Stockpiling

What is stockpiling?

Stockpiling is buying more than you need…when you DON’T need it! I’ve always been one to buy more than what I need when it’s at a good price but not to the extreme that I am now. It has been very fun for me…I’ve been bringing home lots more groceries…but spending LOTS less! I do not have a lot of storage so this is a bit of a problem but I have my dad lined up to build us a pantry cupboard. I’m pretty excited!! :)

Stockpiling is taking advantage of great sales with or without coupons to buy what you need BEFORE you need it. You can stockpile almost everything except for milk & produce. When stockpiling, make sure that you are buying things that you and your family enjoy and will be used before the expiration date so that they will not go to waste. For example, a couple of weeks ago, Meijer had some Kellogg’s cereal on sale for $2.00 a box. I had several coupons for $1.00 off one box. I ended up buying 9 boxes of cereal for $1.00 each…and got 3 free pairs of sunglasses! This cereal does not expire until May of 2010.

Set aside a specific amount each week, from your grocery budget JUST for stockpiling so that you can keep your stockpile well-rounded. When you have a well-rounded stockpile you should only have to shop mostly for milk & produce. You should also continue to stockpile because you don’t want it to get too low and the goal is to keep it maintained.

Keep track of what you have on hand by keeping a running list so that you know what you have and what you should buy. I have been writing expiration dates on items with a permanent marker so that it is easily visible. When using the items from your stockpile, make sure you are using the items that will expire the soonest first.

Stockpiling is very beneficial for many reasons, here are a few:
1) It saves you time. When you have a good stockpile (and good meal planning), you shouldn’t have to make last minute trips to the grocery store.
2) You will have lots of options for meals and have a large variety of things to choose from. There is no need to eat the same stuff all of the time. My kids have especially noticed this when it comes to snack time and they love it!
3) You can have a night off from cooking when you’re tired, if you stockpile convenience foods.
4) It saves LOTS of money!!! Use the extra money toward getting out of debt, a new car, a nice vacation…and the list goes on!

I have been working on my stockpile for 2-3 months now and continue to work on it. I have a great start but will keep adding. I’ve been reading up on this topic quite a bit and have read that it takes around 6 months to get a good stockpile going. As I’ve been doing this, already I have been spending less on groceries and have been able to pay for things with my grocery money that I previously would not have been able to do…I’ve bought birthday gifts, needed clothing, etc. My goal is to get a well rounded stockpile and spend $50 a week on groceries for my family of 5! A couple of weeks ago this seemed unattainable to me but after my shopping trip last week I realized it’s really not that far off! :) I’m going to keep working at it!!!