Help - Compulsion to keep stockpiling

**shoiji** · 10-16-2009, 11:57 AM

Right now I am finding more things than usual that I want to stockpile. Which would be fine except, my pantry which is basically one walk in closet is pretty full right now. I keep seeing items that I think Oh, that is a good price, I should stock up. Then I open the pantry door to see briming shelves. Which reminds me that I really don't need anymore food, household items, etc. The only thing I can think of is calcium supplements are needed.

Other than telling myself I don't need more stuff, what other ways does everyone keep themselves from stockpiling? I find the hunt for a bargain really fun. Plus the fears over the economy and prices constantly rising also keeps me looking for a bargain.

Looking forward to hear what other people think.

**NikoSan999** · 10-16-2009, 12:35 PM

Shoiji, good thing we don't live next to each other because I am the same way. I actually have a "needs" list for 3 months and a "wants" list for 3.

I posted a link on here somewhere yesterday about grocery prices going up at least 5% in next year. Like you said also the economy. AND I admit I find it extremely enjoying.

I was going to quit stockpiling at the point I thought I had 3 months worth and just replenish. But gut feeling said no. My gut feeling has failed me few times in 56 years.

I kept going but pretty much with the BOGO's and really good sales or really needed for the 3 months. I could maybe go 4 plus now on most items with some replenishing in between.

Gut feeling came in real handy a couple days ago. Hubbys part time job which was a large part of our income for the month went by the wayside. It was also the money being used for groceries, gas, car repair etc. Some was saved but it was the extra that saved our butts. Next coming out of it was new tires. Had part of it saved. Ours are to the point of a hair being dangerous. We just found this out. Too late. Just not in the habit of going around looking at tires. We will cover this somehow regardless . Yes, even if it's a credit card. No don't want to but if no other way then so be it.

Point being I'm glad I listened to my gut and continued even if it was behind furniture or in containers under the bed as others have mentioned. And if it is a really good deal and I have the money I will continue but definitely not as much.

So ask yourself this...do you have the means to continue to stockpile?... Which is it mostly...thrill of a bargain or gut feeling?

**monkeywrangler71** · 10-16-2009, 12:43 PM

If it's becoming compulsive and you want to stop, stop reading the flyers and stay out of the stores. If you don't know about that great sale you won't feel compelled to participate in it.

I'm prone to compulsive behaviour, and stockpiling is one of those things that I can get obsessive about. Taking a step back and forcing myself to not look for sales usually snaps me out of it. Then I focus my obsessing on something else for a while (like eating the stockpile).

**_kit** · 10-16-2009, 02:21 PM

I know exactly what you mean. I've gotten enough bargains that the freezers are full, the pantry is overflowing and I'm running out of places to store all the deals.

So I just stopped shopping.

I probably have enough stock piled for 3 or 4 months so my plan is to eat through what I have saved to see if I've been accurately guessing about what we really use the most of. The only exception I made for myself was to buy milk. So far, I'm just a couple of weeks in we haven't suffered a bit.

I'm saving all the money that I otherwise would have spent on groceries during this time so that when I get low on supplies or when my experiment is up, I'll be able to go right back to it with the bargain hunting. To distract myself in the meantime, I've been trying to come up with new meals and recipes to use up stock.

Good luck!

**jas** · 10-16-2009, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by _kit

I know exactly what you mean. I've gotten enough bargains that the freezers are full, the pantry is overflowing and I'm running out of places to store all the deals.

So I just stopped shopping.

I probably have enough stock piled for 3 or 4 months so my plan is to eat through what I have saved to see if I've been accurately guessing about what we really use the most of. The only exception I made for myself was to buy milk. So far, I'm just a couple of weeks in we haven't suffered a bit.

I'm saving all the money that I otherwise would have spent on groceries during this time so that when I get low on supplies or when my experiment is up, I'll be able to go right back to it with the bargain hunting. To distract myself in the meantime, I've been trying to come up with new meals and recipes to use up stock.

Good luck!

I feel like you were reading my mind!! Even though you have started already to see how well what you've stockpiled is what you really need or how long it will last. I have to start doing it. The months ahead are typically ones people spend more money in and I would love to see how well the stockpile comes in a pinch. At the moment a self imposed pinch, a trial run so to speak. I would have to buy fresh veggies though. I do have powdered milk, and eggs though.

