[carlyd]

I used to do this a LONG time ago, and am starting up again.

Basically, you buy a staple item only when it's on sale--and hopefully also with a coupon--and buy enough to last until the next time it comes on sale.

The problem I always had was figuring out how often a particular item went on sale, and how much I used in between.

The book I originally read about this in (back in the 80s?), the family used this with every single item. So a shopping trip might be 15 pounds of hamburger, 25 cans of something, and then whatever fresh fruit/vegetables for the week.

I'm trying to do this with things that I know I'll always use--I'd hate to have 40 cans of broccoli soup when I decide that I can no longer stand that flavor. So with non-food items, I'm trying for a year's supply each.

Has anyone tried this?

 

[Spirit Deer]

I've done that for years, in an informal way.

It's fairly easy to predict sales for a lot of items, based on what time of year it is. For example, grill foods like steak, brats, hamburger, ribs, etc will usually be on sale around the big 3 summer holiday weekends, along with stuff to go with grill foods, like canned baked beans, potato chips, etc. Junk food will be on sale around events like New Year's, Super Bowl, or other party events. Turkey, ham, baking supplies, and toilet paper will be on sale around Thanksgiving and Christmas, fish and seafood around Lent. Truckload sales of things like canned vegetables will happen in fall, at harvest time. Apples and other fresh fruits and veggies will be at their lowest prices then too.

Prices will change based on fluctuations in the supply chain. That can be harder to predict. If there's a glut of a product, that can drive prices down. Prices will go up if there is a crop failure or other problems with production.

Staples like flour, sugar, carrots, apples, etc are on sale every couple of weeks.

I think flexibility is more important than keeping huge quantities of foods on hand, although there are exceptions. I have a short list of foods to which we have brand loyalty. Otherwise, one brand of canned tomatoes is pretty much the same as any other brand, so I buy the cheapest, same with flour, sugar, etc. National brands with a coupon are often still more expensive than house brands. If my favorite type of apples are not on sale, I buy the type that us.

Cooking from scratch cuts way down on required storage space and on having to keep track of as many items. It also helps assure food gets used up in a timely manner so it's fresher. If you bake and cook from scratch, you don't need boxes and boxes of convenience foods to store. It's also cheaper and often healthier.

After a while, it becomes habitual to recognize when certain types of foods will go on sale.

 

[dlrcpa]

I'm placing larger orders from Target (free shipping) for items that are specifically cheaper there. Their brand of canned pineapple for example. Dog food. I have limited storage space and live pretty close to 3 large grocery retailers. But for certain items a large order makes sense and saves.

I admit I have had problems with their packing though, half the cans arrive dented. And I'm afraid of buying liquid like laundry detergent in case it breaks and soaks through the boxes of pasta or similar.

 

[RABBIT]

Yes, I have been doing this for years also. I try to think ahead also and if I know I will be needing something, I will add it to my grocery list weeks ahead of time and keep looking to see if it goes on sale. Nine out of ten times it will and I can buy it for the sale price. I also shop weekly sale items and build my menu plans around them.

 

[marthamfi]

not a years worth but like others watch the sales and prices. lots of things like clockwork. I know when it is a great deal and stock up on things we use a lot. or even if it one case a year like campbells tomato soup. somethings like tp are always on sale so don't have to worry about getting deals. also keep an eye out for discounts.

 

[ermadunk]

Going through pantry today to see if i have the right numbers of things some time i forget to mark things off that i take out.So now i know what needs go on Feb.grocery list.Down to 6 items with just 1 but 1 or more items want be going on my list at this time.

 

[NikoSan999]

Before the recession 2008 I kept about 6 months worth and was glad I did when it hit. 2009 and 2010 were really bad years for us. We filed bankruptcy in 2010 a chapter 13 which is a payback for 5 years. Hard years. Using what was in the stockpile along with what I could sale and coupon for really helped us survive. We lost everything including house.

So yeah... I'm a firm believer in stockpiling what you'll eat, what you can afford and what you have room for. I don't have the room I had before and can't afford to stock very fast but I have a decent amount. I'm stockpiling different than I did before. Less box stuff than before as it doesn't get used as quick as I thought it would. Doing more canned and paper & HBA stuff. Want to get back up to 6 months to maybe a year on the paper & HBA as it doesn't go bad. I'm doing box food but not in the same quanity. Food probably 6 months.

He'll retire sometime this year as will I. It's going to be rough as we lost everything in the bankruptcy so anything I can stockpile before that happens will be a help.

I use coupons and sales to my advantage and here in Florida the main stores do Buy One Get One Free... although Buy 2 Get 1 Free is getting more and more common unfortunately. Florida is a true coupon state. You can use a coupon even on the free product plus store coupon. Hit it lucky and you can get almost free if not totally free.

So in answer to your question yes.... I'm a firm believer in stockpiling. In fact this reminds me I need to post in the What Have You Added To Your Stockpile thread. It's been awhile.

 

[mndtrp]

I do this, although not generally a year's worth of anything. The main things we eat I'll have enough to get through to the next sale. Toiletries and cleaning supplies I'll usually just wait until I'm nearly out, and then find the best deal over the next week or three before purchasing a decent amount.

 

[CPA-Kim]

I don't really have a system but, when I'm shopping, if I see something I always use such as All Free and Clear and it's buy one get one free, I stock up. Things that I buy that routinely go on sale are paper products, cheese, and some canned goods. When soup is buy one get one free, I get some for our food pantry at church.