Everybody loves a deal, right? But there are some things that aren’t worth supersizing. Click ahead for a look at which items you should stock up on, and which you should buy only as you need them.
Toilet paper and other paper products: Buy a lot
Stock up on these paper products for two reasons: If your home is like most American households, you probably go through plenty of them, and the cost per roll drops significantly when you buy a lot of them at once.
Sample savings: 43%, according to Consumer Reports, which found Kleenex tissues for 63 cents per 100 sheets at Costco.
Toothbrushes and toothpaste: Buy a lot
Value packs of toothbrushes and toothpaste provide nice discounts from the per-item price, and your dentist has probably suggested that you change out your toothbrush on a regular basis. Plus, it’s always good to have extras on hand for visitors.
Sample savings: More than 35%. A 7.8-ounce tube of Colgate can cost nearly $4 at a grocery or drugstore, but you can find four-tube packs for around $10 at warehouse stores.
Flour: Buy a little
Flour can go rancid, so unless you’re a regular baker, it’s best to buy it only as you need it. Flour is easy to find in bulk bins, so check there and buy just what you need for a particular recipe.
Sample savings: 11%. A 5-pound bag of all-purpose flour costs about $2.25 at a grocery store; you can get 25 pounds for less than $10 if you’re baking for the masses.
Batteries and light bulbs: Buy a lot
Value-sized packages almost always give you a discount on the per-item cost, and you’ll be glad you stocked up when a bulb burns out or the TV remote stops working. Determine the types of batteries you use around your home, and check your light fixtures to see the bulb wattage, then stock up on each type.
Sample savings: 63%. Consumer Reports rates batteries as one of the items you can save most on. Duracell AA batteries were 33 cents per battery at Costco, 63% cheaper than at supermarkets.
Cooking oil: Buy a little
It can go bad within one to three months of opening the bottle, so don’t buy a gallon of oil unless you plan to do a lot of deep frying.
Sample savings: 50%. A 24-ounce bottle of canola oil would cost about $3, while 160 ounces (1.25 gallons) would be about $10. That is a lot of french fries.
Check out the entire list here: http://money.msn.com/debt-management/best-and-worst-groceries-to-buy-in-bulk
