Let's Talk About Bulk Shopping.

Every time I talk to my friends about my love of bulk grocery shopping they always say the same things.

"Bulk shopping is a waste of time, it all goes bad eventually."

"I can't do it.. I always spend a ton of money and don't use most of it." 

Though I completely understand where they are coming from, after years of practice I've realized that all it takes is some creativity and you can actually save money and get more.

Here are some pearls of wisdom I've gathered by learning the hard way:

1. Never buy what you wouldn't normally eat:  

I've fallen into this trap plenty of times. You walk in to the store and see this new organic item that will make you super healthy and awesome and only for the low price of $15 for a pack of 8. You get home, put it away, and tell yourself you'll try it tomorrow for months until it finally expires. DON'T DO IT. If you see a new product you think would be worth checking out, get it at a regular grocery store in a small quantity first.   

2. Don't have a "snack attack": 

What I mean is don't fill your cart with nothing but candy and chips. We learned this on our first ever trip to a Sam's club. It adds up quick and you'll find yourself pretty hungry when you realize that snack cakes and chips aren't good ingredients for a satisfying dinner.

3. Consider your storage space: 

Sure, the freezer section is glorious but be realistic. Unless you're fortunate enough to own and have the space for a deep freezer you have a very limited amount of things you can squeeze in there. Stick to necessity. If you can use it more than once (Ingredients vs. prepared meals) then it's probably worth buying. It may not be winning points for convenience but you can easily find creative ways to stretch it. Not to mention prepared food will ALWAYS cost more than just making a meal yourself.

4. Set a reasonable budget and stick to it: 

This is a big one. For all of you who have ever stepped into a bulk food store, you know how much temptation lies in every nook and cranny. Think of your family size and income go from there. We feed 3 people (myself included), a dog and a cat. Generally, we go $100 a week (which wasn't saving us anything) BUT we've recently began doing step 4 and saving $100 to $200 dollars a month by just figuring out ways to preserve perishables. 

5. Research ways to make foods last longer: 

This part also doesn't win any points for convenience and isn't for everyone. There is tons of info about what foods to freeze and other great ways of preserving out there. Also, Almond milk has a longer shelf life than regular milk. I used this list Here to help guide me. Familiarize yourself with blanching if you haven't already. It will be your new BFF.

My freezer might be to capacity but we are good for 3ish weeks

Bottom line, bulk shopping is great for anyone willing to put in a little extra effort. If you do it right you could save yourself some money and trips to the store. Good luck and happy shopping! :)