Buy Big, Save Big: Real Life Example
This article is a follow-up to “8 Tips for Real Food on a Real Budget” and provides a cost comparison of three items as an example of how you can save money by buying large/bulk sizes. so, if you’re looking for ways to curb costs and better manage your budget, I highly recommend reading 8 Tips for Real Food on a Budget.
How buying BIG will save you money:
For comparison purposes, let’s say I use approximately 15 ounces of coconut oil, 16 ounces of honey and a pound of blanched almond flour each week. The cost per week for these four items would be $30.91 per week, if I am buying just what I need for the week (i.e. small size containers).
However, if I started buying the largest size available for these items (that I could reasonably use before the expiration date), then I would actually save a significant amount of money.
Let’s compare costs and see how much money we can save per week on just these four items by buying larger/bulk sizes at Mother’s Market – a local whole foods type store in CA (please note these prices reflect the current costs at the time this post was written):
Coconut Oil
Small size (15oz) Nutiva coconut oil is $0.69 per ounce
Large size (54oz) Nutiva coconut oil is $0.47 per ounce
Savings= $0.22 per ounce
Raw Honey
Small size (16oz) Pacifica honey is $0.61 per ounce
Large size (48oz) Pacifica honey is $0.35 per ounce
Savings= $0.26 per ounce
Blanched Almond Flour
Small size (16oz) Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour is $10.80 per pound
Large size (5 lbs) Honeyville blanched almond flour is $6.72 per pound
Savings= $4.08 per pound
Buy Big, Save BIG!
So as you can see from the above cost comparisons, by buying larger/bulk sizes for just these three items on my shopping list, my cost savings would be about $11.54. So, per month I’d save about $46.16 and per year I’d save a minimum of $553.92. So when you do the math, it’s easy to see that in general, buying BIG is definitely the way to save BIG!
Join A Co-op & Save Even More!
I am so grateful to be in a local Azure Standard co-op. It has really helped me and my family trim down our food budget. Just as one example, I can now purchase Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour for just $21.35 for a 5 lb. bag. That is $6.53 less per pound than the same brand at my local market, and it’s $2.45 per pound less than what I was paying for it online.
So buying in bulk either at your local market, or via online, or even better, through a co-op, is a great way to help you trim costs on your food bill. (HOW DO I FIND A CO-OP IN MY AREA? One of the best ways is to contact your local Weston A Price Foundation Chapter and speak with the chapter leader. He/She will be able to provide you with information about any local co-ops that exist, as well as other helpful real food resources in your area.)
Again, buying larger sizes, or in bulk, is just one example of the many ways you can help curb costs to maintain your budget while enjoying healthy real foods. Employing the many other tactics outlined in “8 Tips for Real Food on a Real Budget” will also help you to further keep your budget in check.
Happy savings! Joyfully Serving HIM, Kelly
Love your blog! I have heard that the digestive wellness almond flour is far superior than bob’s red mill. I used bobs red mill for the first time last week and was semi impressed. I plan to try the digestive wellness brand next. Thanks to websites like yours, I am eating healthier.
I haven’t tried that brand. It would be interesting to see how it compares to Honeyville Grains – that’s my new favorite brand of blanched almond flour that I’ve been using since I did a test kitchen showdown with it. Here’s the post if you want to check it out:
http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/05/test-kitchen-showdown-battle-of-the-blanched-almond-flours/
Thanks so much for your kind words and for taking the time to leave a note! Lots of blessings to you, Kelly 🙂
Have you tried Trader Joe’s Almond flour? We are new to all of this, but I love shopping there. Most things are very affordable. Their store brand almond flour is 3.99 a pound!
Hi, Alice. It’s important to note that there is a big difference between almond meal and blanched almond flour. My experience with Trader Joe’s (at least here in CA) is that what they are selling is actually almond meal, not blanched almond flour. Blanched almond flour is what I use here at The Nourishing Home because I prefer the lighter taste and texture that it provides.
The difference between the two is that almond meal is ground almonds with the skins left intact – it’s a heavier flour as a result and creates a more dense baked good with a somewhat mealy (more course, gritty) texture. Blanched almond flour, on the other hand, is made from finely ground blanched almonds (almonds with their skins removed) and the result is a lighter, fluffier baked good with a light taste-texture.
If you shop sales online, or if you can join a co-op like Azure Standard, you can actually get blanched almond flour right around the same price point. Honeyville often has sales (this is the brand I use) – just sign-up to receive their emails and you’ll get an email when they have a sale. Hope this helps clarify! Lots of blessings to you, Kelly 🙂
I was diagosed with Celiac about 4 months ago, and it has been very difficult to cut gluten from my life. I love that you use whole foods and have GF options for so many recipes! It’s helping me tremendously. Thank you so much:)
Thanks, Jenn! Appreciate you taking the time to leave a kind note. I’m glad you’re finding this site helpful to you! I just prayed for you that the Lord would help you find peace and balance as you adopt this new lifestyle. I stopped eating gluten about a year ago and so I want to encourage you that with each week and month that passes as you continue on the GF path, it will get easier and more natural. And you’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll start to feel too. Lots of blessings, Kelly 🙂
Just stumbled across your website and praising God for it! We are seeing the need to change some things in your lives to best glorify God with our resources, bodies, etc., so you have helped a bit with this! I’ll be coming back for more tips soon!
Blessings,
Michelle
Hi, Michelle! Welcome to The Nourishing Home. Always love it when the Lord leads people here and so happy to be used by Him to provide encouragement and inspiration. Thank you for taking the time to leave a kind note. I hope to hear more from you soon! Blessings, Kelly