Co-op supply buying

[Vicki C]

• Cut more firewood
• Split the firewood
• Try to get the pickup out of the mud
• Try to keep the no-see-ums out of your ears & eyes
• Order more firewood
• Start the fire
• Tend the fire
• Order propane
• Wonder if it's going to snow (it's only May, after all; there might be one more storm on the way)
• Is that a bear in the yard?

(notes from my life in rural Massachusetts... )

Hahaha 100% true Right now the deer flies are going crazy. Just took a walk with TWO of those bug zapper racquets swinging non stop.

For southern rural life, I must add:

• can tomatoes
• clean out the barn
• pull the truck out of the ditch
• keep the foxes and snakes out of the chicken coop
• shoot the deer (what is that hunter doing in the yard?)

@Vicki C - didn’t know I could order ahead! Will keep that in mind.

I used to have chickens…
Yes! You can order ahead and pick it up. Worth it if you have the 20% off coupon and they have a bunch in stock. I think the max is 12. Regular price is $15/102 ounces, so sale price is $12 or 12 cents per ounce, cheapest I have found (no shipping).

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Thanks @Vicki C Having more free time moving ahead will mean that I can look for better prices.
We had to give up on the chickens due to the foxes and snakes, but we still get fresh eggs from our neighbors. They take soap in return
.

 

[Jorah]

Thanks @Vicki C Having more free time moving ahead will mean that I can look for better prices.
We had to give up on the chickens due to the foxes and snakes, but we still get fresh eggs from our neighbors. They take soap in return
.

Raccoons were the killers in our coop. It took me years to forgive them...

Raccoons were the killers in our coop. It took me years to forgive them...

Oh, and fisher cats. Those guys are scary.

 

[contrinokathy]

Back in my youth I briefly lived in a rural community in New Hampshire. One of my fond memories was helping with the every-other-week co-op. Our place served as the receiving and coordination point for folks in the extended neighborhood. Families would put in orders for grocery staples like flour, rice, and cooking oil, and we would get the shipment and help parcel out the orders from the bulk allotments. We also did pizza night the same day as the co-op and many people stayed for an inexpensive community supper. This entire process helped build community in the neighborhood, too, as people scattered across the countryside otherwise rarely had reason to meet each other.

As I'm planning my retirement and soapy future business, we're hoping to move back to the countryside, and it made me wonder if it would make sense to start up something like that for soapers. Since there are so many people in the US making soap, it wouldn't surprise me to find other makers wherever we land (we are looking in places like Virginia, Maryland, Vermont, & Maine).

My question for you is... have you ever heard of, or participated in, a wholesale/bulk buying co-operative like this? If so, was it successful?

If you live near a city that has a restaurant depot or restaurant supply store. I get wholesale prices on lard, evoo, coconut oil as well as scales and other helpful stuff. The food is often fresher so you can buy for personal consumption. No annual fee. Just a business and a website

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Shipping Tip #3: LTL pallet shipping will save you considerable money versus UPS. If your order's total net weight is over 500 pounds, we can arrange the LTL shipment directly to your home or business.”

When you get to the point where you can afford to order 500 lbs once or twice a year from Soapers Choice, that is the route I would go. I know a soaper in AZ who did that once a year -- the pallets were delivered to her home by semi-trucks -- never in the heat of the summer, though LOL!

I’m 18 months from retirement from my current job and I would like to have an income stream after that

If I had it to do over again, I would look into buying direct from manufacturers of EOs & FOs and not bother with a co-op. If time allows, you could even start small now just to get the hang of it.

The FOs would be limited to top sellers like WSP's Bladderwrack, Pink, Orange Sapphire, etc. Think about it. The most expensive cost of soap making is fragrance. As an individual, competitive pricing and flat shipping rates would be the greatest draw.

Years ago, one of our local soapmakers did that. She started small, selling to soapy friends of which there were many in the Denver area, then expanded her business to sell online nation-wide. Unfortunately, she had to close down due to health issues.

 

[MelissaG]

When you get to the point where you can afford to order 500 lbs once or twice a year from Soapers Choice, that is the route I would go. I know a soaper in AZ who did that once a year -- the pallets were delivered to her home by semi-trucks -- never in the heat of the summer, though LOL!

If I had it to do over again, I would look into buying direct from manufacturers of EOs & FOs and not bother with a co-op. If time allows, you could even start small now just to get the hang of it.

The FOs would be limited to top sellers like WSP's Bladderwrack, Pink, Orange Sapphire, etc. Think about it. The most expensive cost of soap making is fragrance. As an individual, competitive pricing and flat shipping rates would be the greatest draw.

Years ago, one of our local soapmakers did that. She started small, selling to soapy friends of which there were many in the Denver area, then expanded her business to sell online nation-wide. Unfortunately, she had to close down due to health issues.

That would be awesome if I could do that. Not as easy as it seems to find them.