Buying in bulk lets you stretch your food dollars.  But buying in bulk can also be a hassle if you don't have a large family.  Food storage is a big issue to most people so we pay for more packaging and a smaller portion of food that is stored easily.  No longer do we have pantries or cellars to store food in the way people traditionally did.  But food storage doesn't have to be a big problem.  Bulk non perishable foods can be stored easily even without a big pantry. 

"Where are you going to put that?" is a question I often get asked when I buy wheat berries, rice, beans, oats, and popcorn by the 50lb. or 25lb. bag.  Not to mention spices by the lb. (lots of money to be saved there, but that's another post).   There are lots of places I store our grains and beans.  Under the bed.  Sounds crazy but it's just empty space and no one can see under there so I put it to good use!  Another place where most of our food goes is under the stair closet.  I have it set up to be a huge pantry for our family of 5.  Other places are closet space that isn't being used.  Under your kids bed, in the bathroom closet if there is room, laundry room, under the couch.  Get creative, there are lots of places to store bulk items.

Most bulk food items come in paper bags.  Food can spoil easily if you won't go through 50lbs. of grain in a couple months.  So what can you do to keep it fresh?  Collect food storage buckets.  I say collect and not buy cause many stores and restaurants give them away free! 

I have gotten food grade 5 gallon plastic buckets with sealing lids from Walmart in the bakery dept. and our local donut shop.  But my favorite place to get them is the local Japanese market.  Their buckets are square which make them easy to stack and fit into corners perfectly! 

Before you go driving around town though, I suggest you call first.  It will save you gas and you can request that they save a dozen or so and pick them up next week.