In my never-ending quest to drive down our grocery costs, my husband and I delved into buying dry staples in bulk. Many staples (rice, beans, barley, flour, and other grains) can be purchased in large quantities for prices that are fractional compared to grocery store prices. Use the Top 8 Frugal Cooking Ingredients to identify some frugal staples you can add to your diet. Overlapping these ingredients in many of your meals will allow you to purchase a few ingredients in large quantities that can be frequently used in your menu. The fewer ingredients you have to purchase, maintain, and store, the better for your bottom line. Rice was our…

My husband and I were interested in buying food staples in bulk to save money on our grocery bill. We jumped in enthusiastically, but not educated about bulk foods. Our first acquisition: a 50 pound bag of rice. Price: $15! Great deal! However, we worried about how to store the rice. So many questions came up, such as: What kind of container would be right? Where could we purchase food-grade containers locally? Would the containers be an expensive investment? Where and at what temperature does the food need to be stored to keep well? We hit a local wholesale supply store and told the associate what we needed. She wasn’t…