Does buying in bulk make you eat in bulk?
Posted on by Forest in Budgeting, Food & Drink, Saving Money & Finances
I’m always going on about the amazing money saving abilities of buying in bulk. In a recent post I advocated for buying multi-packs of soda, I regularly buy large amounts of beans and other items and cook in large batches designed to last several meals.
Whilst buying in bulk may well be saving money it could be causing detrimental effects in the “size-of-belly” department.
Having soda on hand can and sometimes does lead to binges where a couple of sodas can be consumed in one day. Cooking up an awesome giant pot of refried beans may lead to scooping two spoons of the lovely mush into my mouth whilst only putting one spoons worth into the Tupperware for storage! And when it comes to things like home-baking brownies and such delicious treats, well, I have to admit that often no-matter how large a batch is baked they often don’t last the night! Lets just say, I’m going to have to put a brownie baking ban on in this household!
Because I buy and cook in bulk all of this comes at large savings and my food bills are minimal. Generally I actually do good at not over-consuming and illustrated the low-points in the above paragraphs. It has taken me a while to be like this and I wanted to share some tips for general good behaviour.
So how can we all avoid bulk eating and still continue bulk shopping?
Cook on a full stomach - Being hungry is one of the main reasons people raid the cupboards and fridge. So the best remedy is to eat and snack the right amount. When it comes to making large batches of food make sure you are fully full otherwise you may just do what I have done and eat half the batch.
Store snacks out of sight, out of mind, and out of reach – There is nothing wrong with having a couple of sweet treats on hand for the occasional nibble and some could argue it’s essential to staying on a mostly balanced diet. When you do have them in consider storing them in awkward places. On top of a cupboard that requires a small foot stall or ladder to get at is a good one. Or at the furthest point from the living rooms and bedrooms.
Don’t buy snacks in bulk – Of course another way, and a way I more often use, to not over indulge on bad foods is to not have them around. Build them into your entertainment budget and only have your treats whilst you are out.
Pre-plan your meals – If you know the batch of food you are buying and cooking is to be used on specific meals then you’ll have more of a conscious about munching them all up off schedule, especially if trying to stick to a stringent budget.
Freeze everything that can be – Having food in the freezer provides an extra layer of preparation and a little barrier against irrational eating. Also it’ll help make sure everything is fresh when it is the right time to eat.
Learn about portion control – We eat a lot more food than we used to. As this article from Divine Caroline illustrates pretty much everything we buy has grown in size and we also eat more at home. The limit seems to have no cap for many of us and we need some re-training. Learning about sensible meal sizes and portions will help set our mind in a way to say no to food, even if it is openly available. You can take a look at my portion size graphic to get an idea of what you should be eating.
Don’t worry about it if it is healthy – If you are snacking on extra steamed veggies or having an extra bowl of oats because you feel hungry in the afternoon then don’t worry too much about it. You may have been under-eating anyway (often a problem with yo-yo dieting). As long as you try and keep on the healthy stuff and keep on board what you have learned about portion control you should be just fine.
Buying in bulk is the sensible option for buying food so you just have to get used to the extra being around and sometimes easily accessible.
Do you have any other tips or stories to share?
Thanks a million for reading and I look forward to your comments.
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25 Responses to “Does buying in bulk make you eat in bulk?”
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Practical Parsimony
14. Jun, 2012
When you cook in bulk, just immediately freeze it in portion sizes and leave some out for another meal. If you freeze in bulk, then you are right back to having large portions to thaw and deal with.
Take the snack out of the original container and store in something else. The lure of the package is strong–like advertising on the shelf. I take chocolate chips from the package and put in a fruit jar in the cabinet. I will take a dozen chocolate chips out, eat them and be happy. When I just put a twist tie on the bag or a clip to close it, I was in the bag several times each day, eating larger portions in addition to more often.
Put cookies in a fruit jar or plastic. It works the same!
One thing that does not work is freezing brownies. I will gnaw on a frozen brownie and climb to the roof if the freezer is up there. I bake no brownies.
Practical Parsimony recently posted..My Food Day and How I Goofed: Four Times
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Forest
14. Jun, 2012
Ha ha, brownies are only cooked to be eaten in my house. I dom’t even play with the idea of storing them! Thanks for your tips.
Forest recently posted..Does buying in bulk make you eat in bulk?
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Practical Parsimony
15. Jun, 2012
That’s why I don’t bake brownies anymore. If I want a brownie, I will weigh the expense against my desire. Usually, I walk away.
Practical Parsimony recently posted..Free Entertainment–the metal chicken
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Forest
15. Jun, 2012
That’s good restraint!
Forest recently posted..Does buying in bulk make you eat in bulk?
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krantcents
14. Jun, 2012
I think this is true for any purchase and probably before you purchase. You need to exercise some discipline. For example, when I get candy I could finish it in one night or each just one piece per night. Personally, I would rather not have it in the house, but I try to eat just one piece per night.
krantcents recently posted..What Should You Do?
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Forest
14. Jun, 2012
I’ve actually gotten really good at regulating the candy. I buy a large bar of very dark chocolate and have one square per day. Most of the time this is sufficient and for a while now I have been weaning myself off sugar.
Forest recently posted..Does buying in bulk make you eat in bulk?
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Deacon
14. Jun, 2012
We used to have a Costco membership and would buy in bulk all the time. We found that we would often buy more than we need or that items would sit around for months unused. We have since cancelled our membership and buy mostly at Sprouts. We are able to stay within our budget and eat what we want.
