Mothering Forum banner

Buy in bulk/stock pile tribe

17K views 359 replies 78 participants last post by  jewellz 
#1 ·
You know who you are. You buy the 50 lb bag of flour and use it all. A quarter of a beef is too small, you buy the side (or more??). Your freezer is huge and so is your pantry area or storage area.

So,

Why do you buy in bulk?
save money?
hate to shop?
live too far from shopping?
All the above?
None of the above and other?

I hate to shop. I also like to save money so I buy things in large amounts on sale or in wholesale coops, or things like a side of beef etc.

This is not to debate but to share ideas etc.
 
#128 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by AngelBee View Post
Is anyone willing to post a list of what they stock their pantry with? Like what are the staples you keep on hand? And then, what things additional are you stockpiling?
Nope. I'm too tired. But a picture's worth a thousand words.
[edited out photo link, sorry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by katheek77 View Post
You might want to invest in some canning equipment, if you are so inclined. Loads of fun. Although I have a perverse sense of fun

You're not alone. Sometimes I'll just go sit on a stool in my quiet, happy pantry and just bask in the prettiness. Usually during seed starting season when I have a reason for just hanging out down there by myself without "help."

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmeyrick View Post
I would love to learn to can! I plan on stuffing my three foot by nine foot patio with veggies this year. But I am scared of botulism. (And I'm not even certain of what that is.) Where do I even get canning supplies and how do I do it? PM me if you like!
If you follow directions you should be fine. I tend to err on the side of caution and slightly over-process things, but that's only partly on purpose (half the time I'm just distracted by the kids or something else). I got my water bath canner at a local farm/home supply store, hubby got my pressure canner from Amazon.com, etc. Some people do used stuff (craigslist, freecycle, whatever), but I'm picky about things.
 
#129 ·
I am storing food for a few reasons. My primary motivation is because I believe that our economy is about to tank. Also, being a single mother with a low income, I believe that if I have food stored, that if I hit some bad times because I have to replace a tire or have a major medical bill, that I will have a cushion.

I read Sharon Astyk's blog, and I agree with alot that she says, but not everything. I especially agree with introducing the idea to family, neighbors and friends, who don't already store food for any reason.
 
#130 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by kmeyrick View Post
I would love to learn to can! I plan on stuffing my three foot by nine foot patio with veggies this year. But I am scared of botulism. (And I'm not even certain of what that is.) Where do I even get canning supplies and how do I do it? PM me if you like!
Supplies can be purchased at many hardware stores, general discount stores, online, etc.

As for how to do it, I recommend the Ball Blue book if you learn well by reading and a class at your local Extension Service office if you need hands-on learning.

We are avid canners - pressure canning meats, means, soups, etc. as well as canning vegetables and fruits.

We also dehydrate foods from our garden and buy produce in season to can and dehydrate.

There are lots of threads over on Diggin in the Earth and some show up on Country Living as well.
 
#131 ·
It used to be every rummage sale I have ever seen would have canning supplies. Now that its envogue, maybe not!

I invested in our canning stuff about 10 yrs ago and it was about $40 all together w the pot, mason jars etc. DH found a firepit for canning at a garage sale for $10 so we added that as well.

I usually just can tomato in Sept and use it all winter. We had a nasty storm and that killed off some plants last year. Also, since by then my freezer was getting bare, I stick the frozen sauce in there. But I want to can this year.
 
#132 ·
MIL and I went in on a canning set a couple years ago. We bought it at Smiths/Kroger. You can find used mason jars at thrift stores for pretty cheap and then reuse them, and just buy new lids.
 
#133 ·
Eggs...is there anyway to freeze them?

I have access to alot of them right now, but would like to save some if possible. I do not know how to though.
Or if it is possible.

I saw in another post about fried eggs. Where would you get those?
 
#135 ·
I'm a wannabe stockpiler! I've been buying more than one of things as I need them, and can afford it, so now I am up to several boxes of detergent, duplicates of all the condiments, etc. The thing i haven't started stocking up on is grains etc, because we don't have a mill yet, and because we might be moving this month. Once we know whether we are staying or going I will feel better about starting to spend money on the pantry.
 
#136 ·
I dont think you can just wake up and become a bulk user or stockpiler. It evolves over time with what you family needs and what stores well.

I have gotten to the point where about 15% of our monthly grocery budget goes to our pantry storage. Like today I bought more pasta because we will eventually use it and it was on sale.
 
