stock piling question

[Moor]

i would like to start stockpiling.
but i have no idea where to start.
dh and i have been talking about this for months, but just never got around to it.
so where do i begin? i do stockpile somethings, like TP, pads/tampons for the girls, toothpaste, shampoo, laundry stuff, but nothing food wise.
i really ned some help here.

[joyofsix]

I started by calculating how much of often used items (dry milk, bags of beans, pasta) I used in a 6 month period. I concentrated on things we use consistently and bought a couple extra each week until I reached the 6 month mark (my personal amount I'm comfortable with). Not sure if that helps or not. Just don't stockpile stuff you don't eat or use. What is the point of that?

[daughter of pearl]

I approach stockpiling by seeing what is on sale in a given week, and if I find things that I normally use at a great sale price (and maybe with a coupon too!), I'll buy multiples and put them away...

I am the opposite of you...I need to get better at stockpiling non-food items...maybe we should swap lists...

[Grandma Lewis]

You start with what is at a good price at any given point. It doesn't matter where you start because in just a short time, you will be able to stockpile just about everything you use.

I have enough bar soap to last several years. Shampoo for a year. BBQ sauce for a couple of years. I bought Chicken noodle soup and peanut butter to last a year. I have enough TP for several months. The list goes on and on.

The shampoo, peanut butter, BBQ sauce, frozen vegetables, Lawry's marinade and other stuff was free after sale prices and double/triple coupons. I get as much of the freebies as I can because I can always donate it to food drives or food pantries.

Frozen foods I buy no more than we can use in six months.

Every year, I buy brisket over the July4th holiday to last until the next year. I bought probably 50 packages of Oscar Mayer hotdogs this year. If I remember correctly, they were something like .50 each after double coupons. I bought a year's supply of ham at Easter.

Sales go in cycles, somethings are every 3 months, some things are seasonal and some things are monthly. For instance, boneless chicken breast are cheaper the first week of the month. Condiments are usually at the best price in the late spring/early summer. Coupons go in cycles too.

Fall is a good time for peanut butter, soups etc.

Winter holidays are good for baking supplies.

Good luck and have fun stockpiling. The feeling of that safety net can't be beat.

[cheles2kids]

I think starting with a list of things that your family eats on a regular basis.
Does your family eat oatmeal 3 or 4 times a week? Then oats would be on your list.
How about chicken? Does your family prefer breasts, whole, thighs, etc.?

I think THE big thing about stockpiling is to look at what your family eats, then go from there.
Do they prefer green beans over peas? Canned or frozen? How often a week? Then times that by 4 and you'll have an idea of how many you'll need for a months worth, three months worth or even 6 months worth.

I would suggest starting with your staples, flour, sugar, pastas, p.butter, oatmeal, some canned vegetables, dried beans, rice, etc. (Only if your family uses these items, of course)
Then build up from there.
Don't try to buy everything all at once.

Grandma Lewis made some great points. When you find an item on sale or for a super price, then you'll know exactly how many to pick up.
Some people do stockpiling different ways, depending on budget.
They either pick up 3 or 4 extras each grocery shopping trip, or you could put x number of dollars away out of your grocery budget specifically for stockpiling and then when you find that great deal, you'll have money put aside.

You also need to take into conisderation how your planning on storing your stockpile. Not necessarily *where*, but *how*.
If you buy alot of freezer stuff, do you have a way to store it long-term without worrying about freezer burn?
If not, then I would look at buying more canned items.
I have suggested this quite a few times, but I can't say enough about my Foodsaver.
There are other name brands that work just as well and are much more economical, so a person wouldn't have to spend so much.

I personally think that HBA are easier to stockpile than food items.
Simply because we tend to use some of the food items as we go along.
Which there's nothing wrong with that, but a tube of toothpaste will usually last 3 months or so, where a can of chili will only last one meal, kwim?

Two more things:
Buy what your family eats.
Remember to rotate your food.


Have fun stockpiling!!!

[JanieD]

I'm trying to get my stockpile going & hope to borrow some advise being given. I buy extras on sale, but tend to run out before the next sale. Can't seem to figure out the "sale cycles" & underestimate how much to buy. Another thing, I'm trying to keep my grocery budget down. Sometimes I skip sales to stay on budget, but I may be paying more later if I run out before the next sale. Can ya'll point me in the right direction?

[nvmommyx6]

One thing I know has worked out well for me, I keep all the "junk" store add's I get in the mail, I take them shopping with me which at first is somewhat of a pain in the butt when getting used to it!
Most stores, especially ones close enough to each other, will meet or beat the competitors advertised prices! To be honest there has been times when I have taken week old add's into walmart and even though they were expired(and the cashier knew it) she still met the prices!
There has been times when I have had a store say, "no, we wont meet their price." and I tell them, "thats fine, they are right down the street, I will go their from now on, since THEY are willing to do that for their customers!"....they usually will meet the prices after that kind of comment!!
I think the biggest thing for me when I started stock piling was the organization, I really had to organize my pantry well to accommodate properly! I spent an extra $10 on one of the label makers and it has worked out incredibly!!
Happy stock piling
Mommy!

