The Truth Behind Buying in Bulk

Is buying in bulk worth it? Really?

Only if you want to protect the planet and save money...

Seriously, buying products in bulk is one of the most "eco" ways to shops; it's one of the best ways to save money, too. Why? For starters, larger sizes deliver the same amount of product using less energy and materials than the equivalent number of smaller packages.

Next time you go shopping, browse the snack aisle and compare the difference for yourself. When you buy one large box of cookies, all you pay for is the cookies and the one box. But if you buy a "snack pack" of ten or twelve small bags, you end up with all those individual bags, plus the display box they came in and the cellophane wrapped around them. That's a lot of excess packaging!

All that extra wrapping costs you more money. At Peapod, an online grocery store, a 15 oz. box of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip cookies runs around $3.99 or $.27/ounce. The package of 12 snack bags costs $5.79 or $.34/ounce. If you need snacks for yourself or your kids, why not buy reusable containers you can easily refill with cookies from the larger bag? Bonus: The snack containers will do a better job of protecting the snacks from getting crushed in a lunch bag or backpack.

Wal-Mart claims that a family of four can save as much as $2,000 per year just buying in bulk. When you have the space, choose the largest available sizes of shampoo, laundry detergent, toilet tissue, light bulbs, blanks CDs, pencils and pens...you get the idea.

Here's how I saved $20 buying bulk cat food. 

Got any bulk bargains of your own to share? Let us know.

Comments

[jennifer Stikeleather]

I live in San Francisco with roommates - buying in bulk together is something we also do to save money and the environment.

For instance we all split the cost of household items such as toilet paper (recycled of course), eco-friendly soap, and cfl light bulbs. We purchase from Costco, where everything is based on bulk items and lower prices. It's also a huge time saver for us as we don't have to replenish these supplies as often. We try to organize our grocery shopping trips together, to again save time and lessen our carbon footprint.

Buying in bulk is a great and fairly easy tip to follow - being green and saving green at the same time!

[Bonnie]

Buying in bulk also cuts down on the number of trips you have to make to the store--cutting down on emissions, traffic, and wear on your car, plus giving you more time to do things you want to do!

[Diane MacEachern]

Thanks for the additional information, and the ideas for making this work for roommates. Anyone else have experiences to share?

[Account Deleted]

I agree about buying bulk it is a good way to save money and the planet, if we all make just one change in our lives, we can help the planet, I have reuseable grocery bags, so I do not need plastic grocery bags, I combine all of my errands so I do not have to go out as often. I just need to do more to save the planet.

[Account Deleted]

I agree about buying bulk it is a good way to save money and the planet, if we all make just one change in our lives, we can help the planet, I have reuseable grocery bags, so I do not need plastic grocery bags, I combine all of my errands so I do not have to go out as often. I just need to do more to save the planet.

[Cindy]

I have these great cotton bags that I use when buying from bulk bins so that I don't have to waste plastic bags! They have some nice ones at www.lifewithoutplastic.com.