Refilling bulk spices

I always buy my spices from the bulk containers at my favorite grocery store. Problem is, I squander much of the money I save by overshooting my spice jars as I try to refill them -- a decent percentage of the stuff ends up spilling on the counter.

I finally got smart and snipped the corner off the little Ziploc baggie the spice comes in -- works like a funnel and pours the spices straight into the jar. Nothing wasted.

Tags: Grocery shopping, Saving money, Spices

Comments

[Scott Severtson]

Good solution, although I often find that I've bought a little more spice than my jar can hold. Instead of cutting the bag, I dump the spice onto a letter-sized sheet of paper, and roll it into a funnel around the spice. Fill the jar with the funnel, then pour the rest back into the baggie :)

[Jill]

Spices lose their potency very quickly and really should be sold in tiny little glass jars. You may be wasting money by having to use two or three times as much for the same desired flavor.

[Parent Hacks Editor]

Actually, Jill, these spices are always very fresh and potent. I only buy small quantities for that very reason. Just bought ground cardamom today, ahhh, that smell!

[Jill]

I was picturing the huge plastic jars they sell at places like Costco being poured into something more pleasing to the eye. My MIL has a thirty year supply of all her spices. She can't possibly live to use them up.

[Parent Hacks Editor]

Heh! I've always wondered what someone would do with a gallon of dried oregano!

[Liz]

We take whatever is empty (glass spice jars, big rubbermaid that we store flour in, etc.) with us to the store, weigh them at the electronic scales on our way in (usually at a closed checkout lane) and then fill them directly at the store.

Just make sure to get that tare weight first, so you aren't charged for the weight of the containers. Not are you eliminating a step, you've eliminated the need for that plastic bag.