Stockpiles and Comfort Levels

[Shooby]

Stockpiling could be financially smart. However, it could be financially dumb as well. You really have to look at your own reality. For me, the more that I shop for bargains, the more time I spend in front of merchandise, the more stores I go to finding great deals, then the more I am inclined to buy. It costs me money to run around bargain shopping. Less shopping period means less spending for me for the most part. And, as far as buying bulk items, yes you may save money. Or, it may cost you money. For instance, if I want to eat a tiny can of green beans for .59 cents and the larger can is .89 and twice as much it is obviously cheaper per oz. BUT, if I only want to eat one serving, and know that I most likely am not going to finish the whole can and wind up tossing it, then it is cheaper for me to buy the can that cost more per oz.

And, do you truly use all that you stockpile? I found that I might buy something, but then my tastes change or I find something like better, or I just forget I have more quantities and don't use it all up and goes out of date or whatever. SO, no savings there for me either.
Obviously ,you can't go wrong stockpiling toilet paper but I don't need months supplies of anything.

[marvholly]

Sept 8, 2014 5:37:20 GMT -5 Shooby said:

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.

To me, stockpiling is NOT for the zombie apocalypse and I have NEVER run oiut for bread, milk, water.......in the face of a BAD expected storm, and we get several EVERY winter in metro Chicago.

Stockpiling is for having stuff I use on a regular basis consistantly on hand at the BEST possible sale price - preferably combined with a coupon.  i use a lot of canned tomatoes, pasta, toilet paper, peanut butter, baggies........I used to keep bakcup bread in the freezer but since the BIG freezer died last year I just hit the outlet shelves/store as needed.  Also, i have cut back on bread.

I spend about half my weekly grocery money of FRESH produce so w/a limited retirement income I need to save where & how I can.  I LIKE shrimp NOT cat food.

[Shooby]

I do try to buy enough to get through the week. And, running out of Heinz ketchup is a No No!

[Shooby]

I think there are different levels of stockpiling. I don't like to run out of flour, sugar, etc when I am baking. I will buy ahead before I am out. But, I don't want to have 100 cans of soup or sauce or anything like that.

[Blonde Granny]

I don't stockpile baking ingredients as I seldom do any baking. What I do like is the heart healthy soups now available, and we always have multiples of those on hand.  3 or 4 boxes of cereal, peanut butter etc. 

What I have done is waste money buying too much of an item that will quickly go beyond it's use date and when looking at the jar, I realize my only option is to throw it out.

I recently had to order some food items from Amazon as Sams Club decided not to carry them anymore.  I am now the proud owner of 6 very large bags of fried onion rings.  We love them on salads and soups.  I also ordered 6 of the Da Vinci flavored coffee syrup that DH likes as Sams doesn't carry many variatives.

We do have some serious ice storms here, and our city does not clear secondary or residential streets. We have a couple of expensive vehicles, and even with 4WD, I'm not going to risk them by  making sure I have enough supplies in the house to last for a week or more. It's the same philosophy as having a Honda 2000 generator....we haven't needed it yet, but when the day comes that we do, we'll be the only one in the neighborhood that has power to make some hot coffee.

[Peace77]

Sept 8, 2014 5:37:20 GMT -5 Shooby said:

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.

Stockpiling is for several reasons and none of them include a zombie anything.
1.  I found a good price on something.  When I found a great price on DH's favorite kind of beans, we bought a 24 can case.

2.  The item is not available year round.  We both like Aldi's chili but they only have it once a year. so we bought 2 cases.  It's so good that when DH brought it to work for a potluck, people asked for the recipe 

3.  To have groceries and batteries on hand in case of a storm.  We have had bad snow storms where our street never got plowed and no one could get out.  When a bad storm is predicted, the stores RUN OUT of batteries, road salt, bottled water, bread etc.  if I have plenty, I don't have to fight the crowds in the stores.  Plus, I can leave the supplies in the store for the people who DIDN'T plan ahead.

4.  To have food and other supplies on hand when I'm sick.  If I'm not feeling well enough to drive, I don't want to worry about going grocery shopping.

5.  For some people, a stockpile is part of their Emergency Fund.  If they are laid off or lose their job, they can use their stockpile.  The Mormons believe in having a 1 year supply of food on hand.

