Stockpiling: What You Need to Know

Stockpiling is the act of having a reserve on hand for future use. This could mean non perishable grocery items, toiletries, or other goods a person would expect to need in the future. Many people stockpile while items are on sale or sold at a discounted price in order to avoid paying normal retail prices. Stockpiling is an art that many have used to cut their monthly and yearly spending down to a fraction of what most people spend.

In order to begin stockpiling, the first thing to consider is how long you want your stockpile to last. There is not a right or wrong answer. The length of time is a personal preference. Next, you will want to make a list of the items you wish to stockpile. This list should generally contain any items with a shelf life of 6 months or longer. Toilet paper, toothpaste, pasta, canned or frozen vegetables, and cereals are just a few ideas to get you started.

Once your list is made, determine how much of those products you use in the time frame you want your stockpile to last. For example, if you use 2 tubes of toothpaste a month and you want your stockpile to last 6 months, you will need to have 12 tubes of toothpaste on hand. Once you have figured out how much of each item you will need, it is time to prepare for your first shopping trip. You will need a notebook, pen, and weekly ads for both the local grocery stores and drug stores.

As you look through each sale ad make a list of the items on sale that you use along with the price. You will also want to note which stores double or triple coupons and if there are any limitations. Once you have compiled a list for each store, you will create you shopping list according to where you will get the best deals for each item and match up coupons accordingly. For example, store A does not double or triple coupons. Toothpaste is $1.99 a can and you have a 75¢ off coupon making it $1.24 a tube. Store B does double coupons. Toothpaste is $2.29 a tube and your 75¢ coupon doubled is now worth $1.50 making the toothpaste 79¢ a tube. On 12 tubes of toothpaste, purchasing from store B is a $5.40 savings.

Now you are probably wondering where you get the 12 toothpaste coupons. You can order coupons from a coupon clipper service or from eBay. Generally it takes 3 to 5 days to get your coupons once they are ordered, but they could take longer. Be sure to consider shipping time before ordering. You can also looking for printable coupons on the internet. Most printable coupon sites will limit you to 2 prints of the same coupon. Another idea is to trade coupons with friends, family, and neighbors.

An important thing to remember, Rome was not built in a day and neither should your stockpile. A stockpile is built up over time with low cost and free items that in the long run will save you time and money. Creating your stockpiling shopping list will get easier. It will become second nature to you. Once you have a few shopping trips under your belt, check out CVS Extra Care Bucks: Get More Bang for Your Bucks and Walgreens Easy Saver Rebates: Save More Pay Less to learn how to save even more on your shopping trips.