15 Items You Should Never Buy in Bulk

These days, bulk purchases are all the rage. With plenty of big box stores providing seemingly great deals on large-scale purchases of smaller items, it's no wonder people tend towards stocking up at once instead of making return after return trip for the same thing. Some items, mostly the non-perishable ones are best bought large. There are other items, however, you should never buy in bulk. 

If you think about it, many items sold in bulk are not the type of items ever used in bulk. For these piecemeal items, a bulk purchase paradoxically can be a waste of space, money, and consumption. While companies have mastered the deals incentives for these bulk packages, they often don't make economic or consumptive sense for the consumer. In this article, we will explore 15 items you should never buy in bulk. 

To compile a list of 15 items you should never buy in bulk, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of food, lifestyle, and shopping publications including Kiplinger, RealSimple, and The Rachael Ray Show. Next, we selected items that aren't worth buying in bulk save for special circumstances. After that, we confirmed aspects of each listing using sites like Investopedia. (For other shopping strategies, discover 20 things you should never buy at full price.)

One of the items you should never buy in bulk is soda. Sure, it seems like a good idea. There are probably heaps of soda bottles already sitting on shelves at your local grocery store collecting dust. However, soda, even when tightly sealed, will go flat if left unattended for a long enough period.

Furthermore, grocery stores treat their soda products as "loss leaders." Because stores expect to lose money on sodas, they use the strategy of selling them below cost to entice people into stores. They do this under the assumption that your other purchases will more than make up for the loss on soda prices. Due to this, soda is often one of the most on-sale items found at stores. For that reason, it's best to just grab a few and wait for the next sale to get more.

With the extensive spice racks some people build up, it's no surprise that dried herbs and spices are often bought in large quantities. However, dried herbs and spices are another item you should never buy in bulk. Let's be real, when was the last time you cleaned out your spice rack?

Even in the grand scheme of meal prep and planning, dried herbs and spices aren't used enough to justify buying them in bulk, with just a dab or two incorporated into each meal. Plus, spices, dried herbs, and other seasonings usually have a finite shelf-life, often shorter than expected. Upon expiring, dried herbs and spices lose flavor, potency, and vibrancy of color.

Products with short shelf lives are some of the items you should never buy in bulk, and bread products like loaves, pastries, and other baked goods are no exception. Though the prices of these goods are often tempting enough to consider a bulk purchase, they expire far too quickly to be considered a good investment.

Unless you are hosting a blowout barbeque with dozens of people in attendance, all those burgers and hot dog buns are sure to go to waste. Plus, even freezing these products will not get you your money's worth. Sure, sticking a loaf of bread in the freezer can keep it alive a little longer. Upon thawing, however, it never tastes quite the same.

Another one of the items you should never buy in bulk is cooking oils. To be fair, cooking oils do have a longer shelf life than most products you'll find at the grocery store. At the same time, however, even the highest quality cooking out only has a shelf life of about six months. You'll find more processed oils last an even shorter period.

You'll know your cooking oil is spoiled if a spoonful smells like metal or even crayons. While you may save some money stocking up on various cooking oils, the containers they sell in are often very large. It only works if you cook on a large scale regularly. Otherwise, much of that oil had for an affordable price will go to waste or expire before being used.

In recent years, grocery stores transitioned to selling various dairy products in larger containers or packaging, often listed under deal prices that are hard to pass up. It should seem like a given, however, that dairy products are items you should never buy in bulk. They simply can't last long enough to be fully used.

In special circumstances, buying dairy in bulk can work. If you're a bodybuilder attempting a GOMAD (gallon of milk a day) type bulking diet or have a very large family, then bulk dairy might fit your needs. Otherwise, it's a pointless large purchase, as even the best milk usually expires within two weeks or less. This also goes for yogurt, which is better bought individually to prevent excess waste.

Another one of the items you should never buy in bulk is fruits and vegetables. As fresh produce, these types of food products have the shortest shelf life of any item in the grocery store, even less than dairy products like milk. Sure, your local store may be offering a deal on two dozen peaches, but realistically, it's unlikely they will all be eaten before expiration.

With any type of fruit or vegetable, it's best to be more discerning with your shopping. Buying a couple of fresh produce items at a time will end up being more cost-effective in the long run than stocking up. It's the one type of item that serves you best if bought on an as-needed basis.

Another one of the items you should never buy in bulk is frozen foods. This may seem counterintuitive, as frozen foods are meant to sit and wait. They last far longer than most of the items on this list. Buying a five-pound bag of frozen blueberries might seem cost-effective, but only if you are using them daily in fruit smoothies.

