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Storage and Usage Tips When Buying in Bulk
10/30/2009 9:59:33 AM
Catching the sales and buying in bulk can save money as long as you don’t let items go to waste. What do you buy in bulk and how do you manage your inventory of bargains? Do you have special tips for storing and using your bulk items?
Since my husband is a chef, he keeps inventory on the food and I take inventory on everything else in the house. Our stockpile of food lasts us about a couple of months. We use the FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer Kit (V3840). It works wonders!
- Galen said:
I use a vacuum sealer and repackage items like large bags of rice, beans, pasta. When meats are on sale I repackage in freezer bags. And theres always old fashioned canning for bushels of produce from the farmers market. Everything is labled and dated and rotated so that the oldest items are used first.
great idea thank you
We have a lot in our family so it never goes to waste because it goes
quickly. If I do need to store I would prefer using a vacuum sealer,
but I also use containers and zip top bags as well.
We do one major shopping trip a month and then the fill ins once a week, like the bread, juice ect. I always buy family packs of meat and then repackage it when we get home and rotate it in the freezer. I also buy at GFS the gallon cans of tomatoe sauce and such. When I make our sauces I use the whole gallon and then freeze what we dont need for supper that night. Not only is it saving food but time and energy. I buy rice and beans and things like that and repackage them into plastic screwtop containers too. I also can when it is possible. We have a pretty big pantry that is almost always pretty full.
I too date my foods I use a permanent marker to write on the item. This is a great reminder as to when to use foods.
I keep an freeezer inventory list on my computer and print it out, laminate it and hang it on the freezer w/ a pen. My family has gotten very good at marking something off the list when they remove it from the freezer and I'm the only one who "stocks" the freezer, so the list is quite accurate. I replace the list every time I clean the freezer.I also am a huge FoodSaver fan! No more freezer burn!!
I stockpile by catching sales and using coupons too. It does not take
long, at all, for your pantry and freezer to overflow. Every few months
we have a week or two of "living off the stockpile". I try to make meals and snacks only with the things I have on hand already, and skip grocery shopping except for the must haves like milk and fresh produce. This helps in several ways. Since I'm buying very little those weeks, I save a little extra on our budget that month. It helps me clean out any foods that are close to expiration dates. And usually during this time, I rearrange and take stock of what's left, so I'll know exactly what I need to start buying again, and what I should hold off on a little longer.
Buy in bulk, split cost or share with a neighbor or donate to local food pantry (most also take things like toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, personal products, etc)
I have wondered about using a vacuum sealer kit vs the freezer storage bags - I expect if it is used properly, it would seal better than freezer zipper bags alone??
- M said:
The best way to not let food go bad is having a teenage boy in the house. We buy in bulk and never have things go bad. He and his friends eat it up! Gotta love those teenage boys... eat and eat and never get fat!
LOL, that is my thought, except I have two of them...there are never left overs!
I actually store and hide extra potato chips in the freezer -the kids don't think to look there, and I think it keeps them fresher longer
I hide chips (potato chips) in the freezer, I think it keeps them fresh for storage, as well as the kids don't find them
I try to only stock pile things that save well :) With dry goods, if there is a sale I will stock up and then make sure to put the newest cans in the back of the pantry to I use the older ones first. Someone mentioned dating them, which I haven't done yet but might try! I also only buy meat when it is on sale but try not to have more than maybe 5 different packages in the freezer at a time. I freeze fruits and vegetables that we cannot eat before they go bad too... bananas to use in bread, blueberries and strawberries, green peppers and tomatoes all freeze well. I also make entire meals ahead of time and freeze to save myself some time on weeknights!
I store meat in small containers and use as needed .I also buy dried beans in bulk , soak them in water and boil and freeze then in small ziplock bags.
for canned and boxed items I use large clear rubbermaid containers in my basement and garage so I can see what is inside. mice or bugs cant get in ( garage)
a group of women and i share . when we get over loaded with something we trade each other for something they are over loaded with at the time .. that way nothing goes to waste and everyone gets in on the savings and no one goes without...
I buy paper products on sale (toilet tissue, paper towels, paper plates, napkins etc.) and really stock up. We installed a shelf close to the ceiling around the perimeter of our laundry room (need a step stool to reach) to store away all the goodies. They are easy to see, and not hard to get down. At a glance I can see when 'stock' is running low. Extra health and beauty aids are stored in a clear plastic underbed storage chest, which can easily be pulled out to see its contents.
