Stockpiles and Comfort Levels

[Peace77]

Having a supply of items that are needed and used often is not clutter.  

[Iggy aka IG]

So my next question for y'all:  In your opinion, where do you personally draw the line between stockpiling, stocking up, and simply replacing used items?  Besides the obvious stockpiling 20 bottles of Dawn and 35 boxes of cereal.  

[saveinla]

Personally for me - it's been great not to spend a single penny on any HBA item for the past 3 years. I just have to go to my stockpile for laundry detergent, dish soap, TP, PT, shampoo, razors, lotions,trash bags, ziploc bags, deodarant, perfumes, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrush etc.etc. I have also donated a lot of stuff for my food bank and still have at least a year's worth of items if not more. I have also used the stockpiled nail polish, perfume, makeup and stationary items as gifts, so that has helped also.

I don't know if I can stockpile like that going forward since the deals are not as good, but with college costs added for the past 1 year, not having to go to the store except for fresh food has stopped me from a lot of impulse purchases and made my money last a little longer.

I do not stockpile food, since we don't eat meat and most of the time I shop at the farmers market, trader joes and local small stores for the items I need. 

[Peace77]

Stockpiling food is for vegetarians too.  Extras that I keep on hand include soup, veggie broth, Mac & cheese, granola, frozen fruit and vegetables, beans and lentils.

[Iggy aka IG]

I think for me, stocking up might mean buying a few extra of a certain item, replacing an item would be just buying one, and stockpiling would mean buying numerous quantities of each.  For instance, last night at the store, to stock up I bought:

4 cans pork and beans, because we had none, and the price was right
3 cans green beans, because we had one left
2 cans chicken, because we had none

If I were to stockpile these items, I would have gone to Sam's Club and bought the 8 pack green beans, 5 pack large cans of chicken, etc.

[Deleted]

Jul 16, 2014 10:46:44 GMT -5 saveinla said:

Personally for me - it's been great not to spend a single penny on any HBA item for the past 3 years. I just have to go to my stockpile for laundry detergent, dish soap, TP, PT, shampoo, razors, lotions,trash bags, ziploc bags, deodarant, perfumes, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrush etc.etc. I have also donated a lot of stuff for my food bank and still have at least a year's worth of items if not more. I have also used the stockpiled nail polish, perfume, makeup and stationary items as gifts, so that has helped also.

I don't know if I can stockpile like that going forward since the deals are not as good, but with college costs added for the past 1 year, not having to go to the store except for fresh food has stopped me from a lot of impulse purchases and made my money last a little longer.

I do not stockpile food, since we don't eat meat and most of the time I shop at the farmers market, trader joes and local small stores for the items I need. 

so what happens when you have 40 bottles of laundry detergent and all of a sudden someone in your family turns out to be allergic?  or you want a different shampoo or whatever?

[saveinla]

singlemom - Thankfully that has not happened, but I have carefully selected the stuff that I wanted to stockpile. Even if it happened, I would be happy to donate the stuff that we could not use to the food bank. 

One of the joys of learning to coupon in 2009 was you got to try a lot of product for free, but if you did not like it you did not have to keep it. For example I would have never tried Nexxus shampoo if they were not free, but I liked it so much that I opted to buy around 10-12 bottles of it. I hated the John Freida and so gave away all the ones that I got for free. As usual YMMV.

[Blonde Granny]

So, we made a trip to Sams Club yesterday. The Frenchs Fried Onion rings are no longer being sold.  Sams also didn't have the Da Vinci coffee flavoring DH likes.

Hello Amazon: I ordered 6 of the large packages of the Onions rings and bottles each of the Da Vinci Chocolate sugar free syrup, and 3 bottles of the Kahlua sugar free.

No shipping AND NO sales tax!!!!!!!! Can it get any better than this?

[Sam_2.0]

I've gone back and forth on the Sams/Costco memberships, but never pulled the trigger. The big money-saving items there that I would be interested in can be found either online (diapers & wipes) or at Aldi (milk). The rest seems to be the same price as the normal grocery stores and not worth the membership fees or extra drive times.