6.  Because it's inconvenient to run out of something.  Who wants to sit on the toilet and wait while someone else goes to the store for more toilet paper?  It's much easier to just get more off the shelf.

7.  In case of unexpected guests.  If you have it, you can make a quick dinner from what you have on hand.  Easy to boil pasta, add a jar of sauce and frozen meatballs and serve with green beans.

8.  To share with others.  If I have plenty, it's easy to take what I got a good deal in and give it to someone in need or bring it to a food bank.

[skubikky]

As others have mentioned, getting an item at a rock bottom price is the typical scenario for me.
This past weekend I got 8 10lb bags of Tidy Cats litter on a great deal.
I had a rain check for buy 4 bags get 4 free.
They were on sale for $1.99/10 lb bag.
I had 8 $1/1 coupons.
I paid $0.60 for (8) 10 lb bags of cat litter.

This is an item that has a long shelf life.
I have the space to store it.
I have no desire to pay any more than I absolutely have to for an item like this.
That is the motivation.

[Iggy aka IG]

I can see where stockpiling could get out of control.  This weekend, while coupon processing, I found some good coups for DH's deodorant.  I just bought him 3 last month, so he's got at least 5 in the stockpile.  Same thing for disposable razors, and a few other HBA items.  In cases like these, I make a mental note, and look to stockpile something else for the month. 

[The Captain]

Aug 25, 2014 15:38:59 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

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!)

Can I ask what soup was so special you were willing to pay to have it shipped? I may be interested in some if it's that good!

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Sept 8, 2014 17:39:52 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Aug 25, 2014 15:38:59 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

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!)

Can I ask what soup was so special you were willing to pay to have it shipped? I may be interested in some if it's that good!

Campbell's Homestyle LIGHT Southwestern Style Vegetable ... 120 calories for the can/18 carbs  ... very diet friendly and great as part of a fall/winter lunch (with a sandwich), or as part of dinner (I usually have it with chicken sausage).  Technically, it's 2 60-calorie servings ... no fat, no cholesterol, 4g protein and 60% of your RDA for Vitamin A.  I like that it has carrots, celery, tomatoes, corn and black beans, plus some peppers, onions, cilantro and lime juice.

You might be able to find it locally (I couldn't) ... and since I was trying to pre-plan some "diet friendly and carb-friendly" pantry staples, I stocked up.

[Blonde Granny]

I grabbed that one by mistake a few weeks ago Molly. I still prefer the Mexican Style Chicken Tortilla. It's also one of the Heart Healthy ones with lower calories. I sprinkle a few Frenchs Onion rings on top for a little crunch. I think it has a little more kick to it than the Veggie one.

The Heart Healthy Tomato Basil is another we really like!!!

[Iggy aka IG]

Looking in our pantry last night, I noticed our canned goods stockpile is lower than I would like, and our HBA storage cube is a bit lean:  1 bottle shamp, 1 conditioner, 6 bars my soap, 4 bars DH soap, a few extra toothpaste tubes, 1/2 package cotton swabs, 5 disposable razors, 1 extra Iggy deod, and 4 DH deod.  My goal every year is to stock up on most things before spring, when commi$$ions are low.

[Blonde Granny]

My pantry too is beginning to look different. I noticed there are now some spaces that are empty compared to before. Actually, I think that's good because there was stuff in there that just begged the question of "what were you thinking"?

We have 3 weeks of travel starting on Monday, so I'm not doing anything until we get back, unpacked and life is as normal as I can make it for the 2 of us....which frankly isn't normal at all unless you count Drs. appointments every week as normal.

Also, since we're definitely NOT take a month in Florida this year I can now start a real plan for what is needed to survive another winter in this place.....oh how I long for the days of living in Florida. Buying ice melt stuff has never been high on my list of things to stockpile.

[pepperdoo]

Sept 7, 2014 15:15:04 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

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.

Blond Granny, that's great 

[dancinmama]

Stockpiling from the Grocery Outlet

I was able to stockpile spreadable butter @ $.97 for a 15 oz. container this week.  With the price of butter these days I bought all (15) that they had on the shelf.  You can freeze them for an indefinite period of time and when thawed the product is like you just bought it from the store yesterday.

