14 Foods You Think Twice About Buying In Bulk

There are benefits to buying some foods in bulk; however, some items are better chosen in small amounts as you need them. It's important not to confuse buying bulk foods and buying foods in bulk. According to Tree Hugger, when you shop at a store that offers bulk foods, you get to choose how much you bring home. For example, there may be an area in the store where you grab a plastic bag, fill it with as many oats, nuts, or dried fruit as you like, and purchase according to weight. Buying in bulk, however, refers to shopping at wholesale stores that sell prepackaged food and other items in large amounts. 

Buying in bulk is convenient as it can lessen the number of trips to the store and that's helpful for busy families. Still, purchasing food this way can also be a waste of money if you don't use up what you buy before it expires. In this article we'll look at the foods you shouldn't buy in bulk, so the next time you go to your favorite wholesale store, you can search for the items that are helpful in bulk and avoid the ones that aren't.

No one wants a salad with wilted, brown lettuce. Although there are some tricks to keep it fresh longer, you shouldn't buy them in bulk unless you eat a lot of leafy greens. 

WebMD explains that leafy greens such as lettuce should be kept refrigerated and even then, they only last for about a week. If you buy lettuce that has already been packaged, the lifespan is even shorter once you get it home. It's likely to turn brown and wilt within just a few days. It's recommended that you throw away your bagged lettuce just two days after opening it. 

When you buy any amount of leafy greens, check them out closely to make sure they haven't already started to lose their freshness before you purchase them. Brown spots and droopy leaves aren't a good sign. If you're craving a salad, you're better off running out for your leafy greens the day you're going to use them, rather than buying in bulk.

According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, Americans ate about 8 pounds of avocados per person in 2021. Seems we like our avocados and that's a good thing. Avocados might improve digestion, lower the risk of depression, and contain several nutrients, including fatty acids, folate, beta-carotene, and more per Medical News Today. With so many wonderful attributes it makes sense to keep plenty of avocados on hand, However, don't go overboard. Avocados may ripen slowly, but after that, they go downhill quickly. 

When shopping for any number of avocados, one way to tell if it's ripe is to check out the stem. The stem is where the avocado was attached to the tree and if the avocado is ripe, you can easily peel back just enough of it to take a peek and expose that lovely avocado green color. If it won't budge, the avocado isn't ready to eat. It's perfectly fine to purchase unripened avocados if you aren't planning on eating them in the next few days. However, if you want to make guacamole that night, you'll need soft, ripe avocados. Either way, buying them in bulk isn't a great idea since after they ripen, they don't last long. 

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, mayonnaise can be in the refrigerator for up to two months after opening. That's not too bad unless you have one of those giant bulk jars of the stuff. Once it's opened, that is a lot of mayo to use up within two months. Still, let's cut mayonnaise a little slack. It does get a bad rap as it's often blamed as the sneaky guy that causes food poisoning at summer BBQs. The reality is that mayonnaise is quite acidic because of the vinegar in it, and it's usually the meat in dishes, such as chicken salad, that goes bad as it sits out in the sun or on the kitchen counter, unrefrigerated (via The New York Times). 

Mayonnaise may not be the common culprit for food poisoning; however, it is still a food you should never buy in bulk. Mayo is full of sugar and preservatives, so it isn't healthy and you're better off not eating it in bulk quantities.

Nothing smells yummier than a fresh loaf of bread. It's one of the most tempting things in the bakery section as you walk by it at the grocery store. Sadly, not many things mold faster than it either. The moisture and nutrients found in bread allow mold to feed and grow rapidly. 

Storing your bread in a cold place like the refrigerator will slow down mold growth, according to Biology Wise. However, Culinary Lore points out that cold bread changes its texture and can seem stale after being refrigerated. The solution? By fresh bread only in the quantity that you can use up. Bread has one of the shortest shelf lives at just three to seven days when stored at room temperature on your counter, per Healthline. You can freeze bread, but again, just as when it is refrigerated, the bread will seem dried out and stale once it defrosts. It truly isn't a bulk food buy.

Gone are the days of quickly grabbing a bag of white flour at the store. Today, there are many varieties of flour, including almond and coconut flour. They are both gluten-free options and can be used in many baked goods. Still, unless you bake constantly, flours such as almond or coconut have a shorter shelf life than all-purpose flour. 

According to Women's Health Magazine, all-purpose, white flour can last about a year in your pantry and even longer in the refrigerator or freezer. However, almond and coconut flour don't last nearly that long, with a shelf life of around three months in the pantry. These types of flours are a wonderful, healthy option, especially if you're negatively affected by wheat flours. However, their higher fat content helps them to spoil quickly. If you aren't sure if your coconut or almond flours are bad, pay attention to the colors. They will start to darken as they begin to spoil, and may even taste bitter or sour, per Does It Go Bad. Stick with buying the quantity you can use within a few months. 

Baking powder can last for six months to a year, which isn't too bad. Still, its powers weaken before that, and most recipes don't use large amounts at a time. David Lebovitz explains that moisture and humidity negatively affect baking powder and cause it to become less effective. To make yours last as long as possible, store it in a cool dry place (not the refrigerator). If it's been around for over six months, you can test some of the baking powder before using it to see if it's still active. 

To do this, simply place ½ teaspoon of the powder in a bowl and then pour ¼ cup of boiling water over it. If the baking powder is still good, it will bubble up right away. If not, it will have little to no reaction. In that case, your baking powder is not going to help your baked goods. Because you want baking powder to do its job well, buying it in bulk isn't a great idea. The fresher the better.

Meat spoils rapidly in the refrigerator, and although you can freeze it, if you don't have adequate space for a bulk meat purchase, a lot of meat might go to waste. TruBeef Organic explains that it's safe to store meat in the refrigerator for three to five days, depending on the cut of meat. After that, you are risking the growth of bacteria. One way to keep more meat on hand longer is to freeze it. However, you need the right kind of freezer, such as an upright or a chest freezer, and enough space. 

Meats can be frozen anywhere from two months to a year, again depending on the type of meat. For example, a whole turkey will do better than ground beef when in the freezer for a year. Also, make sure meat is packaged properly for better freezing results. A vacuum-sealed package is best. If you have an extra freezer dedicated to storing the meat you buy in bulk, you might get away with large amounts of it. However, if you can't eat it all within a year — or within a few months for some cuts — you'll end up wasting the meat you buy in bulk.