Stocking Up: Smart Buying, or just Being a Packrat?
Glass Grain Jars uploaded by Miss Shari
Last night, my fiancée, a little flustered because we were out of soap, decided we should take a run to BJs to stock up on soap, Toilet Paper, detergent and food items. I wasn’t really in the mood to take a BJs run, but his argument was pretty good, “If we stock up now, we won’t have to get these things for awhile and, it’s also cheaper.”
I complied, though somewhat miserably because it was a chilling 20 degrees outside. On the way to the store, I thought about bulk buying in general. Was it really smarter to buy in bulk, or had he just fooled me into going out into the 20 degree weather?
Why We Buy Bulk
Some of us buy in bulk to save money, some of us like the convenience of avoiding the grocery store for large bulky items, and some people are just pack rats.
As I make my journey to become a more aware, conscientious buyer, I have to wonder why I started buying in bulk in the first place. My foray into the bulk world started when I moved to the city and had roommates. Before my roommates went wholesale, a decisive battle was fought daily about whose turn it was to buy toilet paper. And sometimes, someone would buy only a four pack, while someone lugged home a 16 pack in their high heels. Nothing seemed fair and no one was motivated to buy more than a few rolls at a time. Not surprisingly, the war over shared items came to a halt after a BJs membership was purchased and shared. We could all go together and buy the basic items of everyday life together and split the cost and when supplies got low, we’d do it again.
Now I live with my fiancée, and we’re still buying in bulk. When there are only two people keeping your shopping items in check, it’s easy to quickly get sidetracked without a goal or a mission in mind. Also, another problem is, if you’re not organized before you walk out your door, you’ll often buy things you don’t need, especially when it comes to food items.
Organize Before You Shop
Every time you buy something and it goes rancid before you’ve had the chance to enjoy it, you’ve basically thrown money in the trash. Before you dive into the wide world of bulk food buying, ask yourself what you want to get out of your bulk buying. Do you want to save money? Reduce packaging? Eliminate stress and guilt? If you do, you need a plan going in. Figure out what foods you can store for later use and what foods you should buy week to week when needed.
Meats and breads can generally be frozen and thawed later. It’s best if you place the meat or bread in reusable, single serving freezer bags, that way you don’t run the risk of thawing out more than you’re going to eat in a day (Fortunately, these portion sizes are diet friendly, too). As a general rule, Mayo, cream sauces and lettuce never really freeze well, however, pastas, grains, and meats do. This is because they usually lose moisture from freezing during reheating.
Personal Budgeting Blog also recommends organizing your pantry before you shop. In my opinion, clear, air tight glass containers are your best bet for containing your bulk finds because they won’t warp over time. Not to mention glass generally last longer than their plastic counterparts and are generally airtight so food will be safe from grain moths. Besides, glass makes it easy to do a visual inventory of the food you have in your kitchen. If you can’t get to it easily or don’t know it’s there, what’s the point of buying it? Also, remember to employ a clear labeling system on containers so you know how long the items have been in their jars. This is especially important on items you don’t use often.
Also, don’t open your flour and pour it into your old container with the old flour. When you see your flour is running low. Buy a new bag and wait until your glass container flour is all used up, then replace it with your new bag and re-label it with its date of expiration.
Buy Local Package-Free Bulk, Or At Least Buy Only What You Need
For organic and green conscious buyers, this might seem pretty obvious, but packaging = mucho dinero and a whole lot of waste at your local dump. The less packaging, the better it is for the environment as well as for your wallet. The best thing to do is educate yourself on the local options around you that sell items common at your grocery store but in simpler packaging.
As a Florida-to-Massachusetts transplant, I’m still learning a lot about the glories and wonders of eating locally. Garden of Eating Blogger, Eve, gives some great advice on buying bulk organic and local items . If you’re living in an urban environment, use local reviews sites like Yelp to find out if there are any local haunts that have items like grains and liquids that you can buy in bulk.
For those who live in a suburban environment that sells bulk items, this method can be tough. You usually can find some bulk items at Wholefoods, if you have one in your area, or at your local organic food store. However, for others, BJs and Costco are the way to go. Granted they have packaging, but in some cases, getting the industrial size saves precious dollars, if you buy wisely and have a bulk management system in place at home.
Be certain that you’re not getting more than you won’t use. This is important, especially for items that need refrigeration. If you don’t have a large family that eats dairy regularly, you might want to consider putting down the cheddar block or that yogurt tub. Bulk is best for items that keep longer, though be sure that you have enough containers to harbor your bulk mother load. For example, what about all those excess grains that might be leftover after pouring them into your glass containers? Buying in bulk saves no money if your giant box of Bisquick ends up weevil infested and your heavy cream goes bad before you get to use it.
Don’t Shop on an Empty Stomach
Most people shop between the hours of 5pm and 7pm, before they go home and have dinner. This is a bad move; you’re better off eating a healthy meal at home first. Supermarkets are surprisingly empty after 8pm, especially on a Monday, and the same goes for bulk superstores, too. Food is the gas that makes the machine of your body run, without it you end up making decisions based on what you would like to eat now, and not what you would like to eat for the next week. Also, dieters, I recommend enjoying a small snack food before going to the supermarket. If you satisfy your craving before you shop, you generally won’t buy that giant bag of Easter candy that’s on sale. Hm?
Keep A Calendar
Have a lot of dinners, after work outings, and baby & bridal showers to drop in on this week? Better not buy in bulk. If you see that your calendar is full of plans that might involve food, wait to buy until your schedule clears up. By not anticipating your plans for the next 2-3 weeks, you’re setting yourself for a bulky, pricey letdown. Buy perishable groceries when your week looks free of obligations. While you’re enjoying your social influx, you can enjoy the meats and grains you’ve frozen (let them thaw out in your fridge while you’re at work for quick preparation when you get home) and also enjoy your grains that you have so smartly stored.