Despite my best efforts to use various grocery apps and hacks like Too Good To Go and price matching, I was still frustrated at how much it costs just to eat some decent meals.
I recently did some price comparisons between Bulk Barn and other stores and found a few staple products that I now exclusively shop for at the bulk store to help lower the cost of my food bill, because every little bit helps.
Another important thing to note is to take advantage of the fact that on Sundays, if you bring your own reusable containers, you get 15% off your entire bill. My boyfriend likes to hoard jars — once we're done with a jar of salsa or banana peppers, he'll wash them out. We then take them to Bulk Barn where they'll weigh the container before we shop, we do our shopping, and then we get 15% off for it. Good for the environment and our wallets!
As well, if you check out their weekly flyer, there are usually coupons that'll save you a few bucks. For instance, in their current "deals" section for Ontario, there's a coupon that'll save you $3 if you spend $15 or more before tax and another one for $5 off when you spend $20 or more.
Nuts
Walnut pieces at Bulk Barn on sale for $1.93 per 100 grams.
I love adding different nuts to my salad, but they can be so, so pricey. At Bulk Barn, you do have to be careful when looking at the price per 100 grams of nuts as sometimes it can work out to be more expensive than at a traditional grocery store, but if you keep an eye on the deals you can get some good savings.
For instance, the bulk store is currently offering walnut pieces at $1.93 per 100 grams, whereas at Loblaws, that'll cost you $3.79 per 100 grams.
As well, almonds are currently $1.72 per 100 grams, while at Loblaws, it's currently $3.79 for a bag weighing 100 grams.
Chick peas and other legumes
Chick peas at Bulk Barn for $0.40 per 100 grams.
I love adding channa to my meals and usually go through a can or two of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) every week since they're an easy and delicious way to get some fibre and protein into my diet that isn't meat.
Depending on where you shop, a can costs about $2.00, but at Bulk Barn, you can get 100 grams of the product for just 40 cents per 100 grams. It's not a huge amount of savings, but when you combine it with the 15% off and the coupons, it feels like a steal.
Candy
Small Gummi Bears at Bulk Barn for $0.93/100 grams with a sign saying "Hi. I am Gummi Bear. If my arms were longer I'd give you the biggest bear hug."
I don't usually have a sweet tooth, but around my period I always want a little treat. I'm not opposed to buying a big bag of gummies at a grocery store, but if I have the whole bag, I'm going to eat the whole bag (nothing wrong with that, of course!) but what I really want is just a handful of them.
A bag at Loblaws costs between $3 to $5, but I can usually satisfy my sweets craving for about $1 at Bulk Barn.
Sidenote: Bulk Barn has some cute and sassy messages on some of their containers, like this one that says, "Hi. I am Gummi Bear. If my arms were longer I'd give you the biggest bear hug."
Wasabi peas
Wasabi coated green peas at Bulk Barn on sale for $1.80 per 100 grams.
Is anyone else obsessed with these tasty little treats? I could (and often do) eat these by the handful and later have terrible heartburn due to my poor life decisions, but I'm going to keep doing it.
When they're on sale at Bulk Barn, they cost $1.80 per 100 grams and regularly cost $2.12. At Walmart, that'll cost you $2.78 per 100 grams.
Other things
Yellow split peas, chick peas, chia seeds and oatmeal from Bulk Barn in reusable containers.
I regularly like to try out new recipes, but sometimes, I just don't want to buy an entire bag of sesame seeds or hot mustard powder or nutritional yeast, particularly if I don't know whether I'll be cooking with it again. I very much appreciate that I can buy 50 grams (or whatever quantity) of what I need and pay a fraction of the price of what a bag of something at the supermarket would cost.
As well, it's a fun way to try new drinks – they have a large selection of loose-leaf teas, coffee beans (and they have a coffee grinding machine) and hot chocolates, which is perfect for right now as the days start to get chillier.
Over on the r/askTO Reddit forum, someone recently asked, "The best thing at Bulk Barn?" and received tons of answers.
"The fact that you can get all eleventy billion ingredients my wife needs for her recipe without having to buy an entire container of each," wrote one user. "What would run me up over 50 bucks at the grocery store, I can get for under 5 bucks.
"My go-to bulk barn snack is the yogurt covered pretzels. Also, last time I checked flour is way cheaper in bulk than from the grocery store!" said another.
"TVP - textured vegetable protein," chimed in another user. "So cheap + protein dense!"
So there you have it — what are your go-tos at Bulk Barn?
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
