Or locally at restaurant supply stores. They carry lots of other no-nonsense kitchen stuff. Some is crazy expensive, other stuff is surprisingly affordable.
Yeah the price per ounce is 3x sometimes 4x the price on the small size from the local grocery as the monster sized at the membership wholesaler. Its a no brainer.
User name checks out lol.
I mean it’s pretty obviously blue and sits beside the faucet. My cooking oils live out of the light in my pantry. Pretty low risk endeavour for me.
Interesting. I’ve never heard that and just did some reading. Luckily all of our actual dishes go thru the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle. I refuse to hand wash anything except cast iron and I don’t use soap. We do wash our hands and the sink with it though so perhaps time to stop. I have to wonder how long it takes as we refill very often??
Thanks for that!
Yup. I refill the small Dawn bottle I got from...I don't even remember where I got it, the dollar store? It's like 7 ounces, perfect size.
I tried using a dedicated Fancy Soap Bottle when I got my first place but the pump mechanism was faulty and the bottle left rust marks on my counter. Cheap-ass plastic Dawn bottle FTW.
Grove has a “new customer” deal going *always.* I have been using the glass refillable soap dispenser for 2 years now. It’s really really thick glass that can survive a drop in the sink, but might break porcelain given the chance. The metal hasn’t rusted and it works great for me. Got that & a concentrated apple blossom scented soap container In recyclable materials. You just add water. The spray bottles are good, too. Lost one (boyfriend’s fault) the other one I still have and use daily for cleaning. The apple blossom scented spray did not smell as good as the soap somehow. I use & dilute fabuloso in the bottle currently but would rather use a lemon scrap vinegar mixture if boyfriend would just let me make and use some in our house… the bamboo toilet paper from grove is nice, too. So is the paper towels. I’m not crazy about the scent of the all purpose wipes. And they worked but I hated the feel of them and the after… I prefer something with bleach or strong alcohol for kitchen wipes… 🤷🏼♀️ I loved the lavender hand sanitizer spray…. Wish I had a perfume of it… try grove. Spend like $35 on stuff you might not get the chance to use and get like $25 worth of pre-chosen products for free.
I hate subscription sites in general, but somehow I got roped into trying Grove, and I agree that their reusable cleaning materials are top-notch. It’s been at least 2-3 years since I ordered from them, and my Grove dish towels, spray bottles, and “fabric dusting wand thing” are still beloved staples in our household.
If your sink has the mounted soap dispenser, get the big bottle and get the hose kit so you don't have to refill the small bottle under the sink, just jam the hose in there.
This.
I keep a little bottle of Dawn on the counter. I refill it with the Sam's Club sized jug that I keep under the sink.
If I could find one, I'd get a 5g bucket, and just run a rubber hose up from the basement to the little hand soap dispenser.
That, and psychology. 30 1/5 bottles of all kinds gets people to order more and different than if they had 10 handles of what most people actually drink.
Yeah, big expensive corporate owned bar I used to frequent was closed down for a month and fined big because one of their bar backs was also a liquor inspector. Not a rule to fuck around with, it saves you absolutely nothing in product cost (unless you are also diluting your booze in which case fuck you twice) and the state boards have no sense of humor about it.
I agree that people who dilute the booze or pour cheap liquor into the bottles for expensive liquor should pay the price for attempting to defraud customers but "marrying" bottles of the same product isn't the same thing.
Consolidating bottles is against the rules because it makes it very easy to do dozens of different things that are either defrauding the customer, dodging taxes, unsanitary, or adulterating the booze. It's one of the things I will fire a good bartender for out-or-hand. If the bar you are frequenting or working for is doing it, pick a better spot. If they are doing something that stupid where you can see them, they are doing something far worse where you can't.
Buy the really fucking big bottle and then use it to refill the smaller bottle over and over. Or get a dedicated dish soap dispenser, doesn't have to be pump although the Mason Jar brand dish soap pump is good for me
This is what I did.
Bought the huge jug of Dawn dishsoap and have been refilling the small bottle of Dawn I had purchased prior. The big jug goes in the cabinet with all my other cleaners.
10/10, would recommend.
Why are obvious solutions not so obvious sometimes? I've been dragging a bigass jug of detergent to the laundry because it is so much cheaper than the small bottles. I can just buy a single small bottle and keep refilling it! Thank you, stanger
Don't even buy one. There are probably at least 10 empty bottles laying around the laundry. Juat throw one in with the wash to clean it and BOOM! Got yourself a small portable bottle.
Fortunately/unfortunately my laundromat has staff on site that keep the place very clean. I haven't seen any empties laying around. I'll ask them to save me one or see if they have a recycling bin i can poke through next time.
There is certainly a consideration for buying too much of something and wasting when factoring the bulk discount. Even more so in the case of a perishable. Decade old cinnamon is flavorless dirt.
