Can You Really Save By Buying In Bulk

Heaps of people like to shop at “big” stores like Wholesale warehouse, Aldi, and Woolies, Coles or one of the many online grocery stores, to save money by buying things they use frequently in bulk.  I like getting my bulk supply of Citric Acid (good for cleaning) and the occasional pre-cooked chicken.  But do they really save you money?

 The answer depends on your family’s eating habits and your ability to be organised and rotate your stock (and yes I know you can get things other than food).  How can you figure it out? Check the UNIT PRICE labels of the goods.

 It’s not difficult at all; next to the price of an item, there is usually some sort of unit price, per 100 gms or kilo, or “by the each” price.  (of course there are some exceptions.)  Compare the smaller portion packages to the larger ones and see what you really are saving, or not saving as the case may be.

 For example, I got very excited to see that my favourite peanut butter came in a larger jar in one store.  I said, “Check the price and see if it is a good deal.”  Turned out the “per 100gm” price was 1.8 cents more for the larger jar.  Of course if you are balancing out the fact that at least it is only one plastic jar versus two, and only one trip to the shop rather than two, you could decide that 1.8 cents isn’t a big deal.  But at least you’ll know the facts.

It is NOT good economy to buy spices in bulk as their shelf life is short. How often have you had to chuck out your jar of cayenne pepper because it was old and had lost its zing?

 This is a factor in buying a bulk purchase of groceries as we need to take note of “will this be used before it goes bad?”  Make sure you have a good cool storage area for the food you purchase; last thing you need is to find that half of your 20 kg bag of flour has gone rancid or got infested with weevils.  That kind of waste would counteract any savings you might have had.  Use good containers and divide it up if you need to (if you have room for it, flour and grains can go into the freezer, especially if you live in a hot climate). 

More to consider is – did you factor in the cost of petrol for many shopping trips or driving further away to go to a different store, and what other perks are you getting?   Here at my local grocery store, we get points for how much we shop that translates into cents off the petrol.  Every little bit helps when we have to fill the tank.  

 The best way to keep track of these prices is to keep a price book of the things your family uses and the prices in your area at your favourite stores.  This will help you to know where you will get the best deal – your grocery store, a bulk store, or even online.

Deb