Do Large Families Save Money Buying in Bulk?by Nicole Humphrey | More from this Blogger 04 Aug 2007 08:51 PM There is a great debate taking place in regards to bulk purchasing foods. With the crop up of bulk warehouses everywhere, it seems like the thing to do. But people are beginning to ask if it truly saves you money in the long run. I am not here to debate whether it does or does not, however, I am here to share with you how it can truly benefit a large family. Bulk buying is difficult sometimes, because of storage; the boxes, containers and other packaging methods are large and bulky. This can be solved by purchasing shelf units for a basement. We have a shelf unit and we have a large movable pantry for the basement. And of course, the queen of freezer cooking is not without her very large extra freezer chest in the basement. Making sure you have proper storage when bringing home bulk purchases is important. Sometimes we forget what we have, and if you don't make it visible it will get wasted. The debate that is going on, is in direct relation to how quickly most foods spoil. Is it worth purchasing large amounts of meat, fruits, etc. if it will spoil in a week or two? The key for a large family to be able to save the most money on bulk food purchases, is to plan ahead. Create a meal plan for at least two weeks. Decide what will be eaten or provided during breakfast, what choices for lunch will be, and what dinner each night will be served. Create a shopping list based off this meal plan. When you enter the bulk food warehouse, stick to your list! I cannot stress that enough. Yes, you will see dozens of other great deals, you will see items that might be great to have in the house, but these things can be purchased elsewhere in smaller amounts. If you create a meal plan, stick to your list and then prepare the foods that you have purchased from the bulk food warehouse, you will begin to see how the savings add up. It might not be a bright idea to purchase a banana bunch with 17 bananas included if only one person in the household likes bananas. However, if several people in the house enjoy banana bread, purchasing them this way, can save a bundle and allow you to make other meals with the one item. Tip: Be sure to freeze things that can be frozen, to help them last the longest. More Recent Money Saving Articles: Frugal Living for Large Families: a Whole Different Story Save Money on Breakfast: Some Frugal and Healthy Ideas Learn more about Nicole Humphrey  Nicole Humphrey is a freelance writer, consultant for CTMH and a Sr. Blogger for families.com. She resides in St. Charles, Missouri with Mike and their five children and two furbabies. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags big, bulk, families, large, shopping Discuss this article
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