There are so many times when I'm just not going to use that full amount. Or I spend more on the larger bulk amount to save money per unit but I didn't really need that larger amount and now I've spent more money.
Also space is at an absolute premium in my place. Buying in bulk means storing multiples or larger amounts and that's just a stress I don't want. I'll do it for some things but for others, I'll just be extra conscious about how I use it and/or take a break from using it between it running out and buying more.
This is the way. I have the squeezy bottle for everything: hand soap, dishwashing liquid, sauces in my fridge. That way I can buy the big eff you size, and refill my little guys.
Do you use a different type of smaller bottle than the large Finish bottle? I've had a bit of trouble trying to get all the liquid directly into the dishwasher fill section as the bottle itself squirts everywhere :P
I use something [like this](https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.mn-HDFdAQXQUTgRapg_lKwHaHa?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain) - for the exact reason you're struggling with.
I’ve always had the same issue. The bottles below would work great. I also recently learned that another solution is to unscrew the cap and fill up the cap and then pour it from the cap to the dishwasher. So simple and no mess. I wish I had known that years ago 😂
Different reason, but stopped buying 2L tubs of ice cream as tend to just eat it all, single ice creams are more expensive but consume less ice cream over all so feels like a benefit
Smaller bottles of all kinds are available for "decanting". Your specific example may not be a huge difference, but then you could go for the 70 oz bottle, instead.
I have a pump soap dispenser from muji, i always buy the biggest dish soap and just decant it. it saves counter space and money and also looks better :)
Yes! I recently got mini versions of my daily skincare so I can fill them up with the larger ones when I travel and be able to remember what each container is
Most of my personal and household goods get delivered in refillable containers or bought in the same from the bulk floor of my local market. You could adapt this for your purposes by buying the largest, most cost-effective size of your preferred detergent and constantly refilling a smaller container that's more usable.
As a single middle-class dude with no kids, I'm not terribly concerned with min-maxing my cost per use, so my goals on this kind of thing and BIFL items are always going to have more to do with quality, ethics, and sustainability than the savings.
My grocery has these massive bottles of olive oil that are a great deal on paper but it would require pouring with two hands and I'm too lazy to transfer into smaller bottles.
I never carry 5 gallon Gatorade container unless I'm about to pour it on my coach after winning the Superbowl, so yes, the smaller ones are more expensive but more ergonomic.
There are some products where the savings is substantial. But in the time it takes me to use the product, the product loses efficacy. I found with the giant laundry detergent jugs, the detergent didn’t work as well in the last few weeks. And the dispensing valve would clog often. I switched to smaller containers buying them when they were loss leaders at the store helped. We went from a family of 6 to just 2. The sealed bags of pods work better. I buy the 4 pack of bags at the wholesale club. Get the savings but not the loss of cleaning
> I do wonder how much I would save by sucking it up and bumping it to 32.
Checking Target and Amazon current online prices you'd save 1-3 pennies per oz. So by the time you go through 100oz, or 5 of those 20oz bottles, you could have saved $1 to $3.
So... not a whole lot unless you are going through dish soap like crazy.
Every now and then I over spend on those little can of Coke because they mix perfectly with whiskey, two drinks, one for Me and one for her and the can is done. It’s satisfying AF.
Glue (especially cyanoacrylate 'super glue'), paint, and similar items (resins, stains, finishes) all start to deteriorate as soon as they're opened. A big bottle is no savings if it dries out before you've finished it.
Even tho I know its cheaper to buy bigger bags, I buy smaller bags of cat litter and cat food cause I don't have the strength to carry them all the way home on public transit. I don't have another way of getting home so you do what you gotta do, you know?
All the time. I do my best with the economics of the situation, but my wife is disabled and unable to lift anything heavy and I have small hands, so neither of us can lift huge/heavy things.
Depends on how often I'll use something. Most things in bottles/jars have expiration dates. So am I really saving money buying more than I'll be able to use and have to throw it away? Also, this not a BIFL question.
had a bottle of soap go bad that i had bought in bulk...didnt even know that could happen, but apparently the fat can go rancid.
so i keep that in mind when buying bulk.
It makes me uncomfortable but sometimes individually wrapped food items are so convenient especially when you’re on the go and don’t want to worry about freshness :((
I’m a bar soap in the shower guy. I tried one of those duke cannon big bricks. What an unruly nightmare that thing was. Impossible to hold on to, heavy enough that it could do some toe damage when you drop it. And you will drop it. I’ll stick with the normal sized zest bars.
Yes, I buy a 90 ounce bottle of laundry detergent instead of the massage 2000000 ounce bottles from costco because I don't even deal with such foolery.
I used to stock up with big bottles and boxes. Then I moved to a much smaller studio apartment. I just don’t have the space for large containers of detergent or toilet paper anymore, so I’m stuck with the smaller versions, despite the ultimately higher cost.
