When I say 'stockpile', perhaps visions of garage shelves full of pasta and laundry detergent, and basements converted into personal mini-marts come to mind. And while some people may have lifetime supplies of razors and enough salad dressing to fill an Olympic size pool, most couponers are content to just have a manageable little stash on hand.
For those who are lucky to have a spare roll of toilet paper under the sink, the notion of stockpiling may seem like a foreign concept. But for those of us who like to stretch our shopping dollars to the limit, we know buying the things we need when they are at their rock bottom lowest price is the only way to go.
Simply put, if you wait until you must have an item, you will be at the mercy of the market at that moment. What do I mean...well...if you are going to run completely out of dish soap this week, you are going to have to buy dish soap this week no matter what the cost. You may find a particular dish liquid on sale at one store, but you may not have a coupon for that brand. Or, you may have a great coupon for a different brand, but it may not be on sale anywhere. Either way, you likely aren't going to get the best deal possible...but because you need it now, you have to pay whatever the price is now.
Stockpiling let's you decide when the price is right for your budget. Because I almost always have extras of staples, non-perishables and things we use every day, I rarely ever 'have' to buy something. This allows me to wait until a great sale price and a good coupon match up with one another to maximize my savings.
For example, rather than buying canned vegetables every week at the grocery store, I wait until a great deal on canned vegetables presents itself, and then I stock up. Case in point, this week I found Libby's vegetables on sale 2/$1 at Alco. I had coupons to save $1/4 cans. This made the final price 25¢ per can. That's cheaper than generic...cheaper than store brand...cheaper than those discount grocers. So I bought 8 cans of vegetables this week...even though I don't need 8 cans of vegetables this week. Now it may be that I won't buy canned vegetables again for several weeks or more because I have plenty on hand. But if another great savings opportunity pops up, I'll take advantage of it again because Libby's vegetables taste the same whether I paid 25¢ or 75¢ for them...so I'd prefer to pay the lesser amount. Wouldn't you?
This is basically what I try to do this on most everything. For instance, I currently have about 15 bottles of body wash in my stockpile. Now 15 bottles may sound a little excessive, but with myself and three males in this house each taking at least one shower per day...often more than one...15 bottles doesn't last as long as one might expect. If I were to buy body wash only when we 'need' it, I would pay around $3.50 to $5 per bottle. Even with a coupon, I might pay $2.50 or more. But because I have a stockpile and can wait for a great deal on it, I never pay anywhere close to that amount.
Last week, I was able to add to my body wash stockpile when a great deal at Kroger came along. It was a deal where with loyalty card savings of 88¢, a manufacturers in-store deal to save another $1 and a $2 coupon, I was able to get Old Spice body wash that normally cost $4.37 at a final cost of 49¢ per bottle. I don't know about you, but I'd always pick 49¢ over $4.37...especially for something that ends up going down the drain no matter what you paid.
In that same trip, I got that dish soap we were talking about earlier...a 28 ounce Dawn...for 49¢ when even on sale, it was $2.99. I got Crest Pro Health toothpaste that was $3.56 at full price for just 19¢. Carefree pantiliners that were $1.09 I got for free and Scotch Brite sponges they actually paid me to take out of the store. So while none of these things are going to be used right away, they will all get used eventually...and they will have cost me only a fraction of the price I would have to pay if they were on an urgent must have now shopping list.
But stockpiling can be your friend in more ways then just saving you money at the register. Another way a stockpile can serve you well is that you aren't likely to ever completely run out of any of the items you use routinely. When you run low on that dish soap under the sink...or toothpaste in the bathroom...or body wash in the shower...or spaghetti sauce in the cupboard...or whatever the case may be...you just head to your stockpile, and voilà !...there's another one (or more)! Ahhh...the convenience.
And finally, having a stockpile gives you more flexibility in both meal planning and with your schedule. How so? Well, the more things you have in your pantry, the more options you have at dinner time. Instead of having to plan and shop for an entire week or month's groceries all at once, you can buy things when they are on sale and you have a coupon and then stockpile them for future meals somewhere down the road. Having extra things on hand also allows you to skip the store altogether, not only if/when money is tight, but when your calendar is full.
So if you haven't considered stockpiling before, perhaps you want to consider it now. Getting started is easy. Just clear a shelf and then start filling it up again. Don't just buy to buy...make sure you're getting things your family will really use. If you use Angel Soft toilet tissue, for example, it's on sale at Meijer this week for $1. There's a 50¢ Redplum coupon from the November 13 Sunday paper that will double, making the toilet paper completely free. If you can get your hands on a couple of those coupons, you can get a nice start on your very own stockpile!
Happy Shopping!!
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