Shopping Guide: Don’t Buy These Items in Bulk

Don’t allow groceries and supermarkets to dictate your buying decisions. The store is a trap. Once you enter the place, you’ll find yourself grabbing a bunch of stuff you don’t need. It’ll be too late to realize you took several salad dressings and condiments you don’t recognize or bars of soap you won’t even use until next month. To avoid getting into a money trap, you must exercise caution. You must brace yourself before entering a supermarket even if you promised yourself you’d only get what you need.

Buying in bulk is one shopping scheme that even Ayala Mall Cloverleaf is guilty. It tells you that you can save more money when you get more of the item when it isn’t true. It’s always cheaper to get separates than buy them in a bunch. At the same time, you should think about what you will do with them. Storing them in your home might not be the best idea. Think about these things for a second. Then, take a look at this list to find out the five things you must not buy in bulk.

1. Spreads and condiments

Several bottles of ketchup, big jars or mayo, and peanut butter are ideal if you’re feeling a team. It also makes sense to store these items in your pantry if you’re a commercial kitchen. If not, you risk spreading contamination. Every time uses their spoon, a knife of their finger in the jar, it brings bacteria and other contaminants. You could ingest all the gross things by the time you get to the bottom. Lastly, getting super-sized versions makes it difficult to finish the whole thing before the expiration date. You can end up with spoiled spreads and condiments when you store them for too long.

2. Flour

You should only get 25 or 50 lb. bags of flour if you do a lot of baking. If not, you shouldn’t buy several bags even if they are cheap. Whole wheat flour must only be in the pantry for one to three months. Meanwhile, all-purpose flour can stay longer than whole wheat flour. You can use it for four to six months past the best-buy day. However, you shouldn’t leave you flour for that long as it attracts bugs. If you have to purchase several bags of flour, you should keep it in the freezer.

3. Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are nutritious and great snacks. But, you shouldn’t go overboard when buying them. Like flour, they also go rancid. Thus, you should only buy what you can consume between three to nine months of the best before the date on the container. If you wish to stock up on nuts that are only available on a particular season, then you should also freeze them to prevent them from going bad.

4. Spices, Herbs, and Seasoning

Though these three won’t go bad when stored for a long time, these lose their potency over time. It’s better to buy your spices in palm-sized containers than buying them per kilo or in regular container bags. Small servings allow you to replace them immediately after you use them. Ground spices can last up to two to three years, but professional chefs suggest replacing spices every six months.

When storing your spices, herbs, and seasoning, you should always place them far from the stove. The heat and humidity can contribute to flavor loss. It’s best to store them in the pantry or the cupboard.

5. Cooking oil

Cooking oils become rancid and oxidize even before the best buy dates on the bottle. If you don’t fry or use oil when cooking, you should stick to small containers instead of large ones. It’s a better money saver and won’t put your health at risk.

These are the five things you shouldn’t buy in bulk. No matter how attractive is the selling price, it shouldn’t push you to buy a lot of things you won’t use.

Leave a Comment

Scroll to Top