And one of the best ways to save money on groceries is to buy in bulk. Does buying in bulk really save you money? The trick to saving money by buying in bulk is to have a game plan before you even walk through the door of the store. Our top two tips for saving money by shopping in bulk are pretty simple.

And second, compare prices! While it might be tempting to grab that ounce jar of mustard, ask yourself, Am I really going to eat that?

Stick to buying things you know you or your family will eat or use. You can do the math like this:. Both stores are pretty similar when it comes down to what they sell. It might not always shake out this way, but in general, you can usually count on some items to be a better bargain when you buy them in bulk.

Just watch out for a couple of rookie mistakes that can lead to overspending:. Buying perishable items like produce in bulk is always a huge gamble. Go ahead and save yourself the heartbreak of having to toss food in the trash, and avoid buying things like:.

You can buy meat at many warehouse stores, through online farm-to-table suppliers like Crowd Cow, or straight from a local farmer in your area use a website like Eat Wild or Local Harvest to find a farm near you.

Keep in mind, these prices are based on our local area of Franklin, Tennessee, so prices may be different where you live. Looking at our list, you can see some winners right away.

We hear you—it may not make much of a difference in a single purchase blame some of that on inflation, by the way. some of you drink more, but stay with us here. Now stay with us.

Getting better. And then you give an applesauce pouch to each of your three kids every day at lunchtime. How do you like them apples? We know, filling up your shopping cart to the brim with bulk items can feel thrilling, but remember to ask yourself these questions before you get too carried away:.

Also, consider the size of your family. Is buying in bulk the most budget-friendly thing to do? Not always. It really depends on your needs.

Like everything else in your budget, think through whether or not it works for you and your specific situation. But it does raise the question: How much money can you save by buying bulk groceries from Costco?

Below is a breakdown of how I reached that figure. And if you get a Costco Executive membership , you could save even more.

Using grocery list templates available online, I assembled a list of 25 typical, staple grocery items that are suitable for longer storage, either in the pantry, refrigerator or freezer.

This ruled out most fresh produce, with some exceptions, though if you're hosting a large gathering buying produce in bulk may be worthwhile also.

Bulk shopping doesn't mean buying a year's worth of groceries all at one time, but I didn't include anything that wouldn't hold up well for at least a month, with the notion that bulk grocery shopping can be done less often.

Assuming either bi-weekly or monthly consumption of those staple grocery items for a household of one or two people, I came up with the approximate yearly consumption for each.

For Costco's items, I scaled the prices accordingly based on whatever package size Costco offers to indicate a yearly cost for the same amount of a given item.

If you can afford the freezer space, buying meat in bulk will save you big money over the course of a year. Since I was primarily interested in food cost savings, I didn't factor in cleaning supplies, paper products or other items, but you can safely assume these also amount to big saving potential over the year when bought in bulk.

Also, since my calculations were based on a small household, the bigger your household, the bigger the savings. Costco requires a membership to take advantage of its bulk savings and low-cost signature brands. Read more about the different Costco membership options.

The economics of buying in bulk is simple: The more you buy of something at one time, the less it costs per count or unit of weight. Producers, distributors and retailers are able to offer lower prices in this way not only because bulk items often require less packaging, but also because for them it's a sure sale over a potential sale -- they'd rather have your money now, even at a discount, than parsed out over a period of time.

Shelf-stable items including cereal, sauces and coffee make up some of the biggest savings when buying in bulk.

In today's economy, it is worth mentioning that you also save gas money with fewer trips to the store. In all of these cases, there wasn't a huge size difference between the conventional and bulk items.

Milk is an especially good example, as it's still offered in a larger quantity at Costco, but there's only so much of it you can buy at one time without risking it spoiling, and so the bulk offering is comparatively modest. The savings for bulk fresh produce were not as significant as pantry staples and shelf-stable groceries.

Generally speaking, the larger the scale on the bulk item, the larger the savings. With at least a grand in savings available yearly for just a portion of your grocery list, even if you need to buy additional home storage to accommodate it, the verdict is clear: Bulk grocery shopping is well worth the effort.

Some of the biggest savings by percentage come from shelf-stable and pantry items including chips, crackers, jarred sauce, rice and whole-bean coffee. These items are typically easier to store and less likely to spoil or deteriorate in quality.

Buying pantry items in bulk from a discount grocer such as Costco represents a clear and risk-free strategy for saving money on your grocery spend over the course of a year. If you're a Costco shopper, make sure you check out how to maximize your Costco savings , and how much you can save with a Costco Executive membership.

And for more We Do the Math , check out how much you can save by shopping at Trader Joe's compared to other grocery stores , and if it's cheaper to buy meal kits than groceries.

Why You Can Trust CNET.