For me, I like to keep 2-3 months of things on-hand when possible, especially HBA items. I keep it organized in the spare bedroom closet so it's not cluttered and I know what we have. I don't usually stock up on food but I will get things that can store for awhile when I find a good deal. I got 6 bottles of vodka sauce at Aldi awhile back because it's a seasonal item there. We tend to eat pasta 1-2 times per month so that will last us for nearly a year.

[Iggy aka IG]

Jul 17, 2014 13:59:43 GMT -5 Sam_2.0 said:

I've gone back and forth on the Sams/Costco memberships, but never pulled the trigger. The big money-saving items there that I would be interested in can be found either online (diapers & wipes) or at Aldi (milk). The rest seems to be the same price as the normal grocery stores and not worth the membership fees or extra drive times.

For me, I like to keep 2-3 months of things on-hand when possible, especially HBA items. I keep it organized in the spare bedroom closet so it's not cluttered and I know what we have. I don't usually stock up on food but I will get things that can store for awhile when I find a good deal. I got 6 bottles of vodka sauce at Aldi awhile back because it's a seasonal item there. We tend to eat pasta 1-2 times per month so that will last us for nearly a year.

<swoon>

[dancinmama]

Jul 15, 2014 8:58:37 GMT -5 @singlemominmd said:

I hate clutter so I don't stockpile.  I think having all those things sitting around would send me into therapy. 

I absolutely hate clutter too, yet I have extremely healthy stockpiles.  They are stored behind closed closet, cabinet, and cupboard doors and are extremely organized so they don't bother me a bit.

Like I've said, stockpiling is not for everyone, but it has worked very well for us.

[dancinmama]

Jul 16, 2014 10:46:44 GMT -5 saveinla said:

Personally for me - it's been great not to spend a single penny on any HBA item for the past 3 years. I just have to go to my stockpile for laundry detergent, dish soap, TP, PT, shampoo, razors, lotions,trash bags, ziploc bags, deodarant, perfumes, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrush etc.etc. I have also donated a lot of stuff for my food bank and still have at least a year's worth of items if not more. I have also used the stockpiled nail polish, perfume, makeup and stationary items as gifts, so that has helped also.

I don't know if I can stockpile like that going forward since the deals are not as good, but with college costs added for the past 1 year, not having to go to the store except for fresh food has stopped me from a lot of impulse purchases and made my money last a little longer.

The problem for me is that the same time and effort is required to hunt down the deals, yet the results of that time and effort have decreased dramatically.  In addition, the cost of "doing business" has increased due to the increased cost of gas, as well as the limits and shorter expiration dates printed on coupons.

That's not to say that it's not "worth it" for some people, but for people who have created fairly healthy stockpiles, probably not.

[dancinmama]

Jul 16, 2014 12:26:20 GMT -5 @singlemominmd said:

so what happens when you have 40 bottles of laundry detergent and all of a sudden someone in your family turns out to be allergic?  or you want a different shampoo or whatever?

One common rule of stockpilers is not to be "brand picky".  In other words, regardless of the brand, take advantage of the freebies.   As a result, many of us have a wide variety of brands in our stockpiles.  If we would develop an allergy to one brand, we'd simply switch to another brand or find a work-around - like wearing rubber gloves if an allergy to Dawn was developed.

I have several different brands of shampoo in our stockpile.  I like to switch brands so it works well for me.  In addition, shampoo serves as a great substitute for liquid hand soap so a less desirable brand could still be put to good use.

[dancinmama]

Jul 16, 2014 10:10:37 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

So my next question for y'all:  In your opinion, where do you personally draw the line between stockpiling, stocking up, and simply replacing used items?  Besides the obvious stockpiling 20 bottles of Dawn and 35 boxes of cereal.  

I never "drew the line" because if I already had a lot of a product and had an opportunity to buy several more for free, I could and would make a donation to our local food pantry.  They were extremely grateful to receive non-perishable products on a regular basis.

I won't be thinking about "replacing used items" for a lot of non-perishables for quite some time.  Whether I will stockpile them again will completely depend on whether it makes monetary sense to do so when the time comes.  I remember the decades when it didn't which is why I got while the gettin' was good. 

