Shopping case lot sales is a great way to bulk up your food storage, but be careful when doing it. Not everything is a great deal just because it is included in the case lot sale. Here are some tips to get the most bang for your buck and appropriately stock your pantry and food storage shelves.
1. PLAN AHEAD AND MAKE A LIST: Look in your food storage and pantry and make a list of what you are low on, how many you need, what you have realized you need and don't have and make sure to not replace anything you haven't actually used. Sometimes we probably get caught up in the idea of it's a good price and forget to think about whether or not your family is actually going to eat it. If you bought something and it has been sitting on your shelves untouched for a year or more-don't buy it again. If you haven't already, it might be a good idea to get a food storage inventory sheet going. For that click here or here. It makes this part quick and easy.
2. HAVE A BUDGET: It is important to budget in a certain amount every year to be able to spend on case lot sales or even just on food storage in general. I have heard stories of people who put aside $20 from their bi-weekly shopping trips and saved it all up to spend on food storage at case lot sales. Don't just go and spend whatever you feel like just because it is a "great deal" because even though it might be a great deal it all adds up rather quickly and usually isn't a good surprise when you hear the total. The prophets have also counseled us to be wise when preparing and not to go into to debt to become prepared.
3. DO THE MATH: Not everything you see at a case lot sale will be a great deal. Most of the time the signs will only tell you how much the whole case is and how many are in the case. Do the math and if the "sale" price is only a few cents cheaper than it normally would be then it is not a great deal. Move on and wait for a better sale. Sometimes you can get stores to price match if a competitor has the EXACT same product on sale for a better price. Plus if you aren't afraid to see if they will price match it will save you time in the long run so you don't have to go running from store to store to get the best prices.
4. BIGGER ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER: Just because it is a case lot sale doesn't mean that you have to buy an entire case to get that price. If you only need to replenish a few of a particular item, go down the isles and buy the individual cans at the exact same price as the case lot price. Also just because it comes in a big bag doesn't necessarily mean it is a better price than the smaller bags (here is where the math comes in again). While a bigger bag might seem more convenient the smaller bags might be a better overall value.
5. DO YOUR HOMEWORK: Most stores case lot sales will overlap some, but they don't all run them at the same time (strategic planning on their part). Of the sales that are running at the same time look at which store has the best overall deals and go there. There are some stores that will carry certain items that other stores don't. For example- Macy's always has bulk bags of regular and quick oats but no others stores do. The closest you will come is Harmon's that will carry the buckets(5-6 gallon) of the regular and quick oats. Their sales usually don't run at the same time so you would have to decide if you would want to have it already packaged or if the savings are worth putting it in buckets yourself.
6. GO HEALTHY: It used to be hard to find healthy options during the case lot sales, but now it isn't. You can find the lower/no fat and salt options that taste just as good as the original and whole wheat or whole grain versions . Just because you are stocking up your pantry for "emergencies" doesn't mean you can't be healthy.
Hope this helps you plan and prepare for this year's case lot sales. Check with your favorite shopping spot for when their case lot sale begins. Shop around for the best bang for your buck!
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