A recent study by CouponFollow found the typical U. While you can sit and clip physical coupons from grocery store mailers, many coupons are available with less hassle on rebate apps and websites such as Iobtta and Coupons.

In order to save money on groceries, it can help to break your loyalty to a certain store or brand and do more comparison shopping.

Tools such as Grocery King or My Grocery Deals can help you compare sales across stores. Keep in mind that comparison shopping loses its effectiveness if you are traveling far distances to other stores and using up gas or electricity.

In some cases, investing in a club membership can be worth the savings you get on food and household items. Again, for this to pay off, you need to be strategic about the types of items you buy and choose things that can last a while in the pantry, fridge, or freezer.

So ultimately, you want your savings to make up for the cost of the membership in order for any wholesale club you sign up for to be worth it. Though the amount you can save depends on the particular item, buying in bulk almost always costs less per unit.

Big-box stores such as Target and Walmart, as well as online retailers like Amazon, also offer some items in bulk. Most of us fall for buying 10 items to get that dollar-per-item price.

Check your sales flier more closely and start comparing prices. This is a HUGE money saver in our household! I do not bring Kelan grocery shopping with me anymore. When I went shopping with my mom, I just put items in the cart.

Heck, I was not paying for them! My poor mom must have spent a fortune by bringing us kids with her. Not to mention that bringing kids on an empty stomach makes making those multiple stops for extra savings even more of a chore! We live in a world where we can just walk into a grocery store and buy practically anything we can think of, regardless of what day it is.

What I mean by this is buying a block of cheese and grating it instead of buying pre-shredded cheese. Or buying chicken breast and putting your own breading on it instead of buying pre-breaded chicken pieces.

Or choose the pudding mix over the ready-to-eat pudding cups. There are admittedly a number of great pre-mixed seasonings on the shelves these days. By something as simple as having a few container garden plants or even starting a small square-foot garden in your backyard, you can eliminate a large portion of your grocery spending each month during the growing season!

So why is it listed here? Even if it takes a while between coupon dates if you do HAVE to buy something that is a brand name, for whatever reason, try your best to hold off on buying until you have a coupon. If you force yourself to wait until you can basically create your own sale, those few dollars off here and there can quickly add up over time!

True, you might be an extreme couponer and know how to get your coupon used up to the point where the stores owe you money at checkout.

I used to hate having to stand there and wait for my mom to get her rainchecks when I went on grocery shopping trips. But now that I have a monthly budget of my own, I totally understand! How many times have you gone to buy an on-sale item at an amazing price, but the shelves are cleaned out before you could get there?

Getting a rain check extends your own private little sale for the next time that item is back in stock. Compare prices, and you might be shocked at what kind of deals you can find. Meal planning is the first step, but it does you no good at saving money on groceries if you never do anything with the food you buy.

Make time to either prep dinners or budget-friendly lunches in one sitting. For some reason, this is something most people feel embarrassed to do!

It goes without saying that swiping a credit card is a lot easier than handing over cold hard cash. Your best way to stay on budget and shop with cash is to use the envelope system, made popular by Dave Ramsey. Using cash, split your monthly grocery budget into 4 equal amounts, then put it into an envelope for each week.

You'll save 70 percent by doing so, and you can store any leftover tortillas in the fridge for a month and in the freezer for at least two months. Peak mango season runs from May through September, but if you want a steady supply of mangos year-round, consider buying the flavorful, tricky-to-cut fruits in bulk which will save you 66 percent and freezing the ripe ones you don't use within about five days of your purchase.

Use your mango haul to whip up a tropical smoothie or make some vibrant curry. This salad staple, which is also great when grilled, costs 66 percent less when purchased in bulk.

However, since romaine hearts only last for about 10 days in the fridge we suggest you only purchase them in large quantities if you plan to use nearly all of them. If you're entertaining a big group, consider making this spring green salad or a platter of trendy lettuce chips.

While you can freeze romaine lettuce, it won't be as crispy or flavorful once it defrosts, so use any leftovers in a smoothie or soup instead.

Love it or hate it, this processed cheese is a food you should consider buying in bulk if you tend to use a bunch of it. Doing so will save you 66 percent. Use it in a classic grilled cheese or in this decadent mac and cheese recipe. Any slices you don't use will keep in the refrigerator for approximately three weeks.

As anyone who cooks often knows, you can never really have enough of this popular food, which makes it a good candidate to buy in bulk. Not only will you save 65 percent, but you can use it in anything from a trusty side such as roasted potatoes , to a hearty pasta dinner.

Almonds make for a satisfying, healthy snack, and if you have a habit of noshing on a handful of the nutritious nuts each day, you may want to buy them in bulk. Not only will you save 65 percent, but you can use any leftovers to garnish soup or overnight oats.

And, in case you're curious, roasted almonds will last in the fridge or freezer for about a year, so feel free to save any leftovers.

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