DEAR SARA: What is the purpose of stockpiling? I just got to wondering why people stockpile. And yes, I know this sounds like a silly question, but I am just very curious. Is it in case of an emergency? Is it so you don’t have to drive to the store every week? Or is it just to stock up on things that are on sale to save money? — cokencaptgirl, Michigan

DEAR COKENCAPTGIRL: People stockpile for various reasons. I buy extra for my pantry and freezer when there’s a sale. It’s so I don’t pay full price or pay more later. Some people stockpile in case of an emergency, unplanned extra expenses, distance from stores, bad weather, preparedness in case of natural catastrophe or lean times. I’ve seen many people who want to have a year’s worth of goods stocked. I like to have at least 3 months stored for the pantry and 6 months or more for meat and poultry for the freezer and personal care products. The photos are of my meat freezer. We have a whole hog and 1/4 of beef stored.

It’s important to note that the majority of frugal people who are stocking up aren’t extremists or hoarders clearing off grocery shelves because they foresee doom and gloom. It’s typically done naturally (they were raised to be prepared or have mastered a streamlined, frugal way to shop), gradually and based on what their family uses. For example, if chicken is on sale, they’ll buy more than a week’s worth of chicken. That way, the following week they don’t have to pay full price for chicken. It saves trips to the store, too. Some have gardens and preserve food and consider that their stockpile. Some are avid coupon and rebate shoppers, too. But there are some who stock up anticipating the absolute worst-case scenarios. Read: survivalists. Recently, I’ve noticed my forum members are stocking more than usual, but not in an extreme way. Buying food is a wise choice, given the accelerating prices. I’ll write more on stockpiling in an upcoming column. There are many stockpile photos on the Frugal Village.com main site and forums.

DEAR SARA: I reuse gift bags a lot, but I wonder about tissue paper. Do you think it would be tacky for me to save and reuse it when giving a gift? — Donna J., via e-mail

DEAR DONNA: I don’t think it’s tacky. If it’s wadded up, use it on the bottom of a gift bag. You could iron it on low heat setting to get the wrinkles out. If you have a paper shredder, shred your tissue paper and use it in gift boxes or bags.

DEAR SARA: I know you shop thrift stores a lot. What was your latest good deal? I walk in and hate the smell of our store and see nothing but useless junk. I couldn’t wear used clothes, and everything looks broken in the housewares section. Maybe I’m overlooking something, because I leave feeling as if I need a can of disinfectant and a long shower. — Leigh, Kansas

DEAR LEIGH: I frequently shop at thrift stores. During the warmer months, I prefer garage and estate sales. But with the price of gas, I’ll be going less often. Last visit, I did pretty well at the thrift store. I found some “retro” cookbooks and booklets dating from the early 1900s to 1950s. I love to read them in my spare time. Some folks look for them in excellent condition. I look for well-worn, used, written-in and splattered-on cookbooks. I found a few with clippings and recipe cards stuck between the pages. I also found a set of eight cloth corduroy napkins that were new with the tags still on them. They match my decor and were worth the $1 spent.

Many people walk into thrift stores and can’t stand the smell. It’s a common complaint. I’m too focused on discovering a treasure. I get lost in thought on an object’s journey before I held it in my hands. It’s one of my favorite places to go. It’s a bonus that it’s green and frugal to shop there. So, yes, to me you’re overlooking something. But some people live in areas where the thrift stores don’t have higher-quality merchandise or aren’t well managed. It’s possible your store is one of them. You can try other secondhand-shopping options, such as estate and garage sales, consignment stores, antique stores, flea markets, etc.

Click to see member submitted stockpile pictures

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