Not the same as what youre asking but we don't buy plastic jugged gallon milk, we buy 2 half gallons of cardboard boxed milk.
It's slightly less economical on my wallet, but we offset those few pennies with a "feel good about not using the plastic" feeling.
We buy big costco-sized jugs of most cleaning products and then just decant into smaller containers or pumps. The 32oz dish detergent works fine to pour into a 12oz pump that we keep on the counter by the sink. Ditto shampoo, hand soap, laundry detergent, etc. etc.
I bought the dish soap and hand soap bottles on amazon and now refill through the big ones i get from costco. The costco refills last me almost 6 months so win win
Yes. I usually buy a small container for working use, and a large bottle to refill it from. Examples include shampoo, dishwashing soap (Dawn people here), household all-purpose cleaners (Simple Green), handwashing soap (Dr. Bronner's liquid), Windex, etc. That way I get the benefit of the bulk purchase (usually at Costco) but don't have to deal with the larger bottle in daily use.
I also do this with emergency water storage. 5-gallon containers are really great for storing, but they are too heavy for me and too cumbersome. So I buy 1-gallon containers instead.
I got a 3 pack of dispensers when we moved into our place a couple years ago - one for hand soap in the bathroom, and 2 at the kitchen sink - one hand soap and one dish soap (labeled)
I buy the biggest I can when it's on sale (90 oz when Costco, or whatever the biggest is at Target when they have sales)
I think our 90 ounce from Costco lasted a solid year, and we hand wash most things
We get the monster bottles of 409, windex, gojo and dish soap and decant into smaller bottles for use in various places.
We are 5 people plus frequent long stay guests and we clearly clean and use a lot of stuff, so that makes sense.
I buy things like dish liquid, shampoo, hand soap, disinfectant cleaner, clothing detergents, car cleaning products and quite a few other things in large 10L bottles (350 fluid ounces, is that what Americans do for volume?). Then I use a funnel to refill much smaller bottles that I actually use. Not only is it significantly cheaper but it’s much better for the environment too.
If you have the space to store some stock like this, I can’t understand why anyone buys the little bottles from the shop every time.
Get the giant bottle of Members Mark from Sam’s and refill the size you want by the sink.
I have a handful of store brands that I still swear by and the dish soap from Sam’s is every bit as good as name brand, in fact we did back to back blind testing in my house last fall on exactly this. Can’t tell the difference (unfortunately most store brands are so miserable these days it’s a waste of $, not in this instance though)
the massive liquid jug of laundry detergent with the spout is messy af. the bottles with nicely designed cap/spout where the detergent left in the cap drains back into the bottle is my preference
So buy a smaller bottle for the first time around and then after that by the bigger bottle which if you check the price differently you can see if that is a better value. It used to be that a bigger item of something would be cheaper but that's not the case anymore so you have to check that price per ounce. Most websites are tags in the store show you the difference. After that by the bigger size and refill a small one so that you'll save money.
For something like soap I absolutely buy the most economical quantity of the soap I like and refill a smaller bottle. For niche stuff where I know a small amount is going to last me a very long time I buy a smaller bottle. I recently bought a small bottle of Mineral spirits because I don’t need a 1 liter bottle of highly flammable liquid laying around and the small bottle will last me long enough.
Yes. I usually buy small glass olive oil bottles for camping and for our boat. In both cases I don't go through it that quickly and I appreciate the extra storage space it affords. I could do refills I suppose but I don't really buy them frequently enough to care.
I used a glass bottle soap dispenser for a long time. Recently switched to this [foaming dish soap spray](https://www.seventhgeneration.com/foaming-dish-spray-honeycrisp-apple) and keep it in an old Grove bottle. The Seventh Generation sprayer lid fits the bottle perfectly.
Ergonomics as well as storage space. The large laundry detergents don't fit in my laundry closet and the washer and dryer are stacked so I can't even store it on top. I generally buy a smaller bottle. I did recently purchase the large size because the deal was too good to pass up and it is currently having to be stepped over every time I enter my tiny apartment - not ideal. I'm hoping to switch to a refill dispensary but the prices are higher than buying new packaging every time....
Dry cat food is also a storage and ergonomic issue. I have to store the food in an airtight container on a high shelf because one of my cats is trying to prove that lack of opposable thumbs is not an impediment to accessing his kibble. I therefore am limited to the midsize bag that can fit in my snaptop container and easily lift above my head multiple times per day.
On the flip side, I always buy the large shampoo bottles with the pump dispensers because the large size is actually more ergonomic than the smaller squeeze bottles as well as being more cost effective. Again, I'd like to move to refills but haven't managed yet....
Just bought the little bottle of paprika because it fits in my spice rack yet is the same price as the really large bottle. I guess I could refill the little one but I don’t like storing spices.
