Bulk Savings!?

By KimberlyMarket Ready

I have been a “Big Box Store” shopper for as long as I can remember. To be exact, since Feb of 1993. I can be exact because I remember finding out I was pregnant with my 1st child the day I signed up and thought NOOOOO, do we have to take the card picture today?!

As you can see I wasn't joking!
As you can see I wasn’t joking about the pic!

One of the biggest challenges of starting a new business is finding ways to be “thrifty” without your family having to sacrifice too much just so you can follow your dreams. Fair, right!? I have put together this “bulk savings” guide for even the non-thrifty because who doesn’t like to save a buck where we can to spend it on the things that bring us joy?!

Before I start any endeavor, I always try to identify what my goal is—my prime mover? My goal here was to spend the least amount of money on groceries in a month’s time period while still supplying my family with satisfying, hearty meals—breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks included. My secondary goal is to build upon this so that my savings will extend beyond one month to two to three—you see the big picture with me!  🙂

Here is the breakdown ( and yes big bottle of booze for my husband is included in the groceries budget):

The Players
The Players
Gulp! The cost!
Gulp! The cost!

**Quantitative Determinate-We are a family of 4, results typical for me might vary for you based on family size and appetites. 😉 **

  1. Dinners and Leftovers for Lunch-35% of total: The first thing  I do with bulk meat purchases is break it down into meal portions and freeze. I label them so I know how I have proportioned them when I go to plan my meals. From the amount purchased on this bulk trip I should be able to get 42 dinners and leftover lunches which comes out to approximately $2.50 a meal. That’s a Slam Dunk!  😀

    Ready to get their freeze on.
    Ready to get their freeze on.
  2. Breakfasts-20% of total: The breakdown here is as follows: I eat only fresh fruit for breakfast; my son eats cereal (and some fresh fruit); my husband has a granola bar. We both have coffee. I didn’t break the coffee purchase down, but if I do a rough estimate of cost it comes to approximately .15 per serving-no brainer that is cheaper than buying one at the local coffee shop, even when you add in your own creamer. Out of the potential 186 breakfasts I should be able to get out of this bulk shopping trip, that amounts to $1.00 per serving! Touchdown!  😀
  3. Snacks-15% of total: My 10 year old loves to snack! I already know for sure bulk shopping his favorites amount to savings right off the bat! How much? 159 snacks at .30 a snack! Goal!  😀
  4. Miscellaneous-30% of total: The remaining 30% comes in the form of supporting characters to meals, snacks, well being—dealing with your wife (the gin purchase), etc. I didn’t break this down into a per serving cost analysis because it depends on a lot of factors such as how much ketchup you use with your french fries and the like. I can say however, the 3 bottles of ketchup I bought will last well beyond this bulk savings challenge, the gin probably not so much!  😉

Wrap Up: Throughout the month I will make trips to the grocery store for fresh fruit, perishables and dinner accompaniments. My goal over the next 30 day challenge is to keep those amounts down to $200 dollars or so for a total budget of $500 for groceries. Stay tuned and wish me luck!  😎

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Kimberly

Author; Blogger; Self-Proclaimed “Woman” of all trades and Self-Proclaimed “Master” of some! AFAA Certified Group Aerobics Instructor since 1998; MA Licensed Real Estate Agent since 1995; former Certified Financial Counselor and Passionate Advocator of Financial Education for Women. Tech Geek; Home Cook & Most Importantly, Mother of 3, my #1 Reason for Living!!!