I cannot tell you how relieved I am that at least 97% of you didn’t know that you were supposed to run bleach through your washing machine. My deep laundry insecurities made me feel like I was the only one and that everyone might laugh and point at me in the comments. For the sake of information and knowledge, I feel like I need to let y’all know that Hugo said to just dump the cup of bleach directly in the tub of the washer and not in the soap dispenser, otherwise you may end up with some residual bleach in the dispenser that could wreak havoc and destruction on your next load of laundry causing untold sorrow.
In a delightful turn of events it has been cold and rainy here for the last two days. Well, at least it’s been Texas cold which means that the thermometer has hovered around a chilly 68 degrees. I know some of you Northerners may call that summer, but it’s been enough to make me break out my flannel pajama bottoms and the ingredients to make a pot of chili. P is super excited because he waits all year for the moment he gets to see me walk around the house in my blue fuzzy robe with socks pulled up to my knees. I think it goes without saying that it’s my most attractive look.
Due to the rain, P was home most of the afternoon yesterday and when I walked in the door from picking Caroline up from school I caught him looking at something on the internet, a ten pound case of dark chocolate covered cherries. He tried to tell me that he wasn’t about to order them, but given his love of ordering things in bulk I’m not sure I believe him. He is a firm believer that if one is good, then sixty-five are better.
I believe that philosophy applies to certain things like shoes or tubes of lipstick in various shades, but not to chocolate-covered cherries. Personally, I don’t need fruit messing up my chocolate.
But it made me think about buying things in bulk and wonder if I’m missing out because I’m just not a fan of the bulk purchase. Obviously I am in the minority or Sam’s and Costco would cease to exist. The only things I buy in bulk are paper towels, toilet paper, and Gummie LifeSavers. In other words, the essentials.
So my question is what do you buy in bulk and why is it better to buy it that way? I may need to rethink my philosophy. I mean it was just two days ago that I didn’t know to put bleach in the washing machine. Clearly, I have a lot to learn.
But I know enough to know that a family of three doesn’t need ten pounds of chocolate-covered cherries.
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Not a big fan of bulk either…toilet paper, paper towels, and ramen are my ‘large quantity’ purchases. Bulk for me is buying the big bag of frozen chicken strips. I feel like I’m goin’ all out.
I buy nothing in bulk. I am not a member of Costco or Sam’s Club.
Does that make me a bad American?
We frequent Sam’s about every 2 months. A few of the standards that always make the list:
Dog food
Diapers
24 packs of Gatorade bottles
24 packs of bottled water bottles
24 packs of Coke (cans)
Spaghetti
Paper towels
Toilet paper
Laundry detergent
Dishwashing detergent
I buy diapers and wipes in bulk. They are only a little bit cheaper in bulk, but since you go through them so quickly it’s more of a convenience thing to have a pack of 248 diapers as opposed to 20 diapers. Aside from that I do get some of the variety packs (chips, fruit snacks, 100 calorie packs, etc.) You still get a large qty but not a zillion of the same exact item.
Thanks for the bleach tip!
When I was in college, my roommate and I would buy bulk containers of those little red and white ‘after-dinner mints’ that melt in your mouth. We’d buy 3-4 containers at a time at Sam’s (they each have 500 mints, ha!). I don’t think I’ve eaten a single one of those mints since graduating.
I buy paper towels and toilet paper in bulk too…
But I also like to by my starbucks grounds in bulk from Sams too!
Can’t get too much starbucks!
It’s just me and my husband at our house, plus two dogs. We don’t have kids yet, so no diapers and wipes, but we do buy a lot at Sam’s Club (no Costco in town). Here’s what we buy only at Sam’s: TP, paper towels, napkins, ziploc bags, laundry detergent and softener, dishwasher soap, cleaners (409 or lysol), rice (I’m from Brazil, we eat a lot of rice), granola bars, oatmeal, sometimes cereal, olive oil, some frozen foods (they ahve the vest five cheese raviolis!), frozen veggie if they are out of season, cheese (most important item!), bread, eggs, margerine, yogurt, meats (ground beef, steaks and so on)body lotion and body soap. Sometimes we add on some yummy items like trail mix and goldfish crackers (you don’t have to have kids to have that in your pantry). We buy everything else at the frocery store. As far as fresh veggies and gruits, I buy at Sam’s and split the huge packages with a friend which works really well since the prices are lower. Very rarely something goes bad or gets old. I guess because we stay in and cook most nights. Then again, I don’t buy all this every single time I go to Sam’s. I hope this gives you a good idea…
I buy in bulk the stuff I have no plans to experiment with brand-wise or stuff I really don’t care about brand-wise.
