People who are conscious of their spending habits will probably practice buying in bulk. Bargain stores and bulk warehouses seem to offer customers discounts if purchases are made in large quantities. A small example would be how two litres of milk  costs less per volume than buying one litre of milk.

Impulse on Cheap Buy

The danger of this of course is that it is easy to assume buying in bulk always saves money. I myself am guilty of this practice. Two weeks ago I was at the farmer’s market in Wellington on a Sunday afternoon, and one of the stands were selling two-kilogram bags of carrots for only $2.00. When I first saw this offer I thought to myself, ‘My goodness, what a deal! I most definitely will buy it!’

Of course, since I am living with one other flat mate, this was not the most conscious decision I have made. What on earth would I be doing with two kilograms of carrots? This is a combination of impulse buying and the fallacy that buying in bulk is always the best deal.

Practice with Care and Thought

Buying in bulk is a practice that is more heavily used in families. This of course makes sense because if you do have a larger family you might as well buy more of a particular product. But how much of the product are you really going to use? Perishable foods need the most thinking with much of it probably going to waste. Fruits and Vegetables are a big example. Considering how people tend to push their fruits and vegetables in the back of their fridge, they tend to sit there until they spoil and need to be thrown out (and in my experience, heaps of carrots).

My rotten carrots

“Good Deal”

Another fallacy of buying in bulk is that they are always cheaper than buying single items. Most of the time it is true, but many warehouse and bargain stores only persuade people to buy in bulk just so they can sell more. If a dozen paper towels cost $12 then you probably can get a better deal buying individual rolls for less than $1 each. Which means that using a calculator or making estimates in your head before large purchases can be quite handy.

So before you buy heaps of carrots or two dozen rolls of napkins, ask yourself if you will actually consume all of it before it spoils (even if you are a large family), and whether or not you are actually getting the better deal. A better and more environmentally friendly option would be to get a rag or wash-cloth which you can use multiple times.

Am I Alone?

Please let me know that I am not the only one guilty of buying mountains of fruit and vegetables only to find myself regretting it a week later when I find them a different colour. How do you feel about buying in bulk, and how do you practice it?