The cost of food items has been rising faster than the overall inflation rate for several years now, and there is really little that we consumers can do about it. But there is one powerful tactic that can help save up to 50% or more on the things we cook most often: Buy in bulk.
All major grocery chains run weekly specials on various meats, vegetables, frozen entrees and other popular foodstuffs. While the savings on these items can be significant, most people find buying in bulk and stocking up rather impractical because of the limited space available in the freezer section of their refrigerators. Buying a small chest-style freezer will enable you to take advantage of these special deals when they pop up.
And the savings can be significant indeed. For example, buying twenty pounds of hamburger meat during a 70 cents off promotion will save you a whopping $14! And buying five family-sized frozen food entrees at $6 each during a “buy one get one free promotion” will let you return home with 10 of them, which translates into a savings of $30!
What’s more, we all know how much we could save by buying in bulk at Costco, Sam’s Club, or one of the other giant wholesale clubs can be. All we need is the storage space to hold all of bounty, hence the need for a small chest freezer.
With chest-style freezers going for as little as $150, if you do the math you’ll see that it won’t take very long at all to recoup that investment. Of course another advantage of buying in bulk is the fact that you get to make fewer trips to the grocery store (which saves you even more in terms of gasoline and time).
Buying a chest freezer and purchasing food items in bulk might not appeal to everyone, but food and gas prices are expected to continue to rise in the future. I’m guessing that a lot of those folks will change their minds at some point. If you happen to be “on the fence”, why not buy your freezer now before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon and freezer prices skyrocket?
About the author: Susan Hipshire is a wife, mom and self-described tightwad who has dedicated her life to helping others improve theirs via thrifty living.