Stockpiling at the lowest prices means not paying full retail prices
This page isn't about hoarding. It's about the practice of stocking up on food and supplies you regularly use - only when they are on sale, using coupons on them too -so you only buy at the lowest price possible!
Before you do your grocery shopping each week, check your "store" to see if you already have it to use. I just love "shopping" in my own little store!
Your stockpiled food and supplies may come in handy in a time of emergency, that's just a bonus. It's not advised to rush out and buy up large amounts of food and supplies - that would cause prices to rise even more. But lay aside an amount in your budget each month to gradually build your stockpile over several weeks.
What's in this page...
- How Stockpiling Saves You Money
- Gradually Build Your Stockpile at Lowest Prices Possible
- My Stockpile Efforts
- First In, First Out Strategy
- Storing Food
- Free Printables
- Stockpile Suggestions
- What doesn't stockpile well
- Stockpiling Links
- Freezing and Food Safety
- Chest Freezers
- News Articles about Stockpiling
- Bloggers write about Stockpiling
How Stockpiling Saves You Money
Here's some real life examples...
Example 1:
I have small children, and we go through a lot of juice.
Juicy Juice retails at about $2.75 per 64 ounce bottle. Recently, the grocery store had it on buy one get one free sale. I had several coupons to get 50 cents off purchase of two. The free bottle counts as one of the two. The 50 cent off coupon doubles to 1.00 off. So each bottle of Juicy Juice ended up being about .88 cents.
I was able to get 10 bottles. 10 x $2.75 (retail) would be $27.50
10 bottles x .88 cents = $8.80.
I saved $18.70 on just those 10 bottles of Juicy Juice.
So you can see that even if you will need to buy shelving or other storage units, they will pretty quickly be paid for by your savings.
Example 2:
I was able to get 8 packages of Pepperidge Farm frozen garlic bread for .44 cents each after sale and coupons... (8 x.44= $3.52). Considering that it usually sells for at least $2.50 (sometimes more), I saved $16.48. I love having a nice chest freezer so I can stock up on these deals.
Example 3:
Purex Laundry Detergent usually retails for 3.64 at my local Kroger store. When it was on sale, and Kroger had a recent special that offered several dollars off at the time of transaction for buying 10 of participating items. I also had coupons that doubled. So my final price for each bottle was $1.20 instead of $3.64, a difference of $2.44 per bottle. The savings really adds up:
Regular retail price of 20 bottles: $72.80
My final price of 20 bottles: $24.00
Amount saved: $48.80
I also have a hedge against inflation, at least for as long as those 20 bottles last!
I have small children, and we go through a lot of juice.
Juicy Juice retails at about $2.75 per 64 ounce bottle. Recently, the grocery store had it on buy one get one free sale. I had several coupons to get 50 cents off purchase of two. The free bottle counts as one of the two. The 50 cent off coupon doubles to 1.00 off. So each bottle of Juicy Juice ended up being about .88 cents.
I was able to get 10 bottles. 10 x $2.75 (retail) would be $27.50
10 bottles x .88 cents = $8.80.
I saved $18.70 on just those 10 bottles of Juicy Juice.
So you can see that even if you will need to buy shelving or other storage units, they will pretty quickly be paid for by your savings.
Example 2:
I was able to get 8 packages of Pepperidge Farm frozen garlic bread for .44 cents each after sale and coupons... (8 x.44= $3.52). Considering that it usually sells for at least $2.50 (sometimes more), I saved $16.48. I love having a nice chest freezer so I can stock up on these deals.
Example 3:
Purex Laundry Detergent usually retails for 3.64 at my local Kroger store. When it was on sale, and Kroger had a recent special that offered several dollars off at the time of transaction for buying 10 of participating items. I also had coupons that doubled. So my final price for each bottle was $1.20 instead of $3.64, a difference of $2.44 per bottle. The savings really adds up:
Regular retail price of 20 bottles: $72.80
My final price of 20 bottles: $24.00
Amount saved: $48.80
I also have a hedge against inflation, at least for as long as those 20 bottles last!
Gradually Build Your Stockpile at Lowest Prices Possible
Don't buy more than you will reasonably use within one year (depending on the product). Paper supplies like paper towels, toilet paper, and feminine paper products will not go bad. Check the sales fliers for the lowest prices possible, use coupons, and stock up when it's at the lowest price you can get.
Gradually build your stockpile. Only buy when the items are at their lowest price possible, and only buy what you will have room to store.
Gradually build your stockpile. Only buy when the items are at their lowest price possible, and only buy what you will have room to store.
My Stockpile Efforts
Now I can stock up on the great deals and 'loss leaders' at the grocery store.
I bought a metal 4-shelf unit at Target on sale for $25. I also bought a freezer chest.
If you watch the sales at the grocery store, you will find that the items you buy most will go on sale about every 90 days or so. By stocking up in a quantity that will last you at least that long, you will never have to buy many items at the full retail price.
Use coupons on top of the 'loss leader' prices or a 'buy one get one free' deal, and you will save a huge amount of money. One way to be able to have multiple coupons of the items you use the most is to order the coupons for a small handling and administrative fee.
I bought a metal 4-shelf unit at Target on sale for $25. I also bought a freezer chest.
If you watch the sales at the grocery store, you will find that the items you buy most will go on sale about every 90 days or so. By stocking up in a quantity that will last you at least that long, you will never have to buy many items at the full retail price.
Use coupons on top of the 'loss leader' prices or a 'buy one get one free' deal, and you will save a huge amount of money. One way to be able to have multiple coupons of the items you use the most is to order the coupons for a small handling and administrative fee.
