bulk Archives - Life of an Earth Muffin

Hey earth muffins! One of the easiest things you can do to reduce your impact at the grocery store is to shop from the bulk section. Bringing your own containers and shopping bulk is easy… But what should you do if your town doesn’t have any bulk bins to shop at?? The city I bought my house in does not have many bulk options like the previous area I lived in. Because of this, I have had to shift my shopping habits. Here are my top tips on how to shop zero waste when you don’t have access to bulk bins!

~Make sure you check all the stores in your city!

Even if a “bulk” section isn’t listed on the website, I still recommend going to every grocery store in your area to double check there isn’t one. I’ve found stores that have smaller bulk sections this way! Or, you might find a store with a specific type of bulk item, like coffee beans. Try out all the grocery stores and health food stores when you do this. You might be surprised to find that a city you thought had no bulk bins has a couple you can work with.

Stock Your Pantry: Baking Supplies

When switching to a more sustainable lifestyle, I have started to cook more things from scratch. I try to avoid most packaged/canned products, so having a lot of baking supplies on hand is uber important! I had a bunch of these things already in my grad school apartment pantry, but I figured I would still include them. 😀

Flour – I have always loved King Arthur flour, as the grocery store where I shop doesn’t have flour in bulk. But, this bag can at least be recycled!
Sugar – Again, my local grocery store doesn’t have sugar in bulk so I choose to buy it in a paper bag that can be recycled.
Baking soda and baking powder – You can usually find both of these in cardboard box packaging.
Oats – I had a mason jar full of oats already, but these are so cheap in the bulk bins (and SO useful for baking).
Jiffy corn muffin mix – I know, I know… I said I try to avoid all packaged foods but I think Jiffy is good to have on hand. Their company is local to Michigan and I love that both the box and the paper (not plastic!) lining on the inside can be recycled.
Various spices – My boyfriend and I already had everything from salt and pepper to mixed seasonings, but check out the bulk spices available in your bulk bins!

Bulk Grains and Protein

There are SO many grain and protein options at my local grocery store, but I always stock up on what I eat a lot of:

Rice – My boyfriend isn’t a huge fan of brown rice, so I stocked up on white rice for now…
Quinoa – Quinoa is a great alternative to rice if you feel like you are eating rices too much. Plus, it can cook in less than 20 minutes!
Barley – I LOVE barley. While it does take longer to cook, it is so filling and tasty. It is great for a lot of fall/winter dishes.
Pasta – My boyfriend absolutely loves spaghetti, so he brought multiple boxes of noodles with him from his last apartment. Sadly, the bulk bins here don’t have any pastas (yet) but I’ve heard that a few brands will be taking out that annoying plastic liner in their boxes – yay for a fully recyclable container!
Beans – I had two mason jars full of Great Northern Beans in my grad school pantry, but there are a bunch of options for dried beans. I utilize a lot of beans in my cooking after becoming vegetarian last year; my favorites are chickpeas, pinto, and black beans! After I eat up some of these beans, I plan on trying out some lentil options as well.

A picture of a bag of dry chickpeas from the bulk bins

Lost in the Sauce(s)

Unfortunately my local grocery store has the bulk sauces/liquids closed off due to Mister Corona. Oh well! I bought the biggest sizes I could and opted for glass containers to avoid plastics.

Olive oil – A MUST for roasting all my fresh veggies!
Vinegar/Apple Cider Vinegar – I actually forgot to buy this when I first went shopping, but it is on the list for the next time I’m at the store.
Soy sauce – Because the bulk bins were closed, I went to a local Asian market to support local business. While the soy sauce was a tiny bit more expensive, it is important to help out family run shops!
Honey – Honey is a great sweetner for everything from teas to homemade granola to greek yogurt bowls.
Peanut butter – I eat a peanut butter sandwich almost every day for lunch, so I bought a massive 5 pound jar of JIF. This comes in a can instead of a plastic container, so it was a win win for me!
Nutritional Yeast – Such a good staple for any vegetarian; I love to throw it into any dish.

Other Things to Stock Your Pantry With!

SNACKS – Some of my favorite bulk snacks include unsweetened banana chips and toasted corn. Unsweetened banana chips tastes very much like any potato chip, but the texture is a bit different. Toasted corn tastes EXACTLY like a Frito, and I love that it just corn that is cooked and salted.
Tea (or coffee) – Even though it is summer, a good cup of tea is still nice in the morning. I’m not a coffee drinker, but many bins allow you to buy coffee beans in bulk. I had a bunch of loose leaf tea containers from my old apartment; but, I will definitely be stocking up when I run low.

After shopping at a local farmer’s market too, our fridge is now stocked full. It is nice to be getting all settled into the new place! 🙂 When you move, what do you stock your pantry with??