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Thursday, September 24, 2009

Guest Post - Stockpiling: The How, Why & What

Stockpile, noun: a large supply of food gathered and held in reserve for use during a shortage or during a period of higher prices.

Stockpiling, verb: to accumulate for future use; put or store in a stockpile.

Well there you have it. These definitions say it all. "Food gathered and held in reserve for use during a period of higher prices". I couldn't have said it better myself. This is Why we stockpile. When we are able to purchase products for free or at a very low price we purchase multiple items of it. Sales of products go in cycles. What is on sale at a great price this week may not be on sale again for another 8 - 12 weeks. We need to have a supply on hand that will at least take us through that time period so we do not have to purchase the item(s) at full price before the next sale.

Looking for sales + manufactures coupons + store coupons is How we build our stockpile. Finding the great match ups is the key to you getting your stockpile to a point where you only need to go out every week and buy the items that are rock bottom prices as well as produce, milk, etc that are needed on a weekly basis. The bigger your stockpile gets, the less money you will be spending each week.

What are the items you should put in your stockpile? The list is long but here are some:

Condiments (BBQ Sauce, steak sauce, mustard, ketcup, mayo)

Rice & PastaSnacks (crackers, nachos, salsa, popcorn)

Canned goods (tomatoes, sauce, soups, vegetables)

Cereals

Cleaning supplies (cleaners, garbage bags, laundry)

Drinks (water, soda, iced tea, coffee, tea, juice)

Dairy (butter, creamers)Meats & Fish (keep frozen)

Breads (keep frozen)

Health & Beauty Products (band aids, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, soap, etc)

Start your stockpile slowly only looking for those items that are cheap or free. Within 4 weeks of starting your stockpile you can start to see approximately $50 knocked off your grocery bill. Within 8 weeks you can get to as much as $100 or even more off your weekly bill.
You will never pay full price again!
(savings will vary per family and family size...these numbers are based on what I was able to do with my family's grocery bill)

Cindy LiveseyLiving Rich With Coupons - http://www.livingrichwithcoupons.com/

5 comments:

Jordan said...

I have been working on my stockpile for a few weeks now and it comes in handy! But I was wondering where everyone stored there duplicate items. I don't have a ton of cabinet space and I was hoping for a few clever ideas for storage :) Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I have a closet that I store stuff in and I also store it in a bin in my bedroom. Then every once in awhile I go to my cupboards and see if I need restocked and then go to my stockpile to see if I have it.

Unknown said...

ok my question is how do you stockpile butters and creamers? is this a stupid question? and i am with you on space, right now we dont have it. i have one of those sweater boxes under our bed that i keep toiletries in and our pantry is full - and i got so giddy the other day when i had it crammed full of stuff! We are in an apt and the coupon dork in me cannot wait until we get a house and i can purchase a seperate freezer to stockpile more groceries and have a more closet space!

Anonymous said...

How much should you include in a stockpile? For example how many bottles of Toothpaste or boxes of pasta do you stockpile? Do you ever not do a deal b/c you have plenty of an item already (even if it is free?) When do you start restocking an item? I have been couponing for about three months and just curious what others thoughts are?

Jordan said...

I have also been couponing for about 3 months, but in that 3 months I have accumulated quite a bit of stuff. I have 10 bags of dog food (all free), tons of cleaning supplies, and a whole lot of food. If I can get it for free then I get as much as I can, even if I already have some (hence the dog food). For example, Bi-Lo has Angel Soft toilet paper on sale for .98 and I have a coupon for .50 off. After they double my coupon I will get the toilet paper for free. I just order 10 more coupons from Coupon Clippers. When you can get an item for free, you should go for it! You can't beat free! I'm not too concerned with restocking my stockpile. I restock my pantry from my stockpile.