Building Your Stockpile: Stockpiling 101

[MrsPinecone]

We have a lot of newbies here, and we're glad to see 'em! Welcome to everyone!

The concept of a stockpile seems to be getting a bit lost in translation, and I thought I would take this opportunity to clear up the concept.

The first thing that you need to know is that building a stockpile should not negatively affect your budget!

The whole concept is one of savings! Do not neglect the overall savings in favor of stocking up on individual items.

If the current hot deal is for something that you will not use a lot of, exercise some restraint and look for the deals on things that your family uses every week. Don't end up paying full price for everything else because you spent all of your time and energy getting 20 widgets that you won't use for 2 months or more.

What is a stockpile, anyway?

A stockpile is, in its most basic form, having a backup for every item that you use on a regular basis. It's not something that you go out and buy all at once, and say "Voila! I have a stockpile!" OK, technically, yeah. You could do it that way, but where are the savings?

A stockpile is built one item at a time, not bought.

Let's take as an example a generic Hot Coupon Newbie.

They have read through the Couponing 101 thread, and have grasped the concept that they need multiple coupons. They have gotten them into their hot little hands. Now what?

Hot Coupon Newbie has a cat. The cat needs cat litter. From reading the boards, HCN knows that Tidy Cats litter will be on sale at Stop & Shop for $1 a 10 lb bag this week. HCN looks in the coupon file, and has 10 x $1.00/1 coupons for litter. They get all 10 bags free after coupons!

This is HCNs very first stockpile item! It may be the ONLY item added to their stockpile this week, but the stockpile has been born!

Next week, HCN sees that Campbell's Select Soup is on sale 4/5.00 or $1.25 each. They have 12 x $.50/1 coupons in hand that their store will double. This makes each can (normally $2.39 each) only $.25 each that week. HCN buys 12 with coupons, spending $3.00 for $28.68 worth of soup and adding item #2 to their stockpile.

The third week, HCN may not find anything worthy of their newly established stockpile! They just use coupons for the things they actually need to buy that week, and still save 50% or more, which is just fine.

The fourth week is a bonanza! There is a deal on cereal at thier store. The Post cereals are on sale at $1.50 a box, our newbie has $1.00/2 coupons, and there is a rebate! HCN spends $15.00 on 10 boxes of cereal, uses 5 x $1.00/2 coupons, and brings the cost down to $10.00. They then send off for the $10.00 rebate, making all 10 boxes free! Another stockpile item! AND another store has Mahatma rice packages on sale for $.50 each. Our newbie has coupons for $.50/2 that double, and they have 20 coupons. This translates into 40 packs of rice for nothing, and adds item #4 to the stockpile.

As stated in the Couponing 101 thread, there is no reason that you need to start stockpiling flat-out, no holds barred. If you have budget constraints, which you are likely to if you want to coupon in the first place, start out by designating $20.00 a month toward your stockpile. When that's gone, you only go after the things that you can get for free.

Many of the hard core couponers will tell you-- it takes between 6 and 9 months to get a stockpile established and on its way to being self-sustaining. Even then, you sometimes miscalculate and run out of things.

How do I know how much of something to stockpile?

Family Usage: To begin with, figure out how large a supply you want to have on hand-- 3 months? 6 months? A year? Then, determine how much of a given item your family uses each week or month.

EX: Family goes through 2 boxes of cereal each week. You want a 6 month cereal supply on hand. Six months = 26 weeks x 2 boxes/week= 52 boxes of cereal.

Unless is is a spectacular deal (like free), you will not buy all 52 boxes in one week! Build up to 52. Ten one week, and 15 the next time there is a cereal deal.

Read over the sales cycle thread. Things go on sale at regular intervals, which helps you to determine how much of any given item to have on hand. If you can't store a year's worth of cereal at one time, figure out how many boxes it will take to tide you over until the next time there will be fantastic cereal sales and rebates!

Stockpiling is an ongoing process, not an end in itself.

Just because you got free cat litter doesn't mean you will pass up the next Tidy Cats sale. You are never "finished" with a stockpile, because as soon as you get a full supply of one item, you will run low on another.

For some reason it seems there are always some items you can never find a good enough deal on to stockpile. One example is paper towels. For some reason, one of our hard-core couponers has not found a really good deal on paper towels in years. She never has more than a 6pk of them in the house.

Brand loyalty is another reason that the stockpiling process may be off kilter. Although brand loyalty is a rare thing among couponers, for some things you just won't compromise! You may overbuy by normal standards if you know it's the only brand that you will use, and it doesn't often go on sale.

Don't consider the ultra-mega-monster packs of something from Sam's or Costco a "stockpile"!

90% of the time, purchasing in bulk at a warehouse store is not the least expensive option. Don't buy to stockpile from one, except for things you really can't get great deals for on a regular basis. Even then, don't buy at stockpile levels, just buy a big enough pack to get you through until you DO find the super deal elsewhere.

A few things are really inexpensive there, but quite a few things are just "cheaper than regular price" and are just tide-you-over buys, and are not stockpile-worthy.

Keeping control of your stockpile!

Control? What? Why would you want to do something crazy like that! I can get 200 of them for free! I'll take all I can get.

