Vent: Threw away $40 on a bulk spice order that went bad in 2 months

I bought a giant bag of paprika from a discount warehouse site thinking I was saving big, but it lost all its smell and taste way before I could use it up. Turns out buying spices in bulk only works if you cook professionally or share with neighbors, otherwise you're just tossing cash. Anyone else fall for this trap and find a better way to buy small amounts cheap?

3 comments

3 Comments

sarah_hart7d ago

Wait isn't it funny how we fall for this same trap over and over? Like the warehouse store giant ketchup bottle that sits in your fridge for a year or that jumbo pack of avocados you bought thinking you'd eat five in a week. It's like our brains see the low price per ounce and just shut off the part that knows we'll never use it fast enough. I started buying my spices from that bulk bin section at the grocery store where you just scoop out a tablespoon for 20 cents. Takes a tiny jar from home and fills it up, no waste and it's actually cheaper than the fancy jarred stuff in the aisle. Somehow paying a little more per ounce but only buying what I need ends up saving me way more in the long run.

david5624d ago

ROI on a full spice jar is usually garbage.

the_robert7d ago

The bulk bin thing is the way to go, I switched to that after my own giant bag of cumin turned into dust. Also what I started doing is just keeping a little spice drawer with those tiny jars you get from the dollar store. I only buy what I need for maybe a month at most, even if it means going to the store more often. The trick is to think of spices like fresh produce, they have a shelf life no matter how you store them. Airtight containers in a dark cabinet helps but it wont save a two year supply. Honestly the money I save in the long run by not tossing out half my spices pays for the extra trips.