Great topic!

**Thevail** · 10-16-2009, 04:26 PM

There really is no such thing as over-stockpiling, so long as you have the room and the stuff isn't going to go all stale waiting to be used. AND it's all stuff that you know you WILL USE.

Hubby has been laid off for 3 and a half months now, and ours is still going strong! Average monthly food budget now is $40 a month for fresh milk, and veggies. Turns out my family HATES canned veggies. Which really shouldn't have surprised me, we always eat fresh veggies. But I let the "nuclear winter" mentality enter my stockpiling. It resulted in storing a lot of stuff we just won't eat unless we're starving.

But there is another less space-consuming way to stockpile. When you see the advert for the item.. count out the money you "would have spent" on it and put it in an envelope in the old sock drawer, or bank account. Because when you are really in a pinch, and have no money.. what you'll need most is... MONEY.

If I'd saved up that money I spent on canned veggies.. as cash.. I could easily afford more fresh veggies now.

I had to draw the line when I got to one year of a lot of supplies. I mean, I have a big basement, but I was turning the whole thing into a department store. And that meant I'd never use the stuff before it went bad which is just wasting money.

**frugalwarrior** · 10-16-2009, 04:30 PM

I have the same thing going on even though I have a large area. I bought new shelves that hold more. i have said I am done 3x already and keep finding more lost leaders. But I am going for 6 months of dry goods. 400 more people were laid off from my DH company yesterday so I feel vindicated. We eat from our on a rotational basis so it is not like it just sits. During deep winter I will not haul item after item. It is just important to keep anxiety in check w/ this economy. Having tons of food won't help if you don't save money to pay for a place to put it.

**Grainlady** · 10-16-2009, 04:41 PM

I have a strict weekly budget ($50) which is used for purchasing ALL food. That aids in being the "governor" (control) for purchases. If you don't have a dollar limit, perhaps that will help you out. But saying that, I have built a large stockpile over the years on that amount, but it's also closely monitored, rotated, and used.

I also give myself a limited amount of storage space for certain items, so things don't get out of hand. For instance, I have a small basket for deodorant. When I didn't have the basket system, I would squirrel-away my deodorant purchases in several different areas and couldn't keep track of them. I don't add to this basket until I find the "best buy" and only as many as the basket will hold. I keep other items in small plastic baskets on shelves to keep them all together, and to also restrict how many I purchase. I have a certain amount of space on our shelves in the basement storage room for TP.

If you look at my row of peanut butter, there are eight 18-ounce jars. The last jar has a use-by date of 6/2010. We typically use one jar per month, so I have as many jars as we will normally use by 6/2010. Any bargains on peanut butter need to have a use-by date beyond 6/2010; or else I'd better add a double batch of peanut butter cookies to the baking schedule to use the peanut butter we have in storage by the use-by date.

The thing to remember --- there are ALWAYS good buys. So much so, I almost never purchase something that ISN'T discounted one way or another.

I also avoid large purchases in multiples with all the same use-by dates. I have to ask myself, can I realistically use a case of something before that use-by date? Are there already some of the same thing in storage that also need used - and by what date? That's why I keep my inventory in my PRICE BOOK for quick reference. You just need to be realistic about how many you REALLY need and are actually able to use - not just the fact it's a bargain.

I started getting better control when I figured out how long things lasted. I put the date on items when we opened them and started using them to see how long it takes to use it up. That's how I know we use one jar of peanut butter each month. I know how long a box of tissue lasts. Now I can look at the stockpile of tissue and tell you how long that should last us and add to it accordingly. It also has a designated amount of space allocated to it. We don't need 5 years worth of shampoo. It's one of those items that the ingredients can "change" over a long storage time, or the fats in them can go rancid, and your money is wasted because you can't use them.

I also purchase some things annually or bi-annually, and have to save unspent money out of my budget to purchase those. I order all our powdered milk products once a year. I usually purchase it as soon after the first of the year as I accumulate the saved money. I purchase wheat (by the hundred-weight) twice a year. I save up from the unspent food budget money and purchase twice a year from Honeyville Grain because no matter how large your order is, it only costs $4.49 for shipping. But ALL those items are purchased within my $50/week food budget.

