My definition of bulk is serve-yourself-open-bins, not the full-case-huge-quantities of warehouse stores. I buy many things in bulk. Some of the best buys at my local co-op are spices. If I only need a tablespoon and won't use that spice again for months, I only have to buy a tablespoon, usually for just pennies. I also buy nuts, rice, etc. in bulk.
Thanks for all the great comments and extra ways to stay entertained without cable. I agree that the library is also an excellent way to save money and watch new and exciting content. I've heard of Roku, but I'm not familiar with it. Sounds like it's also a fantastic alternative.
I got my first credit card in college. My parents thought it'd be good to build my credit. They were right lol Today, about 4 years later, MY CREDIT SCORE IS ABOUT 700!!! :)
Yes, SALES call my name most often. If i feel an item might be out of stock soon or I don't feel like looking for a good deal, then I'll buy at retail price.
We buy certain produce in bulk that we love and last a while (carrots, potatoes). We also buy small cases of organic canned/dried food. Most of what we get is 8 cans at a time that we can store even in our little condo. The other thing we buy bulk is part of a cow. Our slow foods chapter does 1/8 cow shares. Works perfect for our small household and we get to eat grass-fed beef for cheaper than industrial beef from the market.
I spent about a year without cable when I was in grad school because the house I rented was about half a mile from the road and cable wasn't installed. And it was the best year I ever spent - more time thinking, reading, listening to sports on the radio. Great for your mind and spirit. Of course, now that we have cable the TV is on all the time, yuck!
I mostly buy non-perishables in bulk. Or things like rice, dried pasta and dry beans that won't go bad.
We're fortunate to have a local "wholesale" foods store. They buy foods wholesale, repackage in smaller containers and pass the savings on to us. So I can still get a better deal on some things (yeast, specialty flours, etc) than I would in a grocery store.
I buy items in bulk from our natural food store, but not from a warehouse store like Costco. There's a big difference between the two -- at the natural food store, I only buy as much as I want and it's usually "real" food, while at a warehouse store, I'd buy more than my small family uses and having to find a place to store it all. Not only that, but many items at the Costo aren't things I normally use or are in too-large amounts, like canned pasta sauce or vats of condiments.
We buy in bulk, but as "bulk" is pictured above in self service bins at a local coop or whole foods. I think there are two ways to look at bulk: from a bulk bin or in a large quantity, and it seems like the readers that commented below mostly are interpreting the question to mean bulk=large quantity. We choose to buy from bulk bins specifically so we can get a good price WITHOUT buying in a large quantity. We can save by not paying for packaging and only buying the measured quantities we know we'll use.
We will only buy certain things in bulk - like Kitty Litter, paper towels, toilet paper, dog food and cat food. The rest we buy at the local grocery store. It's just not economical otherwise.
2 adults, 2 cats, 1 dog. We do buy many bulk items, but only stuff that has a long shelf life. I get toilet paper & paper towels from COSTCO ( on mom's membership). We purchase staples from the LDS ( they will sell bulk items to anyone - flour, oatmeal, beans, dried milk etc.
The other thing I buy in bulk is anthig that has a very good sale price and won't go bad, like canned beans and tomatoes etc.
I only buy in bulk to the point of say 12 rolls of toilet paper or 8 bars of soap. Beyond that, in a one bedroom apartment, there's no room for stockpiling goods..
Sometimes. We buy rice milk by the case at Whole Foods, for example, for the 10% discount. But we also live in a rather small apartment, so there's no place to put mounds and mounds of reserves. I think the rent we save makes up for it.
Infinite thanks for these ideas so creative I have hundreds of these and had never thought of doing anything I say, just once in school I had to do a project, but it wasn`t cute :P
Hey Matt -- This is a case where I think buying some key items helps; you can't get organized if you have stuff you want to keep and nowhere to put it or no way to label it. That said, if you can get free or used storage boxes, that's definitely better.
yep - toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, wipes, baking supplies, and things that freeze well. We maintain a Sam's membership, and the discount on gas (usually 5-10 cents cheaper) certainly doesn't hurt either. It is literally right around the corner from us, so we don't even have to make a special trip to fill up there.
I only buy limited things in bulk that I know will get used either daily or weekly like toilet paper, laundry detergent or ketchup-since I make BBQ sauce w/ it then freeze it in a couple containers Other than that I don't buy much bulk items :)
Hey Debbie -- I definitely agree about getting rid of stuff! That's why I suggest creating the donation box and trying to become a zero-accumulation household. Even though the tips were numbered, they weren't necessarily in order.
Doing it twice can be a danger with attacking one small area at a time...do you have any suggestions for other ways to approach it that have worked for you?
I don't really have room to buy in bulk. However, when there is a great deal with sales and coupons, I'll buy multiples of the items.
My definition of bulk is serve-yourself-open-bins, not the full-case-huge-quantities of warehouse stores. I buy many things in bulk. Some of the best buys at my local co-op are spices. If I only need a tablespoon and won't use that spice again for months, I only have to buy a tablespoon, usually for just pennies. I also buy nuts, rice, etc. in bulk.
