12 Foods to Buy in Bulk (And 6 That Are a Waste of Money)

Most "buy in bulk" advice was written for a house with five people in it — and it falls apart the second there are only one or two of you at the table. I spent 15 years as the fresh-foods manager for a grocery chain: I set the pack sizes and knew months ahead which week each thing would hit its lowest price of the year. Now I do the shopping for my own retired parents, and this is the list I wish I'd had. The USDA's Economic Research Service found that 133 billion pounds of food — about 31% of everything that reaches a U.S. shelf or kitchen — never gets eaten. For a small household the trap isn't the price per pound; it's whether the second half survives. Here are 12 foods that genuinely pay to buy big when it's just one or two of you (cheapest first), and 6 that are a waste no matter how good the deal looks: WORTH BUYING BIG Dried beans & lentils, pasta, and white rice Sugar, salt & whole peppercorns, plain cooking oil White flour for baking Canned fish & plain canned vegetables The big bag of frozen vegetables (the one freezer-aisle size worth maxing out) A block of hard cheese (not the bag of pre-shredded) Butter — on the baking-season sale, straight into the freezer Meat — bought the week it's cut deepest, portioned before it freezes ...and 6 "deals" that are a trap for a small household — including the #1 waste, which isn't a food at all. Small household, fixed budget — the price per pound only counts if you actually finish it. Start with one swap this week. Every figure in this video is attributed to a named public source — full list below. #frugalliving #buyinbulk #grocerysavings #cookingfortwo #foodwaste #savemoney