The Best Things To Buy In Bulk

I remember soon after my husband and I got married we went to go grocery shopping together. We each had our own ideas of where we should go shopping and what we should buy. With just a small grocery store in town, we headed to the next town over and went to Sam's Club. I had only been to one once or twice and was amazed by what all they had. We bought all sorts of things including a 12 pack of Mac and Cheese and what must have been a lifetime supply of Kielbasi.

After spending an insane amount of money and having a huge cart full of food I thought we would have enough food for weeks. Unfortunately, you don't always want to eat Mac and Cheese and Kielbasi night after night. I also found that some of the things we bought in bulk I didn't even like. It's not fun having 120 breakfast bars when you know you don't like them.

I have since learned that there are some great things to buy in bulk and things you just want to skip. Buying in bulk can save you 100's of dollars a year, but not everything in bulk is a deal. Check out the best things to buy in bulk below.

Toilet Paper & Paper Towels

These are my two favorite things to buy from the warehouse stores. I have found they are usually the lowest prices in town at the warehouse stores. Plus, the packages are so big they last forever. I think we have been using the same paper towel package for over 6 months. I can buy toilet paper every couple months and don't have to worry about running out.

Drinks & Drink Mixes

Although we don't buy a lot of bottled water or sports drinks I have found the warehouse stores have the best prices. Costco also has amazing prices on meal replacement shake mixes. My son drinks a meal replacement shake with every meal to get enough calories each day. It can really get expensive, but I can save money by buying in bulk. I have found that the drinks and mixes are about 30% cheaper at the warehouse stores than at the grocery store.

Cleaning Supplies

I love to make my own cleaning supplies. However, if you like to buy instead of making your cleaning supplies I highly recommend you buy them in bulk at the warehouse stores. Sam's Club and Costco usually have great deals on the cleaning supplies. Watch in the spring for some deals and the supplies will probably last you all year long.

Meats

Buying meats in bulk can save you a lot of money. The warehouse stores like Costco or Sam's Club often have great deals on meat. Meats can be frozen so you don't need to worry as much about having them go bad if you don't use them right away. Instead of overpaying for chicken breasts I buy the large frozen packs and save money.

Cereals & Breakfast Bars

If you have a cereal or breakfast bar that you know your family loves you can save by purchasing it in bulk. I have found that the warehouse stores breakfast bar prices are as good as Aldi. If you don't have an Aldi nearby this can be a great way to save. My kiddo loves Krave cereal and I have yet to find a generic. I try to buy it in bulk whenever I see it at Costco or Sam's.

Trash Bags & Ziploc Bags 

If you use a lot of Ziploc bags buying in bulk can really save you money. I like to get my trash bags and Ziploc bags in bulk. They won't go bad and I know I will use them eventually. Plus, they don't even take up a lot of room to store.I don't see many sales on trash bags so this is an easy way for me to save.

Things To Skip

Although you can save by purchasing in bulk there are a few things I recommend skipping. Produce can often go bad before our family can finish it. Bulk produce deals at the warehouse stores aren't really that good of a deal if you throw half of it out. Unless you are having a party or have a plan with all the produce I would skip it.

I also don't think the hygiene products are that good of a deal. I find much better deals at the drug store than the bulk warehouse deals. I prefer to just grab the deals each week at CVS and Walgreens.

What are you favorite things to buy in bulk?