While buying in bulk can save money on staples, it often leads to waste—both of money and product—when applied to items with a short shelf life, limited usage, or specific storage needs. Here are the items that should generally not be bought in bulk, based on consumer experts and common shopping experiences:
What Not to Buy in Bulk. Unless you're feeding a big family or love daily smoothies, buying 10 pounds of fresh berries or lettuce often leads to waste. Most spices begin to lose potency after about six months, and giant ketchup or mayo bottles may expire before you finish them.
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If you let products spoil, or you decide you don't like them anymore halfway through the box, or if you forget what drawer your huge package of batteries is in, then you're not getting as much value out of your bulk purchase as you had planned.
Remember this general rule of thumb when you have leftovers. ✅ You have 2 hours to get food into the fridge. ✅ It's safe in the fridge for 2 days. ✅ If you're not going to eat it after that, move it to the freezer and eat within 2 months.
Whether you're a single individual, a small family, or a larger household, the advantages of bulk shopping are clear. You save money through lower per-unit costs, enjoy the convenience of fewer grocery trips, and contribute positively to the environment by reducing packaging waste.
A dirty bulk typically involves eating a lot of extra calories from high-calorie foods, including junk foods, to promote quick weight gain. A clean bulk uses a more moderate increase in calories in addition to healthier food choices.
It's like hitting the gym equivalent of a workout trifecta—and athletes and lifters have been using it to break through plateaus and accelerate muscle growth. The numbers aren't random: 6 reps for pure strength, 12 reps for optimal muscle growth, and 25 reps to flood your muscles with metabolic stress.
"Put simply, as soon as you wake up, it's five push-ups, five squats, five lunges (per leg) and a 30-second plank. The idea is to wake your body up, get your blood flowing, and tick off some strength-based movement before your day properly begins. Think of it as a mini circuit to shake off sleep and boost your energy."
The 6-12-25 method, popularized by Charles Poliquin, facilitates massive lactate spikes, facilitating growth hormone production. That means fat loss while sparing muscle mass. The 6-12-25 method is where you do three exercises in a row for the same muscle group using minimal rest between those exercises.
Because it requires consuming more calories than is needed, those who bulk tend to gain fat along with muscle. Meanwhile, the 'cutting' stage aims to shave off the fat accrued during the bulking phase while preserving as much lean muscle as possible.
If your calorie target is 3000 calories per day to gain mass, you should aim to consume between 750 and 900 calories in the form of fat. Since each gram of fat contains around 9 calories, that's around 80 to 100 grams of fat a day.
If your goal is weight maintenance, a 3000 calories a day meal plan is ideal if you are burning about 3000 calories a day. Finally, if you are trying to gain weight or build muscle, following a 3000 calories bulking diet will be helpful if your TDEE is lower than 3000 cal.
The 5-4-3-2-1 grocery method is a viral TikTok trend for balanced, easy meal planning, guiding you to buy 5 vegetables, 4 fruits, 3 proteins, 2 grains/carbs, and 1 fun treat (or 2 sauces/spreads + 1 treat) for the week, simplifying shopping by focusing on food groups rather than specific recipes, allowing for flexibility while ensuring a variety of nutrients.
