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Buying in bulk is one of the most obvious solutions and will be one that most people have heard of, or even one that they have thought about themselves or implemented. But if you feel this solution involves buying a big bag of nuts instead of two smaller pockets, think again. There is so much more to buying in bulk than this. But at its most basic, it does just mean buying more significant amounts to save money. Most people do not take advantage of this simple solution due to a lack of planning.

Many people shop once or twice a week, and so only plan for a maximum of one week. So, if they usually get through a 1 lb. Bag of almonds a week, then that is what they will buy during their weekly shop. At the time of writing, almonds’ price in 1 lb, 2 lb, and 4 lb. Bags and the prices were $8.84, $13.98, and $25.98, respectively. If we work out the cost per pound, we find that they are $8.84, $6.99, and $6.50. Even by buying enough almonds for four weeks, you would save $9.38 compared to buying weekly. That is quite a significant saving, and that is only one item in your basket. If you buy ten similar items, then your saving will be close to $100. The sad thing is that many people do not realize that they are paying this much extra for food when it is easy to get it much less.

But there is a way to supercharge your savings, joining a bulk buying club. You can do this informally with friends and neighbors, or more formally, by joining a club. If ten of you got together, then you could buy almonds in 40 lb. bags, and you would save even more. Or you could go to a wholesaler, buy in bulk, and then re-sell to friends and neighbors. The laws vary in different states and different countries, so you will need to check whether you can do this where you live.

However, one thing to be aware of is not to buy too much of a product you have to eat quickly. If you do this once or twice, you will see there is no point purchasing multiple pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables if they will go bad before you eat them. Buying many fruits and vegetables and allow them to go wrong would be a great way of losing money, not saving it. However, if you have several friends who are starting to eat raw with you, you may want to go in together to get bulk fresh produce. You will be sharing the produce, but you will also be sharing the cost, which means everyone will save money.

The best produce to bulk buy is non-perishable, as that will keep for at least a few weeks. That way, the food will still be fresh enough to eat and have its nutritional value intact.

You also need to make sure that you do not buy too much of just one item, as you need variety in your diet. It will not be much fun living on almonds every day for the next six months, just because you bought so many of them. It would help if you had variety, so make sure you rotate your bulk buys.

For example, you may want to rotate between purchasing almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, and walnuts. A way to do this is to buy a month’s supply of almonds in week 1, then a month’s supply of brazils in week 2, then walnuts in week 3, and cashews in week 4.

The key is to take time to plan so that you know how much to buy in bulk and stick your budget. If your budget is severely restricted, you may have to start slowly and work your way up to bulk buying. Although it may require some initial sacrifices, you will find that buying healthy food is a worthwhile investment.