10 of the Best and Worst Foods to Buy in Bulk

Tuesday, July 7th, 2015

When you’re looking to cut down on food costs the place to start is the food you can buy in bulk. It’s a life saver at the end of the month when money it tight, and a surprisingly easy way to save money for the things you’d rather be spending your money on.

Best Foods to Buy in Bulk

Rice and Pasta

If stored in a cool, dry place buying grains and pastas in bulk is a great way to save money. Ditching name brands too – you’ll get the same quality for half the price.

Alcohol

Even if you’re not a big drinker, buying alcohol is bulk, especially when your favourite drink is packaged as single servings, like beer, ciders, or coolers, alcohol can be stored for long periods of time safely.

Cereal

This everyday staple is a must when it comes to buying in bulk. Of course, packaging is important because nobody likes stale cereal. Invest in some good storage options like jars or plastic containers.

Canned or Bottled Food

Canned foods are a great way to make your life easier when it comes to preparing food too. You can buy all of your canned seafood, soups, sauces, and vegetables and just open them and add to pasta or the like.

Nuts and Dried Fruit

Make your own trail mix and cereal bars, or pack nuts and dried fruit as snacks in lunchboxes. They’re a great, healthy substitute for chocolates, crisps, and other lunchbox snacks.  

Worst Foods to Buy in Bulk

Bulky Food Stuffs

Be careful to avoid food with bulky packaging. No one wants to get home after a good shop and find that they don’t have enough space to store everything.

Perishables

This one seems obvious, but even some frozen foods seem like a good idea at the time, but have drawbacks. Don’t buy fresh food in bulk and freeze it. Only buy meat in bulk that was frozen when you bought it – home freezing generally destroys the quality and taste of meat. Frozen vegetables generally have a much lower nutritional value than fresh vegetables, and home frozen vegetables tend to lose all nutritional value.

Food that You Don’t Need

Make sure that the food you buy in bulk is food that you either eat everyday or eat very often. There is no point in trying a new cereal, for example, when you’re buying in bulk in case you don’t enjoy it.

Luxury Foods

Buy luxuries as you need them – and can afford them. Your budget should only include luxury foods, like treats, sweets, chips, etc. on occasion. If you buy biscuits, for example, in bulk, you’ll find yourself eating more than you usually would which will impact on your health.

Sauces

While garnishes and condiments like mayonnaise, tomato sauce, mustard, etc. seem like a good idea, they have a relatively short shelf life. Instead of buying huge quantities and risking reaching the expiry – or over using the product – buy the largest bottle or tub available in supermarkets.   Have you started buying in bulk yet? Let us know where you’ve been saving via Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

---