Tammy's Recipes

We have always bought the majority of our bulk foods, especially flour, yeast, sugar, nuts, pure vanilla etc.) from Costco or similar stores, but Costco is by far our favourite. I had bookmarked a bulk food warehouse link that someone had recommended on a different board where I was reading at one time, but I have never tried it. The link is http://www.bulkfoods.com/default.htm Orders over $50 ship free within the U.S. and because they are a Canadian company (I think???), prices are also reasonable for Canadian residents as well. I have often thought about trying them. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I thought their prices were very good for bulk items, especially if you don't have any access to bulk items any other way.

Another option may be to talk to the grocery store manager and see if he would consider placing an order for larger sizes of products such as unbleached flour or other items. I have had our grocery store special order items for me in the past. They sell me what I want and then put the rest on the shelf for other people to purchase. You will want to ask about the price per unit and how much you would have to buy before having them place a special order.

I also buy yeast in bulk at Sam's, as well as items like minced onions, oregano, etc... .

For wheat berries, oats and popcorn, the health food store will order them for me in the large bags (25 or 50 lbs) and so they are cheaper there than ordering elsewhere and paying shipping.

Just like you, we have no Aldi's or Kroger here, so have had to get creative!

I order raw honey in bulk from our local food co-op, along with some kinds of wheat berries and meat (we buy a half cow and whole pig to get organic grass-fed beef for an affordable price).

Cathy

Spices a very cheap if you have a Mexican market nearby. From what I know of Florida some places are heavily populated with immigrants. We live in a highly Hispanic neighborhood in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. If I shop in the Mexican foods section of the store, that's where I find the best prices on spices.

I think there is a wholesale type place called BJ's that's common in Florida where you can find the same types of things in bulk that you would at Sam's or Costco. I buy flour, honey, yeast, pasta, and shredded mozzarella (for pizza!) in bulk at Sam's.

I really appreciate the info! I don't have a membership at Sam's, so I had no idea I could get things like that in bulk! I thought it was mostly institutional-sized items like ketchup or toilet paper or whatever. My mom has a membership so I will go with her one day and check it out. Oddly, even with the sizeable immigrant population here we don't seem to have too many Mexican/Hispanic markets, though we have a lot of Chinese and Italian markets! I'll ask our organic market about ordering wheat berries and oats and things. I never thought about that. I wish we had a co-op nearby that sold those sorts of items!

Thanks so much for the ideas and for addressing my email, Tammy! :)

Hi,
My husband and I have just become members of this co-op, called "United Natural Foods, Inc." We joined our local group here in Ohio (it has a different name-"Whole Family Foods".) When you get on the main website, you will have to e-mail the main company for more information on your area's local buying club. So far, we really like it. I haven't ordered a whole lot, since we just became members, but I have several friends who are members (and have been for like 10+ years,) and are very satisfied customers. This company offers a lot of natural/organic products... many that are hard to find. Here is the website: www.unitedbuyingclubs.com

If you are in the Miami area, try Wild Oats. It's a chain, and they carry bulk foods, organic foods, etc. I shopped there all the time when we lived in Miami. Check the health food section of your phone book for another one if that's not there. There was another health food store that was also a great place for local honey and all kinds of healthy foods. I think they carried it in bulk too. It was actually closer to us.

I bought all my wheat, oats, etc. there. There's one in Cincinnati, OH too. Not here in SW Missouri though. Rats!

Not sure what area of Florida you're in. I'm in the Northeast part and we do most of our bulk shopping at Sam's or BJ's. We have memberships at both and they are well worth it for our family.

I do still shop at Publix and Winn-Dixie, but mainly only when they have a good sale.

I know there are some large health food stores in the Jacksonville area, but I'm not sure what they carry as far as bulk goods. I also know there are some co-ops, in this area that we have used in the past.

I get my yeast, bread flour, vanilla, etc. at Sam's Club. Onion powder is cheaper per oz. there than at the dollar store!
Sam's has a policy that you can cancel your membership and get a full refund. So you might sign up for a couple of months and see if it saves you money, if not cancel and get all of your money back.

They also have good prices on high quality meat there. I buy boneless beef roasts for 1.99/lb, and cut it up to make steaks, stir fries, stews, etc. I don't find that the price of cereal, canned goods, diapers and such are cheaper because they generally only carry brand names and don't accept coupons. However, they always have the cheapest milk prices!

Check for a GFS (Gordon Food Service) store in your area. They carry many items in bulk. The carry things for restaurants, but the store is open to the public.

Hi Tammy. I'm pretty near you now that we've moved further north and I was wondering what company your food co-op is through?

Thanks! :)

There is a quarterly co-op in Orlando. You can find the info at breadbeckers.com.