Does anyone with a large family to feed buy food wholesale??

[zephyrcat]

Just had the though this morning whilst thinking about the shopping. DP used to run a pub and got all the food from Brake Bros and I wondered if we should get some for our meals!!

Our shopping for 6 of us is escalating and the amount we have to buy for a week is silly!

I belong to a wholefood group and we do regular orders from Suma - which means that you get 3kgs and 5kgs of things often - I buy a box of 6 packets of organic oats. Certainly saves on money and time and effort.

I like Suma. How do you order mistle? Online?

I remember my mum used to go to a cash and carry. I'd love to know about something similar, although bulk buying does raise the issue of where the food can be stored in my ever shrinking home.

I have to agree on the storage problems but as an example, I've just had to buy 16 yoghurts! I'm going to have to go to asda because they are doing 3 for £3 on big packs of doritos/quavers etc. A loaf of bread just about lasts past lunch if we are lucky and we get through about 4 pints of milk a day!!

Wholesale would be a definate benefit for us but I just looked at Brakes and you have to have an account - do you think I could just make up a company name?

Am off to check out Suma....

I'm not in charge of the ordering luckily - however, we all get together and work out who wants what (ie you can split boxes and bags between you, although its more hassle) - the order goes off to suma by email I think. I think you need to have about £250 of orders to get free delivery - which is why lots of us get together - also means only one person has to stay in for the order.

We also use Costco - good on bread, large packets of things - although you do need to know what the normal price is as not everything is cheaper there - although crisps are a lot better...

That does sound good mistlethrush. We used to belong to cashco with the pub as well, I wonder if you can re-join without being a company. I think from what I remember cashco didn't have many healthy or fresh foods though, I could be wrong, we were generally there stocking up on alcohol to make home made cocktails......

Sorry back to reality!

Costco does do fruit and veg - but Suma great for the wholefoods side of things - I get lots of organic things through them at a price that I would normally pay for non organic things at a wholefood shop. Costco do do non trade memberships.

Suma do an amazing range too - including yoghurts, cheese, bread, biscuits - as well as the things that you expect. We always put in an order for organic oats as they are so heavy to lug home from the shop and we get through so many of them.

We have a catalogue to look through - prices do sometimes vary, but they will tell you if they do.

We include Costco in our 'places we shop at' list although we do tend to buy just the offers. We also stock up on shops own brands eg buying 6 tins beans almost every time we shop.

A word of warning if you have teenagers in the house. In our experience buying in bulk just means that everything goes quicker unless strictly controlled. Causes arguments when they know it's there. Much easier to only have 'enough' in the house as they can't eat what you haven't got. Unless of course, you have somewhere to hide some of it...and they can't find the hiding places. Teens remind me of Pacman, they just keep chomping and chomping until there's nothing left.

If we bought in for a week, in one shop, I don't think we would have anywhere to live once we'd put it all away.

I've now discovered that we don't hasve a costco where we are now, only in our old town

Teenagers chomping like pacman is the issue I have with my DP!! We get through snacks quickly enough as it is with the children but dp will then have 2 of everything or eat things the day the shopping arrives instead of trying to make it last - which means I end up buying 'extras' through the week which then works out even more expensive.

I'm starting to wonder if a chest freezer is a good plan...

or a padlock to the kitchen!

we use Suma (not from large family but wanted to recommend them)
careful about storage though - mice and pantry moths

We use Costco and store non perishables in the garage.

Much cheaper for fruit and veg, squash, butter, bread, eggs, nappies, peanut butter, coke, bottled water, cheese, washing powder,

We hide food as well otherwise it would be gone in a flash

Aldi is cheap for yogurts, milk and basic biscuits to save kids eating your expensive ones and for basic cereals