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Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Buying in bulk on Amazon!

Today, I would like to share the benefits of buying in bulk on Amazon to get closer to a "whole" lifestyle. While trying to lead a healthier, or "whole" lifestyle, a lot of people are discouraged by the price tag of "health foods". I believe that it definitely takes some time to really get in the groove of finding what works best for your household budget and finding deals whenever you can. I know how discouraging it can be to see 2/$5 snack cakes all over the grocery store, that you know will provide you with 12 snacks, and have to decide if you'll get your money's worth from spending the same amount on half the amount of "healthy" snacks. But, to really choose your health over a few dollars is the most important step in gaining a healthier lifestyle. Believing that your body, the only body that you will ever have, the body God gifted you with to represent Him on this earth, is worth the time and financial investment- that is the most important part. I do not aim to lecture but that is my belief.

Now, realistically healthy to you and healthy to me are probably two different things. Everyone is somewhere in this journey. To me, eating healthy is trying to buy and make food that is as close to "whole" as possible. I don't believe in buying lowfat butters or orange juice with calcium added, even though a lot of people find these as "healthy choices". I believe whole and from the Earth is healthy. I rather have the extra calories, fat and carbs and natural vitamins of what I consider real food, than less of those things in foods that have been modified. We try our hardest to make it to the market and buy local produce, meats, make our baked goods from scratch and that type of thing.

Amazon is definitely different than buying at a warehouse store, like Costco/BJ's. I have gotten great deals at those stores as well but several things I have found at better price points on Amazon.
To reap the benefits of shopping on Amazon, I believe a Prime membership is the best route. You can look at that fee like you would look at a membership fee at any warehouse store.

With Prime, you do receive free 2 day shipping but the catch is that you have to find products that qualify for Prime. That membership is more expensive than my BJ's yearly membership, but there are tons of free shows and movies to watch also so that definitely makes up the difference in cost. And Prime Music was just launched! I know there are e-Books but I haven't taken advantage of that.

Now to really "save" any money, you do have to be willing to make an investment in a bulk purchase. This is cheaper in the long run, but spending more upfront. I would rather spend $40 for 3 months worth of a product, than going to the store for something and spending $10 every two weeks. I'm not becoming a millionaire off these pinched pennies, but hey $100, $200, $300 it adds up.

Ok, enough of my babble!

Products I use often are what I look for deals on because we have a small apartment and there is not a ton of food storage. I would love to buy more in bulk but wherever shall I place gallons and gallons of heavy whipping cream and half cows??!? The struggle is real.

Oats, dried fruits, honey, molasses, nuts, coconut flour- those are the type of items I have dry storage space for. And use tons of! Especially with my new Brunchin Yummies shop :)

One of the ideal situations for buying in bulk is this example of Bob's Red Mill Oats. At just $0.11/oz that is at least two cents cheaper per ounce than what is available at my local stores. Four bags will probably last me a month or two, $14 investment, free 2 day shipping, and you can choose to subscribe and save for $0.10/oz. So that's down to $13, at the store these four bags would cost me $16. Let's say it it lasts two months, for a year on Amazon it would be $78- versus store costs of $96 plus my time and gas of the trip to the grocery store. That's an $18 savings. If you could do that with 5 items you regularly use, that is at least 1 romantic dinner out with your sweetie, or a manicure and pedicure treat for yourself, or a little shopping spree, or some savings, or a small room paint job upgrade. Imagine all the fun things you could do with $100!
Whewww! Did you absorb that?

Ok, let's do another.

Coconut oil.

This is something that has been really hard for me to find a good price on, and I can't guarantee this is the absolute cheapest. I do feel better about not buying 7 containers to equal these two containers and having all of the waste. Also, the time and gas going to the grocery store is a big deal for me!
Organic, Virgin Coconut oil with no GMO's, free Prime shipping, and subscribe and save eligibility at $0.37/oz. That is the same price I pay at the grocery store, but I seriously buy 16 or 32 oz containers of Coconut oil every two weeks to a month. This is easier for me.

Coconut flour.
Amazon: 3 lbs at $0.24/oz
Grocery: 16 oz at $0.63/oz
Subscribe and save eligible, free shipping available with $35+ order
Total money saver!

So, I really hope this helped and maybe you need one of these things! Now, go figure out some good deals for your family! Share them with me :)



This post was not sponsored, these are my own ideas and opinions and I am not receiving any form of payment for expressing them. However if you purchase any of these items by clicking on a link , I may receive a small portion of the sales as an Amazon Associate.