One of the key parts of going zero waste and plastic free is to shop in bulk. This can also be one of the best ways to save money. When you combine them, you get an earth-friendly and wallet-friendly choice. Bulk-buying was a little intimidating for me at first though, so here are the tips I wish I had to get started shopping zero-waste in bulk.
1. You don't have to buy containers to get started. While it is really nice to have tons of organic cotton produce/bulk bags or homemade ones, you can buy 25-50 lbs paper bags of dry goods to reduce packaging (feel to make sure they aren't lined with a plastic bag though). This works great for flour, beans, rice, etc. Buying in these qualities also saves us shopping time, as we take 4-6 months to finish 50 lbs of beans, rice, flour, etc.
2. You don't have to shop for everything in glass. While glass works great for home storage, it is truly a pain to haul a bag of glass containers to and from the store. Some liquids, such as peanut butter, olive oil, etc. require you to fill up a glass container to avoid obvious messes. Spices, grains, pastas, legumes (beans and lentils), etc. are all fine to bring home in a paper or cloth bag if you don't buy a large quantity in a paper bag.
3. You don't have to shop for bulk items every week, unless you want to. For example, we don't buy things like pasta, quinoa, etc. every week. We buy about these items once every six months, but we run out fast enough to buy once a month instead. Either way, we don't have to buy dry goods every week.
4. You can buy meat in bulk, wrapped in butcher paper, if you have a large freezer/dehydrator and buy directly from a farmer or just hunt and process your own. You can also buy meat (not in bulk) from the butcher counter in just butcher paper or bring your own container.
5. You may need to know the weight of your container empty. If your shopping location uses tare weight, you need to be able to subtract the tare weight from the total weight to only pay for the weight of the food. Butcher counters typically do this, but not all zero waste locations do.
6. You don't have to figure out where to buy in bulk on your own. There is a free app/website where you type in your town/address/state/country to find bulk near you.
7. You don't always have to use the store's tags for PLU numbers. Bulk foods are usually marked with a code called a PLU number that tells the cashier what the item is. Since I typically use self-checkout, I can just type in the PLU number from a photo on my phone.
8. Enjoy the learning experience of finding out the best bulk options for you. Feel free to laugh at your mistakes and not to take the transition too serious. It can be hard to change, so always focus on the positive changes you're making and take on each new waste challenge with a smile.
Shared at:
Share Your Style Link Party, Dream Create Inspire Party, Bloggers Dreamteam Linky, Diy Crafts More Link Party, Bloggers Spotlight, Aprons & Pearl Linkup, One Project At A Time, Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make Party, Home And Garden Thursday, Friday At The Fire Station Linkup Party, Motivational Monday Linkup, Party In Your Pjs, Handmade Hangout Party, allmumsaid.com.au, Sundays Best Linkup, Funtastic Friday, KCACOLS, anallievent.com, Dishing It & Digging It, Anna Nuttall Bloggers Linksup, Link your stuff, Pretty Pintastic Party, BFF Open House Link Party, Busy Monday, The Hearth And Soul Link Party, Turn It Up Tuesday, Encouraging Hearts Home Blog Hop, Artsyfartsy Link Party, Inspire Me Tuesday, Bouquet of Talent Party, Inspiration Galore Party Project, Nifty Thrifty Party, Inspiration Monday, Makers Make Party, Mix It Up Monday, Creative Corner, Over The Moon Link Party, Friday Favorites, Share the Wealth, Girl Chat Linkup, Traffic Jam, Happiness is Homemade, Simple Saturdays Bloghop, New Beginnings and Breakthrough Linkup, The Scoop, The Homemaking Party, Pretty Pintastic Party, Share It Tuesday, What to Do Weekends Party, Friendship Friday, Creative Corner Link Up Party, Dear Creatives Linkup, Wine'd Down Wednesdays, Creative Muster Party, Wow Me Wednesday, Wonderful Wednesday Blop Hop, A Round Tuit, Totally Terrific Tuesday Link Party, Home Matters Party, Bouquet of Talent Party, Lou Lou Girls' Fabulous Party, Creative Gallery, Love Learn Bloghop, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Simple Homestead Bloghop, Friday Feature Linky Party, This is How We Roll Thursday, Dare to Share Linkup, Home Away From Home Party, Think Tank Thursday Link Up, Wow Us Wednesdays, Sew It, Cook It, Craft It Link Party, Homestead Blog Hop, Waste Less Wednesday, Saturday Sharefest, Bloggers Pit Stop, Urban Naturale Blog Hop, The Scoop Link Party, Share One More Time Party, Project Inspire, Tuesdays with a Twist, #For the Love of Blog,Celebrate Your Story Link Party, Sundays at Home
Now that you know how to start buying in bulk and saving money by wasting less, what are your tips for better bulk buying? Let us know in the comments below!
No comments:
Post a Comment