Do You Buy Smaller Sizes or Quantities Now

Jules

Jules

SF VIP
As seniors, most of us don’t have many people living in the house? Do you now buy smaller sizes or quantities, especially for groceries?

After years of buying the most cost efficient, I’m trying to break myself of this habit. Even if something could last for years, I don’t have the space.

I still have that Costco membership but have to remind myself that I don’t need the monster size of most things. A couple of years ago, I nearly bought the bottle of Worcestershire sauce. Instead I picked up the smallest possible from the grocery store, put a label with the date on it. It’s still half full. Good thing I didn’t buy the one at Costco.

Bulk Buy sales no longer appeal to me. No more cheaper by the dozen.
 

Yes.

These days I buy many things in individual servings.

I’ve also found that a small bottle of oil, salad dressing, dish soap, etc... lasts longer because I’m more careful about the amount I use.

I’ve let my pantry run down to the point where it is usually much cheaper for me to buy prepared foods than it is to make them from scratch.

Nothing is too terribly expensive or fattening when you only buy a single portion.
 
I buy the same as I always have, if it's a super-sized bottle of Worcestershire Sauce, then the super-sized bottle it is, and we use it up, no worries there, same goes for ketchup (always family size), and the list goes on.

I more than likely differ from many, in that we don't go out to eat at all, meals are 100% homemade (from scratch).
 
We just stocked up at Costco yesterday .. Starbuck's coffee beans, Bran-Flakes, and a few other things. In the long run, it's quite a saving.
 
I buy a lot of family size meat when its on sale. I still have two chest freezers and at 0 degrees and well wrapped it keeps a very long time.
I buy large sizes of paper goods also.
My dry pasta goes into large jars.
My son has a different opinion about my freezing habits. He says I'm not saving anything because I have to repackage the items into portions, buy freezer bags and then there is the electricity of running the freezers and I do have to defrost them by hand.
Many of the items I have frozen also come from my garden
.
Like Aunt Marge we never go out to dinner unless we are travelling to see my daughter or maybe our anniversary. Once in a great while to IHop for the hubbys pancakes.

My son may be right, but at my age the convenience of just reaching into my freezer instead of running to the store means a lot to me especially on a snowy winters day.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
I buy a lot of family size meat when its on sale. I still have two chest freezers and at 0 degrees and well wrapped it keeps a very long time.
I buy large sizes of paper goods also.
My dry pasta goes into large jars.
My son has a different opinion about my freezing habits. He says I'm not saving anything because I have to repackage the items into portions, buy freezer bags and then there is the electricity of running the freezers and I do have to defrost them by hand.
Many of the items I have frozen also come from my garden
.
Like Aunt Marge we never go out to dinner unless we are travelling to see my daughter or maybe our anniversary. Once in a great while to IHop for the hubbys pancakes.

My son may be right, but at my age the convenience of just reaching into my freezer instead of running to the store means a lot to me especially on a snowy winters day.
Click to expand...
If you're anything like me, Ruth, you reuse freezer bags, so no cost there, other than a little time and expended energy to wash and dry the used bags, and as for electricity to run the freezer, most old-fashioned homemakers as you and myself, keep deep freezers anyway... baked goods, miscellaneous food storage, etc, etc, so IMO the electricity costs are all part-and-parcel to good living.

How I would love to get-together with you and have you and I gang up on your son! LOL!

Between you and I, we'd educate him real quick! :giggle:

When your son makes a mad dash to the corner store or supermarket for this and that, you and I just help ourselves to our deep freezer stashes, and in the event we don't have frozen what we want or need, you and I make it (from scratch), not run to the store to buy it. You have him beat right there!

I see the electricity costs to run our modern day appliances as being nothing more than a necessary incidental... small peanuts in the big scheme of things.
 
Aunt Marg said:
I more than likely differ from many, in that we don't go out to eat at all, meals are 100% homemade (from scratch).
Click to expand...
Do you mean fast food places like burgers and pizzas? I do hope that you have enjoyed the treat of being wined and dined in a decent restaurant. Like you, we prepare and cook everything. One thing that we have always done, being just the two of us, and that's to double up, so that we can save on cooking every day.
 
Aunt Marg and others who have large families nearby may not need to buy the smaller sizes and quantities.

We rarely go out to eat, maybe once per month. For just the two of us, the amount we can eat is limited. My storage space is even more limited. I sure miss having an all-fridge.

When I went to replace the jar of French’s mustard, I noticed it was past the BB date. I know that’s irrelevant but it also means that I didn’t need one that was even a medium size. It was impossible to find the really small jars they used to sell.
 
I do and I don't..

There's only 2 of us here and one of us is vegan... so essentially I'm buying for 2 separates...

I buy large quantities of Cleaning stuff, TP< etc... and decant.., and I do have several large freezers so I can buy lots of food and freeze.. but otherwise I can't buy large sizes of anything...
 

Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top