Where to bulk buy?

ptee

Hi, currently trying to reduce our monthly shopping bill which at the moment is £200 for 2 adults (OH is a vegetarian), a 2yr old and a 5 month old (still breast fed), and a small dog.

I've been having a good read over the OS forum and the advice and tips look great!
I've seen a few folk saying things like "we bulk buy with our parents/siblings/friends etc to save money..." etc. My question is where do you bulk buy in order to save money? I'm guessing it's not at Tesco or Asda?
And what kind of things do you bulk buy? I'm thinking things like tea/coffe/toothpaste/loo roll???

Whilst I'm posting any ideas on a realistic target budget for feeding the family for a month? I'm hoping to get down to £150 is that a bit optimistic?

Much appreciated
Ptee:beer:

emmie1234

Hi, We've got our budget down to £30 - £35 per week for two adults, DD, dog and cat!!!

I buy stardrops and bleach for cleaning products. I buy own brand washing powder (use half the amount) - I've just bought some soday crystals (51p - asda) to boost the whites - haven't tried it yet, but it's supposed to work really well!!! Our Dog has to have branded chum as other stuff gives her the runs but I normally find it on offer 3 for £1 at a shop near us called B&M - not sure if this is a shop just local to us or whether they are all over the place!!!
The Cat will eat anything luckily and we buy him ASDA tiger tins in gravy 6 for £1.88. He has about half a tin every evening and in the morning he has a bowl of biscuits before he goes off galavanting for the day.
Shampoo/Conditioner buy the cheap stuff unless I see something a bit better on BOGOF. Toothpaste - try the bargain shops. I use own brand stuff about 50p a tube. Tend to buy things like minced beef, stewing steak, Buy a large chicken - does for a roast plus extra 2/3 meals. Chicken fillets - buy a small frozen pack from ASDA for £1.20 use these for curries and pasta bake etc if the Roast Chicken doesn't last long enough. Always have some tins of tuna in the cupboard for sandwiches, pasta etc. Baked Beans, Tin Toms, Herbs and Spices - These are better bought in bulk at ethnic shops as you get huge bags for a good price and they last ages. Eggs - can't go wrong with eggs - egg on toast, omellette, scrambled egg. I know at some veg markets you can buy big sacks of potatoes for about £6. You can buy huge packets of pasta at tesco for a quid. I normally shop weekly/fortnightly so I buy the 19p bags from asda. Go to local markets for veg as you can get it pretty cheaply.
I'm buying all of my shopping from ASDA at the moment and I do a pretend shop on the internet to get all the prices, then make a list and get just what is on the list. I am going to try markets, local butchers soon etc see if works out any cheaper, but I want to empty all my cupboards fist.

Good Luck

Em

belfastgirl23

local chinese supermarkets can be good for bulk buying - especially if you would be likely to use rice etc in big quantities. They also do large tins of things like tomatos. And industrial quantities of sauces etc. It's worth checking your local one to see.

I believe they also sell veg in industrial quantities (eg you could buy a box of peppers) but I'm not sure how to go about getting this in our local since it is in a different part...worth looking for though

MKwife

We bulk buy in Costco, get some great bargains there.

http://www.costco.co.uk/

ptee

Thank you all, i'm off to investigate :O)

Ptee

arabellacatpig_2

My OH is vegie,we buy pulses(much cheaper if bought dried and soaked at home invest in a pressure cooker if you can),rice,pasta from a wholefood warehouse called Daily Bread,in Cambridge.Not much good if you are not local,but you might have similar near you.Try yellow pages.
I agree with Chinese supermarket tip,things like soy sauce are way cheaper than in high st supermarkets.
Also try Asian shops for rice,spices.If the packs are too big try splitting with friends who have similar needs.
Lidl is always good for cheap veg,also tinned tomatoes and pasta.
The Saturday market near me sells veg at discount prices,buy large and freeze.
Look for 'pound shops' selling cleaning materials cheap.Also good for toiletries.

Wendrie

We run a small family food co-op with five other families and buy most of our dry goods, cleaning products etc. from SUMA which is a worker run cooperative. https://www.suma.co.uk The minimum order is £250 which spread between the five families is remarkably easy to do.

They sell to health food shops, restaurants etc. and you're buying at wholesale prices not retail. However, there are occasions when it is the same price in Tescos/Sainsburys - but I console myself that it is delivered, I don't have to go shopping to buy it (and be tempted by other products) and of course it is money going that isn't going to a giant company but a smaller one.

ptee

Wendrie wrote: »

We run a small family food co-op with five other families and buy most of our dry goods, cleaning products etc. from SUMA which is a worker run cooperative. https://www.suma.co.uk The minimum order is £250 which spread between the five families is remarkably easy to do.

They sell to health food shops, restaurants etc. and you're buying at wholesale prices not retail. However, there are occasions when it is the same price in Tescos/Sainsburys - but I console myself that it is delivered, I don't have to go shopping to buy it (and be tempted by other products) and of course it is money going that isn't going to a giant company but a smaller one.

That company is about 5 minutes drive from my house! and I didn't know it was there, ...it's an industrial estate. I'll have a good nosey as it looks a good find, thanks :beer:

mouseymousey99

One thing I do buy in bulk from Tesco is oil. In the ethnic section they have tins of Olive oil - 5L for I think £11.99 & sunflower oil 5L for £4ish. I use the sunflower for all the basic stuff and make mayo in the blender with it. They also have largish re-sealable containers of rice - I know the sacks are probably cheaper but only x2 of us and no storage space so I have to take that into account too. Veggies I use the local market.
Aldi for the staples. I've just discovered Lidl and the cheese selection is terrific. I'm trying to grow some of my own stuff too. I grew lettuce last year which worked out well, just pop them in the border. Herbs are good too as you always have a fresh supply.
Aldi's body butter (3 for £2.99) is just as good as Body shop and loads cheaper ..best wishes..