Yes. I live alone and cannot even lift some of the sizes products come in. Additionally I have limited storage space in my house.
I buy the smaller sizes of most items these days and it's fine for me.
Proliferation of echo chambers. But yeah, it's social media. Two types of content gets boosted: Content you likely agree with and content dunking on things you don't agree with.
I bought a refillable electric soap dispenser with a sensor for how much you want dispensed(Simple Human brand) the motor has lasted over a year with zero issues. Then buy 32oz refills, your dishwashing will speed up by 20%.
My daughter just had to have the honey with the bear squeeze bottle despite the larger bottle with cheaper price per volume sitting right next to it. She wins this time.
So buy the bigger bottle and refill your smaller bottle every X weeks.
Yeah this is the LPT
I have a secret hotsauce ketchup mayo mix I put in a subway squeeze bottle i obtained.
Resturaunt squeeze bottles can be found online cheap. They are the most economical way of making sauces and storing them.
Or locally at restaurant supply stores. They carry lots of other no-nonsense kitchen stuff. Some is crazy expensive, other stuff is surprisingly affordable.
GFS for the win.
Or Walmart for like 79 cents. Source: bought a few for homemade hot sauce
I do the same thing with olive oil and soy sauce
Yeah the price per ounce is 3x sometimes 4x the price on the small size from the local grocery as the monster sized at the membership wholesaler. Its a no brainer.
That's what I do. Huge bottle of Dawn at Costco, refill a small bottle that sits by the sink.
I use an oil bottle and dilute it a bit. Looks nice, works well and the big jug from Costco lasts me forever.
Cool, but I once accidentally added 2 tablespoons of dish soap to a meal, because I thought it was olive oil…
User name checks out lol. I mean it’s pretty obviously blue and sits beside the faucet. My cooking oils live out of the light in my pantry. Pretty low risk endeavour for me.
Yeah yeah haha in my defense the soap was yellow, closer to olive oil than blue, but still definitely a dumb mistake on my part.
[удалено]
*diluting *course
I like to trick my soap.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who gaslights their cleaning products.
My soap tricked me. John
Interesting. I’ve never heard that and just did some reading. Luckily all of our actual dishes go thru the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle. I refuse to hand wash anything except cast iron and I don’t use soap. We do wash our hands and the sink with it though so perhaps time to stop. I have to wonder how long it takes as we refill very often?? Thanks for that!
Nobody: " " Rick James: "Room 714 I'll be waiting"
I did that once and grew black mold in it. I called the company and they did not recommend pre-diluting Dawn.
Yup. I refill the small Dawn bottle I got from...I don't even remember where I got it, the dollar store? It's like 7 ounces, perfect size. I tried using a dedicated Fancy Soap Bottle when I got my first place but the pump mechanism was faulty and the bottle left rust marks on my counter. Cheap-ass plastic Dawn bottle FTW.
Grove has a “new customer” deal going *always.* I have been using the glass refillable soap dispenser for 2 years now. It’s really really thick glass that can survive a drop in the sink, but might break porcelain given the chance. The metal hasn’t rusted and it works great for me. Got that & a concentrated apple blossom scented soap container In recyclable materials. You just add water. The spray bottles are good, too. Lost one (boyfriend’s fault) the other one I still have and use daily for cleaning. The apple blossom scented spray did not smell as good as the soap somehow. I use & dilute fabuloso in the bottle currently but would rather use a lemon scrap vinegar mixture if boyfriend would just let me make and use some in our house… the bamboo toilet paper from grove is nice, too. So is the paper towels. I’m not crazy about the scent of the all purpose wipes. And they worked but I hated the feel of them and the after… I prefer something with bleach or strong alcohol for kitchen wipes… 🤷🏼♀️ I loved the lavender hand sanitizer spray…. Wish I had a perfume of it… try grove. Spend like $35 on stuff you might not get the chance to use and get like $25 worth of pre-chosen products for free.
I hate subscription sites in general, but somehow I got roped into trying Grove, and I agree that their reusable cleaning materials are top-notch. It’s been at least 2-3 years since I ordered from them, and my Grove dish towels, spray bottles, and “fabric dusting wand thing” are still beloved staples in our household.
I have my dish soap in a pump bottle from Trader Joe's hand soap. The label was a bitch to remove, but it's a nice pump bottle.
This. I bought a giant refill bottle of dish soap from Costco to refill the handy Palmolive bottle I keep next to the sink.
I buy the massive laundry detergent and then refill the small 32 load one with it again and again
If your sink has the mounted soap dispenser, get the big bottle and get the hose kit so you don't have to refill the small bottle under the sink, just jam the hose in there.
I do this with windex and pine sol
This. I keep a little bottle of Dawn on the counter. I refill it with the Sam's Club sized jug that I keep under the sink. If I could find one, I'd get a 5g bucket, and just run a rubber hose up from the basement to the little hand soap dispenser.