First In, First Out Strategy
Stock your stockpile shelves the way the grocery store does. When you buy new stock of an item, it should be placed behind what you already have, so what's been there awhile will be used first. New stock goes behind the older stock. This keeps your stock rotating and fresh.
I also use a Sharpie permanent marker to write the expiration date clearly on the boxes, cans, and bottle lids.
This seems like a lot of work, but it's not as long as it is done out of habit when you first add the items to your storage area. If you don't do it when you bring the stuff in, then it becomes a burdensome task, so do it as you add products.
Keep cleaning products separate from food products.
I use one shelf unit for food and another for cleaning products and toiletries. The consequences could be really bad if you stored cleaning products above your food, and a cleaning product leaked! It also makes good organizing sense to keep them separated so your food goods will not become contaminated.
I also use a Sharpie permanent marker to write the expiration date clearly on the boxes, cans, and bottle lids.
This seems like a lot of work, but it's not as long as it is done out of habit when you first add the items to your storage area. If you don't do it when you bring the stuff in, then it becomes a burdensome task, so do it as you add products.
Keep cleaning products separate from food products.
I use one shelf unit for food and another for cleaning products and toiletries. The consequences could be really bad if you stored cleaning products above your food, and a cleaning product leaked! It also makes good organizing sense to keep them separated so your food goods will not become contaminated.
Free Printables
- Grocery Stockpile List - Pantry List
- A free, printable list of what to stockpile.
- Free Printable Price Book
- Track your grocery spending with a price book, and ensure you get the best deal every time.
Stockpile Suggestions
Here are some ideas of things you could buy to begin your stockpile. Remember, don't pay full retail. Wait for buy one get one free specials and use coupons!
Laundry Detergent
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
Cleaning Supplies
Feminine Napkins/Tampons
Shampoos/Conditioner
Hand Sanitizers (watch the expiration date)
Bar Soaps
Liquid Hand Soap (watch for this to go on sale for $1, then use your coupons!)
Razors
Laundry Detergent
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
Cleaning Supplies
Feminine Napkins/Tampons
Shampoos/Conditioner
Hand Sanitizers (watch the expiration date)
Bar Soaps
Liquid Hand Soap (watch for this to go on sale for $1, then use your coupons!)
Razors
What doesn't stockpile well
I have had to throw away salad dressings and mayonnaise that I tried to stockpile. The expiration date is just too close. Luckily I have caught some of it before it expired and been able to give to friends, but I have decided that it's not really saving money to buy something and have it be wasted, so salad dressings and mayonnaise are no longer on my stockpile list.
Stockpiling Links
There are great ideas and tips in articles about stockpiling.
- Couponing, refunding, and stockpiling will make your money stretch by Mary Kenyon Issue #92
- Couponing, refunding, and stockpiling will make your money stretch - Article by Mary Kenyon from Issue #92
- What is a stockpile? at Canadian Freebies, Coupons Canada, Shopping Bargains, Flyers, Contests and Free Samples
- What is a stockpile? at Canadian Freebies, Coupons Canada, Shopping Bargains, Flyers, Contests and Free Samples
- Storing Your Stockpile - Frugal - Families.com
- How do you store your stockpile?
Good storage of your stockpile allows you to take advantage of great deals without having your house overwhelmed with cereal boxes falling from the top of the fridge or soup cans falling on your foot.
I'm always curious as to how people store their stockpiles. - 8 Practical Stockpiling Tips: Save Money! - Frugal - Families.com
- Practical tip 1: Buy up loss leaders. Grocery stores entice you into the store by offering a few items at ridiculously cheap prices. These items are generally on the front page and can be seasonal. So when soup is on sale four cans for a dollar, fill your pantry until the next sale.Practical tip 2...
- Adventures of the Stockpiling Queen (1) - Frugal - Families.com
- This blog is about how a desire to save money and be prepared for anything creates a kingdom onto itself.Are you stock-up royalty? Take this test...
Freezing and Food Safety
- Freezing and Food Safety
- This fact sheet, formerly called Focus on Freezing, contains information about freezing, how to safely freeze food, and the effects of freezing on food.
Chest Freezers
News Articles about Stockpiling
- Wall Street Journal: ROI by Brett Arends
- Wall Street Journal writer Brett Arends on how inflation and the accelerating cost of food makes stockpiling a pantry a good idea.
Bloggers write about Stockpiling
- Seoul to purchase US munitions stockpiled in S Korea
- The United States decided in 2006 to terminate part of its war reserve program in South Korea and to either ship the munitions out or sell them to South Korea by 2009. The original price for the US munitions stockpile is said to be ...
- Creating/Maintaining a Kitchen Stockpile
- The number one most important thing I have learned from my year of becoming a frugal shopper is to create and maintain a stockpile. Now, don't think that I mean you must have a large amount of room and you have to have enough canned ...
- Why stockpile?
- In June when my madness started, I never imagined that I would have the stockpile that I now have and once I did get it going, I never imagined how much I would come to appreciate it! Just this past weekend, my husband told me how nice ...
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I would love your questions, comments, suggestions (html not accepted)
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stargazer00
I'm building my stockpile little by little. You have some great shopping tips here. 5*, faved, and lensrolled to my Food Storage Recipes lens. Posted July 25, 2008 |
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Justbeachy
stockpiping is a great idea. but you are right, don't stockpile anything that you are not going to be able to use before it goes bad. that would just be a waste of your money. thanks for the good info. Posted July 03, 2008 |
