if you have the space, buying dry goods in bulk is a great way to save money and be prepared for whatever disasters may befall us and keep us from shopping. important to keep stuff in containers that will keep mice and bugs out of it for weeks or months of storage. we've been buying jasmine and basmati rice, sugar (browns and white), flour, condiments, paper and plastic stuff, soap(bath, dish, shampoo), toothpaste, oils, salt, spices, etc. in bulk for years. Costco makes it really easy to do. it's a rare occasion for there not to be 10-20lbs of rice, 25lbs each of flour and sugar, 10lbs of coffee beans and on and on. all this on top of the 20+ quarts of home grown beans, 20-30 quarts of canned squirrel and venison, 40-50 pints of canned shrooms. my wife is a closet food hoarder. I swear, with the food we have on shelves and in our freezers, I know we could live for 3 months without a trip to the grocery store all the while trying to keep less food around here. it really is great to live in a time and a place where I'm more worried about having too much food instead of not enough.