[Moor]

does anyone have any suggestions on cannister's to put my bulk items in?
I don't want to go with glass, as i just had one break the other day and it was full of sugar.
I would like to start buying more in bulk. Like sugar, flour, and such. I can remember my granny doing that.

[cheles2kids]

does anyone have any suggestions on cannister's to put my bulk items in?
I don't want to go with glass, as i just had one break the other day and it was full of sugar.
I would like to start buying more in bulk. Like sugar, flour, and such. I can remember my granny doing that.

I have a couple of these:
http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_...+Pantry+Set%99

and have been really happy with them. Just know that I would freeze any grains or beans before adding them into the canisters.
They do have a nice seal around the inside of the lid, but they are not air tight.

You can also buy them at other retail stores, Wal-mart, Target, K-mart, etc.

Hth!


Oh & for long-term bulk storage, you might want to check into the food grade storage buckets with the mylar liners and oxygen absorbers. Then you can just refill your smaller canisters from your larger buckets.
(There is a 3 part video series on youtube about the mylar bags & absorbers, that is really informative Just do a search for long-term food storage.)

[cheles2kids]

I'm trying to get my stockpile going & hope to borrow some advise being given. I buy extras on sale, but tend to run out before the next sale. Can't seem to figure out the "sale cycles" & underestimate how much to buy. Another thing, I'm trying to keep my grocery budget down. Sometimes I skip sales to stay on budget, but I may be paying more later if I run out before the next sale. Can ya'll point me in the right direction?

I think this is a trial & error thing for most people. I'm still learning this as well.
I do know that certain foodstuffs go on sale during certain seasons.
This is a good reference for that:
(okay, evidently I can't post that website, but if you'd like to pm. directly I'll be more than happy to share it with you)

Take for example, hot dogs, ketchup, mustard, etc. usually go on sale sometime during the end of June, so that's the best time to stock up on those items.
If your family normally goes through 2 bottles of ketchup in a month, then you know you need to buy at least 24 bottles to get you through the year or until the next BIG July 4th sale.
Does that make sense?

Just like baking items usually go on sale around the holidays, if you have an idea of how many lbs. of flour or sugar that you use a month then just times it by 3, 6 or 12 and you'll have enough stockpiled for that number of months.

Hth you some!

[dcompton]

I'm no expert, but when I decided to build up a serious stockpile, I listed everything in my cabinets and freezer. Then I made a sort of A and B list. There are things I really like to have on hand, like olives and honey, but they are used occasionally. I decided there was no need to keep extra because, if I don't have them, well, too bad. I can pick it up when convenient.

But the other list - the things I use all the time - day in and day out, became the core stockpile list, and that's what I aggressively worked on. This is essentially what the others have said, but that extra step of actually making and sorting the list gave me, finally, a clearer handle on what I wanted to stock up on.

[WV_mom_of2]

I'm no expert, but when I decided to build up a serious stockpile, I listed everything in my cabinets and freezer. Then I made a sort of A and B list. There are things I really like to have on hand, like olives and honey, but they are used occasionally. I decided there was no need to keep extra because, if I don't have them, well, too bad. I can pick it up when convenient.

But the other list - the things I use all the time - day in and day out, became the core stockpile list, and that's what I aggressively worked on. This is essentially what the others have said, but that extra step of actually making and sorting the list gave me, finally, a clearer handle on what I wanted to stock up on.

I've been stockpiling for many years but this is how I started out too. I made a list of everything my family uses. Then I watched for sales and bought as much of something as I could afford. If canned green beans were on sale 3/1.00 and I could buy a case, I did. If money was tight that week and I could only afford an extra three cans, then that's what I bought. Then I put those three cans into my stockpile and didn't use it right away. Then the next week I added something else and on and on until I had a nice stockpile. After a while you just learn how much you need to last you a while.

The summer holidays(Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day) are great times to stock up on things like hamburger, hot dogs, mustard, ketchup, bbq sauce, etc. Cookout type things! Starting in October baking supplies, hams and turkeys, etc. go on sale really often.

Also don't be surprised if you can't get the great deals you see posted here in your area. I live in a very rural area and have to drive 30-45 minutes to get to a large chain store like Kroger, Walmart, CVS, etc. I rarely get the great coupons posted about on here, only Kroger doubles coupons and that's only up to .50, etc. so I drool when I see someone getting a super coupon or deal and know I couldn't get it LOL. You will learn what's a great deal for your area and how the sales run. Also don't be afraid to try price matching if a store offers that in your area. I take other stores sale ads to Walmart almost every week and price match. It saves me on time and gas! And it's especially useful with Kroger sales because our Kroger is FAMOUS for never having the sale item! I can't drive back up there in three days when they say the truck will run, so if possible I take the ad to Walmart and just get it there!

I keep my flour in the freezer except for what I have in a Tupperware canister on my counter. When I buy sugar I place the bag into a ziploc bag and store it in my cabinet.

If you look at some of the stockpile pictures here at FV you will find alot of creative ways and places to store your stockpile too!

[ritabelle]

What I did to get started was mark the date when I opened something I knew I used up frequently, like oil or baking powder, to find out how long 1 can/jar lasted me. Then I can multiply to figure out how much is a 6 month supply, or a year.