#137 ·
I'm feeling really disheartened on this topic lately b/c seriously, I just don't see the healthy stuff I need or want on sale. I'd rather keep our monthly budget down. TJs is already pretty cheap- in fact a lot of the things I was going to get at costco are cheaper at TJs. Maybe I'm just not good at finding the sales. I like having a little stash on hand- if the power were out or something we'd last a while. (The main thing I have is pasta, grains, dehydrated veggies from frontier that I use for soups and smoothies, legumes, canned soups, chicken broth in bulk, etc). But at this rate I can't imagine having a huge stash should dh lose his job. I guess I just have to keep in mind that it's going to take a long time.
 
#138 ·
I am recently started with the whole 'coupon/stockup with sales' etc. My main problem was that I was going to the store with a menu in mind and NOT simply buying what was on sale that week and then making a menu off of that. My goal is to use the same food budget the next month or so, stock up my pantry and freezer with only sale items, and then I will be able to continue with a lower weekly budget by continuing to buy sale items while supplementing with my stored items. While my grocery has overall decent prices, there is a big difference between a lower cost meat at $2.49 a lb adn the $1 a lb chicken drums and $1/lb pork roasts I got today. My store also has a 10 for $10, I try to use coupons on those items. So today for example, I got canned GRAND biscuits for $0.75. So while I may not have 'perfect' meals with each ingredient I wish I had, I have fr/veg, meat, pasta/grain, etc in a tasty manner that my family enjoys with plenty for leftovers. I think coupons are just a way to maximize the 'loss leaders'/sales the store already has going on. Majority of my savings comes from prodominently buying the sale items.

What I do:

Collect coupons (couponclippers.com; sunday paper, etc)
Collect Sale Ads from paper, mine come on Wed/Thurs
Circle everything in Ads that looks like a good price
Try to find coupons to match those items
Organize coupons/ads to take to the store with me so I dont forget.
use that as my 'list' for shopping
While at the store 'be on the lookout' for other deals (this week I found LoL butter for $2.25/lb, wish I had a coupon.

This perspective has REALLY helped me. Today I got 10 canned items (soup, tomatos) 6 salsas, 3 doz egg, 18 lbs roast, 9 lbs chicken dr/th, 2 bags chips, 3 sandwhich bags, 3 lbs lunch meat, box of cereal, 4 cans biscuits, 8 lbs of sugar, 2 boxes of cake mix for $70 and only used $1.75 of coupons. None of this actually makes a 'full meal, but b/t this and the farm stand (and my pantry/freezer), I could make it work.

It does take more time, but I have found this to be REALLY rewarding. Watch out Albertsons!
 
#139 ·
I came home from Whole Foods today with 25# of Lundberg brown basmati rice, 15# of oatmeal, 10 lbs of whole wheat flour , 15# of legumes, 5# of carrots (we can eat one package per month!). On Monday I'm picking up 100 Ball canning jars, plus books about canning, all from a Freecycle find! Wahoo!

Going into my second full month of formal food storage, I'm starting to feel I have this idea down, of how to buy, how to rotate, how to use and organize the food. I feel very happy that I'm doing well with this.

Btw, Whole Foods was willing to sell me a 25# bag of rice for the same price per pound I already buy it, minus 10%. I could stand at the bulk section and scoop 25#'s of rice into little bags, and pay full price, or I could take out one 25 lb bag. I did that. They also sell rice and oatmeal in 50lbs, and rice in 100lbs. They said they weren't ready to start selling flour that way yet, but I'm just going to keep on bugging them until they do!
It's not as inexpensive as buying from a coop, but it's cheaper than the regular bulk purchases that I make.

I approached two stores for more storage canisters (icing seems to be the big thing for those), and Whole Foods said they will have two sizes for me in the morning. I'll be over there to get them before they toss them. Kroger told me that they use the icing buckets to store soup from the cafe at the end of the night.

The rice is still in the van tonight, so I can't bring it in until I get my storage containers.

I'm particularly excited about the 100 Ball canning jars. I can't wait to fill them!
 
#140 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by velochic View Post
Are you kidding me? I keep it all in an Excel spreadsheet.


Well, the rice you could raid... we go through that pretty slowly and I probably wouldn't notice.

If you a serious and not kidding is there any way we could see you excel spreadsheet.
If you were joking sorry, I am not good on picking up on jokes online.
 
#141 ·
Sorry this turned into such a long post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akcowgirl View Post
If you a serious and not kidding is there any way we could see you excel spreadsheet.
If you were joking sorry, I am not good on picking up on jokes online.
I do keep it in excel. If I knew a way to share it (temporarily... I never share stuff like this for a very long time) without sharing it with the world, I would. I don't have a blog and I don't participate in places like facebook, so I don't even know where I would put it. It's too long to post here.

