It is not new news that buying in bulk is the most economical way to go when shopping for groceries. However, how many times have you opened your refrigerator to find it full of moldy vegetables and spoiled meat? At that point you have to wonder if you are really saving money or just throwing it away.
Before you decide to buy something in bulk, it is important to consider if you have enough storage space. You also need to ask yourself if you can realistically eat all of the food before it goes bad. Below are a few common foods and how long they typically last in different type of storage conditions:
| FOOD CATEGORY | FOOD | TYPICAL LIFE |
| GRAINS | Pasta at Room Temperature | 2 years |
| Brown Rice at Room Temperature | 6 months | |
| Cereals at Room Temperature | 6 months | |
| Bread Frozen | 3 months | |
| ANIMAL PROTEIN | Chicken/Turkey Frozen | 9 months |
| Beef Frozen | 6-12 months | |
| Ground Meats Frozen | 3-4 months | |
| Lean Fish Frozen | 6 months | |
| VEGETABLE PROTEIN | Tofu Frozen | 6 months |
| DAIRY | Cheese, Hard Frozen | 6 months |
| FRUITS | Commercially Frozen | 1 year |
| VEGETABLES | Commercially Frozen | 8 months |
| Beans at Room Temperature | 2 years | |
| BEVERAGES | Bagged Green Tea at Room Temperature (For additional assistance, Salada Green Tea provides a “Best by Date” on all products!) | 2 years |
| MISCELLANEOUS | Nuts at Room Temperature | 8 months |
| Peanut Butter (Unopened) at Room Temperature | 6 months | |
| Salad Dressings at Room Temperature | 3 months |
Above all else, it is important to be realistic. I recommend buying what you think you will realistically eat within a month. If you find that you go through it without it completely overtaking your freezer or your family rolling their eyes when you tell them they are going to be eating that again, then next time buy a bit more. Buying in bulk will always be more economical, but only if you actually eat it!
And remember, a few small steps can lead to big changes.
Article first appeared on unbottleyourtea.com/tara.
