home - buying in bulk

Is your household waste-line out of control?

Submitted by tmeronek on Tue, 10/14/2008 - 2:53am.
The Bite:
Understandable, since overpackaged products result in overstuffed landfills. Buy in bulk instead, and shed high waste and grocery costs.
The Benefits: 
  • Cash to pay for that new spandex unitard. Pay for the product instead of glitzy packaging. A bulk pound of organic oatmeal can cost less than a buck, while a packaged version retails for $9.
  • Watching the inches (of waste) drop. Product packaging makes up half of all U.S. municipal solid waste by volume. (Believe it or not, more of your grocery money goes toward packaging than to the farmers who produce the food.)
  • More time for sweatin' to the oldies. Buying in bulk reduces the number of trips you need to make to the store.
Personally Speaking: 
Toshio's favorite thing about the bulk bins is sneaking bites when no one's looking. Clearly, we aren't paying him enough.
Wanna Try: 
  • Buy larger packages. But beware of bulk items that are just small containers clumped together in more packaging.
  • Buy from bulk bins.
  • Just make sure you don't overdo it. (See how long common foods typically last.)
Related Tips: 
The Extending Food's Life Tip
The Reusable Bag Tip

Related Blog Post: First Time’s Free

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