All my detergent (except hand dish soap – love to try out new smells!) is bulk – there is nothing worse than running out of dishwasher detergent! Or laundry detergent. When we were in diapers, diapers were bought bulk. Still buy the wipes in bulk. All manner of plastic bags…trash bags, sandwich bags – you name it. Coke, juice boxes, toothpaste, paper products, feminine products, ground beef and pre-pkg’d chicken breasts I can freeze. Hard liquor. Pretty much nothing perishable. Although I have to say, this summer we blew the cherreis and grapes from Costco like crazy! But otherwise, no perishables.
Usually, the more of something you buy the cheaper it is. Stuff that I use a ton of, I buy in bulk. Stuff that I know I will use eventually and that won’t go bad in the meantime, I buy in bulk. It’s very helpful when stretching your grocery dollar. The key is to price compare. If it’s not cheaper, than I see no reason to have half a million of something. But if it is, I’ll store it in my dresser, if need be!
Wine.
I can never have enough in the house.
We buy bread in bulk. But only because we can go through 5 or 6 loaves in a week… and there are only 3 of us, and one is a 2 year old!
My husband is a firm believer of the “if one is good then certainly 50 is better” philosophy. I recently sent him to pick up a few things at Costco and he came back with a box of ShamWows. That box contained 16 of them. Seriously. Who needs 16 ShamWows unless you work at a car wash?!?!?! Needless to say I made him take them back.
But we shop at Costco a lot with two kids. I stock up on everything…toilet paper, trash bags, paper towels, toothbrushes, pasta sauce, cereal, meats, bread, chips, olive oil..etc, etc. Pretty much everything except veggies (unless frozen) and fresh fruits (although they do have rediculously good and cheap pineapples).
Trust me, it’s worth having large quantities on hand so that you don’t feel like you need to run to the store every day. Plus, it really does save you money.
We buy a lot in bulk. Of course there’s the tp,pt, and detergent that many have mentioned but we also buy lunch box items as well. I have two in school and one in MDO twice a week so we go through our fair share of chips, peanut butter, and, sadly Lunchables. We also buy canned goods, bodywash, diapers, wipes, juices, and….er…ummm…wine. Some days when my son comes home after ANOTHER trip to the principles office (he’s 5…I don’t know if that excuse makes it better or worse) you just need some wine.
The residual bleach is not a lie! I lost many a shirt to the residual bleach that lived in our washer for at least a month.
Paper towels, toilet paper, small bottles of water, the amazing Ecos liquid laundry soap at Costco, horse supplements and that’s it.
I can’t be trusted to buy anything else in bulk because Nona’s Biscotti just beg to be dipped in lattes and tea all day long.
paper towels, tuna, canned chicken, chicken breast tenders, seasoning mixes,rice, sugar, flour, olive oil, formula, corn dogs, hamburger meat, croissants
we live 30 miles from town and 55 miles from sams…when i make the trip in we stock up about once every other month
but i try to always have enough food in the deep freeze etc for at least 2 weeks just in case….year before last we got snowed in and it was 9 days before it was clear enough i could go into town…. i was glad of the supplies
steff
Here’s what I buy in bulk:
paper towels, soap, laundry detergent, fabric softener, dishwasher detergent, dish soap, toilet paper, paper plates, shampoo & conditioner.
I think that is it??? I try to buy the stuff in bulk that we use on an every day basis. I really don’t know if it is cheaper or not, I just like having a lot here so I don’t have to make a million trips.
Being a mama of 4 I buy LOTS in bulk. All paper products, many cleaning products, canned goods, food that do not expire quickly. I get better prices that way.
I love and hate bulk shopping. I like it because I need to go less, but I hate because I need to find someplace to put things. We let our warehouse membership expire and I don’t miss it a bit. If you happen to get those chocolate covered cherries, you can always share with us.
-FringeGirl
I end up buying meats in bulk. Ground beef, chicken breasts, pork chops…and then vacuum sealing them and putting them in my deep freeze. But if you don’t have a vacuum sealer or a deep freeze, it wouldn’t work out for you, due to the freezer burn and lack of space.
I am also not a fan of bulk buying. There are a lot of things wrong with it in my mind. Where do you put it all? I would come up with creative places to put it all and then forget it I had it. This would end with waste, which I do not like to do either. Then it is a BIG commitment. You have to REALLY like the stuff. What if you change your mind and then you are stuck with 65 or something you no longer care for? And then there is the issue of everything being bigger and heavier. I don’t want to lift a 20lb. bottle of laundry detergent. I will end up spilling it. This will cause me to cuss and then swear off laundry forever. This is not a good combination for anyone else in the house. So, my vote is no.
