Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Buying in Bulk


I discovered WinCo this week and thought that I had died and gone to heaven. I have never in my life seen a bulk food section rival the likes of this store. One the the main reasons I am so obsessed with Whole Foods (besides their amazing store presentation and marketing) is because you can buy random grains, nuts, seeds, etc in bulk. WinCo is dirt cheap and for those of you who live in the western U.S.--you can no longer bitch about how eating healthy is more expensive. (I am sure there is an east coast equivalent somewhere...)

I spent $15 and got more lentils, beans, rice, barley flour, carob chips, multi grains, oat groats, pine nuts, etc etc then I know what to do with. Yes! Food Storage. :)

It's kind of a Costco type atmosphere, but you don't have to buy 18 cans of tuna to get a good deal, you can buy the exact amount you want. Hallelujah. The produce there is decent, you know, a few wonky pieces of fruit here and there, but I was impressed with the variety. Not a ton of organic foods but canned goods and bulk foods are SUPER cheap.

If you want to eat healthy, cooking for yourself is kind of a given. How else are you going to know what is in your food? Plus any pre-packaged nukable crap is usually filled with sodium and preservatives. Buying whole foods in bulk is a great way to assure that you will always have good stuff for dinner. Its really easy to add veggies to buckwheat or quinoa if you have it laying around at home.

I like to keep it fairly simple (although my husband might beg to differ on this one) but if all I have to do is grab some produce at the store, then I consider myself successful. :)

Make it a goal to buy whole foods in bulk at least sometime this month. I think your wallet will like it.

3 comments:

Cristy said...

I shop at Winco every week! Discovered it here in Portland the week after I moved in after spending WAY too much at Safeway, and havne't looked back.

Sycamore Girl said...

FINALLY one popped up in SLC. When we lived in Idaho WinCo was my go to grocer. LOVE them! Their variety of grains and nuts is so vast! You can even buy doggy bones in bulk!

Hilary said...

Isn't it the BEST?! So glad you two are basking in the glory that is WinCo.