Lifestyle, fashion, or necessity. Even therapy? Although it may surprise you, we're talking about buying in bulk, about forgetting about packaged products.
For us, shopping this way is almost therapy. The clock stops as we walk through the cocktail of aromas, textures, shapes, and colors of traditional markets and grocery stores. Or those new establishments that are here to stay.
And at the end of the aisles and shelves, a big smile followed by: I saved you some of those almonds you like so much, how many should I give you?
Come on, we're like those people who would spend the whole afternoon in a bookstore. Or is it just the latest trend?
That's what they say. Apparently, buying in bulk is the new trend. But you know, doing something just because it's trendy isn't our thing. We prefer to enjoy the experience. To feel for a moment that we're living a slow life. And, above all, to remember the many compelling reasons to buy in bulk.
Which of its many advantages can we use to get you hooked on the weight-loss lifestyle?
In this article, we'll give you compelling reasons and a step-by-step guide to making it one of the most interesting sustainable habits of the week. Because, no matter what, you absolutely have to reduce your consumption of packaged foods, and here we'll explain how to do it so you can make it a joy.
What does it mean to buy in bulk?
Buying in bulk is as simple as shopping by weight and avoiding single-use plastic packaging. It means using your own reusable containers and bags to take only what you want or need.
What types of products can we buy in bulk?
You can find an increasing variety of bulk products at markets and specialty stores. Even in supermarkets, which are now adopting this trend as a common practice.
We list some of the most common bulk products:
- Fruits, vegetables and greens.
- Flours, yeasts, cereals and flakes.
- Bread, pastries and cakes.
- Pasta, legumes and rice.
- Seeds and superfoods.
- Semolina and couscous
- Meats, fish and sausages
- Oil, beer, wine, milk and other beverages.
- Coffees, teas and infusions.
- Chocolates, cocoa, cookies, sweets and gummies, honey, coatings and sugars.
- Seaweed, mushrooms and truffles.
- Salts and spices.
- Nuts and dried fruits.
- Olives and pickles
As you can see, the ones we've mentioned are edible. However, you can also find hygiene and cosmetic products, household goods, hardware, and many other items called consumables, which are consumed with use.
Reasons to buy products in bulk
At the beginning of the article, we mentioned a handful of good reasons to buy in bulk. Need more? Let's get to the numbers and the most compelling reason:
Buying in bulk reduces the consumption of single-use plastics , the most polluting.
According to the OECD, there are currently approximately 140 million tons of plastic in the oceans, seas, and rivers. This waste, depending on its type, takes between 100 and 1,000 years to decompose. Or much longer when dumped at sea.
There, submerged, they decompose into zooplankton-like particles and end up in the stomachs of birds and marine animals. They destroy their lives and poison ours with an ever-increasing number of diseases.
Or they contaminate the water we drink.
Or they remain almost intact, ruining the beauty of seascapes and coral reefs.
Any more reasons to buy products in bulk? To this super reason, we add 5 more important reasons :
- Promote conscious, responsible, and more sustainable consumption to curb food waste and squandering.
- Deciding how much we want to buy without being bound by the manufacturer's or supermarket's predetermined quantity: flexibility and freedom . Or the ability to discard items that are damaged or in poor condition.
- Improve our health with a more natural, varied, and high-quality diet. More and less supermarkets, fewer processed foods, and no ultra-processed foods.
- Promote local trade and local agriculture, while reducing transportation pollution.
- Save money by buying only what we need of each product and nothing more.
These are our reasons for buying in bulk. What are yours?
Tips for making bulk purchases
When you've never bought by weight or by the unit, it may seem complicated and even tedious, but it's not. We'll share with you how we do it. You'll see it's much simpler and faster than you think. This is how the Elisa Muresan team buys in bulk:
- We locate the nearest markets , fruit and vegetable stores, and specialty bulk stores. Nowadays, with the internet at your fingertips, it's a piece of cake.
- We bring our own reusable bags . Any material other than plastic is preferable. Our favorites are the organic cotton cloth bags, which are eco-friendly and always look like new. We also have paper, mesh, wicker, and glass containers, depending on the product type.
- Before filling each container , we weigh it to subtract those grams from the total indicated on the scale.
- When we get home, we place many of our products in labeled glass jars . This way, we can write down the expiration date and, if they're perishable, seal them tightly, ensuring they last longer.
And although we can't always, we try to set aside at least one day a month to do this shopping more leisurely than usual: discovering new markets and products, enjoying the smells, colors, and textures, etc.
It's not a hike in the mountains, but it somehow connects us with our natural essence, brightens our day, and gives us pause. Or it helps us think of a delicious, healthy, and organic recipe for the next dinner.
Relationship between bulk purchasing and eco-fashion
Bulk purchasing is one of the pillars of the global Zero Waste movement. which, today, is also part of the sustainable philosophy of fashion.
It was born around 2008 thanks to the French environmental activist and writer Bea Johnson.
Bea came to the United States intending to work in the fashion industry. However, after becoming a mother and experiencing the American lifestyle, she turned to minimalism. She became concerned about the enormous amount of waste she produced on a daily basis and launched the Zero Waste movement.
So keep this in mind: by buying in bulk, you are joining the revolution of responsible consumption and waste reduction .
Here at Elisa Muresan, in addition to buying in bulk, we're also joining forces with our Zero Waste collection. This annual initiative utilizes textile waste from the workshop to create exclusive designs in very limited series that you can purchase for a few days only.
A few days?
So far, all units sell out within hours. Would you like to know when the next Elisa Muresan Zero Waste collection will be released and be one of the few to wear her unique designs?
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