The ginormous bags of chocolate chips were a regular Sam’s Club staple when we lived in the U.S. And BIG old chunks of parmesan cheese because we like freshly grated, not that powdered stuff in a green can — and we eat cheese on just about everything. Except chocolate.
If the dark chocolate covered cherries are from the Cherry Republic then my advice is to buy TWO five pound boxes. They are scrumptious!!
I grew up in a family with 4 kids and it seemed like we were ALWAYS out of tp. I remember vowing to myself that that would never happen to my family.
And now that I have 4 kids, I don’t think there’s ever been a time when we were completely out of tp!
OCD, well maybe just about tp!
I usually buy cereal in bulk. I used to buy bread and chips but it goes bad before we can use it. I tend to buy books in bulk too! LOL! Way too many according to hubby!
I had no idea about the bleach. I had to scroll down and read your post to find out what the heck.
And I rarely buy in bulk. Sometimes if I find something organic, I might. Like I found organic spaghetti sauce in a pack of three. Lovely.
And frozen pizzas. It’s not organic, but it makes for a quick dinner.
And I like those big bags of frozen chicken breasts.
That’s about it.
Sandy
Toilet paper because who wants to run out of toilet paper????
Ground turkey (I never cook with ground beef), chicken, pork chops, soup, some canned goods, paper towels, laundry detergent, flour, rice, etc.
We bought a $19.99 food saver and use it on the meat and it freezes really well.
Sometimes the Winco near our home is cheaper (or comparable) to Costco, so I’ll buy there, and you don’t have to buy in bulk there.
Did your repairmen friend mentioning leaving the washer lid open to dry out the drum so it doesn’t rust?
I have no basis for that except that I do it (after washing something) and have never had a problem with rust in my washer or on the clothes.
There are a whole lotta comments up there, so this may have already been said BUT, the major appeal of Costco, for me, are the things that they just don’t sell other places. Like individual packs of hummus. And everything else escapes me, right at this moment, but there are a number of things that are Costco specific, and thus, worth the trip for me.
About the only think I buy religiously in bulk is my caramel for my coffee.
I’m forever spoiled and my morning coffee without caramel…let’s just say, nobody wants that.
I love that it was 68 and “cold” there today while it was 80 and hot here in Massachusetts today!
Great- now I need to buy bleach. Did you know that you are also suppose to put a couple of TBLS of bleach down this pipe for your a/c, or it gets clogged to- also known as why our son’s ceiling has water damage. And, our exterminator (we live in San Antonio,) told me this week that we should put a TBLS down each drain. That it would help with house flies and fruit flies.
People always assume we buy a lot of bulk, but I don’t. I do buy our tp from Costco and a couple of other odds and ends that are cheaper. Beer is cheaper at Costco too. What we use Costco for the most is electronics and other bigger stuff. They have a killer return policy. I had bought a Dyson from them, after 18 months it stopped working- I just took it back and they refunded the purchase. The best has to be the elliptical machine. My husband bought one because “we’ll use it every day!” After sitting practically unused for over a year in my family room, I made him take it back. We didn’t have the receipt, but they took it back no questions. The big items are actually a lot cheaper there- I’ve also gotten diamonds
Velveeta and Ro-tel b/c we live in the Midwest where a good queso is hard to come by.
Diet Coke and chocolate chips…’nough said.
Typical Costco trip:
Paper towels
Paper plates
Bottled Water
soft drinks
Razors
drugs
Zip lock bags
Books
We got our first Costco membership this year with a gift card from my brother. Definitely cost savings on diapers and all paper products. Overall I’m not completely sold as I always feel stressed during the experience. I haven’t gotten into the swing of have your card out here, your receipt out here, write a check or have cash (because I refuse to get another credit card, AmEx). The biggest stressor is my son who won’t sit still in the cart and the cart is so ginormous that it’s hard to push while holding him. If it’s out of your way to shop there, it’s probably not worth it either.
we are a family of 3 – so bulk isn’t really necessary, but we do dabble in it.
I am a fan of costco milk, eggs, butter, TP, paper towels, 50-pack of chips (lunches), peanuts, and fruit snacks.
As a mom who works 40 hours outside of the home, it makes my heart sing to have that 50-pack of lunch chips with me for over a month. We also buy the 3-pack of lunch meat, freeze 2 and call it a day.
Sometimes it’s cheaper, sometimes it’s not. It somehow reduces stress for me.
Things I’m always tempted to buy? The apple-sized grapes, spears of pineapple and those gargantuan vegetable trays. Two servings and the rest rots. Not worth it.
OH! And allergy pills. Last time we went, I almost wept at the generic zyrtec pills. 365 pills for $15.99. 24 of those non-generic bad boys cost that much.
i even blogged about it. a proud moment.