To give you an idea of how I organize it, here's one category I copied from my worksheet (it didn't paste very well). The first column is its location. Some are in food grade buckets (which I call "tubs" because it's shorter). Some are on shelves. So, shelf c.3 is the 3rd shelf from the top on the shelving unit I've called "C" in my pantry. The second column is the number of units (so I can change them quickly as I rotate items), then the 3rd column is the item and any additional measurements I want to add. HTH! (Obviously we're a family of rice eaters!
)

Grains, Dried Beans and Flours
tubs5(42 oz.) canister quick oats
tubs20lbs. whole wheat flour
tubs 20 lbs. hard red winter wheat berries
tubs55lbs. white unbleached flour
c.35lbs. extra fine flour
c.310lbs. self-rising flour
tubs80lbs. basmati rice
tubs25lbs. long grain rice
tubs10lbs. medium grain rice
c.35lbs. masa harina
c.33lbs. corn meal
tubs30lbs. pinto beans
tubs10lb. great northern beans
b.32lbs. chickpeas
b.310lbs. navy beans
b.35lbs. dried split peas
b.32lbs. black beans
b.32lbs. brown lentils
b.310lbs. red lentils
b.310lbs. popcorn
tubs30lbs. sugar

My other categories are:
Crackers, Chips and Snacks
Baking Goods, Oils & Syrups
Spices
Fresh Onions and Potatoes
Canned fruits
Dairy Products
Sauces & Pastes
Canned Vegetables
Broths, Bases and Bouillons
Meat (canned)
Canned Soups & Beans
Coffee and Tea
Condiments & Miscellaneous
Water & Drink Mixes
Dried Goods

(ETA: this is all the shelf-stable stuff. I keep my freezer inventory in a different spreadsheet.)
 
#142 ·
Due to dietary restrictions, we would like to order gluten free oats. Due to money restrictions (
) we find that oat groats would be the best purchase. They are individually packaged in 2.5 lb plastic packages. Shipping can kill on 1 package but 10-20 packages the shipping is decent. How can I store these? Anyone have ideas - I am completely new to this - so please help!
 
#143 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by captivatedlife View Post
Due to dietary restrictions, we would like to order gluten free oats. Due to money restrictions (
) we find that oat groats would be the best purchase. They are individually packaged in 2.5 lb plastic packages. Shipping can kill on 1 package but 10-20 packages the shipping is decent. How can I store these? Anyone have ideas - I am completely new to this - so please help!
I don't know if this would work for you, because it requires vacuum storing with a food saver. I would seal the groats using a food saver (or other brand) sealer. Depending on how long you are going to be keeping the food (let's say you have enough to last over a year), I'd add in an oxygen absorber to each package that you will keep that long. These food savers come with an attachment to vacuum seal mason jars, which would be my preferred method of oat storage. (As an aside note in case anyone is wondering... vacuum sealing canning jars does not take the place of actual water-bath or pressure canning.) I freeze my oats to kill any nasties, but I don't know if you have to do this with groats. HTH!
 
#144 ·
That's impressive! Maybe I should just start there- head to whole foods, ask about buying that amount and about the food strorage. So are they giving the food storage thigns to you? Are they meant for long term storage as well? I'm assuming they would keep any bugs out? Yes I have a thing about bugs. My parents always had a cellar with a lot of extra canned goods, but not grains in bulk. I have a wire storage area in my laundry room that I keep the extra tp, etc. I guess I should just clear some off for this stuff. Do you already know how to can? What a score. I love when good luck like that happens!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jyotsna View Post
I came home from Whole Foods today with 25# of Lundberg brown basmati rice, 15# of oatmeal, 10 lbs of whole wheat flour , 15# of legumes, 5# of carrots (we can eat one package per month!). On Monday I'm picking up 100 Ball canning jars, plus books about canning, all from a Freecycle find! Wahoo!

Going into my second full month of formal food storage, I'm starting to feel I have this idea down, of how to buy, how to rotate, how to use and organize the food. I feel very happy that I'm doing well with this.

Btw, Whole Foods was willing to sell me a 25# bag of rice for the same price per pound I already buy it, minus 10%. I could stand at the bulk section and scoop 25#'s of rice into little bags, and pay full price, or I could take out one 25 lb bag. I did that. They also sell rice and oatmeal in 50lbs, and rice in 100lbs. They said they weren't ready to start selling flour that way yet, but I'm just going to keep on bugging them until they do!
It's not as inexpensive as buying from a coop, but it's cheaper than the regular bulk purchases that I make.

