Friday 19 October 2012

Bulk Barn!

In sticking with the food savings, this is one store that I have found you can save BIG BUCKS on....if you're smart about it!

Bulk Barn is a store that has almost everything you could imagine in bulk. Therefore, you can select the amount of what you need, and avoid buying 10 pounds of skim milk powder when you only need a couple tablespoons!

Specifically, we shop here for two main things that I want to share with you. The first is spices. As they charge by weight, you can get dried spices for dirt cheap!! Spices at most grocery stores are >$5.00 for a little jar. Well at Bulk Barn, depending on the spice, it's usually under a dollar! I had bought 3-$1.00 glass spice jars from a dollar store a few years ago, and I just refill them as needed. So that is the first money saver. The second is gluten free flours and baking mixes. They have so many of them, and again, quite cheap! However, with the gluten free flours, you have to be careful because they are by weight, and it can add up quickly, as they are quite heavy. We usually just grab the 1.5 cups that the recipe calls for and that usually saves you spending too much.

So, check out where your local Bulk Barn is, or another similar bulk foods store, and try saving on some of your most used foods. What have you found at Bulk Barn or other stores that saves you $$?!

Happy Savings!
- C

4 comments:

  1. I can fruits, including tomatoes in season(in large quantities as canned tomatoes are good for sauces and soups). We tend to buy vegetables in season so we eat a lot of root vegetables in the winter. Bulk spices - Yes, we have found purchasing bulk spices is very economical. Years ago we made a small investment in 38 small jars with colour coded lids, red (spices with heat), green (herbs), blue (whole spices), yellow (aromatic, such as cinnamon, allspice, etc). Other bulk items we purchase are potatoes, 50 pounds at a time, the same with onions, both stored in a bin in a pantry cupboard in the garage,and bulk specials on tomato paste, chickpeas and beans. After a brief flirtation with coupons, we gave them up as the products tend to be highly processed foods which are pricey to begin with and contain too much sugar, fat, or salt. Checking the flyers for weekly specials is more economical than coupons. And when turkeys are on special we pick up two. Something I learned from Grandma and Great Grandma Fern - winter cooking is more economical as you can cook a roast, turkey, or a ham on Sunday and that provides substance for sandwiches and other meals at the beginning of the week. Bones and leftover bits of meat go into the soup pot to make a good stock. Soups and stews are very nourishing and are the least expensive meals to prepare. You are off to a great start!

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    1. Hi Auntie!

      Thanks for your comment. Yes, we have noticed that most coupons are for packaged goods that are often not something we would buy anyways. I avoid using coupons just to save money, because if it is not a product I would buy in the first place, then you're actually losing money. However, I have found a website that you can get a lot of household item coupons like hair care products, toilet paper, and paper towels. Those ones I find useful!

      One thing that I have seen both you, my parents, and Grandma do is canning! I've got jam figured out (with a little help still!), but my goal in the next few years is to obtain some canning 'equipment' and start trying some stuff out!

      Sounds like you've got some really great ideas and definitely some easy changes to save some money! Thanks so much for your ideas!
      - C

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  2. The Bulk Barn has gluten free stuff??!!?!? COOL!

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    1. D! Where have you been?! Yes, Bulk Barn has a huge section of gluten free products! Flours, mixes, and even cool things like different snacks and treats. Go check it out, let me know what you find :)

      - C

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