We have five kids, and I buy in bulk, but not a ton. I found I had to really be careful, as somone else said, because the “deal” may not be so great. I buy shredded cheese, sliced cheese(because my kids are cheese lovers!)laundry detergent(3 boys…need I say more?)pasta(noodle lovers too)bread flour, cereal,frozen chicken breast,pork loin(we have hogs too, but my dh thinks it’s a challenge to get it for under $2 a pound. It’s a game to him),spices,fruit cups,tomato sauce and extra strength tylenol(only it’s not tylenol brand). There are a few regular items I can’t think of too. I freeze EVERYTHING(well, not everything because I wouldn’t freeze laundry detergent etc..or my precious tylenol…how would I make it thru the day with 5 kids without it and Diet Coke?) so we don’t have spoilage etc… We go about every 2-3 months.
Thanks for the tip w/the bleach. I am hoping to get a new set when we move next year. I have a love/hate relationship with the washer. It MOVES as it washes. Hoping it will just move on out of the house thru the sliding doors it’s next to. Has yet to happen.
I do not care for cherries mucking with my chocolate either. But I will tolerate a Chunky bar with raisins and nuts. Because I am capricious.
Did anyone else notice that Bethany’s husband read the owner’s manual? I don’t even remember what this post was about – I’m in such shock – A man who reads a manual – before operating. I didn’t know one of those existed – AMAZING! Melanie, you crack me up every day. And today I definitely needed it!
I don’t know squat about buying in bulk b/c it’s just my husband, three dogs & me in our house, but have to tell you I am SO excited. I’ve been trying to find good dark choc covered cherries ever since Harry & David stopped making our favorite ones. No, we don’t need 10 lbs. of them, but one pound will certainly get us out of the withdrawals we’ve been having. Thanks!
I buy in bulk– things like 100% juice boxes, frozen chicken breasts, cheese, etc. I have a list of items that I buy monthly at Sam’s because we use them every week.
I save money by buying in bulk, but more important, I save my sanity. (I am a big coupon fan, and still, there are some things that are cheaper in bulk.) My kids are 6 and 3, and they do not like to shop. One trip to Sam’s saves me lots of little trips to the grocery store all month long, which is better for everyone.
Oh– and my thought on the bulk chocolate cherries? One afternoon with cute plastic containers, scrapbook paper, and a glue gun…. poof, all your teacher/ mailman/ etc. Christmas gifts are done! (I know, I know, not everyone’s idea of a good time.)
OH– forgot to mention, you’re also supposed to run bleach through your garbage disposal every month. We learned this from the RotoRooter guy who had to come out a couple of times a year at our old house due to some unfortunately-placed tree roots that kept messing with our pipes.
And I wonder if color-safe bleach would do the same trick for the laundry? Then there would be no worries about the next load.
Funny I should read this today, the very I took a Sam’s trip. We bought acetamenophin, paper products of all kinds, meats to be divided and frozen, individual packages of Chex Mix, a HUGE mum that has very little to do with buying in bulk except that it’s BIG and so are things in bulk, pretzel chips, blackberries, Soft Scrub and Pledge, and I ALWAYS shop there when hosting an extravaganza like the baby shower I will have next week. I didn’t buy the food for the shower yet, but I will be going back for that vegetable tray I saw for 10 bucks!!!!
With 5 kids, 3 of whom play soccer, we are at Sam’s Club at least twice a month. For us, it makes sense to buy in bulk. I am careful with the fruit… but the grape tomatoes, bananas and grapes don’t last more than 2 – 3 days in my house. To the person who commented ‘who needs a case of Cheerios?’ that would be my family that goes through at least 5 regular sized boxes of cereal a week. Don’t even ask about our milk consumption… it borders on scary! TP, PT, Gatorade, Propel, dog food, cat food, laundry detergent, fabric softener, cat litter, dishwasher detergent, napkins, chicken, frozen veggies, french fries, chicken nuggets, hamburger, pork, bread, milk, cheese… I could go on and on. Buying in bulk is my friend and cheaper than the regular grocery store (Kroger owned)and the WalMart around me.
Big Mama, you CANNOT go wrong (promise!) with anything from Cherry Republic! I visit them every year when we vacation in Northern Michigan (Glen Arbor, Traverse City, Leland…) and they are simply divine.
Let me know if he indulged!
PS. The wine from CR is even better
I like to buy cereal, TP, garbage bags, detergent, and toiletries in bulk. We DO NOT though go to a Sam’s or Cosco – usually those items are too much. I watch for sales and collect coupons. Most of the time, if things are on sale and I have some coupons, it is much cheaper to buy more of smaller sized items. Things liek cereal also stay fresher when it is smaller boxes because it is not a big huge box that can go stale.
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