Otherwise, frozen foods simply take up space in the freezer. This leaves little room for other more readily consumed items or leftovers. Plus, it's far too easy to stick some frozen foods in the freezer, forget about them, and realize they expired months before you finally get around to eating them. Buying frozen foods in bulk only works when you have extensive freezer space to spare.

Enter any local grocery store and marvel at the long, candy store-like display of fresh nuts dominating one or two aisles. Often designed to allow customers to take as much as needed, nuts and whole grains seem like great items to buy in bulk.

Nothing could be further from the truth, however. The problem with those self-measuring nut and grain containers is they do not indicate freshness or expiration date. You could buy two pounds of peanuts only to get home and realize they are practically moldy. Those self-serve containers also expose nuts and whole grains to oxygen, diminishing their taste and speeding up expiration. Unless you have a family of squirrels in your yard relying on peanuts, don't buy nuts and whole grains in bulk.

Another one of the items you should never buy in bulk is snacks. Things like chips or other carb-heavy snack items seem like a good bulk buy. Who doesn't want a late-night snack? At the same time, however, many of the pressurized snack bags don't hold freshness as long as expected, often turning stale in a short period.

Unless you have a family full of growing children or are hosting a large party requiring many finger foods, snack bulk buys usually won't end up cost-effective. Plus, much like sodas, grocery stores usually treat snacks as loss leaders. This means snacks go on sale often enough to buy in a more discerning, case-by-case manner.

On average, bleach and detergent products have a shelf-life of about six months. Considering how large some of the bleach containers being sold are, chances are you won't use enough to make it a worthy bulk purchase.

It should be noted, however, that this covers mostly liquid bleach and detergents. As for powdered alternatives, these products last far longer, almost indefinitely. If you do buy bleach and detergent powders, be sure to keep them stored in a cool, dry place to extend their shelf lives.

Another one of the items you should never buy in bulk is skincare items. Enter a bulk supplier like Costco and be treated to killer deals on giant vats of face cream. It may seem like a good deal, however, the majority of skincare products have a shelf life of about six months.

Furthermore, these items run the risk of exposure to nastier, unwelcome bacteria. That giant tub of lotion on your nightstand gets exposed to a variety of bacteria and foreign agents every time you open it and grab a dab. This type of bulk buy only works if a couple of people in your household are using the products regularly.

Much like more specific skincare items, one of the items you should never buy in bulk is sunscreen. If you are out in the sun regularly, a large, bulk buy of sunscreen products may seem like a good deal. While sunscreen does have a shelf life of about three years on average, that is only under optimal conditions.

Sunscreen is usually brought to the beach or other outdoor locations. Even then, it often bakes in a car glove compartment or purse when not in direct use. Extensive exposure to heat and humidity drops the shelf life of sunscreen to a considerable degree. Unless it's stored in ideal conditions year-round, you're better off buying sunscreen bottles one at a time.

Another one of the items you should never buy in bulk is paper goods. You may be thinking to yourself, why not? Paper goods like toilet paper don't expire like food items, and they will also serve a need even if they collect dust in a closet for a couple of months. The problem with paper good bulk buys, however, comes down to pricing, not expiration.

If you seek a bulk buy of paper goods, large-scale retailers like Costco and Sam's Club won't give you the best deal. For example, while a 30-pack of toilet paper rolls at say, Sam's Club costs $19.98. That is 67 cents per roll. Meanwhile, a smaller quantity of toilet paper box of 12 at Kroger costs $5.99, which is 50 cents per roll. As such, you're much better off buying paper products in smaller quantities, avoiding the deceptive scaling and related pricing of larger packs. (For items best avoided at big-box retailers, discover things you should never buy at Sam's Club.)

Most medicines, like over-the-counter pain relievers or sleep aids, are taken as needed. As such, it's unlikely a bulk buy of these products would serve you any positive purpose. Furthermore, most over-the-counter medicines have expiration dates.

Unless you are popping dozens of anti-inflammatories every day (which you shouldn't) bulk medicine purchases aren't worth it. You're better off buying smaller, single packets of generics. These cost far less than name-brand medicines and won't be wasted sitting in your medicine cabinet.

While it may seem at first glance like the type of item to buy big, condiments are another item you should never buy in bulk. Though many condiments like ketchup and mustard are considered shelf-stable, they still eventually expire, even if they are never opened. What's more, a condiment like mayonnaise is only safe to eat for about two months after being opened.

Things like barbeque sauce, mayonnaise, and salad dressings should only be bought in bulk if they are to be used in bulk. The notable exception to this rule, however, is vinegar. As they are acidic and often used to preserve other foods, vinegar in proper conditions can be stored almost indefinitely. (For the inverse, discover 24 products you should always buy in bulk.)