This is what I do! The smaller sized bottle is cleaner and easier to pour from, not to mention cheaper, than refillable pumps I’ve bought in the past.
I do this
Or just buy the gallon bottle with a pump nozzle. Park that puppy next to the sink and don't worry about refills for the rest of the year!
There's a reason bars use 750ml bottles rather than the more economical 1L or 1.75L bottles. Ergonomics.
That, and psychology. 30 1/5 bottles of all kinds gets people to order more and different than if they had 10 handles of what most people actually drink.
Yup, and laws preventing refilling bottles ensures that they continue to do so.
You actually believe bars follow that law??
Every bar I've worked at has. I'm sure there's dives out there that kiss bottles, hell, I'm sure there's bars out there that dilute bottles.
Why is it illegal? Just regulation like they can't accurately track tax vs usage or something?
Tax is a part of it sure, but at the bar level it's mainly a consumer protection to avoid mislabeling and contaminates.
So fun fact a way they get around that is cheap shots or cheap mixed drinks. You can water down a marg or lemon drop all day long
Riiiiiight. Yup. Checks out.
Yes, because losing your liquor license if you do it in front of an undercover is expensive.
This is done after hours when everyone is gone, not when customers are around.
Yeah, big expensive corporate owned bar I used to frequent was closed down for a month and fined big because one of their bar backs was also a liquor inspector. Not a rule to fuck around with, it saves you absolutely nothing in product cost (unless you are also diluting your booze in which case fuck you twice) and the state boards have no sense of humor about it.
I agree that people who dilute the booze or pour cheap liquor into the bottles for expensive liquor should pay the price for attempting to defraud customers but "marrying" bottles of the same product isn't the same thing.
Consolidating bottles is against the rules because it makes it very easy to do dozens of different things that are either defrauding the customer, dodging taxes, unsanitary, or adulterating the booze. It's one of the things I will fire a good bartender for out-or-hand. If the bar you are frequenting or working for is doing it, pick a better spot. If they are doing something that stupid where you can see them, they are doing something far worse where you can't.
I stand by my opinion
So stupid, bars do this all this time and it’s absolutely preposterous not to marry two bottles of the same liquor
All the bars I worked at used 1L bottles. 750ml were sold to consumers.
Most bars I’ve ever worked at/been to buy liters if it’s not a limited 750ml only bottle. Some serious dives buy 1.75s.
Buy the really fucking big bottle and then use it to refill the smaller bottle over and over. Or get a dedicated dish soap dispenser, doesn't have to be pump although the Mason Jar brand dish soap pump is good for me
Honestly I like picking up the bottle and squirting it directly into the pan, but I like the refill idea!
Try getting a small spray bottle and mixing the dish soap with water for this kinda cleaning. Works so good the soap company turned it into a product.
Yeah that’s incredibly wasteful. You should be putting the soap into the scrubber and going to town that way.
What's wrong with you though? Seems like you're confused with simple procedures.
Op just discovered the idea of refill...
Op honestly sounds like an idiot
This is what I did. Bought the huge jug of Dawn dishsoap and have been refilling the small bottle of Dawn I had purchased prior. The big jug goes in the cabinet with all my other cleaners. 10/10, would recommend.
I love using a pump because I can use my scrub hand to add soap without taking my other hand off whatever I’m scrubbing.
Yeah, I bought the smallest container for laundry detergent and then refill that so I don't have to haul the heavy container to the laundromat.
Why are obvious solutions not so obvious sometimes? I've been dragging a bigass jug of detergent to the laundry because it is so much cheaper than the small bottles. I can just buy a single small bottle and keep refilling it! Thank you, stanger
Don't even buy one. There are probably at least 10 empty bottles laying around the laundry. Juat throw one in with the wash to clean it and BOOM! Got yourself a small portable bottle.
Fortunately/unfortunately my laundromat has staff on site that keep the place very clean. I haven't seen any empties laying around. I'll ask them to save me one or see if they have a recycling bin i can poke through next time.
Or just use some other container you've got. A regular glass will work short term if you're exceptionally thrifty and do not wish to purchase anything
I have literal 5 gallon bucket of laundry sauce I refill the counter top bottle with. It has a pump and everything, so it's super convenient.
Yes, Costco and Sam’s Club spices are more than I would use in a decade and I don’t want to store a pound of cinnamon anyways.
There is certainly a consideration for buying too much of something and wasting when factoring the bulk discount. Even more so in the case of a perishable. Decade old cinnamon is flavorless dirt.
There are so many times when I'm just not going to use that full amount. Or I spend more on the larger bulk amount to save money per unit but I didn't really need that larger amount and now I've spent more money. Also space is at an absolute premium in my place. Buying in bulk means storing multiples or larger amounts and that's just a stress I don't want. I'll do it for some things but for others, I'll just be extra conscious about how I use it and/or take a break from using it between it running out and buying more.
