Buy Bulk Food to Save Money on Groceries

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A woman picks up her order at the Know Thy Food buying club in Portland, Ore. Food-buying clubs are groups of individuals and families who merge their grocery lists to buy food in big quantities at close-to-wholesale prices.
A woman picks up her order at the Know Thy Food buying club in Portland, Ore. Food-buying clubs are groups of individuals and families who merge their grocery lists to buy food in big quantities at close-to-wholesale prices.
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Buying in bulk reduces waste, especially when packing materials are reused (as they are in the Know Thy Food buying club in Portland, Ore.).
Buying in bulk reduces waste, especially when packing materials are reused (as they are in the Know Thy Food buying club in Portland, Ore.).
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Members of Maine's Kennebec Local Food Initiative weigh and divide the club's bulk purchases.
Members of Maine's Kennebec Local Food Initiative weigh and divide the club's bulk purchases.
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Food-buying clubs make collective purchases, usually through wholesalers, nabbing substantial savings on large-quantity purchases of everything from toothpaste to whole grains.
Food-buying clubs make collective purchases, usually through wholesalers, nabbing substantial savings on large-quantity purchases of everything from toothpaste to whole grains.
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Consider how you'll store bulk food before you buy. For example, freezing fruits and vegetables preserves their flavor and texture for up to 18 months.
Consider how you'll store bulk food before you buy. For example, freezing fruits and vegetables preserves their flavor and texture for up to 18 months.
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Jars and bins are a wise investment for storing bulk food purchases.
Jars and bins are a wise investment for storing bulk food purchases.
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One cubic foot of freezer space holds about 35 pounds of meat.
One cubic foot of freezer space holds about 35 pounds of meat.
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Produce is a lot cheaper if purchased in season from local growers.
Produce is a lot cheaper if purchased in season from local growers.
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You may already shop the bulk department of your co-op or grocery store, but cutting out the storefront altogether can offer even more financial, environmental and gastronomical benefits.
You may already shop the bulk department of your co-op or grocery store, but cutting out the storefront altogether can offer even more financial, environmental and gastronomical benefits.

We all have a taste for good food, but quality groceries can come at a high price. Whet your appetite with this money-saving advice: Purchasing bulk food is a highly effective way to cut expenses and eat locally. You may already shop the bulk department of your co-op or grocery store, but cutting out the storefront altogether can offer even more financial, environmental and gastronomical benefits. Besides making your food shopping easier and less frequent, bulk groceries are often of higher quality than packaged supermarket products. And the money savings will wow you: See our Estimated Savings From Buying in Bulk chart for specific savings on 20 items.

If you choose to eat organic, the savings from buying in bulk can be even more staggering: A 2012 study by the Food Industry Leadership Center at Portland State University found that consumers saved an average of 89 percent compared with supermarket costs when they bought large quantities of certain organic foodstuffs, including grains, beans and spices (read more in the 2012 Bulk Foods Study).

Buying food in bulk may seem intimidating if you don’t know beans about it. We’ll walk you through the key steps of buying in bulk on your own from local farmers and, for even greater savings on more items, joining a food-buying club.

Member Benefits

Buying clubs are groups of individuals and families who merge their grocery lists to buy food in big quantities at close-to-wholesale prices. Clubs make a collective purchase once or twice per month, usually through a single wholesaler, nabbing substantial savings on large-quantity purchases of everything from toothpaste to whole grains. As our chart shows, you can routinely save as much as 50 percent. Food-buying clubs also build community — members get to know each other while coordinating orders and volunteering time to divide the food.

  • Published on Mar 7, 2014
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