How to Start Bulk Buying Groceries: A Beginner’s Guide
Are you wanting to save hundreds on groceries by bulk buying, but your not quite sure where to start? This beginner’s guide will answer all of your questions and help you get your bulk buying rotation started!
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What is bulk buying?
Bulk buying is purchasing a large quantity of an item so that it lasts for a long period of time. Buying in bulk saves money per ounce, and diminishes those last minute runs to the grocery store every other day.
Bulk buying looks different for every family. For small families, 10 lbs of pasta could last for months while a 25 lb bag of pasta may only get a large family through the month. Bulk will look different for every person, but the point is to buy a large quantity of an item to stock your kitchen for weeks (or more!)
Where to buy in bulk?
In-Person Shopping – The most popular bulk grocery stores are Costco, Sams Club, and BJs. These stores do require a yearly membership fee in order to shop there (approximately $60 yr.), but they often run sales on membership fees, so be on the look out. Every store features different products and brands. For example, Costco offers many organic options and clean ingredient brands. Sams Club offers many conventional brands and products in bulk options. Find the store that works for you!
Learn more: How to Shop Azure Standard and Costco for a Whole Foods Kitchen
Azure Standard – If you are wanting to bulk buy AND purchase high quality (often organic) food for a great prices, then you need to check out Azure Standard. Azure Standard is a family owned and operated food delivery service that does grocery drop offs once a month at your designated drop location. Personally, I buy all of my organic dry goods and pantry items from Azure!
Learn more: Azure Standard for Beginners: What You Need to Know
What to buy?
Dry goods – Dry goods such as rice, oats, pasta, grain, and beans are great to buy in bulk. These ingredients last for a long time and will not spoil. These ingredients are pantry staples and great to have on hand at all times.
Baking ingredients – If you cook from scratch or bake often, have flour, sugar, and other baking ingredients on hand in bulk to ensure that the kitchen is stocked and ready for baking at any moment.
Spices – Stock up on spices that you use often such as garlic powder, onion powder, or paprika. Every bulk grocery store offers large containers of spices. Stock up on your go-to spices.
Freezer items – Freezer items such as meat, frozen fruit, and frozen vegetables are great to have on hand to feed the family all month long. Dinner will be easy to whip together each night of the week with a constant variety of meat or veggies in the freezer to choose from.
Common grocery items – Stock up on other common grocery items that you find yourself buying each week such as cheese or butter. These ingredients can be frozen to ensure they last for the whole month (or longer).
What NOT to buy?
Produce – Unless you have plans to process the produce such as turning 10 lbs of strawberries into jam or freezing 20 lbs of blueberries for smoothies or future recipes, do not buy fresh produce in bulk. Fresh produce such as lettuce or berries will not last for a month in your fridge. It is best to buy fresh produce a week at a time.
Dairy – Do not buy dairy products such as milk in bulk unless it is dairy that you are able to freeze. While all dairy can be frozen, not all of it thaws out well. Only bulk buy dairy that can be frozen and thaws out well.
Rare Spices – Only bulk buy the spices that you use on a regular basis. If you only use Chinese 5 Spice once in a blue moon, do not buy a bulk size container. Stick to the small shaker instead.
How to save money?
Check the unit price – On the outset, bulk buying is going to seem more expensive. A bag of organic rolled oats at the grocery store costs $7, but a 25 lb bag of organic rolled oats costs $28. The bag from the grocery store seems cheaper, but the reality is, the 25 lb bag of oats only costs $1.18 per pound while the grocery store bag costs $3.50 per pound. Don’t determine savings based on the overall price, compare the unit price instead.
Buy ingredients, not packages – If you are wanting to get more food for your monthly grocery budget, you need to bulk buy ingredients, not packaged food. It is cheaper to buy 25 lb. of oats and make your own granola bars (with clean simple ingredients) throughout the month than it is to buy a big box of packaged granola bars. Stick to stocking up on the basics, not the chips and cookies.
Buy food that lasts – Like I said earlier, only buy large quantities of food that will last either in your pantry or in your freezer. If you buy large amounts of perishable food that gets thrown away in the end, then your money was not well spent.
Shop sales – Shop the sales! Every bulk buying store offers sales! Check the sales diligently and stock up (even more than usual) when your favorite food items go on sale. It feels good to not only save money because its bulk, but also because its discounted.
Don’t switch at once! – Do not try to switch all of your food to bulk at one time! It will cost a pretty penny! Instead, focus on replacing a few items at a time each month until you are completely switched over.
How to store?
Freezer – Stock your freezer with frozen fruits, veggies, meat, butter, cheese, and more! Utilize your freezer to make your food last. Dice up your veggies or fruit and freeze so that it will last for the month. Throw extra butter or cheese you may have on hand in the freezer as well.
Food storage buckets – If you purchase flour, oats, grain, beans, or other dry goods, you can purchase food storage buckets with airtight lids to keep your ingredients fresh and protected so that they last.
Glass jars – To keep small amounts of pantry goods available for easy grab-and-go baking, quart-size wide mouth jars filled with pantry staples makes it easy to access ingredients quickly while cooking.
How to get started?
Write a list – Write a list of everything you usually buy on a regular basis: dry goods, spices, pantry items, freezer items, etc. Determine what items you would like to buy in bulk first (just pick a few!).
Figure out your MONTHLY grocery budget – Once you are fully switched over to bulk buying, you will most of your groceries once a month. Determine your monthly grocery budget and shop around for the best price on bulk ingredients.
Determine where to shop – Find the store (or stores!) that carry the best ingredients and best prices for you, your family, and your budget. If you plan to buy from Azure, set up your account and start filling your cart!
Buy a few items – Don’t try to buy everything in bulk all at once! Slowly replace a few of your usual weekly grocery items with bulk buying instead. For me, I started purchasing rice and pasta in bulk because they were weekly staples on my grocery list. Each month, purchase a few more kitchen staples in bulk.
Stock up on rotation – By slowly buying a few items in bulk at a time, you will notice that you have a nice rotation of bulk buying. Some ingredients will need to be purchased each month while others will last for 6 months. This way, you will not run out of all of your ingredients at one time.
Benefits of Bulk Buying
Saves money – Bulk buying saves money on the grocery budget. It saves money on the unit price, and a well stocked kitchen reduces the chances of last minute grocery runs and impulse purchases.
Easy to cook from scratch – By always having ingredients on hand, it makes it easy to cook clean, healthy, delicious food from scratch at home instead of purchasing packaged food or eating out.
Saves time – Bulk buying has saved me so much time. Instead of setting aside time each week to take a trek to the grocery store, now I just get it all done once a month. I not only save money, but also time.
Better quality groceries – Stores like Azure Standard and Costco offer quality organic food in bulk for prices you could never find at the grocery store. Bulk buying gives you access to better quality ingredients that you not usually buy at the grocery store.
Start bulk buying ingredients and stocking your whole food kitchen with quality ingredients! You will not only save money, but also make eating healthy a little easier!