[Peace77]

I don't spend extra time on searching for deals and stockpiling.  I glance at sales flyers either online or at stores like Target if I am planning to go or if I am already there.  If they have something that is on sale, I buy extra.  

Sometimes I am at a store and see something that is marked down and buy extra then.

How much extra I buy depends on the price, the value, how often the store has the item, how long it will last, how much storage space or freezer space I have.

For example, when Aldi's had turkey chili marked down, I bought 2 cases.  It lasts a long time and they only have it once a year.   When DH needed something to bring to work for a potluck, he brought the chili in a crock pot and people asked him for the recipe.  

When Aldi's had bananas marked down to 9 cents, I only bought 1 bunch since I don't have room in the freezer and they won't last long.

I don't ever want to be in the position we were in a few years ago.  A major storm was predicted and by the time I found out that DH had used every single D battery on his last camping trip, it was too late.  Every store for miles around was completely sold out.  

[skubikky]

Based on the availability of coupons and information at the time I also stockpiled what I could, mostly HBA and household items.
I continue to leverage sales/coupons/in-store-coupons whenever I can.

I had $0.75/1 MCs for Pantene.  
Wegman's had 8oz(vs. the 12.6/13 oz) traditional size) bottles for $1.49 + $0.12 tax = $1.61
                                                                                                                  - $1.50(doubled $0.75)
                                                                                                            Total OOP = $0.11.....not free but close 

Wegman's has a lot of the P&G and other HBA items in bins at the registers in smaller sizes at low prices so I strategically use those coupons to get the price down
as you can see.   This is where I go to continue to build/replenish our stockpile.   Not so much anymore at CVS/Rite Aid/Walgreens.

[dancinmama]

Jul 22, 2014 12:58:26 GMT -5 skubikky said:

Based on the availability of coupons and information at the time I also stockpiled what I could, mostly HBA and household items.
I continue to leverage sales/coupons/in-store-coupons whenever I can.

I had $0.75/1 MCs for Pantene.  
Wegman's had 8oz(vs. the 12.6/13 oz) traditional size) bottles for $1.49 + $0.12 tax = $1.61
                                                                                                                  - $1.50(doubled $0.75)
                                                                                                            Total OOP = $0.11.....not free but close 

Wegman's has a lot of the P&G and other HBA items in bins at the registers in smaller sizes at low prices so I strategically use those coupons to get the price down
as you can see.   This is where I go to continue to build/replenish our stockpile.   Not so much anymore at CVS/Rite Aid/Walgreens.

It's awesome that Wegman's still offers doubled coupons.  The last time I had a store that offered doubled coupons was over 10 years ago, so I mostly depended on using the combination of manufacturer's coupons, retailers coupons, and rewards from the drug chains to build our stockpiles.

I still read about some decent deals from the drug chains; they're just not "decent enough" for me.  
 

[skubikky]

Tops markets doubles coupons also and has gas rewards which I use.
Saved about $4.50 this week on a fill-up.

[Deleted]

I'm careful about stockpiling toothpaste past its expiration date. There has to be some form of sweetener in it.  Besides, it is still one of the products that you can still get for free . . . although it is one now and not dozens.

I got a good deal on raisins today . . . the little packages. They were $1.69 for six with a peelie for 50 cents. That doubled so 69 cents for six little packages. They are 100-calorie packs so they are perfect for snacks at school.

[pepperdoo]

I have now reached my limit, have no more room for any more stock, and am now using up everything I have. Over the last 7 days, I have only spent $17.00 at the store for perishables. Pretty good since I am cooking for two now 3 days a week. If it was just me, I'd have probably spent half or less. I also made an entire Indian vegetarian dinner for my best friend and her Mom and it only cost around $3.00 total. 

I am really grateful I started stockpiling. It helped ease the uneasiness when everything happened and I was by myself, and now that there is someone to cook for again who gets why I stockpile and bargain, even better 

[Iggy aka IG]

After doing my monthly shopping a few Friday's ago, I decided my HBA comfort level is two of everything in the stockpile.  This way, if a bottle of shampoo is low for instance, I know we've got one back up, plus one extra on hand.  This helps since I receive a commission check once a month. 

