Buying organic foods in bulk is one of the best ways to save on your budget. Finding organic foods in bulk is another story! Some of the places to look for organic foods in bulk are:
~food co-ops or shares
~farmers markets
~a local farmer (by directly from them)
~small markets (ask the owner about ordering in bulk through them)
~food through delivery (like Azure or a local delivery company)
~warehouse stores (like Costco, Price Club, Sam's Club)
You may have to figure out the best place for produce, the best place for dry goods, and the best place for meats, and then the best place for dairy. But if you are buying in bulk you won't have to make several trips to all these places and if you are getting some delivered to your door then you don't even have to make a trip.
You can locate some of these through the links on my left side bar like Local Harvest and Organic Store Listings.
Some of the items I buy in bulk are:
beans (5-10 lb bags)
legumes (5-10 lb bags)
rice (25 lb bags)
flour (5 lbs, 10 lbs, and 25 lb bags)
oats (25 lb bag although I'm ready to move up to 50 lbs I think cause we fly through these)
sugar (10 lb bags)
pasta (10 lb bags)
fruit when I'm canning it (up to 20 lbs)
cheese (5 lb blocks)
olive oil
coconut oil
chocolate chips
popcorn (5 lb bag)
cornmeal (5 lb bag)
soy sauce (I buy a huge bottle)
eggs (3-4 doz every 2 weeks)
tomatoes (up to 20 lbs)
cucumbers (up to 20 lbs)
seasonings (those huge containers at Costco that hold up to 4oz)
organic snacks (I buy a few when I can get them in bulk at Costco)
seasonings (those huge containers at Costco that hold up to 4oz)
organic snacks (I buy a few when I can get them in bulk at Costco)
I also buy milk and butter when they are on sale and freeze them.
What I do with it:
-I grate half of the cheese block, toss it with a tbsp of flour and then freeze it. I slice the rest of it for sandwiches.
-I pickle the cucumbers
-I make pasta sauce and salsa out of the tomatoes
-I freeze a lot of the items, especially if I get a good deal on bulk poultry and/or meat.
-Fruit I peel and slice most of it depending on what it is and freeze it to use for cobblers. You can also make jam out of it. I have a 20 lb order of apples that just arrived that I plan to make applesauce with and freeze. (Here's a bonus tip: applesauce is a great way to get cold flax seed oil down kids!)
Anyone else have tips about buying organic food in bulk?
3 comments:
I have yet to place an online order for food. Do you find that you're still getting a good savings, even after the shipping costs are factored in? Are you ordering 25lb bags of rice,oats, etc. on the internet?
Have you ever ordered via Amazon? I can't remember if you posted about that before, but my understanding is that you can get free shipping as long as you sign up for scheduled delivery (even if it's only once per year.)
Jessica,
I DO buy in bulk through Azure Standard. I do almost all my shopping through them. They have "drop points" and my drop point charges a flat $4 no matter how big your order is. So, there is no shipping cost other than my $4 each time. I do order 25 lb bags through Azure. If there are no drop points in your area then you can pay them shipping but I don't know how much it costs. They will then ship UPS I think. I have not yet ordered through Amazon but I did see that you could get free shipping on several items.
Oh and yes, I'm getting great savings! =0)
Post a Comment