5 Bulk Buys to Help Save You Money
Food costs are rising significantly in the Atlanta area, whether your preference is to eat a home-cooked meal, or indulge in dining-out. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over the last year Atlanta food cost consumption at home has increased 8.6 percent, and dining away from home increased by 1.2 percent overall. With these price hikes, Atlanta residents must find alternative ways to save money in order to maintain a healthy diet.
Experts have advocated for home-cooked meals as a way of encouraging healthy eating. Residents are less likely to consume high-fat, high-processed meals if prepared at home, but due to expensive food ingredients more are opting for economic, fast-food options that present long-term health risks.
How Buying Bulk in Atlanta Can Save You Money
A way to promote healthy eating habits without sacrificing a tight budget is to purchase in bulk. Not everything, however, can benefit from bulk buying. For example, purchasing easily perishable foods like bananas may not be the way to go as it leads the way to excess food waste.
Using the power of bulk purchases on standard household and fridge items, however, can help save money for a broader food budget at your local Atlanta market.
5 Things to Buy in Bulk in Atlanta, Georgia
Paper goods: Buying regularly used household paper items like toilet paper, paper towels and tissue are fantastic products to purchase in bulk at your local warehouse club store. It doesn’t expire and will be readily needed at some point. When going this route to save money on paper products, it’s important to make sure you have a dry, dedicated space to store them– after all– you’re looking to build a fortress of savings, not a fortress of toilet paper in the living room.
Toothbrushes: No, this isn’t a list strictly for bathroom supplies. However, toothbrushes are an oddly helpful item to have extras of around the house. Aside from the standard three-month rule that dentists remind us of without fail, having fresh toothbrushes around for unexpected (and forgetful) overnight guests will put you in the running as most helpful host.
Dry pasta: For a quick, yet healthy food fix at home, you can purchase bulk pasta noodles for use year-round. Doing so can lead to significant savings at the register– for example, whole wheat pasta bought in bulk can save you up to 20 percent alone.
Vitamins: Vitamins are one of the pricier items at your local drugststore with prices sometimes set at 9 cents per pill. Bulk-sized vitamin bottles, on the other hand, are typically priced at 6 cents per pill. While these are significant savings (considering that a standard bulk bottle holds around 500 pills,) vitamins do have an expiration date so it’s important to keep in mind how often you’d take them to balance out the savings potential.
Freezer-friendly produce: Believe it or not, you can purchase certain fresh produce in bulk, and preserve them to save money. Hearty items like bell peppers can store in a freezer for a few months, and even seemingly delicate fruits like grapes and tomatoes can keep wonderfully in the freezer. Grapes can be eaten right out of the freezer as a delicious frozen snack, and tomatoes can be thawed and tossed on the skillet for a tasty homemade dish.
Depending on your unique household needs, this list may change a bit. However, Atlanta residents can still benefit from looking into wise bulk-buying options at the local warehouse club to help counter the cost of food at your dinner table.