Among the items replenished this month (all but one item were bought w/ a coupon):
Deod and body wash-DH
Bar soap-DH and Iggy
Toothpaste
Fem products
Tums

Non-HBA items:
Canned veggies-sale
Spaghetti sauce-sale, coupon, bought 2
Alfredo sauce-sale, coupon, bought 2
Mayo-sale
Canned chicken-was $3.99 sale $2.99 and I had coupons.  I bought 4
Ground beef-Manager's Special and chicken breast
Corn niblets w/ butter sauce.  DH loves this-they were on sale from $2.69 marked down to $1-bought 5
Lipton tea bags-on sale from $5.39 to $4.49 and I had coupons-bought 2)

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I was looking for a specific soup locally, and couldn't find it. So I ordered some online ... only they only sell it by the case. Fine, so I bought 12. 

They arrived, and 3 were dented. I called customer service, and they said that they will send me a replacement case. (I just asked for 3 new ones ... but they only deal in cases.)

So now I have 21 cans of the exact same soup.

So, I'm good. No need to stock up more.   (At least on THAT!)

[dancinmama]

I've been trying to consolidate some of the products that I stockpiled during the glory days of couponing. 

My sister is a Costco shopper and has given me (2) 90 oz. empties for Dawn.  I was able to get (20) smaller bottles of Dawn off the shelf and put them in the larger bottles.

She is also going to save her next empty for laundry detergent.  I have over (30) bottles of All Small & Mighty (3x concentrate) - you only need a small cap-ful per load.  I'll pour as many of those bottles into the larger container as I can. 

The large containers of product will be more convenient to store (and to move if necessary) than all those smaller bottles.

[marvholly]

I started my stockpile WAAAY back on the old board during the glory days of deals at CVS, good sales and good (higher value) coupons. These days I have NOT had to buy shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent, dishwashing stuff, foil or toothpaste since I lost my job 8/2010. I probably have enough TP for a year and enough paper towels for several years (recently FREE at CVS).

I have changed my eating & cooking habits & need to use up breakfast cereal, oatmeal, snack bars, cut back on pasta, use up a LOT of tomato sauce, crackers and canned soup.

I find myself buying more & more at Dollar Tree, esp when I hit the GREAT one near DD1.

[pepperdoo]

I'm truning my attention to Fall stockpiling now. I want to be able to enjoy the seasons, so when the weather turns cold, I can have evening fires, my books and my tea 

[donnafreedman]

❤ mollymouser ❤: Another great example of why you should always speak up if there's an issue. Companies with good customer service policies will respond and sometimes they respond quite favorably.

marvholly: Do you buy discounted gift cards for your shopping? Lately I've seen them for 12% to 13% off. That would stretch your dollars even further.

For those who don't buy discounted gift cards, here's a post I wrote explaining how they can make a difference in your everyday shopping -- sometimes a big difference:

donnafreedman.com/2014/08/29/saved-100-last-night/

As an update on that post, I added up the savings and it came to a total of $131.06 on the Home Depot purchase. That was more than I thought we'd get, for two reasons:
1. A kind reader suggested I join HD's "garden club" because they send coupons. I did, and they did: $20 worth in a couple of days.
2. One of those coupons, for $10 off $100 or more wouldn't scan -- so the cashier just gave me 10 percent off. That worked out to $28.54 vs. $10. Woo hoo!

As the article notes, I use the discounted GCs on smaller, everyday purchases as well. Just got my hair cut on Saturday and used a Regis card that I bought for 15 percent off. When I go to Fred Meyer later today I'll use a Kroger GC (only 3 percent off, but I'll take it), and if I go across the street to Walgreens I'll pay with a 12-percent-off card. I see movies for 20 percent off and treat my nephews to McDonald's for 12 percent off.

Again: The savings are a lot more exciting when you're making a big-ticket purchase, as with our Home Depot jaunt. But the everyday discounts do add up.

