5. Buy in Bulk

Another way to simplify your grocery shopping is to buy in bulk. For years I resisted this idea. We never seemed to have the storage space, and I just never took the time to sit down and figure out what we could buy in large quantities. Then, when we started making our own oat bran muffins (#61), we went through so much oat bran it became much easier to buy it in bulk.

When I saw what buying oat bran this way saved in time and energy and packaging—not to mention money—I began to think about other things I could buy in quantity. I was surprised at how extensive the list was. Now, I have a separate list for our bulk purchases: paper towels, Kleenex, detergents, cleansers, pet foods, toothpaste, shampoos, shaving creams, rice, grains, legumes, nuts, and baking supplies.

Once or twice a year I make a trip to our local wholesale house to stock up on these items. Since we’ve eliminated so much of the clutter in our closets and cabinets (#1), we have plenty of room to keep these supplies on hand, and we never run out of things we need.

When buying in bulk keep in mind that not everything offered at a wholesale market is necessarily less expensive, so you should have a good idea of regular prices on the items you wish to purchase. Otherwise, you could end up paying too much. While cost savings is only one of the advantages of buying in bulk, why pay more than you have to? Secondly, you’ll find it much easier to shop for bulk items with a detailed list; otherwise there’s an overwhelming temptation to buy things you don’t really need but that you can’t pass up because the price is so good.

In addition to the time and money we’ve saved, one of the most rewarding benefits of buying in bulk is the reduction in packaging materials to be recycled. In fact, many wholesale houses, especially cooperatives, encourage customers to bring their own shopping bags and containers, which reduces packaging materials even more.