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Is buying in bulk cheaper?

Is buying rice, pasta lentils etc in bulk cheaper and if so where?
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  • MovingForwards
    MovingForwards Posts: 16,865
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    Tesco do a big bag (it might be 5kg, it's been ages since I purchased) of pasta for about £3.50.

    Look at the world foods section in supermarkets for big, BIG 15kg+ bags of rice. Also Chinese supermarket.

    Lentils, they don't tend to be giant bags, maybe see if you have an Asian (Indian / Muslim) supermarket/shop, will have big bags of rice.

    Only thing I bulk buy is a big bag of rice, would go huge if I had the space in my kitchen!
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  • GreyQueen
    GreyQueen Posts: 13,008
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    Is buying rice, pasta lentils etc in bulk cheaper and if so where?
    :) Unfortunately, there isn't a general answer to this, you would have to do your own research on the goods you consume, knowing the frequency you consume them, and considerthe retail opportunities and transport options available to you, personally.


    You need to look at the so-called unit cost, often expressed in pence/££ per 100g, to get the answer.


    You'd also need to factor in the risk that the bulk-bought items might deterioate before use, attract critters, the potential nuisance of storing them in what might be very limited space, and the opportunity cost of having your money tied up.


    :money:Of course, there is always the possibility that you might buy big on a long-lived item which then rises sharply in price, which is very MSE if you can call the market correctly. Good luck.
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  • tori.k
    tori.k Posts: 3,592 Forumite
    It can be if its something you use regularly, doesn't necessarily mean buying huge bags but quantity when things are on offer.
    I bulk buy mostly just household sundries like washing powder, toilet roll and bathroom stuff.
    It does also have other advantages I buy the 5L hand wash for just under £14 and save around £6 PA but only have one large recyclable container to deal with rather than a load of smaller bottles. I do the same with washing up liquid but it cost around 60p more as the smaller bottles are constantly on offer but it cuts down on waste.

    Its handy to keep a note of how much you use over the first year so your buying the amount you need rather than having a lot of money tied up in extras.
  • splishsplash
    splishsplash Posts: 3,055
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    I find prices vary depending on where you shop, so even larger bags of rice/pasta can be more expensive than smaller sometimes.

    If you can get used to looking at price per kg/litre then you will start to recognize a good deal when you see it.

    It takes a bit of getting used to, I used a spreadsheet on my phone to track different prices in different places for a bit to get my head round it, but it's second nature now.
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  • bertiewhite
    bertiewhite Posts: 1,904
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    Be careful when using the "price per 100g/litre" figure as they do get it wrong from time to time.
  • dan958
    dan958 Posts: 770
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    You would really need to work out the cost per unit price.
    for example, I can buy pasta as 1kg or 5kg. The 5kg makes it 5p cheaper, as I do not have a massive amount of storage space, saving 5p isn't really worth it to take up a large amount of space.
  • spadoosh
    spadoosh Posts: 8,732
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    Each supermarket does their own brand rice and pasta.

    At aldi therye about 40p in kilo bags. Sainsburys are about 45p a bag. Ive yet to find anywhere that can match those prices no matter how much you buy.

    Im guessing theres quality aspects to it but as ive only ever eaten the cheaper stuff i cant really notice.
  • dan958
    dan958 Posts: 770
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    spadoosh wrote: »
    Im guessing theres quality aspects to it but as ive only ever eaten the cheaper stuff i cant really notice.

    I doubt there will be much difference when it comes to dried pasta.
  • bertiewhite
    bertiewhite Posts: 1,904
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    dan958 wrote: »
    I doubt there will be much difference when it comes to dried pasta.

    Oh there is, especially when it comes to Gluten Free. We normally buy in Lidl but last time we tried ASDA and theirs was awful - gloopy & like cement.
  • PipneyJane
    PipneyJane Posts: 4,003
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    The answer is yes and no. Yes, it can be cheaper to bulk buy rice, pulses and flour, but only if you store them properly and they are things you use. Don't worry about "best before dates", what is far more important is the correct storage. Stored properly, dried goods keep for years.

    I've learned to my cost that you have to have airtight/critter-tight storage boxes. You know the 5kg rice that comes in a plastic bottle/jug? Well, once opened those don't maintain an airtight seal. (I lost several kg rice to weevils in one of those.) I now have several of the largest size Lock-n-Lock boxes. Each holds 5kg of rice or flour.

    I buy 10kg sacks of Chapatti/Atta flour when it's £3 per 10kg. It's semi-wholemeal, strong (bread), plain flour. It makes good bread and cakes. I'll add a teaspoon of baking powder per cup to make it into self-raising, when needed. (Oh, and my baking powder - bought in bulk - is at least 12 years old. I wrote the best before date on a label, when I replaced the lid on the packaging. It was some time in 2008.)

    I normally pay about £10 for a 10kg sack of Basmati Rice. It lasts us about year and tastes far better, to my pallet, than regular long grain white rice. Avoid broken Basmati Rice if you can - it's sticky and not as nice, but it's considerably cheaper and used to be sold by Tesco as their Value Rice. (Years ago when broke, we bought a bag from the Chinese wholesalers/supermarket, WingYip, and every single WingYip employee we encountered tried to talk us out of it.)

    HTH

    - Pip
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