MSE Blog: When it comes to groceries, sometimes less is more MoneySaving

Former_MSE_Helen · 15 July 2013 at 3:50PM

Hi all, this is a thread to discuss the MSE blog:
When it comes to groceries, sometimes less is more MoneySaving

"The idea of getting less of anything for more money is the opposite of what we stand for here at MSE, and definitely seems counter-intuitive when it comes to grocery shopping..."

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rogerblack · 16 July 2013 at 9:53PM

Gotta do it right!
Buying 50kg of flour, if you have the storage, it's cheaper than normal, and you use it anyway is a clear win. But you can only tell it is if you've been tracking the price.
Buying 200 chocolate bars at a tenth of the price may only be a win if you also have the willpower to not eat three a day.
Bulk buying works best in combination with another B - budgeting!

If you have pre-planned meals, and you can slot the bulk buy stuff into them and reduce the overall cost per meal - great!

Be careful though!

Bella56 · 17 July 2013 at 4:35PM

We don't have the willpower to buy bulk. If I buy a huge bar of chocolate because it is on offer, it is gone by the evening, meaning I'm a bit fatter and I feel bad.

Also, we haven't got storage space so buying anything in bulk means looking at it next to the microwave until it is gone!

richardw · 17 July 2013 at 6:30PM

Isn't the Minstrels equivalent cheaper at Aldi/Lidl?

jenniewb · 18 July 2013 at 2:19AM

Totally agree! If I buy in bulk I end up throwing stuff away or over-eating and neither are good for me or the way I feel about myself! I either worry about wasted cash or worry about extra weight and I worked out a while ago that if I simply spend on what I know for 100% sure I will eat, I wont have extra to throw away.

I now carry less when I leave the supermarket and I have food I want to eat rather than food I feel obliged to eat.

hollieinbloom · 19 July 2013 at 2:28PM

I will always think about this before I buy. If things are on multibuy offers like 2 for £3 but they are only £1.59 each anyway, I often think...Do I need two? I'll only save 18p and I only came in for one and won't use the other for a long time. I would have spent £1.41 more for something I didn't need/want. It's a way for the stores to shift the stock. I will however bulk buy items if on a good sale (and it has a good BB date) So I take advantage of it. I then won't pay full price next time if I use it regularly.

anotheruser · 19 July 2013 at 6:28PM

I do bulk buy on some things but that tends to be tinned goods or things like sandwich bags, cling film, foil.
I don't cook in bulk to freeze because defrosting and re-heating... well the result is usually always not very nice, especially if it's been frozen for ages.

Asda has recently had a bottle of the new Persil with the removable measurer. I automatically took the smaller bottle thinking I would be saving (it was £4.68) as I only wanted the measurer (I use Asda's own brand), but then found out a larger bottle was only £4!

VfM4meplse · 19 July 2013 at 8:08PM

rogerblack wrote: »

Gotta do it right!
Buying 50kg of flour, if you have the storage, it's cheaper than normal, and you use it anyway is a clear win. But you can only tell it is if you've been tracking the price.
Buying 200 chocolate bars at a tenth of the price may only be a win if you also have the willpower to not eat three a day.

That is so true. Abundance tricks the brain.

Edwardia · 31 July 2013 at 9:55PM

I bulk buy some things on offer - Ecover products, Andrex Eco or Nouvelle Soft loo rolls, Evian, President butter.. because I know I can store/freeze them.

I don't buy Maynard's wine gums on offer though because husband would gorge on them.:D

When it comes to big packs of things, I buy a couple of 6 pack kitchen rolls for 99p each from 99p Stores every month and that's about it.

I DO look at shelf labels. I well remember that it was cheaper to buy four 250g bags of fusilli from Sainsbury's than a 1kg bag, for months and the small bags weren't on offer either.

Tesco pricing seems the weirdest but ASDA isn't far behind.

VfM4meplse · 1 August 2013 at 9:55PM

Edwardia wrote: »

I well remember that it was cheaper to buy four 250g bags of fusilli from Sainsbury's than a 1kg bag, for months and the small bags weren't on offer either.

Was this before you started to low-carb?

rachbc · 3 August 2013 at 1:37PM

I only buy in offer when its stuff I know I will use - but of course NOT buying something at all is always the cheapest option! So crisps, biscuits, sweets which aren't really neccessary for a balanced diet are always a waste of money - not matter how cheap

MSE Blog: When it comes to groceries, sometimes less is more MoneySaving

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