I also have a Foodsaver Vacuum sealer. I don't reuse bags that I have used for meats but I do reuse the bags that have dry goods in them. I use them to store trinkets of the kids and scrapbook supplies, just about everything!!!I also live in the house that my grandparents lived in since 1943. There is a closet beside the old chimney that I use to put in the things that I can as did my grandma, plus I put in all my extras.When I am planning to go shopping I clean out my fridge, restock from my kitchen cabinets, then restock the cabinets from the closet, then go to the store and find those bargainsSue Fairchild
- Peggy said:
I buy tomato paste/sauce in gallon cans and seal it in bags to freeze. I spend $3.00 for about the same amount of $8.00 in small cans. Beans and rice go in canning jars on the pantry shelf. I never buy a package of 10-bean soup - just grab some from each jar.
I first freeze my tomato paste in ice trays, pop out the cubes, wrap individually in saran wrap then place them in freezer bag. When I make chili I just reach in the freezer and get a cube or two depending on recipe. =)
- Genelle said:
I find that buying in bulk is not always the better deal ; for example 20 rolls of scott toilet paper maybe $15.99 at the bulk buying warehouses and at Shoprite it can be on sale for $9.99; you really have to know the prices of the products you use; I also write a grocery list for the whole entire month each month as a way of not running out of things and I keep my grocery receipts for the whole month. Anthother example honey nut cheerios 30 oz box or larger may go for $6.99; at Shoprite buy 3 10 oz boxes or larger for 3/$5.00 use manufacture coupons and get the boxes for free; or a small balance may be due. So you can see why I am not really sold of Coscos, Sams Club, BJs and etc. Thank you,G. Sanders, Philadelphia
Vacuum Sealers are a necessity if you stock up on items when they are on sale. Example, I just purchased walnuts when they were on sale (50 cents a package after coupons) I made a small hole in the top of the package so that all the air could be vacuumed out, dated them and stored them in the freezer. I have plenty of nuts now to last thru the holidays and well into the new year. I also re-use the bags that the nuts were stored in. The only bags I dont re-use are the ones I froze meat in.
- M said:
The best way to not let food go bad is having a teenage boy in the house. We buy in bulk and never have things go bad. He and his friends eat it up! Gotta love those teenage boys... eat and eat and never get fat!
You're on the dot about that. My oldest son is 18 and we were blessed with twin boys 15 months after his was birth. Food does not go bad in our home.
- Nicole said:
I first freeze my tomato paste in ice trays, pop out the cubes, wrap individually in saran wrap then place them in freezer bag. When I make chili I just reach in the freezer and get a cube or two depending on recipe. =)
- Judy said:
Years ago I cleaned out my linen closet of all linens. Now I keep the spare sets of sheets in the bedrooms they belong in and bought a small chest for the towels in the bathroom. Soooo Ive got a whole linen closet I use to store all those items I buy in bulk when they are on sale. My husband calls it my store but I have to tell you that most of the stuff in there I got for free with coupons and store sales. I rarely if ever run out of anything. Judy
Great Ideal Judy...concerning the linens...that will give me more space in my linen closet thanks
When I was growing up, it was just my mom and me - so I was raised on a lot of "Depression Stories" - plus Mom gardened and canned for most of my life. She always told me to have a 2 YEAR supply of food on hand - plus fabric, sewing notions, patterns (stick with classics that never go out of style!), paper products, etc.In addition to my vacuum sealer, I also do dry pack canning - very easy and cost effective! I buy my grains (whole wheat, etc.) from Lehi Roller Mills - and as much as possible as close to the orginal source as possible. I also have a wheat mill/grinder - so I can actually grind any grain to as fine of a powder as I desire. Whole wheat has an indefinate shelf life - provided you keep bugs and pests (mice, etc.) out of it!Then just grind small batches - and I even recycle the wheat germ and hulls into homemade breads for additional fiber and nutrition. Don't make a sudden transition though, from processed white flour to all whole wheat - your system won't handle it, and you can have some severe dehydration problems. I generally mix my homeground with unbleached, white flour.Also, there are a few project boards, that provide simple construction plans for building shelves that will automatically rotate your canned goods (I do NOT recommend putting glass bottles in these, however!!!) Simply load the new purchases in the slot at the top, and get the cans you currently need from the bottom.
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