Just about everyone is looking for ways to save money when shopping. It will save money if you buy in bulk.
Why does buying in bulk matter beyond cost-savings? Many of the products we buy contain packaging that costs money and natural resources to make. Plus, it’s often immediately thrown away, creating waste for landfills. So if you can buy in bulk, you often eliminate some need for packaging, which has a positive impact on the environment.
Here are five items to consider buying in bulk:
Personal care products
Why buy six toothbrushes six different times (and in six different packages) when you can buy six toothbrushes at one time in one package? You can also save on packaging and money choosing to purchase the larger container of shampoo, toothpaste or soap. Even toilet paper is consistently listed as an item you should buy in bulk to save money and reduce plastic waste.
Cleaning supplies
Buying the bigger container of laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent or other common cleaning supply almost always saves money and packaging. You can also look for concentrated products, which pack in more product in less space, and refill packs instead of buying a brand new product every time you need it.
Vitamins
It’s often much cheaper to purchase the big bottle of vitamins that will last you the entire year than purchasing multiple smaller bottles, which create more packaging waste. And you’ll not have the “I’m out of vitamins” excuse as often.
Office supplies
You can buy a single pen in a single box for a lot more cost per unit than buying a box of pens in one larger box. And there are dozens of other common office products that offer the same bulk savings.
Food
We all eat, and thankfully there are a lot of ways you can buy in bulk to save money and packaging. One University of Portland study found that consumers could save up to 89 percent when purchasing bulk foods versus pre-packaged foods. In fact, if all Americans purchased some items in bulk for a year, the material savings would really add up on some items, including:
- Bulk coffee would save 240 million pounds of foil packaging waste.
- Bulk almonds would save 72 million pounds of packaging waste.
- Bulk peanut butter would save 7 pounds of landfill waste per family per year.
- Bulk oatmeal would cut packaging waste by one fifth.
Some items that seem to be most cost effective to purchase in bulk include spices and dried herbs, dried beans, and dry pasta and rice.
Another option for reducing packaging with food purchases is to cook food yourself instead of buying the pre-made version of the product. You can make your own soup, hummus, salad dressing, pizza and other items. This DIY approach will save money and might also be healthier than the packaged version you would have bought at the store.
Buying in bulk may also end up saving you time and gas as you make less shopping trips. But be sure to never buy in bulk items that you don’t use often. If the product expires before you can use it, you haven’t saved money or prevented waste.
Why Bulk Buying is Eco-Friendly
You probably already know that buying in bulk usually means cost savings. Shops typically offer discounts and cheaper prices per unit when you purchase a higher quantity. However, bulk buying is not only economical – it’s eco-friendly as well.
Here are a few reasons to buy in bulk and help contribute to saving our environment.
By buying in bulk you…
Use Fewer Plastic Bags
Australians use about 5 billion plastic bags each year. If you think about it, that’s about 13 million plastic bags we use each day. Picking up a plastic bag, you might not think you’re making much of an impact. But every person’s actions count for something. Particularly when you consider that much plastic ends up polluting our oceans. It’s time for us to acknowledge how we are affecting marine life and our children’s future.
When you think of buying in bulk, you probably think of bulk buying dry goods such as grains, legumes, spices, nuts, dried fruit and cereal. You either bring your own containers or fill a paper bag with dried foods and pay for them by weight – thus saving yourself money and saving the environment from single use plastic bags.
There are many other products you can buy in bulk. As long as you have enough room to store them, toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning products are pretty good bets to buy in bulk. Along with anything else that you regularly use that doesn’t have a short shelf-life. I especially love Who Gives A Crap for their forest-friendly paper towels and toilet paper.
Reduce Packaging Waste
Buying in bulk helps us to save on packaging waste. Individual products sold in supermarkets are predominantly packaged in plastic. Much of the plastic packaging on these individually packaged products is unnecessary and contributes to a more expensive price. Most plastic packaging also contains harmful chemicals that can leach into water and soil, adversely affecting both on the environment and the food chain (that humans are at the top of).
Possibly one of the easiest and quickest ways to change this is by purchasing in bulk, where you either bring your own packaging or purchase larger quantities packaged in recyclable materials. Cardboard and paper packaging are ultimately better for the environment – since they can be composted and turned into soil for your garden.
Minimise Transport Pollution
Buying in bulk means you use your car to travel fewer times to purchase a larger amount of goods. Or if you order your bulk goods to be delivered, larger packages mean the delivery truck can be packed more efficiently. With more efficient transportation, you’re doing your part in saving the environment too by helping to reduce CO2 emissions.
Enjoy Fresher Products
It’s well known that bulk stores have a higher stock turnover. People purchase more product each time and there is no chance of older packages being pushed to the back of the shelves. This is good news for you as it means you’ll be getting your hands on fresher goods. High stock turnover also means less waste compared to regular shops as the food doesn’t reach it’s best before date in-store.
Tips For Bulk Buying
- Prepare your storage space beforehand. You may need containers to store your bulk purchases. I like to save large glass jars for storing my dry goods in the bottom of my pantry. I keep boxes of toilet paper on a shelf in the garage and pails of castile soap under the sink in the laundry. It’s just a short walk to another room when something needs topping up.
- Combine your purchases with others. Team up with a family member, neighbour or friend to buy (and save) more. Have your goods delivered to one person’s address. When the order arrives, share it between you all using your own containers.
- Pay attention to shelf-life. In your enthusiasm to save time, money and the environment be careful not to overstock too. Some products do have shorter shelf life and it pays to consider how much you will actually use before they expire. Some body care products, especially eco-friendly or small batch ones for example, do lose their effectiveness in time.
- When buying in bulk, cost per unit is king so get ready to do some calculations and enjoy the savings.
Conclusion
There are many good reasons to buy in bulk. Not only is it economical, it’s also a savvy and eco-friendly option for a guilt-free lifestyle. If you have always wanted to do something to help save our planet, then try this small and easy step. It won’t cost you a lot (in fact it should save you money) and you don’t have to make much effort either – it’s simply a small tweak to the way you regularly shop!
Sources: Green Moma; https://sustainability.ncsu.edu/
