Make a Plan

Don’t just head over to Costco and throw the largest items you can find into your cart! You have to have a plan. A plan will ensure you get the best deal, not blowing your budget, and save you from throwing away hundreds of dollars worth of expired items.

Budget

Plan to put aside a portion of your grocery and household goods budget monthly. For our family, this is about 20-25%. You won’t need to shop in bulk every month, but you also don’t want shopping in bulk to be an added expense when it should be helping to lower your overall expenses. Pick up a budget template today and see where all your money goes.

Stick to the budget. You don’t need to buy every bulk item all at once. As you run out of goods, prioritize them on your bulk shopping budget. Spread your expenses out to fit your budget and also help ensure you don’t have all your goods set to expire at the same time.

Don’t buy too much

Just because they sell it in bulk doesn’t mean you should buy it in bulk. There are three common sulk shopping traps.

1. Fresh Food
   1. No matter how good the price, it is going to be rare that you have the storage method, space, or appetite to really capitalize on the savings of fresh produce or meat. Read on for tips to make that assessment for yourself.
2. Food You Don’t Eat or Don’t Eat Enough Of
   1. You probably don’t need five dozen eggs for your family of three or the 50lb bag of peanuts when you have an allergy. Again, a good deal is not a good deal for all.
3. Overestimating how much you need.
   1. We do not waste food here at Habitual Heart. Not only would you be wasting food and the cost associated if you overbuy, but you’re also letting that food take up valuable real estate in your pantry and mind. Don’t underestimate that cost. If a deal is too good, but the quantity is too much, reach out to a friend or family member to see if they will split the haul.

Know how to store your bulk buys

Two keys to being able to buy in bulk are knowing how to store items properly as well as having the space to store them correctly.

Let’s take meat, for example. Meat is highly perishable and is primarily stored in limited quantities because of limited cold storage. In the refrigerator, you are looking at a week, and the deep freezer will get you 4-12 months. Also, keep in mind that this storage is not free. There is a real cost to running large appliances like these. There are options to can, dehydrate, or freeze-dry certain meats, but this requires skills, time, and equipment. Keep this in mind as you make your purchases, and do not buy what you do not have the space or skills to store.

Taking the extra steps to ensure proper storage means less food loss or waste. A good example here is flour. My family of three uses about five pounds of flour a month, but I bulk buy it in two 10-pound bags. If I were to leave it in the original packaging, I’m risking pest infestation and exposure to air and moisture(=spoilage). Within a few days of purchase, I refill the airtight container in my pantry and divide the rest into Mylar bags. Both my pantry container and the Mylar bags perfectly fit five pounds so working my way through the flour without running a high risk of food loss is easy.

Storing dry goods in Mylar also extends the shelf life. Flour can last 10-15 years, well past the best-by dates on original packaging (Who decided that a paper bag was good enough for storing flour?…sus if you ask me). This extra step reduces the risk of food waste and loss but also sets our home up for emergency preparedness in that we have extra, shelf-stable food on hand in sufficient quantities for something unexpected. 

There are tons of products out there that help store food for longer, from simple methods like airtight containers and Mylar bags to canning, dehydrating, freezing, and freeze-drying. Each takes its own mastery and cost investment. I will go into this further in another article but just know these products and skills can significantly increase the shelf life of most foods and therefore make bulk purchases even more cost-effective. 

How to get a good deal

Now that you have navigated the pitfalls of buying in bulk let’s make sure you get a good deal. If you learn nothing else from this article, please learn how to compare costs properly. Sticker price alone is not the way to go. You need to be looking at COST PER UNIT.

You probably already do this in reverse when you shop for meat. You take a look at two packages of chicken breast, and you see that one is $7.43 and one is $6.89. If you compare by price, you might think that the less expensive one is the better deal when, in fact, they are priced at $3.99 per pound and the exact same deal.

