I have a cousin who likes buying in bulk. Basic commodities around The House, like, toiletries, detergent, cleaning supplies, canned goods, junk food, candies. Sometimes she buys enough to last for several months. And more often than not, some items will expire or spoil without being opened. I personally like to buy groceries that will last about 2 weeks. With baby formula, I buy enough to last for a month. I have a small pantry, so stocking up on home essentials is a problem for me. With meat and perishable goods, I buy good for a week only. I know some people like to buy wholesale because of the money that one can save. But if what you buy is too much and just end up in the garbage, isn't that money just wasted? How about you, do you like buying wholesale or do you just buy enough to last for a week or two?
I love buying certain things in bulk. I used to shop a full month at a time when I was doing a lot of bulk cooking. Then I would just buy things like fresh produce, bread, milk, etc, on the off weeks. It made it so much cheaper and gave me access to so much more.
We don't buy that much in bulk, only a few items like toiletries and small things for the kitchen like sandwich bags and tin foil, etc.
If you should walk into any of the grocery stores at the end of the month in my area you will see that there are quite a number of people who buy in bulk. Because there are only the two of us in our household we normally buy as and when we need. I have been thinking of starting to buy certain items in bulk, especially tinned foodstuff, though. With all the natural disasters happening over the world these days I would hate to be stuck inside my home for a period of time without any food in my cupboards.
I myself buy somethings in bulk but not always. It takes a lot of space to store things and then sometimes you have to suffer a bit to save things from insects (we have ants). But if there's a good bargain on dry stuff, definitely.
I like getting most things in bulk however, I find some items I can get cheaper by going to the local Family Dollar or discount store. I like to go to Costco and get some fresh fruits and veggies and milk cheaper. I also get my frozen meats and TV dinners (to take to work) in bulk because it's cheaper. Items like paper towels or toothpaste or soap is cheap in bulk for me by going to the dollar store. I may need to take 2 trips to different stores, but for me, it's worth the monetary savings.
I like to get things like toilet paper, paper towels and things that are used quickly in large quanities, we have some can foods stored for emergencies like bad weather. Tooth brushes seem to go missing every time the kids spend the night over someone else's house. One of the largest problems with buying a bulk is the storage of the items when you do not have alot of space. We have a tall metal file to store the additional items in the garage.
Buying in bulk is a necessity for me in many areas. Costco has some incredible deals for the items that are appropriate to buy in bulk (not so much a destination for fresh vegetables, spices, etc.). Wholesale definitely saves me plenty of money for things such as cookouts or groceries such as milk that go relatively quickly.
I like buying certain items in bulk like toiletries I will buy in bulk, but I won't buy meat in bulk. Anything that can't go bad is a good idea to stock up on it. I once bought a rice in bulk it was a 25lb bag, and by the end of the bag I couldn't stand the sight of rice. Buying bulk is good if you have a large family, but if you're on your own it's better to just buy from the local grocery store.
I am single and live in an apartment. I don't buy in bulk because most items would go to waste. I live within walking distance of my favorite grocery store so it's no big deal to go shopping when I need to. I buy very little packaged foods. I usually buy fresh vegetables, a little fruit and some fish. That's it. As for household items, I buy those as needed too
I don't buy wholesale and rarely bother with membership sites like Sam's Club. I do stock up for anywhere from 12 weeks to a year, though, when I can. It depends on the item, of course - toilet paper doesn't go bad or expire so I like to be super well-stocked up on that. I find that I do better using coupons combined with sales than I do at the so-called discount clubs.
Now that I have more money to spend, I prefer to buy in bulk when I can. When I was living check to check on a small budget, it was hard to do without long enough that I could afford to buy in bulk. Now I try to get things like trash bags, toiletries, etc. that I'm going to have to constantly get in bulk every time. No sense in paying more, is there? I would buy more food i bulk, except I'm trying to buy more fresh and less processed foods. I'll definitely do more when I get a deep freezer, though.
I buy things to last me a week. I make my list before I go shopping. Some things will last me more than a week, so I am not buying the same thing every week. Right now it is just myself and my daughter, when my whole family was here there was 6 of us and I would buy the toilet paper, paper towels and all non-perishable items in bulk. Now my daughter is only here for the summer and going back to school so there is not point in spending the extra money. I think if you have a large family it is good to have a extra freezer to store things if you see them on sale. Other wise I would not buy in bulk, as you said about things expiring. It is a waste of money if you end throwing it out.
I prefer buying in bulk because it saves me time, money and effort. I cant really go and do my grocery whenever I want to because of the nature of my job. So when I have the time, I make sure to buy my stuff at least the essentials that is already good for a month.
I like buying in bulk because my household has nine people. We take turns buying in bulk every two months. We shop at Costco and BJAYS. Everyone, including the kids in my household take lunch to work/school, so its more cost effective when we buy boxed juices, sandwich meats, n etc in bulk.
I like to buy in bulk when I can. If there is an item on sale and I know it's the type that won't spoil then I'd try as much as possible to push my budget to be able to buy as many of it as I can. The downside is that if it's food then I'd be too tempted to just run through it like nobody's business, but if I think I can control myself then I would definitely take advantage especially if I think I'll be getting a substantial amount of savings from doing so.
Since I'm normally buying just for myself, it's often not worth it for me to buy in really large bulk sizes. In fact, one of the things that frustrates me with the bulk stores like Costco, is they carry items in bulk that I cannot find in smaller sizes elsewhere, so I have no choice but to buy the larger bulk size if I really want it. For example, they carry these 1/4 lb black bean burgers at Costco that I love, which are much thicker than the variety sold at my grocery stores. But I have to buy a large box of them to get them that size, and they take up a lot of space in my freezer. Also, the bulk stores aren't always the best deals either. Sam's Club for example, had a 3 pack of Prego sauces for like $8 - I could get three jars of store brand sauce for much cheaper. Bulk things like Guacamole or Salsa will go bad long before I can use them up. As a general rule of thumb I compare how much it would cost me to get those items as a store brand or at the dollar store first, before buying them in bulk at a warehouse club.
I think buying in bulk is awesome if you have a large family. I grew up in Florida with my parents and 2 sisters so my mother saved a lot shopping at Sam's (pre-CostCo days)! After school, I moved to LA and a CostCo membership just wouldn't be worth it. I'm often making dinner for just 1 or 2, so I tend to do my thriftiest shopping at Trader Joe's.
I hate shopping for groceries and essential items and buy them all in bulk when I can. Costco is one of my favorite places to shop for things. Most perishable foods can be repackaged in smaller cintainers and put in the freezer. Buying in bulk also saves money.
There used to be a store here called Makro where they sell wholesale only. The least number of items is 10 so if your intention is to buy just a few then don't go there. For those 10 pieces in a pack, 1 is free and sometimes you get 2 free depending on the season. Particularly canned goods, it is nice to buy there on big discounts. Unfortunately the store close a few years ago and was replaced by an ordinary supermarket.
