first stockpiling

[mek42]

After treating my wife to dinner tonight for our date, we went for some grocery shopping. Crushed tomatoes were on sale for $1 each, when usually they are closer to $2.50. My wife was just going to get 2 for the two meals on the two-week menu that call for this, so I volunteered to get them myself out of my food and gas budget, since we'll be using these in the future.

I know this is grossly amateur to many of the rest of you, but I'm excited to take advantage of a sale.

[Mom2-3]

If it's a good price and you will use them, go for it! I love to stockpile. DH didn't "get" it at first, but he loves it now! lol

[jantana]

It's just nice when you run out of something and to go to your stockpile and replace it without leaving the comfort of your home.

[frugalwarrior2]

Any start is a good start. It is nice to just plan dinners from things in the house.

[savvy_sniper]

HEY, you started! THAT is what is important.

[Grainlady]

How about designating $5 of your food budget each week to stockpiling? That's how I built 3-6 months worth of pantry foods, which eventually built to a years worth of food, and some foods I have several years worth in storage.

It can all be spent on one thing (I saw tuna at Wal-Mart this morning for 60-cents a can and $5 would have purchased 8 cans), or split it between several things you intend to put aside.

I generally spent my $5 on loss-leaders, discontinued items sold at a greatly reduced price, or manager specials; and purchased a variety of foods from all the food groups.

I write the use-by date on the front of canned goods with a Sharpie (so it's easy to see) and line them up by use-by dates so I use the oldest first.

You have to watch sale items because the use-by dates are often close at hand. So only purchase as many as you can realistically use by that date.

I have since moved WAY beyond stockpiling and now have 3 levels of home food storage I work from, and I did it all on $50/week food budget (for 2 adults). Because I completed these three levels (it took 18-months), I was able to reduce my food budget by 25% and now I spend $75 every TWO weeks.

Level #1 - 72-hour Emergency Foods
These are foods, mainly in single serving sizes, that can be used in case of a power outage. These foods do not require heating or refrigeration. If you have a way to heat water, you can extend the list of foods to things like Instant Soup, Instant Oatmeal, etc.

Level #2 - Pantry foods - 3-6 months worth.
Foods you need on a daily basis to prepare meals.

Level #3 - Long-term emergency foods.
This includes #10 cans of a variety of foods from all the food groups which have a long shelf-life, - including powdered milk, dehydrated and freeze-dried foods, powdered whole eggs, powdered peanut butter, etc. It also includes grains, seeds, beans, fat (I store coconut oil because it has a really long shelf-life), sweetener/s, ...

Happy stockpiling!

[bumplett]

I agree, any start is a good start!

WTG!!!

[dcompton]

Every stockpile begins with a few extra cans or boxes. If you feel good now, think how good you'll feel when that third meal with crushed tomatoes comes around and you don't have to go shell out $2.50!

[MakeADollarHollar]

Canned Tomatoes on sale were the seeds of my stockpile too! That was three years ago.

Keep at it. Before you know it, you'll be emptying closets looking for places to put your stuff.

There is little that compares to the security of a full pantry. Loss of income, unexpected expenses, illness/injury, neighbor in need, we've experienced it all and LOVE that we don't HAVE to grocery shop when those things arise.

[AnW819]

WTG!! I remember when I first started stockpiling, my DH thought I was nuts to bring home 100 four packs of cotonelle TP. After it lasted like a year, he understood very quickly

I try to take about $10 a week for stockpiling. Ushally its about $5 at CVS and $5 extra at a grocery store.

I just started back up at it again, and this week I spent $5 and saved $134 at CVS!!

It gets addicting. Make sure you have enough room, haha.

[Incognito]

You're on the right path, and I'm sure you'll save a lot of time, money and energy the more you stockpile.
Better yet if you can buy your basics on sale with coupons and then the stockpile grows faster. Then you can wait till the next sale before you buy again, and you're not under pressure to spend more money than necessary. It gives a consumer a sense of power just knowing they have their supplies at home, and can pick and choose when and where to buy more.

I hadn't bought toilet paper since last summer; but just this week my supply was starting to get low again and the sale was on at $5.99 for a 24-pk of Royale, and I had $1 coupons, so I got each pk. for $4.99 plus tax on the full price. I got 4 pks, so I'm good for the summer.

Extra tomatoes in your stockpile are a great choice, because you can use them for soup, stew, side dishes, pizza, as a dessert, juice, pasta sauce.

[daughter of pearl]

Nicely done!!

[stormie11166]

That's a great way to start. I've been stockpiling now for a couple of years. I have a walk-in closet devoted to all food related items and a large closet my dh built me in the bathroom for all non-food related items. The stockpiling has saved us lots of money and unnecessaary trips to the groery store. Once you start and you can't stop stockpiling

[shoiji]

It always is exciting to add something to the pantry!! I am finally starting to run out of the chocolate chips I bought during the holidays. Now I know to buy even more when they go on sale!

[Thevail]

WTG! Any stockpile however tiny is better than no stockpile at all! And stockpiles are an interesting creature..

they grow much faster than you think. And the more the stockpile grows..

the less you spend on groceries so you save more money..

the more money you have.. helps the stockpile to grow!