Most stores make this easy if you take the time to look at the price tag on the shelf. Get in close and look at the unit cost and compare. Also, ensure the units are the same, ounces to ounces, pounds to pounds, packages to packages, etc. If the cost per unit is not displayed, whip out your calculator and divide the price of the item by the units measured, which should be on the front packaging or on the nutritional label. The more you practice price comparison, the quicker you will be able to find good deals. I personally don’t buy canned tomatoes unless it is better than $.68 a can in my area.

Here is a quick list of categories where you can usually find the best bulk shopping deals.

Grocery

• Cereal
• Oatmeal
• Canned vegetables and fruit
• Soup
• Rice, grains, and pasta
• Beans (canned and dried)
• Frozen food (veggies, fruit, meat, prepared foods) *limited by storage space
• Crackers, cookies, chips
• Nuts
• Sweeteners (Sugar, Honey, Maple)
• Flours
• Spices and extracts
• Coffee & Tea

Household Consumables

• Toilet paper (not shown to have significant savings)
• Paper goods (Paper towels, napkins, paper plates, and bowls)
• Coffee filters
• Laundry or dish detergent
• Cleaning supplies
• Sponges
• Trash bags
• Foil, plastic wrap, parchment paper, plastic storage bags
• Lightbulbs
• Batteries
• Tape

Beauty and Self-Care Products

• Soap
• Shampoo & conditioner
• Lotion
• Toothpaste, toothbrushes, and floss
• Cotton balls, rounds, or swabs
• Contraception (check expiration dates)
• Feminine hygiene Items
• Pain medicine
• Vitamins (check shelf life)
• Over-the-counter allergy medicine
• Bandaids and wound care
• Hand sanitizer or Rubbing alcohol
• Antibacterial wipes

Baby Goods

• Baby food and snacks
• Baby formula (dry is best)
• Powdered Milk
• Baby wipes
• Diapers

Pet Products

• Pet food
• Dog waste bags
• Cat litter

We went from being aggressive savers for big goals like our first home, to those who save to protect our finances. That might reflect in what moves we were able to make, but I hope this is is just a source of inspiration for whatever boat you may find yourself in.

We moved back home.

This might not be an option for everyone, but as the largest expense on most of our budgets, you must look for cost-savings here. Call your landlord, call your insurance company, call all of your utility providers. Most people/companies are just as eager to keep your business as you are to stay. In fact, I do this about once a year with all my utility providers, pandemic or not. Simply give a call and use a phrase like “when reviewing my budget” or “this is not in my budget right now.” It’s a magical phrase whether it saves a couple of bucks or a significant chunk.

We took this to the extreme. We were planning on moving into our first home next, not back in with my parents, but the world had other plans. In March of 2020, knew my husband wouldn’t be able to find comparable, safe work any time soon, and with our rent (and utilities) in the Bay Area being $3,000+/month we knew that was the largest expense we would be facing. We took advantage of my indefinite work-from-home position and packed up for Southern California. We knew we would have the flexibility to return if needed, but even if this thing only lasted for two months, we would save $6,000 and not touch our emergency or down payment savings. Here we are five months in and we’ve saved $15,000 and it doesn’t look like we will be moving out before the new year. We are very fortunate that my parents were able to offer us this cost-saving opportunity and if you have an opportunity to “buddy-up” with parents, relatives, or even friends, now is the time to do so. (Even if that is just on a Netflix subscription!)

Rightsize your car insurance.

My car has literal spiderwebs on it. I went from a modest 1-hour commute a day, to nothing. My husband was even more drastic cutting his 2-hour commute entirely. Make sure to take a few minutes to call your insurance provider to update your projected usage and mileage to better reflect how much time you are actually on the road these days. While a few companies are already issuing credits, there is still more to save. We were able to reduce our 6-month rate by $200 in addition to the ~$20 monthly credits we have been receiving.

Goodbye memberships.

