What is a bad idea to buy in bulk?

Caskets.

Neckties.

Books of the same title.

@elbanditoroso I know of an author who purchased bulk copies of the book that she wrote. She died with an one bedroom apartment full of unsold books. No one wanted them. Even for free.

you proved my point

A years worth of white bread at one purchase.

I just made my Mom’s recipe for Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins because I had 6 browning banana’s
The best recipe I had not made in over 30 years.

Daily Newspapers
Dogs or Cats at the shelter
Pet Rocks
Tesla’s
Hammocks
Big Foot traps
Donut Holes
Stock in anything Trump endorses

Eggs

Pretty much everything except toilet paper.

I guess it depends on how good you are at processing things for them to last as well as what your needs are.

@SnipSnip eggs can be coated with mineral oil and kept at room temperature for about 6–12 months. But only good to buy in bulk if you think you will eat them in that time. Or if you are stocking up for Halloween.

One thing to avoid in bulk is medicines. They have a shelf life that generally isn’t good for long term storage and if, as example, you need 10,000 ibuprofen for the next year, you probably have other issues that need to be addressed.

@seawulf575 There is a difference in eggs that are safe to eat and eggs that are fresh. I only want fresh eggs.

I refer you, if you care to look it up, a 20-year study done by the U.S.Defense department to discover the shelf life of medicines, both OTC and prescription.. In general, at the end of 20 years every medication tested had at least 80% of it’s original strength/efficacy. The military would save a lot of money by not discarding and replacing based on expiration dates.

@SnipSnip I’ve taken fresh eggs and “oiled” them. They were still just as good months later. Just an anecdotal point.

As for medications, I believe you on the 20-year study. I also know that some meds, as they age, can become significantly less effective (which could be dangerous) or they can become contaminated or chemically breakdown into a more dangerous issue. Nitroglycerin and insulin significantly breakdown to where they are not close to being effective when you need them most. Many antibiotics as well. Some eye drops can get bacterial contamination over time which can cause infections in the eyes. Others, the “medications with a narrow therapeutic index”, are the ones that walk a fine line between being very helpful if at the expected concentration but can become dangerous if it falls outside the approved band. These are things like Warfarin, some of the synthetic thyroid hormones, lithium, etc. But like with most things, shelf lives are added to be ultra conservative to help alleviate legal issues with the manufacturer.