Shopping To Feed A Crowd
Last week we discussed feeding a crowd for less. But before you can cook, you must shop. Is Sam's Club always the cheapest alternative?
Most of my quantity cookbooks list ingredients in bulk sizes: a #10 can, a quart of sugar, etc. The only way to compare apples to apples is to check the unit price.
TOTAL COST / NUMBER OF OUNCES = PRICE PER OUNCE
You know this, but it bears repeating. In some cases, the bulk size is no bargain. It's simply a timesaver.
When I'm cooking for a crowd, I try to shop like a business. Restaurants don't buy disposable pans at Kroger, so I stocked up on a variety of sizes at GFS Marketplace. (A smart reader pointed out that Sam's Club also sells half-sheet pans, 30 for $9.)
Frugal Hacks editor Kim C. realized her family was eating 30 pounds of bananas a week--a lightbulb moment. She began buying wholesale quantities from a produce terminal for a fraction of the price. I always wonder why the Duggar family, of TLC's 19 and Counting, doesn't adopt the same approach. (They make mega trips to discount grocer Aldi instead.)
I usually end up splitting my shopping for a crowd in two: half goes to seasonal produce and sale items at the regular grocery, and half to those bulk purchases which truly save time and money. When I saw how little frozen hashbrowns cost at GFS, for example, there was no way I'd sacrifice an afternoon to peeling potatoes!
Pick and choose your focus. Few caterers make everything from scratch. If cakes are your thing, start piping! If not, consider warehouse clubs, where big desserts have small prices. I was amazed that Costco's half-sheet cake feeds 48 for only $16.99. Muffins for a crowd, on the other hand, are cheaper to bake at home, especially if you use a make-ahead batter like this one.
Net your biggest savings by doing the entree yourself--even if you're only warming a spiral-cut ham with your special gourmet glaze. Pound per pound, meats and casseroles prepared at home cost less than their frozen or deli counterparts. If you do outsource, the cheapest meats are usually fried chicken (from Walmart) and pulled pork barbecue (from a local favorite.)
There's no simple answer to shopping for a crowd. You have to weigh time, money, and storage capacity to determine a formula that works for you. If you have any tried-and-true quantity strategies, we would love to hear them in the comments below!
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6 Responses to “Shopping To Feed A Crowd”
March 8th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
I have to say that I think the biggest thing the Duggars are losing out on is the savings by planting your own foods. However, I will attest to the fact that buying from Aldi’s is sometimes significantly cheaper than buying from Sam’s Club. I can’t compare any other large box stores or anything b/c I don’t have access to those. I know that Aldi’s, for instance, has a better price on tortillas than the larger packages at Sam’s Club. Aldi’s pasta is often also on sale and cheaper than Sam’s at those times. They also have WONDERFUL prices on produce and you don’t have to worry about any of it going bad.
I agree that it is smart to compare prices from a variety of stores. For instance, milk products are almost always cheaper from Sam’s even than the sales at local grocery stores (with the exception of cottage cheese which can be found on good sale and yogurt).
March 9th, 2010 at 7:44 am
You said, ” In some cases, the bulk size is no bargain. It’s simply a timesaver.”
I agree, but I want to emphasize that sometimes the time savings can make a bulk purchase worthwhile even if you don’t save money.
I’ve found that when serving a crowd (like our family of 11) it’s far easier to buy, store and open one big can than 6 small ones. It’s also much more convenient to buy flour and sugar in 25# bags than 5# bags that are gone in 3 uses.
We often save some money in the process, but even if the prices are exactly the same I still go for the bigger package these days.
Question: do you ever have trouble getting into a restaurant supply store, or are they typically open to the public?
March 9th, 2010 at 8:15 am
Kim, I completely agree–buying bulk also reduces packaging waste. I do love it when the bulk item costs less, too. I needed canned pineapple tidbits for a huge amount of fruit salad, and it was actually the same cost for me to buy the huge can at GFS than it would have been to buy the smaller number of 15-oz cans. Not only did it save time, I froze the small amount left over in a ziploc bag.
The restaurant supply stores in my area are walk-in, cash-and-carry. That’s why I initially began shopping there, when we didn’t buy enough at Sam’s to justify a membership.
Now I am on a mission to find all the professional style stores in my area. Yesterday I stopped by a bakery supply store nearby. AMAZING selection compared to Michael’s, and quite a bit cheaper, too. I can buy many fancy toppings (shamrock sprinkles?) in scoops from a bulk bin.
March 9th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
I try to avoid Aldis because they only have 1 lane open (rarely theyll open a 2nd for a couple minutes) at high traffic time. I go during the weekdays if I have to. I would hate being in line behind the Duggars.
We have a Sysco store here that sells bulk food for partys and such. Sams is great too. Walmart sells some items in extra large sizes, like canned goods , tuna, pickles and such.
March 9th, 2010 at 11:33 pm
We have very little to choose from in our little town, but I’m inspired to dig around a little more.
March 10th, 2010 at 12:07 am
Brandy, I bought Walmart’s giant can o’ tuna this year, just to see how much tuna salad it would actually make.
A lot!
That’s another good example of the big size saving time, because it was a lot quicker to open and drain one can than several small cans.
I forgot to write down how many cups of tuna salad the big can makes, but it was more than my family could eat in a week, that’s for sure!
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