I also purchased (13) 12 oz. packages of Jack Link's teriyaki sausage @ $1.49/pkg.  The product is sold already vacuum sealed so they too can be kept frozen indefinitely.  They are precooked so they can be microwaved or heated through on the grill and served as an appetizer.

My last find was double packs of Hillshire Farms black forest ham.  Each side holds 13 oz. and each 26 oz. package was $3.27 or $2.01 per lb.  I also purchased some beautiful sliced roast beef for $3.99/lb.  Neither were vacuum sealed so I did not stockpile.   They often have deals on sliced sandwich meats so I don't feel as compelled to stockpile them.

So for $51.71:

Just short of 5 lb.s of black forest ham (sharing w/ DBIL)
2 lbs. of sliced roast beef
Just over 14 lbs. of spreadable butter
and
9.75 lbs. of Jack Link's sausage

[Iggy aka IG]

I'm not hard core stockpiling lately, but last week I bought:

2 bottles Vaseline lotion reg $5.99, minus $4 coupons=1.99 each
3 bottles Pantene shampoo and conditioner $4.19 each, minus $5 coupon= 2.52 each
Honey Bunches of Oats reg $3.99, on sale for $1.99 each
BOGO toothbrushes, BOGO boneless pork chops
$1 floss
FREE Temptations Tumblerz cat treats
Beef and chicken broth on sale for .50 each.
Chicken breast 4.45 lb:  Reg $13.31 on sale for $1.88/lb minus $2 meat coupon = $6.37 

[dancinmama]

Stockpiling from the Grocery Outlet:

(8) lbs. Oscar Mayer Selects oven roasted turkey @ $.99/lb.


I don't know what I'd do without the Grocery Outlet.

[dancinmama]

Stockpiling Halloween leftovers from WAGs:

The WAGs in the next town over had the following items for TEN CENTS each:

Halloween themed theater box candy

Regular sized Kit Kat (cuz there is a bat on the wrapper)

Reeses peanut butter pumpkins

19 oz. tubs Brach's candy

2.1 oz. bags of soft caramels (not Halloween themed)

Donettes

Peeps

I got a little of everything except the Peeps, and wiped them out of the bags of caramels.  There are about 10 caramels to a bag so they'll make a nice little treat that DH and I can share from time to time.

BTW, I checked out my WAGs and the exact same items were 'marked down'  from $.49/ea. (the Hersheys) to $.90/ea. (the theater box candy) to $1.49 ea. (the tubs of Brach's).

[dancinmama]

More Halloween Stockpiling:

I went into the 99 Cent Store for a bag of broccoli slaw, Persian cucumbers, and grape tomatoes.  Perfect timing because all Halloween candy clearance was $.09 which included full-sized Halloween Kit Kat bars.  I found (4) 36-count boxes of them at one of the far registers.

How many would you have bought?  I ended up buying (3) boxes of 36 for $9.72.  When I got home, I immediately vacuum sealed them (gallon sized Ziploc vacuum seal bags) and stored them in a cool, dry place.  The sell-by date is 8/2015, but I am hoping that they will stay fresh longer based on the way that I stored them.  We'll see. 

[marvholly]

I am slowly redcing the amount of various think I have stockpiled. Finding that I just do NOT need nearly as much AND my tastes & usage have changed over the last 10-15 years.

However, sometimes a deal is just to good to pass. I probably hhave enough chicken in my freezer to cover me for 3-4 months. However, two local markets have boneless, skinless chicken breasts for 0.99/lb this week. Do NOT remember the last time I saw a price this low. I'm having trouble finding split breeasts at that price.

[dancinmama]

Nov 19, 2014 21:15:18 GMT -5 @patstab said:

Why not put them in the freezer?  I would freeze them in small bags and open one once in awhile.

I would not be safe around those.

Neither is my DH (safe) which is why he doesn't even know that I bought these. 

The freezer is a good idea, but I don't have room for them right now.  I'll see if I can clear out some space before the sell-by date.

[dancinmama]

I found a great deal on Hormel Black Label bacon last week.  It was $1.66/lb.  I bought (6) and stuck them in the freezer.

My stockpiles of non-perishables from my "extreme" couponing days are holding up quite well.  I haven't had to buy anything in the last two years.

