Can stockpiling be started during times of financial difficulty?

**hollyhill** · 09-13-2008, 02:31 PM

What is the min. amount of money needed? Our food budget is entirely consumed. The food enters this home and is eaten. I do not buy any convenience items and make all treats at home.... but still...

But having read other threads on food budgets initially, it seems like it is the stockpile that enables others to keep their food budget low... So how do I build up my stockpile when I have so little money to spare?

Are there any articles or other websites that you can recommend, as I begin trying to figure this all out?

**nodmicks** · 09-13-2008, 02:41 PM

We don't have much of a stockpile but yesterday I bought a few bags of stuff like dry beans and rice after dh's bad news
. A bag or dry beans goes quite a ways and is very filling. I figure worst case scenario on could make recipes with lots of beans and rice.

Even just an extra bag or can a week should get you started a little bit.
I also find if extra I buy can be seen it will be eaten by my crew so I tuck the extra away where it can't be seen

I can't wait to read the advice you get from the stock piling experts!

**Persimmon Lace** · 09-13-2008, 03:49 PM

You can use the 5.00 a week stockpiling method which is just finding the 5.00 and buying a pantry item on sale preferably to put back. I used that and stocked up quite well when we had little to no extra money. I made that a priority.

You can also do a buy 2, use 1 and put back 1 method. I've done that too and it works well.

Read the sales flyers and see what you can use for stock item.

Buy more than 1, if canned tomatoes are on sale buy 1 or 2 extra to put back.

Buy seasonally, with the holiday seasons coming up flour, sugar and that type of item will be on sale. Stock up during the sales. Before Thanksgiving chicken broth and other items will go on sale.

Don't buy anything your family won't eat.

Don't forget to stock up your freezer if you have one, with marked down meat.

**Sara Noel** · 09-13-2008, 03:54 PM

To begin your stockpile, I suggest you buy a few extras each shopping trip if an item you use is on sale. If you have coupons, you’ll have even greater savings. You can start out by cutting one item from your grocery list or budgeting in a few bucks more for your groceries. With that extra money, you look for a sale item you typically use. Maybe you’ll find a buy-one-get-one-free deal. You can buy four. The following trip, you can use the money you saved from the first sale to use toward the next sale on another product you typically use. You’ll build enough savings so that instead of buying a couple of extra when an item is on sale, you can buy more. Eventually, you won’t be paying full price on much of anything. You’ll have a decent stockpile, too.

The important part that many people don't do is they don't take out the money they saved and actually save it. They just consider it a savings. If you don't set that savings aside to apply toward the next stockpiling trip, then you're not actually saving while building your stockpile.

**Natalie** · 09-13-2008, 05:52 PM

Great post.

A stockpile can start with just getting one extra item, even if it's a generic one or store brand one. But remember: if it's not something your family will eat now, they're not going to eat it later, so why have it on hand?

Natalie

Originally Posted by Sara Noel

To begin your stockpile, I suggest you buy a few extras each shopping trip if an item you use is on sale. If you have coupons, you’ll have even greater savings. You can start out by cutting one item from your grocery list or budgeting in a few bucks more for your groceries. With that extra money, you look for a sale item you typically use. Maybe you’ll find a buy-one-get-one-free deal. You can buy four. The following trip, you can use the money you saved from the first sale to use toward the next sale on another product you typically use. You’ll build enough savings so that instead of buying a couple of extra when an item is on sale, you can buy more. Eventually, you won’t be paying full price on much of anything. You’ll have a decent stockpile, too.

The important part that many people don't do is they don't take out the money they saved and actually save it. They just consider it a savings. If you don't set that savings aside to apply toward the next stockpiling trip, then you're not actually saving while building your stockpile.

**hollyhill** · 09-13-2008, 06:10 PM

I usually take advantage of loss leaders, 2/1 and freebie offers as part of my normal grocery buying purchases and build my menus around those items..... I guess the trick will be to initially HIDE the extra item or items....

OK say I buy one extra item or $5 worth and store the item, how much of the item do I buy and when do I start using it? I guess the idea is to buy and store enough of a product that your family would use over a certain amount of time right? So how do you know?

Our food consumption pattern is based on seasonal availability and sales (IE we eat what is cheap and what is available in the house). So I don't know exactly how many tins of tomatoes, or pkg of dried beans I use in 3 months. Is it just a trial and error type of process?

I love the idea of taking $5 a week of my Grocery bill and applying it to my stockpile. I think I will try and challenge myself to do it!

**Sara Noel** · 09-13-2008, 06:13 PM

Also, when I begin my stockpile, I tend to buy hba, dish/dishwasher soap, canned tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, etc. Stuff that isn't really something my family is going to consume quickly. Also, I buy within reason. I'm no longer a stockpile queen.

If I stockpiled things like cereal, my kids would consume more cereal. Same with toilet paper, gelatin, popcorn, paper towels etc. When there's more here, we tend to use more of those types of things. You have to know your family and the foods/items they'd consume more of it more was available.

