What To Buy In Bulk

What Should You Buy in Bulk to Save Money?

It must be obvious that you should only buy things in bulk if you are sure you will use them up and if you have a place to store them. This may be a good time to clean and organize your garage so you have a place to store your bulk purchases. Of course, things that will not spoil quickly are always better candidates for bulk buying. Bulk milk would not do much good for most of us, but bulk toilet paper would probay work out well.

You do not have to shop at the big bulk stores to buy in bulk either. These days, regular grocery stores offer larger sizes at a saving. This is convenient if you only want to make a few bulk purchases.

Cooperative Bulk Buying

Here are some good bulk purchases ideas. Keep in mind, these may not work out for you. If you do not have storage space, a 48 pack of toilet paper may be tough to stash away.

One clever idea that some of my neighbors started is to buy some items in bulk in a cooperative fashion.  Everybody can take their 8 rolls of toilet paper from that big pack. Either the neighbors can take turns picking up the bulk items, or everybody can just chip in their fair share for the cost. Good candidates for cooperative bulk buying may be things that would spoil if they are not used.

I often see big packs of steak on sale, for instance. If you can get each member of your coop to take a couple steaks, you can all have a great dinner on the cheap!

• Gift Giving – I have seen some big bulk retailers with gift card offers. For example, you may be able to purchase $100 worth of gift cards for 20% off. You could either use the card yourself for an automatic savings, or you could save money on presents you have to buy.
• Most Paper Goods – You can save money on paper goods from paper towels to greeting cards by buying in bulk. How many times have you had to run out for a $5 greeting card. But you can usually find packs of greeting cards for a big savings.
• Pet Food – Again, consider how you can store this safely. But I have noticed that the small bag of dry dog food is almost the same price as the much larger bag.  I can also find a large bag of parrot food for about the same price as a small plastic jar. I worry about the food getting stale if it is open too long, but a tight storage container may be a good investment over the long run.
• Light Bulbs, Batteries, etc. – Now batteries may have an expiration date, but if you run through AA’s like we do, a 12 pack will be cheaper per battery than a 2 pack! I always like to have extra batteries on hand too. By the way, it is true that your batteries can last longer if stored in the freezer. You do need to warm them up before use, and you should store them in a water tight container.

Do you have any ideas for saving money by buying in bulk. We’d love to have you register and comment.

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