[marvholly]

Well, I will be turning over/donating some of my stockpile. My new medigap insurance gives me $10/month to spend and toothpaste is an allowed item. Not sure if they cover dandruff shampoo - do NOT cover regular shampoo.

I found that I have WAAAAY too much chicken & fish filets in my freezer so NOT buying anymore for a while.

[Blonde Granny]

I've let my pantry and freezer supply dwindle down since we will be gone for 5 weeks.  Of course, what that really means is  it's going to cost me way too much money to build it back up.  At least I can see what I do have, and start wondering again "what was I thinking" when I bought some of this stuff.

MH....did you know if you cut the top of the toothpaste tube off you can dig out another 1 week supply?  Same with tubes of lotion etc.  I learned this little tip from the Live Below Your Means forum on The Motley Fool.

[Iggy aka IG]

Blonde Granny, I do the same thing with lotion bottles:  I have DH cut them in half, so I can scrape the remaining product from the bottom.  Lasts about another week. 

Poked around the freezer and pantry this weekend, now that the holiday stuff is gone.  I find it's most helpful to have one dedicated freezer drawer for protein and and one for veggies.  This way if one is starting to run low, I know which needs replenishing.  The pantry is doing so so.  I need to re-stockpile canned meat such as chicken and tuna.  HBAs are very, VERY low, but that seems to be the case by January.

My food/HBA/cleaning supply goal was $300/mo last year for the two of us.  I spent an average of $320 according to my excel spreadsheet.    This does not include Friday night take outs, which DH buys.  He also spends about $50/week on his lunch side items and beverages for work.

[Blonde Granny]

Since I bought YNAB on Jan. 1 I've been been busy learning how it works.  I set $400 for the month of January for groceries.  With the way our stand up freezer in the garage looked and how bare the pantry was when we left town, It's going to take every bit of that $400 and perhaps another $400 on top of that to get things back to normal.

I'm hoping to get the pantry cleaned up and organized before I load up on pantry items.  If I can get DH to get involved again it won't be such a big deal.

[Iggy aka IG]

Stockpiled this week:

Pantene shamp/cond buy 3 get $5 off
Deodorant-3 for DH and 2 for me
Ester-C (two large bottles $5.00 for *both*)
2 LBs "Cheap" ground beef 3.49/lb
Chicken breasts 5 lb
Turkey dogs at .50/package, I bought 4
3 LBs Farmland bacon-Thick sliced for 3.50/pkg!
10 cans tuna @ .69/can
7+ pound ham for just over $5

Among others.

Total savings 28% off my order using paper and e-coupons, shopping the sales and manager's specials.  The cashier and customer behind me were both impressed.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

At home, I have an upright freezer, a chest freezer, the freezer in my milk fridge, and the freezer in my kitchen fridge. Right now, I am limited to the small freezer in the kitchen fridge, so my freezer stockpile is uncomfortably low for my preferences. I do have a smallish (for me) pantry, but again, not enough to feel confident and comfortable. I sincerely need to do a full-size grocery trip at least once per week to keep things stocked. I HATE grocery shopping, so I am really looking forward to moving back home in a month or so.

[Blonde Granny]

DH helped me organize the pantry yesterday.....

Does this give you a clue  OMG what a confusing situation I now have.  I had all the breakfast stuff together on one shelf.  It's now scattered among at least 2 shelves in 3 different places.  He took all the things that come in a box and put them in together......you can't see what's in the back corner, because everything is in front of everything else.  Who knows what now lurks in there.  So raisin bran is with the Bisquick and Red Lobster cheddar biscuit mix.  Boxed potato stuff isn't with the instant potatoes that comes in a package.  The only thing he got right (I think) is that the canned goods are together in nice little rows front to back.

I plan on moving some of these things over the next few days, maybe he won't notice. 

I guess you need to be careful what you ask for when it comes to retired DHs....are you listening Pat?

[NoNamePerson]

I only buy one item in bulk and that is toilet paper (48 pack and it's just me). I make sure I never run out          Not much of a true stockpiler. I guess you could say I stockpile fish but that's because my son calls and says "are you low on fish" and I say yes!! I usually get about 4 months worth at a time - except during hurrican season (inside joke).