Budget-Friendly Stock-up at WinCo: What I Bought, How I'll Store It, and How I'll Use It All

an abundant garden has left room in the budget
 for stocking up on other foods

I saved almost $10 on 4 foods by stocking up this last week, buying my regular foods but at a lower price. WinCo is already known as a low price leader in my region. So to save an additional $10 over my usual spending for the same groceries is a good savings. I don't intend for any of it to go to waste. I will store all of it smartly and make a plan for how to use it.

Last Friday was my every-other-week shopping at WinCo. I arrived at the store with bags in hand and a pocket full of cash.

Stocking up on mayo, tuna, butter, and cocoa powder

When I come across a sale in-store, I quickly calculate a reasonable stock-up amount. I check expiration dates on packages and think through our family's usage of that item. For example, mayo was on sale, down 40 cents per jar from the regular price. Based on my family's usage and the expiration date, I bought 3 jars, saving our budget $1.20. 

Tuna was on sale for 10 cents less a can than usual. I normally buy 2 cans every time I'm at WinCo. This time I bought 10 cans. The expiry is over a year away on the tuna. I saved a buck by buying the 10 cans. I also know that WinCo's sales last longer than a week. I believe their sales last a month. So I will have another opportunity to buy more mayo and tuna. 

Butter was still on sale this week (as it had been two weeks ago). So I knew it was unlikely it would also be on sale in another 2 weeks. As I've mentioned in my freezer cleaning posts, I've been well-stocked on butter all summer. But butter is an often-used food in our house, hence a regular purchase for me. So a little more is welcome. I bought 8 pounds of butter this week, at a savings of 40 cents/pound, or $3.20 savings total. 

In addition to finding sales, I also checked the bulk bins of cocoa powder. While cocoa powder in the bulk bins was not marked down, it's a stock-up item nonetheless, as they are usually out of cocoa powder. The containers of WinCo brand cocoa powder sell for $3.99/8 oz or almost $8/lb (it's even more at Walmart in a container), while the bulk bin cocoa powder price is $3.88/lb. I bought about 1 pound of cocoa powder and consider myself lucky to have found it in stock.

My storage for each of the stock-ups

the cool storage pantry

If I had a basement of cellar, I'd store my canned and jarred foods there. Our 1970s house was built for convenience, not long-term food storage. So I've made do with the space I have. We use a room in the coolest part of the house (furthest from the furnace and with a northern exposure) as extra pantry storage. Extra mayonnaise and canned tuna are stored in our cool pantry. If we come within a month of expiry on the mayo, I'll refrigerate even the unopened jars to prolong their lifespan several additional weeks (see article in this link).

Butter is always stored in the freezer. We take out 1 pound at a time. Butter stored in the refrigerator begins to take on off odors and tastes after a few months. Whereas in the freezer, butter can remain fresh in taste and odor for a year or more.

Bulk bin cocoa powder is akin to an opened container of cocoa powder. Once a container is opened, it's at its best for up to a year.  It's still "safe" to consume after that, but its flavor may begin to go off. However, cocoa powder can be stored in the freezer. I keep about a pound of cocoa powder in the cool storage room in a glass jar (with just a small amount in the kitchen cupboard) and the rest I double-bag and store in the freezer. 

Plans to use these stock-up foods

I've been in the position of having too much mayo on hand and scrambling to use it up before expiry. I've baked cakes and biscuits with mayo, added a dollop to quiche a time or two, and used it in coating chicken pieces before a crumb layer for baking a nice crispy skin. But this time, I'm hoping I've made a prudent guess as to how much we will use before the date on the jar.

We have tuna a couple of times per week, in casseroles, tuna salad to top greens on spread on bread, and in tasty hot tuna boats and melts. I'm not a fan of creamed tuna or tuna patties, so I will plan for tuna boats and salads as the primary way to use this up.

chocolate chips cookies made with part butter, part applesauce

We use butter primarily as a spread on toasted and untoasted bread and as topping for potatoes and vegetables. I use part butter/part oil/part lard or shortening/part applesauce or other puree in baking to stretch the butter. 

highly recommend --bread, cheese, and jam

I try to find other spreads, like mustard, mayo, jams, and peanut butter, for sandwiches. I had a delicious cheese and fig jam sandwich for lunch the other day. Jams are also tasty on meat sandwiches, like sliced chicken and red currant jelly or plum jam. 

Cocoa powder is a budget-friendly way to get a chocolate taste. One of my favorites is a very chocolatey scratch brownie. See the recipe at the bottom of this post. I also really enjoy a cup of hot cocoa for a chocolate treat. And when it comes to cake, my family thinks chocolate cake is lackluster in the chocolate department. So we make vanilla cake and frost with a chocolate buttercream frosting. Now that's a great chocolate experience at a fraction of the cost of chocolate candy. 

Pros and cons

Stocking up on frequently used items is not only a good budget strategy, but it can also be back-up stock when there are shortages or price hikes. In spring of 2020 I bought a couple of cases (5 dozen each) of eggs for $5 each to freeze. I just this last month finished off our last container of frozen eggs. This whole past winter and spring exorbitant cost for chicken eggs thing wasn't nearly as hard on my budget as it could have been. I was able to get through several months on a measly purchase of 5 or so dozen eggs by relying on my freezer stash of stock-up eggs.

There are caveats, however. Buying too much, expiring food, not being able to store it all properly, having a change of preference/taste leaving one with foods no one will eat are all very real possibilities. I try to err on the side of caution with my stocking up these days. 

I'm not perfect at stocking up. I always have some hesitancy around buying large quantities (and spending a lot of money). I remind myself that even if I didn't stock up as much as I could have, I still saved money and made our tight grocery budget stretch that much further.

Best Brownies Ever (conventional or microwave oven)

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup butter, melted (or half butter/half oil)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

Beat together the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir in the butter. Mix in flour and cocoa powder.

Spread evenly in a greased 8-inch square Pyrex baking dish.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 to 22 minutes.

Or

Microwave on HIGH for 4 to 5 minutes, rotating dish 1/2 turn after 1 1/2 minutes, if no turntable. When done, the top will look dry, mostly, with a dime-sized center that still looks moist.