SAVE BY BUYING IN BULK

Helloo,

     Getting ready to do some holiday baking?  Do you have your coupons in hand & your sale papers marked up?  Or, do you throw the extra sugar, vanilla, chocolate chips, etc into your shopping cart while you do your regular groceries and think you've only gone over a buck or two?   Well, think again, because the average woman increases her monthly grocery bill by at least 15% on ingredients for holiday baking.

     Before you go out and spend look at the list below and compare it with what you will be paying.  After all, a penny earned is a penny saved (or something like that)and saving $60.00 this month can pay down your electric bill from last summers heat wave.

    My dau-in-law Desiree texted me last night for the prices on the following.  Desiree is a smart shopper.  She wants to know what and what not to buy that has been pre-packaged & what to get in bulk.  

     We think Winco stands in the lead for most bulk purchases so I've listed their prices here.  If you can find it cheaper anywhere else, GET IT, because you won't find them any cheaper anywhere else in our neck of the woods. 

These are Winco prices with little side notes that I think are important to know :)

Flour - .37 a pound

Baking Powder - 1.13 lb 

Baking Soda - .60 lb  -  I want to pay .50 cents a pound, so if you find it somewhere at .50 a pound, let me know.

Salt - regular iodized .24 lb -   

         sea salt .25 lb

Everyone has a different school of thought of salt.  We have both, but I only use the regular iodized in all my baking.

Cocoa - powdered - $4.35 lb 

Brown Sugar - .79 lb 

White Sugar - .59 lb (Feb 2011 the price was .46 lb*)

Chocolate Chips - $2.52 lb

Carob Chips - $2.15 lb (I use Carob & no one but my 6-yr-old g-dau Madison notices the difference.  She wrinkles up her nose & looks at me like, "what the heck is this?" - the little stinker)

Vanilla Chips $2.58 lb (I don't know if they are the same as White Chocolate Chips, but I use them in place of White Chocolate) 

Butterscotch Chips - $2.51

*I saved some of last years prices and discovered how fast some things climbed.  Knowing this has helped me plan for the upcoming year.  Since I know that 14 million corn crops were damaged this year I am planning for a spike in cornmeal, canned corn, and of course chicken bc chickens eat corn.

Let me show you how buying in bulk can really cut costs this time of the year...

I use regular flour, store-brand, unbleached that you can buy at Winco in bulk.

Flour - .37 lb at Winco right now.  (Last Feb 2010 flour was .29 lb*). 

It takes 3-1/3 cups of flour to weigh one pound.  

10 cups of flour weighs just over 3 pounds... 

So a 5 lb bag of flour is about 16-1/2 cups of flour and... 

Costs $1.85.

BUT... Gold Medal Flour in a 5 lb bag costs well over $3.00.  When you do the math, you are OVERPAYING by at least $1.15 per pound!!!!!

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT GRINDING YOUR OWN WHEAT INTO FLOUR???

My wheat grinder I got for a steal when I bought it used.  I'm sure I'll have it a lifetime.

     Wheat Berries - I buy 25 pounds of Winter White Wheat for $11.45.  That comes out to .46 per pound.  

One pound of wheat berries at .46 equals 2-1/2 cups and when you grind it it becomes 4 cups of flour.

Two pounds of wheat berries costs .92 and measures into 5-1/4 cups.  When you grind it you will have 10 cups of flour (I measured, ground & weighed this morning) that weighs a little more than 3 pounds of flour.  The final cost is .92 for 3 pounds of flour or .31 a pound!   So, when you do the math, it's way cheaper to start converting to wheat, buying in bulk & building your food storage.

http://happyherbivore.com/2011/12/baking-powder-and-baking-soda/

Baking Powder costs $1.13 pound at Winco.  Baking Powder is so lightweight, you hardly need a pound for a year of cooking, but they say not to store it longer than a year or it will go bad (but I've had mine for 3 years & it's just as active)

Baking Soda - .60 per pound at Winco.  Baking Soda lasts forever in a airtight mason jars.  I havn't found anywhere that sells in 10 pound bags cheaper than .60 lb.  I want to pay .50 lb, so if you find it somehwhere at .50 a pound, let me know.

Even at $2.,72 for 8 oz (on sale at Walmart right now) it's still a little pricey.  

The containers you buy in the store are only 8 ounces & cost over $3.00 on a normal day.  When you buy in bulk you will pay $4.35 for one pound.  8 ounces is half a pound which is $2.18 when you buy in bulk, so if you think you are finding a deal at $2.72, think again because you are overpaying by at least $1.35 a pound that is .55 per pound TOO MUCH.  Instead buy in bulk & get only what you think you'll need, then add a little bit more.  A pound of cocoa is a LOT of cocoa)

 When it comes to Brown Sugar, those 2 pound plastic bags with the zipper on top seem like a good idea because they are convenient and they store well.  Finding them on sale for $1.89 or even $1.72 for store brand seems like a good deal, but did you know that you are paying WAY TO MUCH?  

It doesn't seem pricey at the time, but when you do the math, you will discover that you are OVERPAYING  by at least .20 a pound.  

If you were to buy 5 pounds at once at .79 a pound which will be $3.95, you will have saved $1.00 (at least).  Then you can go to the Dollar Store & buy a square plastic container with an airtight lid to hold it in.  If you are worried about it getting hard, lay a piece of bread on top & this will keep it moist.  When the bread gets hard, replace it with a fresh piece.  

Last year Brown Sugar was .68 lb*.  That's a price hike of .11 cents.  If I were you, I'd get 20 pounds for my storage.

     Well, have fun shopping, baking & giving!  Hope this has helped.  If you need anymore costs per pound, or ideas how to save money, send me an email & I'll answer right away!  

Nancy
nancy.providentliving@gmail.com