Buying bulk portions of foods isn’t always the most economical.
Forget what every home economist has ever told you, buying in bulk at the grocery store isn’t always cheaper.
Couscous is a standby at our house. Mr. 12 loves it, I love it and Mr. 47 tolerates it. And, it’s cheap and tasty. Couscous is the perfect side dish for the family favorite.
I’ve been buying boxes of couscous when they go on sale for $1 for the convenience factor. You boil a little chicken broth, pour in a serving of couscous, cover and turn off the heat. Magically, five minutes later, you have a side dish without expending much effort. But I’ve always had a pang of guilt tossing the boxes into my shopping cart when there were much larger size containers within reach. Bulk is usually always cheaper right? No.
This week I discovered those boxes are not only convenient, they’re cheaper than buying in bulk or a larger size.
Bulk isn’t always cheaper
And I took a closer look at the sale prices this week. At .88 cents a box, which is $1.41 per pound, the convenient package is significantly cheaper than a larger container of couscous, which was priced at $9.99 for 32-ounces, which equals $5 a pound. Even when the boxes aren’t on sale, they’re still cheaper than the 32-ounce container.
Bulk is sometimes more expensive.
Letting my iPhone do the math for me, that’s a difference of nearly 72 percent, which I would call A Score :).
What would you do if you could spend 72 percent less on all your groceries? I have a laundry list, which starts with a new refrigerator. Ours is old, like at least a decade and I know we would save a ton of money on our electric bill every month with a new one.
Leave me a comment with your favorite way to easily save money at the grocery store or wherever you buy groceries these days.
Have a great one,
Jennifer
