money in the pocket gives one power or a sense of control as it can be used to buy anything unlike stocked goods. However, this is deceptive due to the volatility of liquid cash and the temptation to spend in non priority areas after which you find yourself broke and with no stocks to see you through.
@Krissttina Isobe But you must admit.....that pop-up can of dough, will ALWAYS give you a little jolt once it pops. Doesn't matter how prepared you are for it. I always jump up in surprise once it pops. Oh! Here's a quick (and relatively cheap) little recipe/appetizer to make with the Pillsbury biscuits, or even their crescent rolls. Bake them for a while, until they're almost done, and then take them out of the oven and cut a slit in the middle of each one. Then add some tuna fish already mixed with mayo into the center, and a little shredded cheese on top of the tuna...and put them back into the oven until the cheese is melted and the crescent rolls/biscuits are brown and slightly crispy. If you make about 12 of them, you'll have a nice little meal already prepared for the next few days. Just make sure to refrigerate the leftovers for the next day or so.
@Natasha0717 We love our tuna with mayo and diced raw sweet round onions. I like my tuna mix with a little extra black pepper too. You are so right about the "pop" of the little canister of biscuits. No matter how prepared I think I am I get a jolt when it pops! One time I peeled the label right off and no pop. I remembered the commercial that the home bakers put a butter knife to the edges of the opening where it should pop and viola, pop open it did! Glad I saw the commercial and could get some nice warm biscuits too!
The main reason why I buy in bulk is I found out I am able to save some money doing so, some items come cheaper if bought in larger quantities. Also I get to have my time if I do not have to go to the stores every day. Again buying in bulk help me keep to a budget better.
