Buying Food in Bulk.
I'm peeling back the curtain on how we navigate the world of bulk buying—not just to save pennies but to deeply root our lives in the values of sustainability and quality that we hold dear.
Bulk buying is more nuanced than simply filling your cart at Costco, although that's part of the fun. It's about seizing those moments when essentials are discounted—like the time our favorite rice was a steal at $6 off. We snagged two bags, yet in hindsight, doubling that would've been even smarter!
Mastering Bulk Buys:
Smart Storage: The key to bulk buying is not just what you buy but how you store it. Whether it's freezing, container use, or shelf placement, strategic storage ensures longevity and freshness.
Shelf-Life Savvy: Understand the lifespan of your purchases. This knowledge helps prevent waste, saving money and reducing our environmental impact.
Space Efficiency: Especially for those of us with limited space, efficient storage becomes a creative challenge. It’s about making the most of every nook and cranny while maintaining accessibility and organization.
Embracing these principles has significantly changed how we shop. For example, shifting from packaging bulk meat myself to sourcing directly from farmers, where a butcher has already packaged items individually has not only saved us time but also connected us to our food in a more meaningful way. Last fall’s quarter cow, bought directly from a farmer who shares our sustainable ethos, cost us about $780, translating to around $6/lb for ALL our cuts. We got prime rib, brisket, a variety of steaks, roasts, short ribs, soup bones, ground and I also took the fat for free to make tallow. This strategic move offers us a diverse range of high-quality cuts at a fraction of the price compared to mainstream grocery stores.
Here's how that stacks against Save on Foods:
🍔 Hills Organic: $14.95/lb
🍔 Top Grass Cattle Co.: $13.95/lb
🍔 Western Canadian (lower quality): $7-$8/lb
🥩 Grilling Steak: $23.96/lb
🥩 Strip-loin: $30/lb
Costco Picks & Passes:
Our journeys to Costco are calculated, aimed at finding the best deals on essentials without compromising our principles. We look for organic produce, quality nuts, and other staples that fit into our lifestyle. However, it's also about knowing what to leave behind in favor of homemade solutions or direct-from-farmer purchases
At Costco, while we stock up on essentials like:
Snacks and bars
Organic berries, lettuce, and avocados
Coffee beans and avocado oil
Sugar and frozen berries
There are items we’ve chosen to bypass, reflecting our commitment to sustainability and quality over convenience:
Laundry detergent (we make our own for just $11 for a 5-gallon batch!)
Toilet paper (we opt for unbleached, gentle options)
Bread (nothing beats homemade with organic local flour) - Costco does have a brand in a red bag that is true sourdough and a great find if you are looking for something.
Meat (beef - never, pork - sausages only and only sometimes, and chicken - never) - With local choices, we find local meat is better overall. Quality and supporting our Canadian small farmers is more important to us and I’ve proven it is actually less or not that much more to buy local.
Pro Tips for Storing Bulk Buys:
Bulk buying demands creative storage solutions, especially for those of us maximizing space. Utilizing the freezer efficiently, employing airtight containers for pantry items, and adopting zero-waste practices like the baking sheet method for freezing individual portions are game-changers. These techniques not only help manage our hauls but also extend the life of our purchases, ensuring we enjoy the freshness and quality we value.
For meats and delicate items like fish, vacuum-sealing has become indispensable, preserving their quality and extending their shelf life. Meanwhile, our approach to items like bread and sandwich meats embraces the joy of DIY, with home baking and a meat slicer at home add a personal touch to our meals and savings.
The Baking Sheet Method: Perfect for freezing individual portions, using a large baking sheet with parchment paper you put your items on this and into the freezer overnight. Now your items are individual, allowing you to grab what you need and to store all in one ziplock rather than many.
Vacuum Sealing: Keeps delicate items like fish fresh for longer, and sandwich meat. We bought a 4lbs salami, sliced it into 12 vaccum sealed packages for 1/4 the price if we purchased individually.
Bulk Nuts & Flour: Quality and quantity meet at Costco for nuts, while local health stores can offer great deals on bulk organic flour.
Harvest Hauls: Every end of season harvest time is a great time to buy so many things in large quantities and at a great price.
Tomatoes can be tossed directly into the freezer and used later to make sauces, just blend and cook and you are done.
Cabbage will save for a few months in a fridge and end of season they are normally massive.
Apple cider vinegar I’ve purchased a 1 gallon of from a local farm for $80, and I’ve had it for over a year now and only 1/2 way though. It gets better with age.
Garlic is one of the easiest plants to grow, I do and I have it all year round by keeping it in a cool place once I harvest it in July.
Seizing Sales with Strategy:
Sales are our best friend when it comes to pantry-safe items. For instance, when canned tomatoes are discounted, we’re there grabbing two or three cases because they’re versatile and long-lasting. Pasta sales? That’s our cue to buy in bulk, sometimes enough to last us months or even the entire year. Canned soups are another case buy for us—perfect for those nights when you need a quick, no-fuss meal and want to keep things simple and shelf-stable.
When it comes to cooking oils, we're selective, choosing only avocado and olive oils. Despite the marketing push for seed oils, we steer clear due to their health implications and environmental impact. Coconut milk is another staple we bulk buy during sales; its utility in cooking and shelf stability make it a prime candidate for our pantry.
Incorporating these items into our bulk buying strategy isn’t just about the immediate savings; it’s a long-term investment in our lifestyle. By waiting for sales and then buying abundantly, we save hundreds annually on products that are integral to our diet.
The Bulk Buying Philosophy:
Ultimately, mastering bulk buying is more than the financial savings; it's about embracing a philosophy that prioritizes health, sustainability, and community. By choosing what and how we buy with care, we not only nourish our bodies with the best nature has to offer but also support practices that care for our planet.
As we look ahead, our next posts will delve deeper into how these bulk treasures inspire our meal planning and culinary adventures, turning savings into delicious, nourishing experiences for our families.
