Items to buy in bulk
Last week, I warned against going overboard at bulk warehouses by purchasing large amounts of food due to the low price per unit. I didn’t give any suggestions as to what items make sense to purchase in bulk. Here is a list of items that definitely lend themselves to be purchased in bulk (thanks to our commenters):
Diapers/Wipes: If you have a child in diapers, the late night run to the closest store for diapers is a pain. Buying diapers and wipes in bulk makes sense and it saves you from unnecessary trips to the store.
Paper products: I hate buying paper towels and toilet paper, but they are necessities. There is no need to worry about paper products not being used and they will never expire. Just make sure you have the space to store your inventory.
Party essentials: If you entertain on a regular basis, buying certain items in bulk can save you some time and money. Cups and paper or plastic plates are a great idea to buy in bulk. If you are having a cookout, hot dogs and hamburgers can also be purchased.
Frozen foods: If you have the freezer space to store extra meat such as chicken breasts, ground beef, salmon filets, or tenderloins, go right ahead and fill up your freezer. You can also store frozen fruits and vegetables for a very long time. Feel free to take advantage of their long shelf life.
Buying in bulk can be a great way to save money, but it can also be a great time saver. Again, try not to go overboard when shopping at a bulk warehouse and remember to look past the savings and think of what you need.
22 comments posted
Posted by EWF - 10/10/2007
Using durable goods instead of paper plates and other party “essentials” is economical, environmentally friendly, and doesn’t need to be cluttery. We have some metal plates we bought for $3 each about 20 years ago and some inexpensive silverware and napkins. All of this for 30 people fits into a nice Rubbermaid bin on a basement or garage shelf and is ready to go. We’ve been de-brainwashed into thinking disposables are essential.
Posted by Corinne - 10/10/2007
other good things to get there: laundry detergent and dog food. We buy Purinia One (you can get coupons on their website for any size bag – that saves us even more money). Also, shampoo, conditioner and lotion. All stuff we use every day (well, except the Tide, but that’s once a week) and doesn’t go bad.
Posted by CF - 10/10/2007
If the item is small and a continuous-use item, I always look on eBay (e.g. razor blades, Brita filters, batteries) – I’ve saved TONS (time and money) doing this and usually only have to buy once a year, if that. Obviously with larger items, shipping can kill you.
Posted by Andamom - 10/10/2007
As I posted before, these stores also do sell individual items — like books, clothing, mattresses, etc. at great prices. We’ve saved significantly buying these items from Costco — although they are technically known as a bulk warehouse store.
Posted by Jessi - 10/10/2007
There are alternatives to both paper towels and toilet paper.
I haven’t used one, but the bidet is supposed to be more hygienic than toilet paper. I’d like to try one!
Instead of paper towels, I use rags, which are just pieces of old clothes I’ve cut up. After using them I can either choose to launder and re-use, or I can just toss them. Great way to use up old t-shirts that aren’t even good enough for charity.
As for laundry detergent, I bought a gallon of concentrated biodegradable laundry soap from a local natural store – more than 5 years ago! Not that I do a lot of laundry, since I’m single, but still, it’s been pretty darn economical, clutter-free, and I never have to put it on my shopping list.
Posted by erin - 10/10/2007
Bidets are actually not hygienic, especially for women. I’ve heard that using your hand and some water is actually the best way to “wipe” but that’s something our culture is not going to embrace any time soon, I’m sure.
Posted by hilarie - 10/10/2007
Cloth diapers are a great way to never worry about running to the store, finding a place to stick an unsightly box, or trying to budget for diaper costs every month.
We just bought enough (BumGenius One Size Diapers) to fill our sons top drawer, and it works out perfectly. One thing we do buy in bulk is detergent.
Posted by Sandra Emerson - 10/10/2007
Other things to buy at bulk warehouses that never expire are toiletries like shampoo, soap, razor blades, toothbrushes, etc. They sell giant bottles of head&shoulders which are a godsend for me. I have one small bottle I transfer into so that I don’t constantly have to deal with the giant bottle from Costco.
It’s also a great place for vitamins and medicines if you actually use enough to warrant it, like if you have a large family.
Posted by Debbie M - 10/10/2007
@EWF, I like that idea. You can also stock up on plastic plates when they go on clearance at the end of the season. I got some picnic-themed ones that I really like.
I have made mistakes stocking up on things like those listed above. I bought a whole bunch of tissue boxes right before I decided to switch to tissues made from recycled materials. I’ve stocked up on toilet paper forgetting to check how many squares were on a roll. (I really like the “double” and “triple” rolls to save on materials and storage space and to minimize how often we have to change rolls.) I’ve stocked up on foods that have ingredients I’ve later decided I never want to buy again.
