I know, I know. Shopping in bulk is nothing new. But for whatever reason, I’ve never done it. We have our grocery shopping routine, which is going to Target bright and early every Sunday to beat the crowds. We know where everything is there, the kids can get a free cookie, and we can be in and out in an hour.

I try to be as conscious of a Target shopper as I possibly can. I bring my own bags (which has an added bonus of getting 5 cents back per bag), I’ve learned which yogurt containers are recyclable (Chobani – yes! Dannon – no), and I bring compost bags to put my produce in. But Target doesn’t have a bulk section, so we end up bringing home a lot of packaging.

Earlier this year, I wrote an article for a local parenting magazine (which will be in the December issue, hooray!) about going zero waste. Part of my research was visiting a new market that had just opened in Minneapolis. Tare Market is the state’s first zero waste market, and they make it easy for first timers to shop in bulk. They also carry bulk items that co-ops don’t, like cleaning products, laundry and dish soap, and hand soap and shampoo.

I don’t have a plethora of cute mason jars or tins to bring with me, but I looked around my kitchen and found a few things that should work: an empty oatmeal cylinder, a clear plastic storage container, a small mason jar, and a plastic bread bag.

I know I want to get dishwasher detergent since we are almost out, but other than that I’m going to wait and see what they have. I also want to compare prices and see if shopping this way is more, less, or similar in price to buying the same items in traditional packaging.

What do you like to buy in bulk? Is it more or less expensive than shopping at the grocery store?