I approached two stores for more storage canisters (icing seems to be the big thing for those), and Whole Foods said they will have two sizes for me in the morning. I'll be over there to get them before they toss them. Kroger told me that they use the icing buckets to store soup from the cafe at the end of the night.

The rice is still in the van tonight, so I can't bring it in until I get my storage containers.

I'm particularly excited about the 100 Ball canning jars. I can't wait to fill them!

 
#145 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by captivatedlife View Post
Due to dietary restrictions, we would like to order gluten free oats. Due to money restrictions (
) we find that oat groats would be the best purchase. They are individually packaged in 2.5 lb plastic packages. Shipping can kill on 1 package but 10-20 packages the shipping is decent. How can I store these? Anyone have ideas - I am completely new to this - so please help!
gallon-size glass jars with metal screw-on lids

they are cheap, durable, easy, plastic-free, and bug/vermin-proof
 
#146 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by tree-hugger View Post
gallon-size glass jars with metal screw-on lids

they are cheap, durable, easy, plastic-free, and bug/vermin-proof
Where do you get those? DO you mean the kind that have juice and stuff in them (first)?
 
#149 ·
It wouldn't hurt to put out an ISO on your local craigslist or freecycle. I scored several cases of gorgeous vintage half gallon ball jars from some kin when we cleaned out her house. Someone in your area might just have just this thing laying around somewhere. Worth a try....
 
#150 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by AngelBee View Post
Is anyone willing to post a list of what they stock their pantry with? Like what are the staples you keep on hand? And then, what things additional are you stockpiling?

Make sense?


Here's our food storage plan. I took a look at the USDA recommendations and calculated it out for our family of five. What you see is a moderately balanced (at least by USDA standards) food storage plan. In addition to the basics stated here we also store baking supplies and condiments, spices, herbs, vinegars, other seasonings.

438 Pounds Whole Grains
200 pounds Whole Red Wheatberries
200 pounds Whole White Wheatberries
25 pounds Oats
5 pounds Brown Rice
2.5 pounds Quinoa
2.5 pounds Millet
2 pounds Barley
1 pound Popcorn
182 Pounds Refined Grains
100 pounds Jasmine Rice
50 pounds White Flour
25 pounds Bread Flour
7 pounds Cornmeal

2640 Ounce Equivalents Meats
· 896 ounce equivalents - 56 quarts canned chicken (home canned - 1 quart = 16 oz. equivalents)
· 320 ounce equivalents - 64 quarts canned chicken broth (home canned - 1 quart = 5 oz. equivalents)
· 176 ounce equivalents - 44 cans canned tuna (commercially canned - 4 oz. cans = 4 oz. equivalents)
· 1248 ounce equivalents - 52 quarts canned pork sausage (home canned - 1 quart = 24 oz. equivalents)

4142 Ounce Equivalents Beans
2400 ounce equivalents - Dry Beans
· 600 ounce equivalents - 30 pounds dry pinto beans (1 lb dried = 20 oz. equivalents)
· 400 ounce equivalents - 20 pounds dry navy beans (1 lb dried = 20 oz. equivalents)
· 400 ounce equivalents - 20 pounds dry red beans (1 lb dried = 20 oz. equivalents)
· 400 ounce equivalents - 20 pounds dry black beans (1 lb dried = 20 oz. equivalents)
· 400 ounce equivalents - 20 pounds dry lentils (1 lb dried = 20 oz. equivalents)
· 200 ounce equivalents - 10 pounds dry split peas (1 lb dried = 20 oz. equivalents)
656 ounce equivalents - Canned Beans
· 320 ounce equivalents - 40 quarts canned pinto beans (home canned - 1 quart = 8 oz. equivalents)
· 112 ounce equivalents - 14 quarts canned navy beans (home canned in quarts = 8 oz. equivalents)
· 112 ounce equivalents - 14 quarts canned kidney beans (home canned in quarts = 8 oz. equivalents)
· 112 ounce equivalents - 14 quarts canned black beans (home canned in quarts = 8 oz. equivalents)
1086 ounce equivalents - Seeds, Nuts, & Nut Butters
· 160 ounce equivalents - 5 pounds sunflower seeds (1 lb = 32 oz. equivalents)
· 64 ounce equivalents - 2 pounds flax seeds (1 lb = 32 oz. equivalents)
· 32 ounce equivalents - 1 pound sesame seeds (1 lb = 32 oz. equivalents)
· 450 ounce equivalents - 15 jars peanut butter (18 oz. jar = 30 oz. equivalent)
· 60 ounce equivalents - 2 jars almond butter (18 oz. jar = 30 oz. equivalent)
· 160 ounce equivalents - 5 pounds pecans (l lb = 32 oz. equivalents)
· 160 ounce equivalents - 5 pounds walnuts (l lb = 32 oz. equivalents)