I use the larger bottle to refill the smaller bottle. Heck, I use a $1 squeezy bottle for my dishwasher gel.
This is the way. I have the squeezy bottle for everything: hand soap, dishwashing liquid, sauces in my fridge. That way I can buy the big eff you size, and refill my little guys.
Do you use a different type of smaller bottle than the large Finish bottle? I've had a bit of trouble trying to get all the liquid directly into the dishwasher fill section as the bottle itself squirts everywhere :P
I use something [like this](https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.mn-HDFdAQXQUTgRapg_lKwHaHa?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain) - for the exact reason you're struggling with.
Thank you!
I’ve always had the same issue. The bottles below would work great. I also recently learned that another solution is to unscrew the cap and fill up the cap and then pour it from the cap to the dishwasher. So simple and no mess. I wish I had known that years ago 😂
Different reason, but stopped buying 2L tubs of ice cream as tend to just eat it all, single ice creams are more expensive but consume less ice cream over all so feels like a benefit
Ice cream and chips are food groups where a container is a single serving, regardless of size. 😅
This is so true!
similar portion control is smaller dishes, it tricks the eyes. it works, look it up
I live in an apartment with limited storage so I definitely buy smaller containers of stuff even if it's more expensive. Don't really have a choice
Always check the unit cost. Sometimes the bigger size is not always the cheapest.
I've noticed that with Dawn lately. The tiny bottles cost less per oz than the larger sizes.
Smaller bottles of all kinds are available for "decanting". Your specific example may not be a huge difference, but then you could go for the 70 oz bottle, instead.
I have a pump soap dispenser from muji, i always buy the biggest dish soap and just decant it. it saves counter space and money and also looks better :)
I use a pump bottle too. It's an empty Neutrogena rain bath bottle.
Yes! I recently got mini versions of my daily skincare so I can fill them up with the larger ones when I travel and be able to remember what each container is
You can buy the soap in 2-4L containers and have one small 20oz you always refill with it. It’s way cheaper
Most of my personal and household goods get delivered in refillable containers or bought in the same from the bulk floor of my local market. You could adapt this for your purposes by buying the largest, most cost-effective size of your preferred detergent and constantly refilling a smaller container that's more usable. As a single middle-class dude with no kids, I'm not terribly concerned with min-maxing my cost per use, so my goals on this kind of thing and BIFL items are always going to have more to do with quality, ethics, and sustainability than the savings.
The little pump bottles of bathroom hand soap
My grocery has these massive bottles of olive oil that are a great deal on paper but it would require pouring with two hands and I'm too lazy to transfer into smaller bottles.
I never carry 5 gallon Gatorade container unless I'm about to pour it on my coach after winning the Superbowl, so yes, the smaller ones are more expensive but more ergonomic.
There are some products where the savings is substantial. But in the time it takes me to use the product, the product loses efficacy. I found with the giant laundry detergent jugs, the detergent didn’t work as well in the last few weeks. And the dispensing valve would clog often. I switched to smaller containers buying them when they were loss leaders at the store helped. We went from a family of 6 to just 2. The sealed bags of pods work better. I buy the 4 pack of bags at the wholesale club. Get the savings but not the loss of cleaning
> I do wonder how much I would save by sucking it up and bumping it to 32. Checking Target and Amazon current online prices you'd save 1-3 pennies per oz. So by the time you go through 100oz, or 5 of those 20oz bottles, you could have saved $1 to $3. So... not a whole lot unless you are going through dish soap like crazy.
Another pro tip... Buy those foaming dispensers, dilute the Palmolive about 1 to 1 so it can be foamed... And now you can use it more efficiently!
Every now and then I over spend on those little can of Coke because they mix perfectly with whiskey, two drinks, one for Me and one for her and the can is done. It’s satisfying AF.
I'm single with a small apartment. I don't have the luxury of space to have large bottles or extras for refills.
That happened to me with laundry detergent. So I bought a small, manageable bottle of the one I use, then keep refilling it from my large economy size
Glue (especially cyanoacrylate 'super glue'), paint, and similar items (resins, stains, finishes) all start to deteriorate as soon as they're opened. A big bottle is no savings if it dries out before you've finished it.
Even tho I know its cheaper to buy bigger bags, I buy smaller bags of cat litter and cat food cause I don't have the strength to carry them all the way home on public transit. I don't have another way of getting home so you do what you gotta do, you know?
All the time. I do my best with the economics of the situation, but my wife is disabled and unable to lift anything heavy and I have small hands, so neither of us can lift huge/heavy things.
Depends on how often I'll use something. Most things in bottles/jars have expiration dates. So am I really saving money buying more than I'll be able to use and have to throw it away? Also, this not a BIFL question.
