Stockpiling...I don't get it?

[RecessionWidow]

Perhaps it's because I'm not sure if I will remain in my house (may walk away because I doubt it will sell,) but I don't understand the reasons for stockpiling...?

[ladykemma2]

i don't stockpile.

i do keep an LDS style provident pantry, which is a years worth of food and supplies, which get used and stock is rotated. when i stumble on sales i buy a years worth. i like specific brands and generally too picky for coupons. i work 12 hour days during the school year and don't have time.

the point of this pantry is for personal welfare in times of need, and also because it is convenient. I have my own store in the house. I stock up once a year in june. it takes up an entire room in my house.

i don't do coupons or run all over town to try to get one over on the merchant. i have never understood that. nor do i understand having 42 bottles of something you don't want or need but got it because it's free.

[Neeley]

I stockpile to save money. I buy enough of an item when it hits a certain price point or lower (normally 40% of the regular price) to last me until the next time it goes on sale, which is typically 4-8 weeks later. Ninety-nine percent of my stockpile has been built by combining coupons and sales. I do this in order to avoid paying retail as much as possible. Toiletries, household items, food items, etc...are all fair game to me. I have not paid more than fifty cents out of pocket for deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bar soap, dish soap, fabric softener, body wash, shampoos, feminine products, etc...in over ten years.

When we run out of body wash, we just go to the laundry room and get one that only cost us $0.25 off of the shelf rather than having to add it to the grocery list and pay upwards of $2-$3 for one. Same is true for a toothbrush. Time to get a new one? Don't put it on my grocery list so I can spend $2.50 on it. Instead, go to the laundry room and get one that cost me nothing, thanks to coupons and sales.

[MaryCarney]

LK - you do have a stockpile! What you have is what 99% of stockpilers are after.
Those 'extreme couponing' people are the aberration - you are the norm.

[savvy_sniper]

Stock what you eat and eat what you stock. I live in a hurricane prone area so I started out stocking up with two weeks worth of food and other supplies in case of no power, etc.

It evolved from there. I slowly stocked up on things we use regularly when they were on sale, I had coupons, etc. My pantry and freezer are stocked with food that I pretty much paid pennies on the dollar for.

Then its first in, first out (FIFO) so that things are used up before they expire/go bad. I pretty much cook from scratch so I stock up on ingredients and HBAs.

I stretch our food dollars until they scream! I am not an extreme couponer because I don't buy a lot of processed food (that's what most coupons are for).

When money gets tight (and it does from time to time) I can go weeks without going to the store and we pretty much eat normally. I don't have to run to the store to buy one or two things EVER! Since my stockpile is in good shape, I ONLY buy loss leaders when I go to the store.

I NEVER pay full price for anything. All the money I save at the grocery store goes to paying down our debt. We want to be debt free when hubby retires in 6 years.

[Ceashels]

I don't feel as though I have a stock pile but I have a very well stocked pantry of items that we use. Most of what I purchased was done on sale or with coupons and it allows me to have things on hand. I can throw together a myriad of meals without having to run to the store to purchase something specific.

I am stocking up on a few things like flour and sugar since they are staple items but I use them regularly too.

[l8eebugg]

I use coupons if they are for items I normally use only. The coupons I don't use I add to the pile I collect from friends/students and send to Wounded Warriors. My stockpile has saved my behind more than once. This winter I had to put in a new furnace and water heater. No small price tag there. I managed to go 4 months without buying anything but milk and eggs. I also stockpile shampoo, personal items, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, basically have at least 6-9 months of food on hand. I run two freezer and only buy meat when it is the best price I have seen for a long time. I will then buy about 20-30 pounds of whatever it is and freezer wrap it into the sizes we use. I even stockpile pet food and litter. Make my own laundry soap so never buy that. That alone is a huge savings and I like it better. Where do I keep all this? I build a room in my basement with floor to ceiling shelves on one side and cabinets (free) on the other. Freezers line back wall. It is about 10X16. Best thing I ever did. Most of it was build with scrap materials. My friends make fun of me, but I am the one that saves huge amounts and always have what I need on hand.

[hotprincesscm]

I have enough food for probably a couple weeks if I stretched it....I like having plenty of food on hand, especially since I have kids in the house. There is no method to my madness though....I buy things on sale with coupons or on impulse....which I know is bad. I need to work on organizing my pantry and making sure things are rotated properly.

[alotofgooddeals]

if something is on sale and i have coupons that make it 75% off total price then i will buy it...I am trying to get enough food to last for a yearl....I don't clear the shelves...I only go through the line once....not saying that i don't go two to three times during the sale but only through once that day....i see absolutely nothing wrong with it....i use the coupons on items that the coupons are intended to be on and i follow the coupon policies...

[Mom2-3]

I'm not sure I have a stockpile, more like a larger stocked pantry. I do it because we have a large family and are always on the go. I shop once per week and buy what we need first, then if there is money in the budget I buy some extra cans/frozen items, bottles to put in my pantry.

We have an irregular income, so some weeks I don' t have much of a grocery budget. I can use my stockpile/pantry and go to the store for milk, eggs, fruit and veggies. On those weeks, I don't use any money from my EF, everything is paid and I maybe use $25 to feed my family of 5+

[marjorie]

I guess I have trouble figuring out why someone would pay more than they need to for groceries and toiletries. Toiletries bought during sales and using coupons can be obtained for a small price, usually pennies on the dollar. Food that one wants to eat is harder... but I stock canned fruit, paper items, pasta, sauces and the like when I can get it very cheaply. Rotation is a wonderful thing, and so is my balanced budget!

[craftypam]

My dh has a seasonal job so I started stockpiling so I did not have to buy as many groceries when his work is slow. Then I started buying loss leaders at the store every week. Now I am sooooo glad I did this because I have alot of stockpiled groceries that I paid very little money for especially with today's prices. To give you an example; a couple of Saturdays ago; Meijer had miracle whip and kraft dressings on sale if you bought 5 items you got $5 off. I got miracle whip for $1 and Kraft dressing for $.69. I have been telling my adult sons this is one way to save ALOT of money by shopping only the sales.

Another plus; I don't have to keep a strict planned menu because most of the time I have enough groceries that I have several choices as to what to make.

[IntlMom]

I stockpile to save money. I buy enough of an item when it hits a certain price point or lower (normally 40% of the regular price) to last me until the next time it goes on sale, which is typically 4-8 weeks later. Ninety-nine percent of my stockpile has been built by combining coupons and sales. I do this in order to avoid paying retail as much as possible. Toiletries, household items, food items, etc...are all fair game to me. I have not paid more than fifty cents out of pocket for deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bar soap, dish soap, fabric softener, body wash, shampoos, feminine products, etc...in over ten years.

When we run out of body wash, we just go to the laundry room and get one that only cost us $0.25 off of the shelf rather than having to add it to the grocery list and pay upwards of $2-$3 for one. Same is true for a toothbrush. Time to get a new one? Don't put it on my grocery list so I can spend $2.50 on it. Instead, go to the laundry room and get one that cost me nothing, thanks to coupons and sales.

PERFECTLY SAID!!!!!!!

this is me too

[Contrary Housewife]

I started mine when money was tight, buying sale items with our food stamps in order to stretch every penny we were given. I continued it in better times, taking advantage of sales and markdowns so that, like Neely, I never have to pay full price.

And, as my husband often works contract jobs and can spend anywhere from a few weeks to a few months out of work in between, it serves us as a personal food bank during those times when there is no paycheck coming in.

[frugalfriend]

PERFECTLY SAID!!!!!!!

this is me too

This is me three! Although it is getter harder and harder to find the really good deals, at least consistently!