Saving Money on Groceries with Bulk Food Shopping

Some people think that buying in bulk means buying enormous quantities of items. Actually, bulk foods shopping involves buying the largest usable quantity of any item you use frequently, and only if buying in bulk significantly lowers the unit price of the grocery item.

The unit price is the price per pound (or price per ounce), which you pay for the item. Although a smaller package will cost less than a larger package at the grocery store, the price per pound is usually much higher on a smaller package at the grocery store. When you purchase in larger sizes, the price per pound goes down, making your grocery shopping dollars stretch further, and saving you money at the grocery store.

You don't just have to buy grocery items in bulk. Bulk shopping is very useful for saving money on many things, including blank CDs, Toilet Paper, Paper Toweling, Cleaners, and other frequently used items.

Not every large package or bulk purchase is a good deal that will save you money, so you will need to figure out the unit price of the grocery item you are thinking of buying. To figure out the unit price at the grocery store, you should bring a calculator with you, or use a calculator on your cell phone (if you have one).

First, check to see what the units used in the package are: pounds, ounces, liters, gallons? Next, divide the number of units into the total price to figure out the unit price. For example, if there are 10 ounces in a package, and the package is $3.40, then the unit price of the package is 34 cents per ounce.

Once you have figured out the unit price of different items at the grocery store, you will be able to decide which package is the better deal.

Sometimes grocery stores do display the unit price, but some grocery stores try to trick the shopper with how they list unit prices. Recently, I was purchasing whole bean coffee at my grocery store, and I found that they listed the price per pound on some of the coffee packages and the price per ounce on others, and some had the price per kilogram. By refiguring the prices using price per pound, I was able to figure out the unit price of each package, and decide which one was the better deal, saving me over $1.50 per pound on my coffee purchase at the grocery store.

There are many different places to save money by buying in bulk. Some grocery stores have larger sizes available on their shelves today. You may also find some bulk items at many health food stores. I have a local health food store where I purchase bulk herbs and spices for seasoning our food, and the savings is significant. I save several dollars per pound on each of my seasonings when I buy them as bulk foods.

Many people are aware of warehouse stores such as SAM's Club or Costco. These stores require you to purchase a membership and offer many brand name items in bulk sizes and prices. However, you need to be very careful and mind your unit prices while shopping at warehouse stores. If you know what the unit price of different items are at the grocery store, you will see that many items are not much of a savings at a warehouse store, although some items are. Buyer beware!

There are other grocery stores such as restaurant supplies stores like GFS (Gordon Food Services), which offers restaurant sized grocery items (and cookware) for a reasonable price. Many times, especially on condiments, you can find a good deal at GFS, when purchasing their store brand items.

Most of my bulk foods comes from a bulk foods grocery store run by a family off of one of the buildings on their farm. This store sells bulk grains, beans, cereal, baking mixes, and seasonal fruits and vegetables for far less than you would pay at a regular grocery store. I was referred to this bulk foods grocery store by friends and people at the health foods store. Most of these kinds of stores advertise only with Word of Mouth.

Bulk Foods Co-Ops are another option in many areas, and again you will hear about them usually through word of mouth at your local health food store. A co-op allows you to place orders, and then together you will order larger quantities of certain items, usually whole grains, dried beans, and other whole foods.

The big problem many of us have with buying in bulk is finding a place to store the food and other items we have bought from the bulk foods store. Storage should be considered before you begin buying in bulk at the grocery store. Make sure you have enough room for bulk foods before you buy them at the grocery store!

Many bulk foods you find at the grocery store or bulk food co-op do not come with packaging, or at least not with packing they can be stored in for a long time. When I purchase my bread flour from the bulk foods store in a 50 pound bag, it comes in a paper bag, which is not enough protection from bugs and to keep it fresh. I transfer my flour, grains, and dried beans that I purchase from the bulk food store into plastic containers with screw cap lids or bakery buckets.

I have a selection of bakery buckets which I have purchased from the local bakery to store my bulk foods. The buckets used to hold the frosting and other items for the bakery. The bakery sells them when they are empty for $2 each, with a tight fitting lid. I have bought several of these buckets to store large quantities of flour, rice, and mixed dried beans for soup in. Ask around at your local bakery.

Most staple food items such as flour and grains have a longer shelf life, especially if they are stored properly. Be sure to take note of the shelf life of the bulk foods items you purchase, so that your purchases do not spoil.