Hot take: Is buying in bulk actually cheaper or just a trap?

I bought a 25 pound bag of rice from Costco last month for $12, thinking I was saving huge. But then I realized I don't have a good place to store it and a bunch got weevils after week three, so I threw half away. Meanwhile my friend swears by buying small bags from the local Asian market for $3 each and says she wastes way less. What's your experience - does bulk actually pay off or is it more about how you store and use it?

3 comments

3 Comments

sanchez.pat6d ago

I had the same problem with a big bag of flour once. What worked for me was splitting bulk stuff with a couple neighbors before we even buy it. We each chip in, I portion it out into smaller airtight containers right away, and toss the rest in the freezer for a day to kill any eggs. That rice would have been fine if you stored it in a sealed bucket with a lid, not the bag it came in. Bulk can pay off if you plan ahead, but going in without a storage strategy just means you feed the bugs instead of yourself.

the_jordan6d ago

Man I've been there too, bought a 25 pound bag of rice from the Asian market and two weeks later we had weevils everywhere. Freezing everything for 48 hours before it hits the pantry is the only way I do it now, and I swear by those big gamma seal buckets for anything that sits around more than a month. It's crazy how fast those little buggers can take over when you think you're being smart buying in bulk.

milessmith5d agoProlific Poster

That freezing trick really is the key, I've had good luck with putting bulk grains in the freezer for a full 72 hours just to be safe, and then transferring them straight into mylar bags with oxygen absorbers for long term storage.