My Stockpile's First Photos

[Anna43]

Your stockpile is great considering the limited time and funds in achieving it.

I found the best way to keep my inventory was once I got my stockpile where I wanted it to simply replace what I use. When I open a bag of rice or open a can of fruit, I put it on my grocery list. Other than fresh foods my grocery list is primarly replacing stockpile items used. If I have six bags of rice as my goal, as soon as I have that many I only buy more to replace what's used. It keeps things simple rather than counting and re-counting. Occasionally I miss getting something on my list and run low or even run out. That mainly happens when dh forgets to put the item on the list!!

[Nana2two]

Great Job.I was looking through my pantry and seen that i was very low on some things. So shopping for great deals on peanut butter, tuna,pasta. I have not bought pasta in almost a year because i was able to get almost 60 boxes for free last year of all kinds with coupon which made them free. But when my daughter and grandsons moved out i gave them a 6 week supply of food so it made a small dent in the pantry .But she is on food stamps because she works and goes to school she gets $389 a month.She doesn't buy a bunch of junk. She does get chips and things for grandsons lunch he takes 2x a week the other days he eats hot lunch. .I help out with extra things i get for free or dirt cheap. Like shampoo ,soaps, school supplies ect.

[dcompton]

I think it's a great stockpile. I really laughed at your being caught red-handed by your DH. Ok, so maybe we're all a little strange.

I gave away most of my stockpile when my diet radically changed last spring, but I am identifying things that I can still use and it's beginning to grow again. Like many, I've found some good deals on things I do stock. To me, it looks really unbalanced, but considering what I am "supposed" to be eating now, it really isn't.

I love cranberry beans. I use canned kidneys, but when I'm cooking dry beans, I always choose either the large limas or cranberry. To me, they are similar to but more flavorful than pintos that were never a favorite.

[greekislandgirl]

Okay folks... time for the HBA stockpile!

I'm happy to say that I was able to add to DH's shampoo (while I am very happy to use store brands of HBA stuff, he feels better using name-brand shampoo and stuff). His shampoo has always been €4.80 for a regular bottle. This week I found them for €3.26 and they weren't on sale!!! The price actually WENT DOWN. I know, right?? What on earth?? But here in Greece, everyone and I do mean everyone is abandoning the namebrands to buy the cheaper storebrands, and the only way the brands can compete is to reduce their STUPIDLY high prices. And they are actually doing it. The storebrands aren't getting cheaper, if anything they're creeping up a few pennies every few months, but they're still way cheaper than the storebrands. For comparison, my storebrand shampoo is about €1 where his is still €3.26. But as a man with a little bald spot he is very insecure about his hair so you know it HAS to be the name brand. Anyway here it is: (scroll to the bottom to see the photo)

HBA Stockpile:

5 bath sponges
22 deodorants (regular price €4.50, I paid €0.83)
7 full size dental floss, 3 trial size
12 wisp purse toothbrushes (these are from my traveling days)
16 razors
2 tubes of alcohol hand soap
8 x 200 cotton swabs (can't get a larger package here)
4 tubes of DH's expensive toothpaste
1 tube of my cheapo toothpaste
2 bottles of baby powder
17 of those tablet things for the toilet bowl
3 bottles of high SPF sunscreen
1 bottle mouthwash
1 bottle alcohol (this is more for our plant's spider mite wash)
4 x 150 baby wipes
1 L hand soap
4 bottles of my shampoo
4 large bottles body wash and 1 opened one (I decant it into a smaller bottle so it's still "stockpile" in my mind)
2 small bottles body wash
5 bottles DH's shampoo
and way in the back is a 4 L bottle of dishwashing liquid that I just bought - the last one I bought in August 2010 and I still have 1 L left - those foamers are amazing! (And this year I'll be using much less as I have a dishwasher.)

My estimate is that the deodorant will last us 4 years, the body wash 2.5 years, my shampoo 4 years, DH's shampoo 3 years, baby powder 5 years, hand soap 6 months (but I have another one that's almost full in use now - this goes in foamers also), the sponges 3 years (we don't really replace them that often), DH's toothpaste 1 year, alcohol hand gel 2 years (we only use it when the water is cut off at the house really), Wisp thingies forever, dental floss 2 years.

This has helped me see that I need more of the following:

DH's mouthwash (he's using the last bottle)
my toothpaste
razors
hand soap
baby wipes at some point in the next few months (maybe TMI but I use 1 baby wipe instead of a lot of TP and it works out cheaper)

Not bad!! I have two €6 coupons for the supermarket to use tomorrow and I wasn't sure what to get... I have to spend €15 to apply the €6 and they expire tomorrow so I'll use both and spend €30 - €12 = €18. Unfortunately DH's mouthwash is only sold at pharmacies and is REALLY expensive (€7 for a bottle that lasts him 3 weeks!!!!).

That's the stockpile!! I put it all away and made some more room and I'm feeling pretty good about it. We are extremely slow HBA users (short hair, not sweaty people, DH doesn't shave (uses electric), we foam everything).

[jacqueline]

impressive! i like how you have figured what's going to last how long and what you still need to complete the stockpile. thanks for sharing and posting the pic.