[Blonde Granny]

Aug 26, 2014 19:28:08 GMT -5 pepperdoo said:

I'm truning my attention to Fall stockpiling now. I want to be able to enjoy the seasons, so when the weather turns cold, I can have evening fires, my books and my tea 

Pepper, that sounds absolutely wonderful!!!  I've done much the same. I have a really large chuck roast in the freezer along with a very large pork tenderloin that has been cut into 3 pieces. In October I plan on filling the freezer with chili, homemade marinara sauce and some soups.

We're staying home this winter, so if it gets too cold for me, which is anything below 50 I'm going to curl up with a quilt and stay put.

[marvholly]

Donna

marvholly: Do you buy discounted gift cards for your shopping? Lately I've seen them for 12% to 13% off. That would stretch your dollars even further.

Generally, no. I belomg to a couple survey sites where I earn points toward gift cards for places I frequently shop like CVS & WAG. My general grocery shopping is usually at local independent stores, specialty markets, outlet stores & ethnic markets.

[Shooby]

Jul 9, 2014 10:59:13 GMT -5 @patstab said:

I'm working on ours now.  15 dozen ears of cut off corn in freezer, will add 8 dozen more this week, should be enough to last from harvest to harvest.

I'm growing sweet potatoes, yukon golds, and butternut squash which will go in the garage or basement this winter. Also raising onions but intend to add some vadalias, would like to have a years worth but don't know if I can. Ran out last Jan but raising more this year.

There are apples, peaches, blueberries, and blackberries in the freezers but need to check and see how many are left. This year will can some instead of freezing, will be used for pies.

I freeze the purchased packages of pie dough. Need to make it but never had much luck.

I have back TP, paper towels, plastic bags, litter box liners, trash bags, laundry detergent, clorox, dishwasher detergent, and all kinds of cleaning products.  Need to add some more kitty litter, have 2 bags and a partial  Shampoos, soaps, lots, car wash products, garden sprays. Dishwashing liquid, leather cleaner, furniture cleaner, ammonia, vinegar.Have sugar at least 15 pounds back, will get 10 more, flour in the freezer 20 pounds, container of 20 pounds of wheat and a partial container, 20 pounds of rice.

Right now freezers contain sufficient chickens, have whole and cut up, beef, pork, bacon, fruits for smoothies. I don't have fish back, I freeze only for a shot time. But Krogers has wonderful fresh fish so I get it there. I am buying 20 pounds of beef bones to make broth with and can, have no idea how much it will make. Have tons of things like advil, thera flu and other drugs locked up

This year plan to make a years worth of spaghetti sauce, DD and I are having issues with the purchased canned that gives us indigestion.  Going to green beans that are left, they are 3 years old and can fresh, add to tomatoes and juice, make relish.  Have enough beets and pickles.  Hope to buy fresh tuna and can plus chicken, we love home canned for salads. Will use chicken carcasses and some meat to make stock and can it. Extra oils for cooking. Just need to go through my stash and see what dates I have.  If its near the staledate I will donate so it gets used up quick. Have some packs of kitchen towels and wash clothes back too.

We keep at least 6 to 7 5 gallon containers of gas back, all kinds of oils, and lubricants too.

I believe in always having enough to feed us without having to go anywhere,  so try to have stockpiles. I think we could eat for a long time.  If electric went out would can the freezer containers.

So yes we are prepared.

I seriously get exhausted just reading your posts lol! I have never canned anything.

[Shooby]

I am trying to figure out what all this stockpiling is FOR? The zombie apocalypse? I mean, in all my years, so far, the dirty commies haven't yet lobbed a nuke into my town. Oh, there have been occasional floods or power outages. Heck, I was a bit bummed when the lights didnt' even flicker on midnight of Y2K after all that buildup!
So, yeah, if for some reason we were thrust into the end times, I probably have enough canned stuff, dried pasta, etc to survive a bit. There are lots of squirrels around here so I my plan B is that if get desperate enough then I could probably make a mean Squirrel Potpie. But, it still amazes me how hysterical people get to run to the store and buy bread and milk as soon as the first snowflakes fall.