If you have seen the recent stories in the media, you have seen stockpiles of 400 rolls of toilet paper, 30 jars of peanut butter and 80 bottles of shampoo. You may be wondering "Is this how all people who use coupons shop?". "Do I have to clear out a room in order to stockpile to save money?".
The answer (to both questions) is a resounding "NO!".
Most grocery store items are on at least 12-week cycle. That means that if you find something at a rock-bottom price one week, chances are it will be on sale at that price again within the next 12 weeks. You only need to buy enough to last you to the next sale.
Additionally - there are some items which you will always be able to get free or close-to free. Toothpaste can be found for free at one of the 3 drug stores almost every week. Why stock up with 20 free tubes one week when you can get it free the following week?
You may have limited space. Your stockpile should be a great way to keep food in the house that you can use and that you were able to get super-cheap. It should not take OVER your house.
I know that when you are first starting to use coupons, you can get caught up in the "thrill" of getting things free, but try to stay sane. I have to admit, my stockpile got out of control in the beginning, but I quickly reeled myself in when Brad threatened to divorce me if I brought another Johnson's Buddies in the house (he was kidding, but 2 years later, we still have about 30 free bars of Buddies...so he DID have a point!).
Your stockpile is a tool to stretch your budget. It is not something that should be the main source of your happiness. If you get more Warm Fuzzies from looking at your 50 free bottles of Body Wash than you do from looking at your children? That is a SERIOUS problem (although with my kids....some days.....)
How big is your stockpile? How do you manage it?
Diane K.
I have 4 old kitchen cabinets in my basement which is the limit of my stockpile. I also have an upright freezer and extra fridge so I can stockpile in there as well. Last year, when my husband was unemployed, I made good use of my stockpile and am slowly building it back up.
Terra
I agree it is easy to caught up in the beginning, I recently donated a bunch of items that we will indeed never use - I learned quick though and while I do stock a few items at a years worth (when the price is right so I don't have to think about them for a while) most items I buy at 3 months or less! We are a family of three - my stock pile is slim but handy and I save a ton on grocery and household items using coupons and I only spend about 2 hours a week planning for my shopping! It can be done easily if you don't take it to the "extreme!!"
Cheryl
I have to admit, there are times when I do get a little obbsessed with how easily I am able to turn a little bit of money, into a lot of stuff. I do have a few rule that I pride myself on though. One of my most important rules is NOT to be a shelf clearer. Secondly, and much more to the point of why I have become an extreme couponer, "If it's free, or almost free, I get it. If I can't use it...then I donate it!" There are too many people in this world that are in need. If you are like me and have the talent to be able to do what we can do with our coupons, then please donate as much as you are able to. It is soooooo important!
Christina M
I went a lil nuts with my stockpile at first too it was quantity over quality. I loved getting 20 of this and 10 of that. Then I became addicted to donating those over abundant items to those in need and neighbors. Now I still go out and get the free items but I don't always need them so I keep them til a donation is needed of them. I remember my stockpile of toothpaste it reached almost 50 full size tubes! One day I got a call that my church was taking donations for the tornado victims. All of a sudden my stockpile looked like a great opportunity to help as many people as possible. First I took half my stockpile of each item and put it in bags to give away. Then I went back and the items I knew my household didn't need like 20-30 bottles of body wash-We only have a bath tub not a shower so we don't need all of the extra body wash. Then I went through my toiletries. I remembered all of that Stayfree I had gotten in the beginning of the year for free. Especially the scented ones I refuse to use myself and none of my friends wanted. All of the scented stuff is gone as well as half of the entire section of Pads,etc. I truly had enough to last until my daughter started having periods and she's 3 now lol! My husband was happy to see it all go. Especially the toothpaste-I had been banned from buying anymore tp and then I started making money off of it and I was banned to get it even then lol! I donated almost all of my ivory bar soap as well as my other collection of bar soaps. After it was all gone I felt good. Now I still get the freebies but I don't beat myself up about it if I miss out on it because I know that sale will come back around. But I now stockpile not just for my family but those in need. 😀 And it costs me next to nothing but time so how great is that! 😀
Dawn @ Sugar Free Candyland
Great great great post! I am fairly new to couponing and still learning, though I did catch myself going nuts on my stockpile (the wake up call for me was finding that I had no more ROOM for more stock LOL!) While I have curbed my hunger for stockpiling, the hardest thing for me seems to be figuring out WHEN said items are on sale for rock bottem prices! While we have cut our grocery bill by 30-50% (usually closer to 30-40% most times), I still find myself getting things that are on sale one week, using all my coupons on that item, then a couple weeks later seeing that its been marked down even more. FRUSTRATING! I'm almost getting to the point on just "settling" on my little 30-40% savings (which really isnt so bad, I guess... right?!) I don't want, or need, to be an extreme couponer like on the TV show, though, it would be nice to try to figure out the steps people take (in detail? LOL) when they were just starting out, on how they learned to find those rock bottom prices... especially now that I know that typically those prices come around approx. every 2 1/2-3 months! LOL!