Thanks for all the great comments and extra ways to stay entertained without cable. I agree that the library is also an excellent way to save money and watch new and exciting content. I've heard of Roku, but I'm not familiar with it. Sounds like it's also a fantastic alternative.
I got my first credit card in college. My parents thought it'd be good to build my credit. They were right lol Today, about 4 years later, MY CREDIT SCORE IS ABOUT 700!!! :)
Yes, SALES call my name most often. If i feel an item might be out of stock soon or I don't feel like looking for a good deal, then I'll buy at retail price.
No, why pay for land lines when cell phones are in? lol Most people are on the go anyway so why not :)
We buy certain produce in bulk that we love and last a while (carrots, potatoes). We also buy small cases of organic canned/dried food. Most of what we get is 8 cans at a time that we can store even in our little condo. The other thing we buy bulk is part of a cow. Our slow foods chapter does 1/8 cow shares. Works perfect for our small household and we get to eat grass-fed beef for cheaper than industrial beef from the market.
I spent about a year without cable when I was in grad school because the house I rented was about half a mile from the road and cable wasn't installed. And it was the best year I ever spent - more time thinking, reading, listening to sports on the radio. Great for your mind and spirit. Of course, now that we have cable the TV is on all the time, yuck!
I mostly buy non-perishables in bulk. Or things like rice, dried pasta and dry beans that won't go bad.
We're fortunate to have a local "wholesale" foods store. They buy foods wholesale, repackage in smaller containers and pass the savings on to us. So I can still get a better deal on some things (yeast, specialty flours, etc) than I would in a grocery store.
I buy items in bulk from our natural food store, but not from a warehouse store like Costco. There's a big difference between the two -- at the natural food store, I only buy as much as I want and it's usually "real" food, while at a warehouse store, I'd buy more than my small family uses and having to find a place to store it all. Not only that, but many items at the Costo aren't things I normally use or are in too-large amounts, like canned pasta sauce or vats of condiments.
I try to buy all my staple foods in bulk. If I use it multiple times a week, I'm looking to buy it in bulk.
We buy in bulk from Costco for things we use a lot of (fruits, crackers, etc....)
Yes we buy things like kitty litter, Gatorade and frozen items in bulk
We buy in bulk, but as "bulk" is pictured above in self service bins at a local coop or whole foods. I think there are two ways to look at bulk: from a bulk bin or in a large quantity, and it seems like the readers that commented below mostly are interpreting the question to mean bulk=large quantity. We choose to buy from bulk bins specifically so we can get a good price WITHOUT buying in a large quantity. We can save by not paying for packaging and only buying the measured quantities we know we'll use.
We will only buy certain things in bulk - like Kitty Litter, paper towels, toilet paper, dog food and cat food. The rest we buy at the local grocery store. It's just not economical otherwise.
2 adults, 2 cats, 1 dog. We do buy many bulk items, but only stuff that has a long shelf life. I get toilet paper & paper towels from COSTCO ( on mom's membership). We purchase staples from the LDS ( they will sell bulk items to anyone - flour, oatmeal, beans, dried milk etc.
The other thing I buy in bulk is anthig that has a very good sale price and won't go bad, like canned beans and tomatoes etc.
I only buy in bulk to the point of say 12 rolls of toilet paper or 8 bars of soap. Beyond that, in a one bedroom apartment, there's no room for stockpiling goods..
Sometimes. We buy rice milk by the case at Whole Foods, for example, for the 10% discount. But we also live in a rather small apartment, so there's no place to put mounds and mounds of reserves. I think the rent we save makes up for it.
Infinite thanks for these ideas so creative I have hundreds of these and had never thought of doing anything I say, just once in school I had to do a project, but it wasn`t cute :P
Hey Matt -- This is a case where I think buying some key items helps; you can't get organized if you have stuff you want to keep and nowhere to put it or no way to label it. That said, if you can get free or used storage boxes, that's definitely better.
Me too! I like looking at this list and trying to figure out ways to make an ultra-calcium meal. Tofu + beans + spinach...mmm.
yep - toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, wipes, baking supplies, and things that freeze well. We maintain a Sam's membership, and the discount on gas (usually 5-10 cents cheaper) certainly doesn't hurt either. It is literally right around the corner from us, so we don't even have to make a special trip to fill up there.
I only buy limited things in bulk that I know will get used either daily or weekly like toilet paper, laundry detergent or ketchup-since I make BBQ sauce w/ it then freeze it in a couple containers Other than that I don't buy much bulk items :)
Hey Debbie -- I definitely agree about getting rid of stuff! That's why I suggest creating the donation box and trying to become a zero-accumulation household. Even though the tips were numbered, they weren't necessarily in order.
Doing it twice can be a danger with attacking one small area at a time...do you have any suggestions for other ways to approach it that have worked for you?
We buy pasta, baking chips (peanut butter, chocolate, butterscotch, white chocolate), rice and a few other items in bulk.