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Buying in bulk only saves money when the unit price is less than what you usually pay for the same item. The unit price is the same as the price per pound or ounce. For instance, I can buy whole wheat flour in a 5-pound bag for $1.98 or I can buy it in a 25-pound bag for $11.94. Which is less per pound? This is where math comes in hand. To figure the cost per pound I have to divide the price by the number of pounds in the package. In this case it would be 1.98÷5=0.396 or about 40¢ per pound and 11.94÷25=0.4776 or about 48¢ per pound In this example the 25-pound bag of flour is about 48¢ per pound and the 5-pound bag is about 40¢ per pound. The 5-pound bag is the better buy. Assuming you have the storage space it would be a good idea to buy several of the 5-pound bags. Many times larger packages are less per pound than smaller packages of the same product. However, as the example above shows, this isn't always true. Sometimes small or medium-sized packages have a lower unit price than larger items. For instance, a local store recently introduced a new 5-pound tub of peanut butter. In my price book, I knew their 40-ounce jar of peanut butter was listed as my best buy on the peanut butter page. The wheels in my brain began churning as I speculated that I was about to break new savings ground with their 5-pound tub. Quickly I glanced down at the unit prices listed on the shelf. The sneaky store had listed the larger jar at it's price per pound and the smaller jar at it's price per ounce. Comparing pounds and ounces is like comparing apples and oranges in my overworked brain. Instinctively I whipped out my handy dandy calculator from it's sacred spot in my price book. By dividing the price per pound of the larger container by 16 (16-ounces in a pound), I excavated it's price per ounce. Turned out, the 5-pound tub of peanut butter was a full 2¢ more per ounce than it smaller cousin sitting on the shelf below. We go through a lot of peanut butter. If the 5-pound tub had been cheaper I would have purchased at least two, maybe 3 or 4, depending on how much cheaper it was. Since the 40-ounce jar was still my best buy though, I did what I usually do, I plopped 5 jars into the cart, and continued on my way. You may wonder why I bought so many jars. Five jars is about a 4-month supply for us, less if we bake a lot of cookies. The store was one I visit infrequently, usually about every three months or so. Essentially I bought enough to last until my next visit. This brings us to another point about buying in bulk. When you visit stores that are outside of your normal routine, it makes sense to purchase enough of a product to last until your next visit. In the above example, this meant buying 5 jars of peanut butter. Sometimes you'll see drastic markdowns for no apparent reason. This is where your price book is most useful. If you are shopping along and suddenly see ground turkey at an exceptionally low price then you're in luck. Check your price book to make sure the price is indeed a genuine bargain. When you discover it is fully half of the price you normally pay for it, then stock up. I have been know to buy 15-pounds of ground turkey when it's half of the price I usually pay. Even then I wish I had bought more of them, but once again, my storage space is limited.
A food is only a bargain if your family will eat it. If your family hates liver, it is a bad buy even when the market is almost giving it away. Spending money on products the family dislikes is false economy. Sometimes food can be doctored up by the cook to make it more appetizing, but if the family really groans every time they see it on the stove, then don't waste any more money on it. Genuine Bargains are foods you normally purchase, marked down, sometimes drastically, for reasons usually known only to the grocer. Pantry goods and frozen foods, or foods that can be frozen at home, are ususally the best things to buy in bulk. These products will generally store for up to a year if packaged properly. I routinely buy meats like chicken leg quarters and ground beef in very large packages, and divide them up when I get home. My local warehouse store has 90% lean ground beef for $1.88 a pound, but only sells it in 10-pound rolls. When I buy it I know that it will have to be divided up and frozen at home. When meats are offered as a loss-leader they are usually quite cheap. If you have, or can make, the freezer space then you can save a great deal of money by stocking up when you see your favorite cuts on sale. The goal of buying in bulk is to save money by always buying things for the least amount possible. It saves time too because when our pantries are full we can "shop" in them instead of making yet another trip to the market. If you have made a list of the items you normally use then it can be used as a reference when you are at the store. When items on your list are on sale, you'll know that it's something you're likely to use so it makes sense to buy them while they're there. They may double in price by the next week. I know; I've seen it happen more than once. To sum it all up:
By following these tips you will be able to take advantage of bargains that pop up along the way. Use all the tools in your shed to give you an advantage over the supermarkets. They have stacked the deck in their favor, but they are big enough to make errors along the way. As consumers we are flexible and nimble enough to make our way through the market, using their mistakes to our advantage, and doing the best we can within our budgets.
Copyright Hillbilly Housewife 2005-2007
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