Deacon recently posted..How to Stop Junk Mail and Telemarketing Calls
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Forest
14. Jun, 2012
Hey Deacon, there certainly is an art to buying in bulk and it is easy to go overkill. I’m not in the USA right now so not sure what Sprouts is, is it a new store?
What sort of bulk do you buy now or do you buy exactly what you need?
Forest recently posted..Does buying in bulk make you eat in bulk?
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Deacon
15. Jun, 2012
Sprouts is a healthy local grocery store. The main thing we buy in bulk is a drink called Sparkling Ice. When we buy it in a case it comes out to about 55 cents a piece. If you were to buy them individually they are anywhere from $1 – $1.25 each. So buying these in bulk saves 45% or more.
Deacon recently posted..How to Stop Junk Mail and Telemarketing Calls
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Forest
15. Jun, 2012
Awesome, if you can shop local that’s always best.
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Steve @ Grocery Alerts
15. Jun, 2012
This is one reason I hate bulk buying – having too much in my pantry. I have no discipline when it comes to snacks like crackers and sweets so I try to limit myself.
When you see the quantity of some people’s carts at Costco and you wonder!
Steve @ Grocery Alerts recently posted..Ontario Only – FREE Liberte Yogourt *Facebook Offer
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Forest
15. Jun, 2012
Absolutely Steve, like any restraint though you can learn to be better and maybe buying one item in bulk at a time can help to slowly build up better habits. Yeah it’s crazy how much some people cart away. Let’s just hope it’s a 6-month shop!
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Practical Parsimony
17. Jun, 2012
The only thing I would buy in bulk might be a gallon of olive oil, 25 lbs of oats or sugar, or something I am not liable to be able to or want to dip right into. Chips? Cookies? Crackers? NO way would I bring those home in bulk. I try not to even bring home a tiny package.
I just finished off a pint of ice cream just before I started typing. I can guarantee you that I would have eaten much more if I had bought more.
My sister made her police officer husband keep his bulk stash of treats in his squad car instead of the house because she was gaining weight after they married. She said if she were hungry and rummaging around, she would eat junk. After she made him keep his junk outdoors in his squad car he drove home each night, he lost 30 lbs, So he just quit buying the junk in bulk.
I lost 46 lbs in 3 months. I drove to get a Hershey bar each night as my one treat for the day. After awhile, I found out I could buy one Hershey kiss from the gas station and still feel like I had a treat. But, there was no way that I could bring a bag of Hershey kisses home and only eat one.
So, I cannot imagine how much these people eat who take home gigantic packages of treats.
I had rules when I lost weight–I could eat all the canned greens or bagged prunes I wanted. I could and did buy those and canned green beans with abandon.
One day, a cashier at the grocery said they had never seen anyone buy as much produce as I did. They had discussed it. They noticed what I bought and that I was rapidly losing weight. I wonder if the bulk buyers of treats in places like Costcos or Sams Club are losing weight, gaining, or even trying to control their weight.
Practical Parsimony recently posted..It’s About Time: Rambling Post
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Forest
17. Jun, 2012
I tend to not have cookies or chips in bulk at hom either but I rarely eat them at all now! Oil is good in bulk as is flour, oats and any grain or dried related stock.
That’s an interesting story about losing weight, I think often we overeat but it is possible to eat a lot more if it is the good stuff.
Forest recently posted..Does buying in bulk make you eat in bulk?
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Penniless Parenting
17. Jun, 2012
I buy stuff in bulk, but I’ve learned to only buy non processed foods in bulk, because then I don’t overuse those. Chocolate chips are a BAD idea to buy in bulk, I’ve discovered…
Penniless Parenting recently posted..Homemade Jello Recipe- Chemical Free, with Sugar Free Option
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Forest
17. Jun, 2012
Ha ha ha, yes choc chips are bad to buy in any level as they will get eaten! I left a bag of choc chips at friends last night (made dinner with a group of friends at his house) because I didn’t want them in my house and I knew he didn’t mind having them.
Forest recently posted..Does buying in bulk make you eat in bulk?
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Melanie Reed
17. Jun, 2012
I never buy in bulk, because once the food is in my pantry I will be tempted to eat more and more. The solution is just to buy what is needed and also cook what is enough and not in excess.
Melanie Reed recently posted..kimkardashiantapenews.com
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CF
19. Jun, 2012
I love buying rice in bulk – we recently got 40lbs of rice for $23.99. (!!!!!) Other than that, we don’t really do the bulk thing – no room, and like you say, can be easy to overeat.
CF recently posted..Giving up the 2nd job
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Forest
19. Jun, 2012
That’s a great deal! Yes space can be a real issue. If a 40lb bag of something gets a bug infestation or something it’s a bigger deal than a small bag too!
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Ashleen Moreen
19. Jun, 2012
I use to buy in bulk not as always because sometimes I cannot control myself from eating cookies and chips which is my favorite.
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Forest
19. Jun, 2012
Ha ha, best to stay away from that kind of bulk buying! Maybe bulk buying ingredients to make those treats is a better option.
Forest recently posted..When do you start seeing results with Insanity?
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Alex
21. Jul, 2012
Hi forest where would you suggest for bul buying kidney bean fom in Auckland.?
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Forest
23. Jul, 2012
Hey Alex, best place I know is in Eden Terrace here: http://goo.gl/maps/Sfjg (no10 Virginia Ave. East).
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kimksuperstar
06. Sep, 2012
I buy in bulk sometimes. Its not always the best way.
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Forest
16. Sep, 2012
Hi Kim, with any purchase you always need to use your common sense.
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