1248 Ounce Equivalents Eggs
· 1344 ounce equivalents - 13 of the #10 can dehydrated whole eggs - (#10 can = 96 ounce equivalents)

Dark Green Vegetables - 605 cup equivalents minimum - 606 cup equivalents shown
· 288 cup equivalents - 24 #10 cans Freeze Dried Broccoli (#10 can = 12 cup equivalents)
· 182 cup equivalents - 104 15oz. commercial cans Canned Spinach (15 oz. can = 1.75 cup equivalents)
· 136 cup equivalents - 34 quarts home canned Beet Greens (1 qt = 4 cup equivalents)
Orange Vegetables - 403 cup equivalents minimum - 406 cup equivalents shown
· 168 cup equivalents - 7 #10 cans Dehydrated Carrots (#10 can = 24 cup equivalents)
· 119 cup equivalents - 68 15oz. commercial cans Canned Pumpkin (15 oz. can = 1.75 cup equivalents)
· 119 cup equivalents - 68 15oz. commercially canned Sweet Potatoes (15 oz. can = 1.75 cup equivalents)
Starchy Vegetables - 1007 cup equivalents minimum - 1008 cup equivalents shown
· 399 cup equivalents - 300 11 oz. commercial cans corn (11 oz. can = 1.33 cup equivalents)
· 217 cup equivalents - 124 15oz. commercial cans Canned Green Peas (15 oz. can = 1.75 cup equivalents)
· 104 cup equivalents - 26 quarts home canned Potatoes (1 qt = 4 cup equivalents)
· 288 cup equivalents - 24 #10 cans dehydrated sliced potatoes (#10 can = 12 cup equivalents)
Other Vegetables - 2015 cup equivalents minimum - 2022 cup equivalents shown
· 296 cup equivalents - 74 quarts home canned Pickled Beets (1 qt = 4 cup equivalents)
· 31 cup equivalents - 62 4oz. commercially canned mushrooms (4 oz. can = ½ cup equivalent)
· 168 cup equivalents - 14 #10 cans dehydrated onions (#10 can = 12 cup equivalents)
· 288 cup equivalents - 24 #10 cans dehydrated bell peppers (#10 can = 12 cup equivalents)
· 100 cup equivalents - 50 pints home canned stewed tomatoes - home canned in pints (1 pint = 2 cup equivalents)
· 100 cup equivalents - 50 pints home canned Tomato Sauce (1 pint = 2 cup equivalents)
· 399 cup equivalents - 300 14.5 oz. commercial cans green beans - (14.5 oz. can = 1.33 cup equivalents)
· 640 cup equivalents - 40 lbs sprout seeds - (1 lb seed = 16 cup equivalents)
Fruit Category Storage -
2921 cup equivalents - 3008 cup equivalents shown
250 cup equivalents - 125 cans - 15 oz. cans Pears
252 cup equivalents - 63 quarts - home canned Applesauce in quarts
250 cup equivalents - 125 cans - 15 oz. cans Peaches
500 cup equivalents - 500 cans - 11 oz. cans Mandarin Oranges
500 cup equivalents - 30000 grams Dried Strawberries (60 g = 1 cup equivalent)
250 cup equivalents - 15000 grams Raisins (60 g = 1 cup equivalent)
250 cup equivalents - 50 containers - 10 oz. container Dates (60 g = 1 cup equivalent)
250 cup equivalents - 15000 grams Dried Cranberries (60 g = 1 cup equivalent)
250 cup equivalents - 15000 grams Dried Apples (60 g = 1 cup equivalent)
256 cup equivalents - 32 bottles - 64 oz. bottles of Grape Juice

Oil and Fat Category Storage - 1130 fluid ounce equivalents (1408 fluid ounce equivalents shown)
896 fluid ounce equivalents - 7 gallons Olive Oil
256 fluid ounce equivalents - 2 gallons Vegetable Shortening
256 fluid ounce equivalents - 2 gallons Lard

ETA - I forgot to mention that we do not store any milk, even though that would be included in the USDA recommendations. We instead make sure that our storage choices are high in calcium and we have vitamin D supplements available. Due to dairy allergies it wouldn't be a prudent part of our plan. We also include additional protein rich foods to substitute
 
#151 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by LizzyQ View Post
Where do you get those? DO you mean the kind that have juice and stuff in them (first)?
I called around to local restuarants and asked if they received their pickles, olives etc. in gallon sized glass jars. One out of the two I called did and they set them aside for me. I got 6 with lids for free. :)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top