[Lisa]

Getting the best price per ounce on something and/or buying in bulk is not always the best choice.

This came to mind because I just now threw away a bottle of Pepto-Bismol that I see expired in 2016.

It came as part of a two pack from Sam’s Club, was surely the best price per ounce, but was clearly far more than we needed. Obviously I should have bought a small bottle elsewhere.

Same thing with the giant bottle of aspirin that is still in the cabinet ten years later.

I once bought a twenty pound bag of white rice, it was surely the best price per ounce.

The following week, my diabetic husband figured out that white rice just shoots his blood sugar through the roof and he no longer wants to eat white rice.

I did hang on to it for some years, using a little here and there in soup or something, used some to rescue a computer keyboard that the cat dumped water on.

Still never used the whole bag in maybe twenty years. One day I figured out I was just storing it apparently in the event of a nuclear holocaust and was finally ready to let go of it.

Still, buying things in quantity isn’t always the best choice.

Circumstances change, they put you on a low sodium diet and the food becomes off limits or your tastes change, etc.

Sometimes the best frugal choice is to buy exactly how much you need ‘right now’ of an item and stop there.

[Mindy]

I agree. When I was younger with more people in the household, buying in bulk was very helpful.

Now I’m older and eat less as well as hubby, so I rarely purchase big quantities of items, except maybe chocolate.

[Elizabeth]

Absolutely! I split packs of TP from Costco with my son and his partner.

[Elizabeth]

I so agree. I’m tired of throwing out what turned out to be excess. My hubby and I don’t eat like we used to, so, I’ve been making half a box of cake mix, cutting recipes in half, shopping a couple times a week so that no veggies go to waste.

Being retired gives you a chance to shop at the store on “off hours.” I get out, get some exercise time, and don’t have to mop up after cukes that turned to jelly at the bottom of the veggie drawer.

Also, I’ve learned that some of the more expensive food stores have serious mark downs.

I have time to check them out.

[Deborah]

I totally agree. Not only that but things can happen that cause the food to spoil such as the he refrigerator going out.

I had a large Costco pack of toilet paper that got wet.

I am from a hurricane area so I do believe in having enough on hand to last me a few weeks but I know people who have more groceries in their pantry than their family can eat in a year.

[Patty]

Agree! We buy bulk, as we can, on stuff I know we will use. That’s one reason I like Sam’s Club.

[Judy]

The older I get, the truer this is. Not ready to give up my Costco card yet, but nothing is saved if you have to throw half away.

[Karen]

Before 2000 my friend bought huge quantities of food for the end of days.

I thought their ceiling would collapse from the weight in the attic.

[Lynn]

I’ve found that lot of the food at Sam’s costs more than it does at Walmart.

Last time I was there some of their snacks were just 2 or 3 days away from the expiration date.

If I buy a whole case of chips or muffins I expect the date to be good for at least a month.

And they need to mark that close to expiration stuff down instead of selling it for top dollar

[Diane]

I buy and give one to my daughter if it’s an item I know I won’t use both or will expire before I use it

[Janice]

Very true, I’ve learned from these same experiences. I now buy large quantities of things I know I’ll use and freeze them in smaller quantities.

[Amy]

Your husband could possibly eat that rice if you turn it into a resistant starch by refrigerating it.

Also, you could have turned that rice into rice water, which makes a fantastic toner for the skin.

I would recommend a Aspirin mask with that aspirin that’s just sitting in your cabinet.

Being frugal also means finding different ways to reuse things not just saving money on price per ounce.

[Jennifer]

I gave up my Costco membership a long time ago because of this! It’s just my husband and I and I don’t need bulk food.

It ends up not being used and gets stale. Also I live in a small house and I don’t have the storage space for it.

[Tammy]

Yes being frugal doesn’t always mean the cheapest price per ounce in the biggest size they have.

My husband would do stuff like this all the time BIGGER is BETTER!

He’d biy the biggest size he could on something we used maybe 2 to 3 tomes a year.

Then get upset with me because we didn’t have pantry space for anything else!!!!

Never could get it through his head its not frugal if you have to eventually throw out half the product a few years later!

[Mary]

Thank you for saying this. Having a hard time coming to terms with just two of us.

And yes, things are becoming out of date long before they are used.

Trying to buy smaller

[Helen]

My PCP told me to discard a steroid pac at 6 months if I hadn’t finished it.

He followed that up by saying go ahead and use that Tylenol you lost in sofa cushion 10 years ago.

Agree I need to be more aware of some purchases, too.

[Del]

That’s why I don’t shop at those membership stores. First off they have limited brands and sure it might be cheaper than your big fancy grocery store but if you go to less fancy stores they usually have store brands and they are a lot cheaper.

Even drugstore have their own brands.

And no membership fees.

[Author]

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