I know there is a debate between continuing to support your local small gyms, classes, daycares, etc. My two-cents here is that if you have the income to do so, continue, but that’s often not the case when you come to read an article like this. There is no shame in putting yourself first. Cut the gyms, cut subscription boxes, and try to pair up with friends on streaming services. Prioritize between wants and needs and get hacking.

Cut entertainment budget.

This one happened naturally, unfortunately. There is not much available to do these days. No movies, no concerts, even dining out is not an option for us. Dining out was our largest “entertainment” category spend because we loved to use date night to experience new restaurants. Ironically all the “free” stuff is what we still can do. Get outside. Have a picnic, go to the park, take a hike. Try and flip your mindset from spending money to just staying busy. It’s not the most fun, but you can still find fun in the free activities.

Spend more time to save more money.

Finding deals and saving money takes more time. But when you lose your job, you have a lot of time to look for another position and time to make sure you are not squandering your savings.

I keep up on all my credit card rewards. My travel rewards cards (Chase Saphire Reserve) are shifting to offer their customers some kind of value in the absence of travel. Now I get 5x points on groceries and I can get free Instacart Express membership. I also get a free year of Doordash Dashpass which we are using to fill the hole of our date night routines. Take the time to read those emails and check bank statements. For me, free deliveries came at the cost of switching my payment method from ApplePay to entering my credit card information.

If you also keep up to date HabitualHeart.com, you will know we are expecting. News flash! Babies are expensive. I checked in with insurance to see what we could get covered and a big one was a breast pump for me, but also check for areas of savings or expenses that can be directed to an HSA or FSA card. Just because you lost your job, does not mean that you will lose what you have already contributed to a health savings account. You will have to spend it before the end of your insurance year, so it is very important you find ways to smartly spend.

Also, if you are on the market for any big-ticket items, make sure you check for secondhand-savings or sales. Facebook Marketplace is quickly becoming an easy and abundant marketplace for nearly everything. Also, install apps and plugins like Honey and Rakuten to make sure you are finding the best codes and getting cash back on necessary purchases. I even go so far as to add items to my carts to watch for price changes or get “cart completion” coupons. (Sharing some not so secret knowledge from my past in e-commerce.)

There are a ton of apps and services out there, but these apps are literally worth it.

Rakuten (previously Ebates)

Ibotta

I tend to use Ibotta for in store purchases. Ibotta allows you to save or get cash back for both shopping at certain stores and for purchasing specific products. This is great if you have favorite food brands and works similarly to Rakuten, getting kickbacks from retailers and brands.

The two ways to earn are by connecting store loyalty cards like Target Circle and local grocery chains or by scanning (or uploading) receipts. Connecting to loyalty cards has the benefit of automatic savings, while scanning receipts requires that you remember to keep on top of your scans.

Overall, the app is easy to use and user friendly, however, Ibotta is a little more involved than Rakuten in that you have to add offers before shopping so there is a little more pre-planning needed.

• Pros: Best for groceries. CASH (not gift cards or credit) back.
• Cons: Must add offers before shopping.
• Sign Up Deal: Use this link (or code CCHLWMJ) to get UP TO $20 back when you redeem 10 offers in the first 14 days.

Fetch

Fetch and Ibotta are very similar in the way you earn rewards. They both excel at in-store purchases and work on both the brand and product levels. The main difference you will notice immediately is that Ibotta operates with cash back while Fetch works with points you exchange for gift cards. While not cash, the variety of offers make it feel pretty flexible. Friends say they basically use this to fund their Starbucks addiction.

The interesting thing (that might not be around forever) is that you can use the same receipts on both Fetch and Ibotta and potentially double your rewards. So, if you are going to spend the time uploading receipts, might as well do it for both apps.

• Pros: Good for groceries.
• Cons: Must add offers before shopping. Only redeemable for gift cards.
• Sign Up Deal: Use this link (or code 1N9CV) to get 2000 points on signup.

Disclaimer:Habitual Heart may receive referral bonuses from signups attributed to the links above.