Bulk bags vs weekly shops, the math surprised me after 3 months

I compared buying 25lb bags of rice and beans at WinCo against my usual weekly grocery runs, and the per-meal cost dropped from about $2.80 to $1.10. Store brands in bulk needed more planning and a bigger pantry shelf, but the savings added up to $63 over those 12 weeks. Has anyone else found that the upfront cost is worth it, or do you stick with smaller purchases for flexibility?

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williams.kim6d ago

Wait, did you actually track the waste too? Because that's where I always lose money on bulk. I bought a 25lb bag of rice once, got halfway through it, and then realized I was tired of rice and let it sit for two months. That $30 bag ended up costing me more than just buying the 2lb bags when I wanted them. Plus you gotta have the space for it, and my apartment pantry is already stacked with canned stuff. I get the math works if you're locked into rice and beans every day, but most folks I know don't eat that consistently. The flexibility of a weekly shop just fits how I actually cook, even if the numbers look worse on paper.