I stock up on sneakers. There’s one kind I always get, so when I see a good price, I get several pair. Same with undergarments, although last time I did this, I found some better ones almost right away (apparently female undies that both cover one’s butt and don’t stick out the top of one’s pants are finally “in” again, after over a decade of being nearly impossible to find).
I also stock up on specific canned goods we love that are hard to find, like lowfat Wolf chili with beef but no beans (the turkey version tastes too sweet).
Posted by Jay - 10/10/2007
Agreed on everything but frozen food, which does not have an unlimited shelf life. My mother used to buy huge amounts of frozen junk that was on sale — pork chops, peas, etc. By the time we would get along to eating something from the archives, it was frequently dry and discolored. Bleh.
Posted by Kelsey - 10/10/2007
Cloth diapers and wipes save you even more money and you never have to worry about running to the store!
Posted by Kris - 10/10/2007
We use bandanas as napkins instead of paper napkins. The space in the wash is negligible and each person has their own ‘color’ so if they don’t dirty it, it’s saved for the next meal. We use organic cotton washclothes as rags in the kitchen instead of papertowels and, again, the space in the wash is negligible.
I’ve used cloth diapers and disposable and I vote for the organic disposable diapers. Cloth, in my experience, uses too much water and soap to take care of. The biodegradible disposable diapers are the best of both worlds.
Posted by Lars Wirzenius - 10/11/2007
I live in a small apartment and don’t have a lot of storage space, so what I do is stock up one unopened package of each kind of thing. When I open the package, I put the thing on my shopping list. The packages are big enough that there’s ample time to do the shopping when I have the time, instead of having to rush. (I can finally suppress memories of realizing I’m all out of toilet paper when I need it acutely.)
Posted by Jack - 10/11/2007
Lars said: “I can finally suppress memories of realizing I’m all out of toilet paper when I need it acutely.”
When you run out of TP, the shower curtain can work in a pinch. j/k
Posted by Bob - 10/11/2007
I generally like Sam’s Club, but be very careful with expiration dates. Check the dates on all food carefully. I have never found anything out of date – but, lot’s that is very close to being out of date. If you’re stocking up that could be a problem. Also I will no longer buy gasoline there. My mechanic, my car, and I are pretty sure we got water in with a recent fillup.
Posted by consumer_q - 10/11/2007
Kirkland Organic Soy Milk. It stores well with a decent shelf life.
Couple that with my stash of TP, bottled water, canned green beans, canned corn, cream of mushroom soup, and dry pasta, and I am well prepared for the invasion of the Robot Overlords or the Apocalypse, which ever comes first.
Partyware: I have utensils that are made from potato starch, and plates made from some other plant material. Both are *compostable* (versus biodegradable) , which means they go into my compost pile (yes, they actually do breakd down too!). The utensils can go through about 3 washes before they start to become flimsy.
Posted by Melissa - 10/11/2007
Consumer Q -
Where did you find potato starch utensils and compostable plates? I’d love to get some.
Posted by Liz - 10/13/2007
Microfiber cloths and Trader Joe’s Amazing Kitchen cloths can cut down on paper towels. Some of the things you mentioned are in the category of “it would be better if people didn’t buy disposable”. Even for those not concerned about the eco-impact, the savings from reusable products really adds up. When I see someone wheeling home a flat of paper towels, I just feel sad.
Posted by george - 10/14/2007
It’s a balance with frozen food – if you have a freezer it owrks more efficiently when it is full than when it is empty, and is therefore also “greener” to use. It’s better to have a freezer you can fill but also small enough to kkep using the food you stock up on, or to fill it with food you’ve cooked in batches.
Posted by consumer_q - 10/14/2007
@Melissa,
I do not recall exactly where it was that I bought the items, because it was a couple years ago, but coincidentally the utensils were just on DIGG (of all places):
http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/.....-potatoes/
cheers!
Posted by Twitchy - 10/17/2007
I’d just like to re-iterate that buying in bulk is not limited to one household. If the package is too much for one, thenshare the love – have a chat to some of your mates/family and split proucts amongst you. We did this with olives – less than half the price in a large container, and now we have a little plastic tub of olives in the fridge.
Posted by Sue - 10/16/2008
One point I’d like to make about stockpiling frozen foods-I used to do this, filling my freezer in the fall so I didnt have to shop for fish or chicken (mostly all we eat) all winter. Well, I had just done so two years ago when we got a bad storm & the power was off for 2-3 days! Well, the freezer was full, we dont have a generator (and have no safe place to put one. We cooked & ate as much as we could, and when the power came back on, it came on at my mother’s first, so I transferred all my food to her freezer, again cooking up a ton of it.I still lost some due to thawing, and I have been very hesitant to fill the freezer again because of this!
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