This is why it's good to have an inventory that shows your average consumption of items. Then you can "ration" or stretch if needed or refrain from buying some things when they're consumed too quickly.

Like here, we tend to use jarred sauce often. I don't want to have 50 jars even though I know we'd use 50. If I bought 50 jars, we'd rely on making spaghetti more often and then we'd all get tired of eating it. So while I will stock up, I won't buy tons. Also, because spaghetti sauce tends to go on sale often, I am not worried about possibly missing out on a good deal. That's where your price book will come in handy, too.

It's just like inventory controls for a business. Try to get a system in place so things are streamlined for your home.

**dcompton** · 09-13-2008, 06:40 PM

I think at the beginning knowing how much of an item is a somewhat of a trial and error process. Since you have such a tight budget, you could maybe start with some inexpensive basic things. Does your family eat rice? dried beans? pasta? With $5 a week, you could easily begin to build up a small stockpile of these, and really feel like you were making some progress. Then start adding in other things you commonly use. Of course, on all of these, try to get the best price.

One thing I did that a few months ago that really let me get a handle on what to buy and what not to was to go through my pantries and make two lists - things I liked to have but did not use all the time and things that I used all the time and would really hate to be out of. It's the things on the second list that I began seriously working on stockpiling.

**shoiji** · 09-13-2008, 07:22 PM

I have been putting a date on whatever I am using, i.e., toothpaste, detergent, bodywash, cinnamon sticks, honey, etc., to see how long it takes me to use it. This helps me figure out how much to buy when it goes on sale. This way I don't over buy any more and I know about how much I will use in a year. Many items last a year and when it goes on sale you know how many to buy. It took a while to build up my stockpile but now that I have a small one going I really do find I am saving money. I have enough HBA for about a year or two right now. Might seem extreme but I now have the luxury of waiting until a good sale comes along.

**Wendy99** · 09-13-2008, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by shoiji

I have been putting a date on whatever I am using, i.e., toothpaste, detergent, bodywash, cinnamon sticks, honey, etc., to see how long it takes me to use it. This helps me figure out how much to buy when it goes on sale. This way I don't over buy any more and I know about how much I will use in a year. Many items last a year and when it goes on sale you know how many to buy. It took a while to build up my stockpile but now that I have a small one going I really do find I am saving money. I have enough HBA for about a year or two right now. Might seem extreme but I now have the luxury of waiting until a good sale comes along.

What a GREAT idea about the dates on toiletries .. I'm going to do that!! Then I'll know how much I need.

**Tater** · 09-13-2008, 10:16 PM

If you ABSOLUTELY don't have ANY money to put toward a stockpile, start with items you can get for free. Many times you can combine sales and coupons and get items for free or VERY cheap. This eventually frees up some money in the grocery budget to allow you to buy other things.

If you happen to find a little extra, buy cheap items that go a long way and can be used in tons of recipes - dried beans, rice, pasta, tomato sauce, etc.

Another thing I do is shop the loss leaders - usually those items on the front of the sale flyer that are really cheap that they lure you into the store with. Shop mainly from those and build your weekly menus around them. This will allow you to spend a little less each week and free up a little money for your stockpile.

Also, look around for friends with garden surplus, fruit trees, etc. If people know you will take their surplus, BELIEVE ME, they will give it to you!!! Learn to can it, or dehydrate it. This can also be added to the stockpile.

Hope some of these ideas help!!

**guest002** · 09-13-2008, 10:27 PM

I would start out w/ HBA and household cleaning products through Rite Aid and Walgreen's rebate programs.

A lot of my grocery budget gets eaten up by HBA and cleaners. I don't separate non-food and food items in my grocery budget.

If you want an idea of how I do these rebates I can help you out. I have my example from today's trip here:
[ame="http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109237"]Walgreens Brag! - Frugal Village Forums[/ame]

**Bournecrazy** · 09-14-2008, 09:51 AM

this post helps me too, as i am starting my stockpile i dont 'save' the money on buying offers and use it for stockpilling - i shall start doing this from now-on

**Maine Girl** · 09-14-2008, 12:07 PM

I also started stockpiling with HBA. I shop a lot at CVS with coupons and there extra buck program. I started with buying an extra tube of toothpaste with a $1.00 off coupon i got it for .99. Just recently i was at wallmart and i picked a nine rolls pack of tp for $4.00. In the past couple of months when i have had couple of dollars i have picked up one or two extra items. Hope this helps

**MomToTwoBoys** · 09-14-2008, 09:16 PM

People with absolutely no wiggle room in their budget can actually do pretty well with starting a stockpile. Here are my suggestions:

1) Look at your food menu and see what you can change to make meals cheaper, but still keep them healthy.

2) Get your items that are BOGOF and put them into the stockpile. Don't touch those at all.

3) Make a habit of batch cooking and then taking the money you'd otherwise spend on your regular meals, apply that to your food budget.

4) Even if you can only afford five to ten dollars a week, do it. Use the coupons as best as you can. Look for stores that offer double and triple values on the items and of course, use rainchecks, etc.