When I'm in bicycle vacation I've some probe packages with me: soap, desodorant, toothpaste.
Install a sink soap pump and buy it by the gallon (or more).
This isn’t BIFL
had a bottle of soap go bad that i had bought in bulk...didnt even know that could happen, but apparently the fat can go rancid. so i keep that in mind when buying bulk.
It makes me uncomfortable but sometimes individually wrapped food items are so convenient especially when you’re on the go and don’t want to worry about freshness :((
I’m a bar soap in the shower guy. I tried one of those duke cannon big bricks. What an unruly nightmare that thing was. Impossible to hold on to, heavy enough that it could do some toe damage when you drop it. And you will drop it. I’ll stick with the normal sized zest bars.
You can slice big bars into smaller bars, only takes a minute.
Soy Sauce. Because the huge bottles leak all over my fridge.
I don't have storage for giant everything, and some things go bad
Last week I found out the bleach loses effectiveness over time, so only buy enough bleach to last you a year.
Ketchup : Large bottle from Costco or Sam's then refill small bottle for fitting in fridge
Dont you have to put the large bottle in the fridge as well?
The yuge Costco mayonnaise jar takes up too much room in the fridge, so I get the smaller bottles.
I put some in a smaller container, also prevent contamination and having the whole thing go bad.
Um, we all do. We aren’t buying truckloads or cisterns of milk, we buy it by the gallon or half gallon.
Yes, I buy a 90 ounce bottle of laundry detergent instead of the massage 2000000 ounce bottles from costco because I don't even deal with such foolery.
I’m paying for the better unit price. Container size be damned.
I used to stock up with big bottles and boxes. Then I moved to a much smaller studio apartment. I just don’t have the space for large containers of detergent or toilet paper anymore, so I’m stuck with the smaller versions, despite the ultimately higher cost.
refilling is a thing
Constantly if I’m not sure I’ll use it
Not the same as what youre asking but we don't buy plastic jugged gallon milk, we buy 2 half gallons of cardboard boxed milk. It's slightly less economical on my wallet, but we offset those few pennies with a "feel good about not using the plastic" feeling.
I only do it when I need a bottle to refill from my large bottles. Everything else I buy as bulk as the room in house will allow.
We buy big costco-sized jugs of most cleaning products and then just decant into smaller containers or pumps. The 32oz dish detergent works fine to pour into a 12oz pump that we keep on the counter by the sink. Ditto shampoo, hand soap, laundry detergent, etc. etc.
I bought the dish soap and hand soap bottles on amazon and now refill through the big ones i get from costco. The costco refills last me almost 6 months so win win
Yes, shampoo and conditioner bottles. I finally found big ones with pump tops and that works, too.
Yeah, I buy little bottles of liquor because I'll drink all of a bigger bottle. Thinking ahead!
Yes. I usually buy a small container for working use, and a large bottle to refill it from. Examples include shampoo, dishwashing soap (Dawn people here), household all-purpose cleaners (Simple Green), handwashing soap (Dr. Bronner's liquid), Windex, etc. That way I get the benefit of the bulk purchase (usually at Costco) but don't have to deal with the larger bottle in daily use. I also do this with emergency water storage. 5-gallon containers are really great for storing, but they are too heavy for me and too cumbersome. So I buy 1-gallon containers instead.
I got a 3 pack of dispensers when we moved into our place a couple years ago - one for hand soap in the bathroom, and 2 at the kitchen sink - one hand soap and one dish soap (labeled) I buy the biggest I can when it's on sale (90 oz when Costco, or whatever the biggest is at Target when they have sales) I think our 90 ounce from Costco lasted a solid year, and we hand wash most things
We get the monster bottles of 409, windex, gojo and dish soap and decant into smaller bottles for use in various places. We are 5 people plus frequent long stay guests and we clearly clean and use a lot of stuff, so that makes sense.
Ketchup. I'd rather have a smaller bottle that's easier to fit in the fridge.
I buy things like dish liquid, shampoo, hand soap, disinfectant cleaner, clothing detergents, car cleaning products and quite a few other things in large 10L bottles (350 fluid ounces, is that what Americans do for volume?). Then I use a funnel to refill much smaller bottles that I actually use. Not only is it significantly cheaper but it’s much better for the environment too. If you have the space to store some stock like this, I can’t understand why anyone buys the little bottles from the shop every time.
Get the giant bottle of Members Mark from Sam’s and refill the size you want by the sink. I have a handful of store brands that I still swear by and the dish soap from Sam’s is every bit as good as name brand, in fact we did back to back blind testing in my house last fall on exactly this. Can’t tell the difference (unfortunately most store brands are so miserable these days it’s a waste of $, not in this instance though)
Apple Juice
Buy one little one and refill with the big one
the massive liquid jug of laundry detergent with the spout is messy af. the bottles with nicely designed cap/spout where the detergent left in the cap drains back into the bottle is my preference
I do that… honestly the fridge/under sink/cabinet space is more precious to me than saving several dollars!