**frugalwarrior** · 10-16-2009, 05:10 PM

Grain lady is right it is important to store the same item together. Forgot to mention that because it is the only thing I do. If you have to; make a "map" of where things are stored. Keep a folder of purchases,usage,definate dislikes. As far as canned veg goes. We cook w/ it. Very few are eaten by themselves.
I place a colored sticker on all cans that must be used in the next month according to use by date. I make meals w/ these cans in mind. If you really get an over abundance of items about to reach date you can donate. The food pantries are screaming for donations. And of course those dates are just a guide.

**shoiji** · 10-16-2009, 07:51 PM

Well, since my stockpile is pretty full, all stockpiling is done within a set amount of money. Maybe I should lower the amount of dollars to help me stay in check. Mind you, it is only me and the cat living here. I do know the stockpile will come in handy this month since I need to get some supplies for a class I am taking. Unexpected expense I did not plan on.

Tomorrow I am having some people over for tea and scones. It was really rewarding to be able to go to the stockpile and pick out a nice array of different teas.

I suppose another concern is that I will become overly compulsive with the stockpiling and end up like the people in the shows where you cannot even walk through a room because they have things. I do give some things I know I can not use to someone who makes sure it goes to someone who can use it. Usually the items are things I get for free and have more than enough of.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Keep them coming.

**melanies** · 10-16-2009, 07:55 PM

Well if we do eventually experience hyperinflation its going to be difficult to have "too much" because no one would be able to predict how long it will last.

I personally would keep looking for the bargains that make sense to stockpile (anything with a long shelf life) and find another appropriate place to store it

**Thevail** · 10-16-2009, 08:27 PM

Also think about branching your stockpiling out to other areas than just food.

I stockpiled my favorite socks.. yep, socks.

Here's why.
Socks will NEVER go "bad". The specific socks I love are pretty expensive (world's softest socks), and I managed to find a great sale on them.
Companies come and go and product lines change. Like that perfect shade of lipstick, or the bra that actually fit.. both doomed to be discontinued.

Each pair of socks lasts me about 3 years before they're just too worn out. (Like I said, they're REALLY GOOD SOCKS) I need a pair of socks for each day of the week so 7 pairs.
I found a sale of "buy three pairs get three pairs free". That takes the cost of the socks down from about $7/pair to about $3.50/pair.

So I bought 18 pairs of socks for $63 and because the order is over $50 I got free shipping too.

At 7 pairs every three years.. I've got socks for about 7.5 years at a cost of about $8.50 per year for socks. So just as cheap as buying the regular socks I don't like anyway. Also, since they're in packages they're really easy to store.

**shoiji** · 10-17-2009, 12:28 PM

Thevail, oh my, I was at the thrift store about a two months ago. And yes, I was stockpiling on socks. Three thick pairs with the plastic dots on the bottom so I don't slip around. And would you believe I found two pairs of World's Softest Socks. I had never heard of the brand before but since they were so soft I figured why not. The best part was they all look brand new, some even had tags still on them. Since it was still August they were priced pretty cheap.

**redmaples** · 10-17-2009, 12:41 PM

have you been watching the tv program called Hoarders?
That might give you an idea if you are 'compulsive' in your shopping or just stocking up.
It seems that if your home is not in bad condition like the hoarders (who are often compulsive shoppers) & you can afford to buy extras than it is not a problem for you. If you have food stuffs expiring & going bad but keep buying more, it seems more of a problem. that's how some of the troubled people on the program are. They don't want to get rid of anything even if it's bad.
I've been making more of an effort to clean out spaces since watching that program.
If you are filling your spaces with stuff you need & going to use & won't have to spend more on later... good for you!!

**mombottoo** · 10-17-2009, 02:27 PM

Passing up a really good sale is tough! What helps me is not allowing myself to get more of one item than I can reasonably expect to use within 3 months. Things I use 1 of at a time (like a 16 oz. box of macaroni) I stock pile 12...things I use 2 of at a time I stock pile 24...except canned veggies I buy them by the case and buy enough to last a full year. Toilet paper & paper towels I buy in the big packs from Sam's and get 2-3 at a time...they last about 3 months if I don't give any away.

When I replenish I put the new stuff to the back so the old stuff gets used up first.