another question

**favesis37** · 11-12-2005, 07:38 AM

ok i made my list of everything i need. now would you buy all of one item, or spead you money out to buy 1 of several items. foe example, if i need 10 bottles of catsup, should i buy all 10 at one time or buy 5 adn 5 bottles of something else?

**Valerie in WA** · 11-12-2005, 11:10 AM

Again this is a very personal decision, depending on your circumstances.

If you have the cash on hand to completely fund your stockpile, I would say: yes, buy all the ketchup, if the price is right.

OTOH, if you're planning to build your stockpile over several months, I would recommend a broader approach. For instance, say you have $50 for stockpiling for this month. And pretend for a moment that there are 50 different items you intend to stockpile over the long run. Each week you find 5 of those items on sale for a dollar, with a regular price of $1.50. You could buy ten of each of those five items the first week, but then you won't have any money when something good goes on sale next week. If you buy 2 of each item ($10), then you have money left over for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks. And by the end of the month, you have 25 different items in your pantry - only two of each thing, but that will probably be more useful to you than 10 bottles of ketchup, 10 bottles of salad dressing and 5 cans of jellied cranberries, KWIM?

The other thing to consider is that this time of year, baking supplies are on sale a lot: sugar, flour, spices, coconut, walnuts, chocolate chips. If you find a once-a-year-low price, on these items, it might be better to put more of money into something like flour or sugar to last 6-12 months. Make sure you also allow for bug-proof storage for such ingredients.

**Persimmon Lace** · 11-12-2005, 12:05 PM

I pretty much do what Valerie suggests. The only time I buy 10-12 of something is if it is canned veggies or a really good sale on frozen veggies. When I didn't have a lot of money I would simply buy 2 of something if it was on sale so that I had extra on hand.

I also buy my staples way ahead because you can do just about anything with them. Simple bread with oil, flour and water, cornmeal for polenta, cornbread and cornmeal mush for breakfast. I do stockup on peanut butter when it goes on sale and have about 2 gallons of oil in smaller bottles because I think it stays fresher for us in small bottles as opposed to big one.

Always check your freshness dates too, that has been a big help to me!

**cheapgeek** · 11-12-2005, 12:50 PM

I've been building my stockpile as things go on sale. It's taken me a while to figure out what I really require as staples, and what's just "variety" foods. Consider your personal situation and factors such as expiry times and storage. For example, I don't go overboard on frozen foods, because our building's wiring is unreliable and we lose power frequently.

**forestdale** · 11-12-2005, 04:30 PM

I agree with what Valerie has said. I only ever buy stockpile groceries when they're on sale or at Aldi. Stockpiling is a longterm process, and for it to be successful you buy on sale and only for things you know you'll use within the shelf life of the goods.

I'd only buy 10 of something if the price was so good, I couldn't not buy it. When I was starting my stockpile, I was guided by the best value for money. I'd buy more of the things we used a lot but it was always little bits at a time.