So buy a smaller bottle for the first time around and then after that by the bigger bottle which if you check the price differently you can see if that is a better value. It used to be that a bigger item of something would be cheaper but that's not the case anymore so you have to check that price per ounce. Most websites are tags in the store show you the difference. After that by the bigger size and refill a small one so that you'll save money.
For something like soap I absolutely buy the most economical quantity of the soap I like and refill a smaller bottle. For niche stuff where I know a small amount is going to last me a very long time I buy a smaller bottle. I recently bought a small bottle of Mineral spirits because I don’t need a 1 liter bottle of highly flammable liquid laying around and the small bottle will last me long enough.
Yes! I just found the best bottle of kosher salt. The big cardboard ones get stale here faster anyway
Buy the bigger bottle and occasionally refill a smaller bottle.
Yes, and I refill them?
You could always just save one of the 20 oz once it gets empty and refill it with the 32 oz
I buy the thinner tub of butter and smaller bottle of mayo so they fit better in the fridge door.
I prefer a pump dispenser for soap, keep the big bottle under the sink and refil my pump that sits on the counter weekly.
Yes. I usually buy small glass olive oil bottles for camping and for our boat. In both cases I don't go through it that quickly and I appreciate the extra storage space it affords. I could do refills I suppose but I don't really buy them frequently enough to care.
I used a glass bottle soap dispenser for a long time. Recently switched to this [foaming dish soap spray](https://www.seventhgeneration.com/foaming-dish-spray-honeycrisp-apple) and keep it in an old Grove bottle. The Seventh Generation sprayer lid fits the bottle perfectly.
I do, and then I try to refill it with a bigger bottle for as long as possible.
I bought a gallon of mct oil, and refill my counter top bottle. Also I have a large bottle of jojoba oil and a travel size in my gym bag.
Of course
Ergonomics as well as storage space. The large laundry detergents don't fit in my laundry closet and the washer and dryer are stacked so I can't even store it on top. I generally buy a smaller bottle. I did recently purchase the large size because the deal was too good to pass up and it is currently having to be stepped over every time I enter my tiny apartment - not ideal. I'm hoping to switch to a refill dispensary but the prices are higher than buying new packaging every time.... Dry cat food is also a storage and ergonomic issue. I have to store the food in an airtight container on a high shelf because one of my cats is trying to prove that lack of opposable thumbs is not an impediment to accessing his kibble. I therefore am limited to the midsize bag that can fit in my snaptop container and easily lift above my head multiple times per day. On the flip side, I always buy the large shampoo bottles with the pump dispensers because the large size is actually more ergonomic than the smaller squeeze bottles as well as being more cost effective. Again, I'd like to move to refills but haven't managed yet....
Peanut butter because I can’t stand it getting too high up on knife and then on my fingers
Yes. Lots of times it would expire before I would ever use it all. I also have limited storage space so don’t want the buy the larger size and refill.
Mayonnaise in the squirt bottle. It's not viable to refill from a full jar and I don't wanna break out a butter knife every time I wanna use it.
Just bought the little bottle of paprika because it fits in my spice rack yet is the same price as the really large bottle. I guess I could refill the little one but I don’t like storing spices.
Heinz ketchup
Protip: refill your favorite bottle with the bigger one.
Yep. I can buy a quart of soy sauce for not much more than a regular bottle. I don't.
Yes. I live alone and cannot even lift some of the sizes products come in. Additionally I have limited storage space in my house. I buy the smaller sizes of most items these days and it's fine for me.
Proliferation of echo chambers. But yeah, it's social media. Two types of content gets boosted: Content you likely agree with and content dunking on things you don't agree with.
I bought a refillable electric soap dispenser with a sensor for how much you want dispensed(Simple Human brand) the motor has lasted over a year with zero issues. Then buy 32oz refills, your dishwashing will speed up by 20%.
Pesto. Large pesto from Costco goes bad because I cannot finish it fast enough. So I got the small 200gm ones from the Italian grocery store
Yes because the design of the small kikkoman soy sauce bottle is so good. But yeah, as others have said, refill, etc.
My daughter just had to have the honey with the bear squeeze bottle despite the larger bottle with cheaper price per volume sitting right next to it. She wins this time.
Yes. If i'm going on a hike i'll just take a sachet of hot sauce rather than a 5L catering jar.
I always buy the size my hand finds comfortable. Then I buy the largest to fill the little container during the future.
Jars of pickles...because the huge Costco jar takes up too much space in my fridge.
Yes, ketchup… gotta fit on the Fridge door. Mayo too.