If I had a dollar for everytime I threw away food that spoiled before I got to put it to edible use, then I would be…wait…I did have a dollar (quite a few) and I spent it on the food I just threw away.* I enjoy cooking and cook (and bake) alot which are a few of the reasons I buy bulk items.

I just bought two bulk packages of yeast because the price of the little packages at the grocery store were killing me. For what I paid for 1.5oz., I was able to get 16oz. of bulk. Now, you know that is ridiculous. I bought one 16 oz. package and before I pulled out of the parking lot, I decided to buy one more because the store I get it from is out of the way and I make a lot of bread. Yep, I’ll use every bit of it before it expires.

Sometimes buying in bulk doesn’t always work out for the best like when I bought bagels in bulk and discovered a few days later that one of the two-packs had become moldy. I just hate it when that happens. It’s gross for one thing and it’s money wasted.

I have been working on menu planning for almost six months. This is really hard to do with or without a family. I tried planning menus for one month at a time and discovered that was too hefty a task. By day three, I was bored with the week’s menu and wanted to have something that was scheduled for eating the following week. My appetite is determined by how I “feel” on that day. I have gone hours into a day, past lunchtime, still trying to figure out what I would like to eat for breakfast and then not being able to bring myself to eat it because “breakfast time” has already passed.

Despite my little issues, I know that I need to start making a few plans as far as meals are concerned. In the beginning, it will be time consuming just because of all of the planning, but that concern is so minor compared to the benefits I see in getting myself together and making some plans.

A few positives I see about menu planning are:

• I spend less money because I only buy what I need for planned meals.
• I have more cabinet and refrigerator space because some of my meals are planned around on hand items.
• Since I know exactly what I’m looking for, I reduce shopping time because I can shop sections instead of aisles at the grocery store. No need to aimlessly roam through the store.
• I pick a day, or two, for cooking what I can ahead of time enabling me to have a few cook-free days when I can just pull a meal out and pop it in the oven or “eat it ready.”

A few suggestions when shopping:

• Do buy items that you use on a regular basis in bulk and store safely and according to use. Refrigerate is necessary or freeze if possible.
• Perishable items should be purchased in bulk only if you know you will use them before they expire. Since the farmer’s market is about to open and I’ll definitely be there, this is an important point for me to remember.
• Buy bulk items (or large quantity but not bulk – like buy ten for $10) on sale ONLY if you use the item on a regular basis. You will save some money, but the money you spent on that periodic item will sit on your shelves for months when you could have used it on another item planned for immediate use. I do this with my vegetable broth, which I will soon be making from scratch, and some canned items like beans.
• Check dates on bulk items, especially if they are on sale. If you can’t use it by the expiration date, then you might not be getting such a great deal.

Do you menu plan (or not) and is it working for you? If you buy in bulk, then what type of items do you buy?

*Start a compost pile with your moldy, old, gross, and disgusting food rather than tossing it into the trash.