Internet Learning

The other day's Yahoo lead story was 10 things you should always buy in bulk.  Since I had just spent the day with Darcy and her father on their weekly Sam's Club run this article was one that I thought I should read, and if it has interest for me, then I usually blog about it.

1.  Toilet Paper - The thinking behind this is that it doesn't have an expiration date and it is an item that is a necessity in any house.  The article suggests that you make sure you have room for it in your house, and there is where it gets a bit tricky for us.  We live in Florida, and the price of living in Florida (back in the day) means smaller housing.  While my good buddy Kelly use to dump her bulk items of paper products behind her couch that butted up against the wall, I don't have a set-up like that.  Our TP gets stored in the garage on top of suitcases, boxes, and various tools and large stored items.  That works fine as long as the citrus rats don't get stuck in the garage.  Apparently, toilet paper makes great nesting material.

2.  Bottled Beverages - While in Sam's on Saturday going around eating my fill of free hand outs for lunch I received a lecture on using water bottles.  Bad for the environment and certainly bad for humans as the plastic is deadly in all sorts of toxic forms.  The sweet lady was pushing a liquid vitamin which came with its own reusable bottle that normally sells on the website for $15, but "today comes free with the purchase".  While I passed on the liquid vitamin I did make my husband get water bottles.  Florida water, particularly our county, sucks in the tap variety; the government recently cut out using fluoride.  Bottled water is much more convenient in the packing of lunches, hustling out the door, and safer around the pool.  The price at Sam's is $3.98 for 32 bottles where I pay that same price for 24 bottles at our grocery.  A much better deal.  The article mentioned having to lug the things in and out of your car.  Perhaps that is the reason why hubby ignored my advice on and purchased only half of what I suggested.

3.  Diapers - Cheaper in bulk.  Always a necessity if you have little ones.  Since the ending of Darcy's lifeskills class baby project we no longer have need for this category so I moved on.

4.  Dog food & treats -  Only problem with buying in bulk for this is that there is an expiration date.  Sam's doesn't carry our brand of dog food, but I have checked out the treat section.  Once.  Just wondering where I would put that many treats in my house changed my mind as did the thought that my picky dog would in all likelihood hate the damn things and then what?

5.  Gum - Better price in the long run for those who can't live without the sweetness in the mouth.  I happen to be one of those people.  My issue with buying in bulk on this item, as with many items, is that I can only get one flavor.  I like variety.  I usually just buy my favorite, Orbitz bubble gum, and pay the higher price at the grocery.  Although, have you seen the price of gum lately?

6.  Laundry Detergent - Just like the toilet paper it is used daily and for the most part lasts a long time.  For me the storage problem arises again with the largeness of the containers.  While I have an area in my garage laundry room full of various sized holes for storing such items I don't have holes that big.  We used to store the container on the floor and refill a smaller container, but the hefting of the large container got old.  And with the use of coupons and sales I was able to get an equivalent price for a size that fit with my house.

7.  Meat -  Everyone I know who has a garage freezer buys meat in bulk.  Again, not one of those people.  My garage is one car and also doubles as my laundry room.  A freezer is not in the cards and thus bulk meat is not happening.  The article does mention how important it is to properly freeze the meat and to mark the date on it before sticking it in the cold.  Something to take heart when doing this in your regular freezer as well.  I cooked up extra sausage and hamburger and froze it along with two jars of homemade spaghetti sauce.  Hubby opened the freezer the very next day, got hit in the shin with something when it fell out the door, so he "cleaned" the freezer.  First things to go were the meat and sauce because he "didn't know how long it had been in there".

8.  Storage Items -  This too makes sense and I will add this to my list next time.  The one thing about using Sam's is knowing the price that I pay at Target because sometimes when on sale and with coupons the price there is actually cheaper than Sam's price.  This is probably one of those items that fall in that category so check it before you buy.

9.  Personal Care Items -  The article mentions soap and like the above paragraph I have to exam prices on that.  Buying other personal items are like the gum buying.  I like to switch shampoos and conditioners for variety and for my hair so getting stuck with a life-size bottle of the stuff doesn't allow for this.  Nor do these bottles usually fit in the holders in my shower.

10.  Paper Plates and Forks -  For BBQ season the article states!  Oh yes, and I have all of that fresh fish just waiting to be grilled!  We go through paper plates here at the same rate as we do the bottled water ever since I gave the job of dishes over to the girls.  While forks make sense for the season of BBQ we tend to use spoons here more for school lunches.