There are several reasons to keep a handle on the ol' stockpile.

1. Space: Don't let your stockpile take over. Sacrificing the comfort of your family and making daily life difficult is not the goal of a stockpile. If things get uncomfortable, you have probably bought too much.

2. Safety and Expiration Dates: We have threads on the expiration dates of various products. A deal isn't a deal unless you are actually going to use the item before it spoils. Ask yourself how much of a product your family can reasonably use in a given time frame, and STOP when you have that amount.

3. Nomadic Lifestyle: This applies most to military families, but also certain other careers where frequent moves are necessary.

Not only do they have weight limits for how much you can move, but the moving companies also have restrictions on what you can move. No perishables, since containers can be in storage for 6 months to a year. Nothing flammable. No cleaning supplies. No batteries, etc. You can see that it can get very expensive to get rid of a large stockpile of these items.

The best way to stockpile in the military is to have a 3 to 6 month supply of items, instead of the 1 to 2 year supply a non-military family might have.

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Copyright 2006-2009 MrsPinecone @ HCW. Permission to quote or repost is denied.

[Rapunzel]

I'm still a bit confused about stockpiling. In the past I've only used coupons on my regular weekly/monthly grocery shopping. It seems as if there's always a sale/deal, isn't there?

Please explain, I must be missing something.

Thanks so much!

[flash]

Originally Posted by Rapunzel I'm still a bit confused about stockpiling. In the past I've only used coupons on my regular weekly/monthly grocery shopping. It seems as if there's always a sale/deal, isn't there? Please explain, I must be missing something. Thanks so much!

There's always "a sale", but that doesn't get you significant savings. Stockpiling is about stockpiling the savings. So if Ragu is on sale for $2 a jar and you have a 20 cent coupon, just buy for an emergency. If it's on sale for $1 and you have multiple $1 coupons, buy as many as you can for FREE.

Deep sales cycles on items are approximately 3 months at any given store. So if you can pass up the barely-reduced prices and wait it out for a great price, stock up, then use what you have until other great sale comes along, you start seeing the savings.

It takes 3 - 6 months, even longer, to build up a significant stockpile. But once you have filled your pantry for free, you can "shop" out of your own pantry for your week's meals, and use the store for free or nearly free, and perishable items.

[Rapunzel]

*nodding* Thank you, Marie, I think I'm starting to get it. So, I have a bunch of coupons that are going to expire at the end of the month. If I don't find a really good bargain, do I just let the coupons go? Or settle for an "ok" deal?

Thanks again!

[too-old-now]

Originally Posted by Rapunzel I'm still a bit confused about stockpiling. In the past I've only used coupons on my regular weekly/monthly grocery shopping. It seems as if there's always a sale/deal, isn't there? Please explain, I must be missing something. Thanks so much!

Yes, there almost always are deals on SOMETHING, but not EVERYTHING. Following the example above, let's talk about the cereal. Let's suppose it usually costs $4 per box, and goes on a great sale roughly 4 times per year, for $1.50 per box. Then, after the coupons and rebates, you're getting if free or nearly free.

If you missed the great sale, then another good sale may come along, say for $2 per box, somewhere in the remaining few weeks. If you need more, go get some. Part of the trick is trying to figure out how much you will use before you run out.

As suggested above, read over the sales cycle thread. It will help you figure out when is the best time of year to buy certain items. For example, flour and sugar go on sale a lot in the coming weeks, due to holiday baking, etc. It usually does not go on sale after Xmas until close to Easter. So, if you will use it, it's often a good idea to stock up in the coming weeks.

Last, I wanted to echo the praise to Mrs. P for summarizing this - I have shown it to a quite a friends who wonder how I do so well.

[flash]

Originally Posted by Rapunzel *nodding* Thank you, Marie, I think I'm starting to get it. So, I have a bunch of coupons that are going to expire at the end of the month. If I don't find a really good bargain, do I just let the coupons go? Or settle for an "ok" deal? Thanks again!

Good question. That gets to NEED and "coupon quality" :rolleyes:

An example. My husband guzzles Ensure and protein drinks. So, we need to always have "some".

Ensure is $9 here. If I have a $4 coupon and no sale, consider the price. He has to have SOME, but generally when one coupon expires another comes out soon. So I might buy one to get through. $5

If there is a clearance of Ensure, $5 price, but no coupons, again, buy what I need to get through.

When there is a clearance on Ensure at $5, and I have $4 coupons...beg for coupons and buy as many at "free" as you can. I have at least 30 multipacks right now.

I also have a back up plan...Boost is similar to Ensure, and the sales cycles alternate. One is on sale, then the other, back and forth. (same with ice creams, tv dinners, etc.). So if Boost is a great deal and Ensure is high, I'll stockpile the Boost and DH can alternate what he drinks.

Now...if it's a 55 cent coupon, it will go into the recycle bin without a sale. NEVER use coupons just to use them.

An example: Boost has a $2 coupon out there. Many stores are having rebates of $2 on Boost. But...the Boost Glucose Control is $12 or more. So, with the coupon it's still expensive. Rebates are usually limit of one. So, wait for the excitement to die down, as well as the price. (disclaimer, yes, I know the difference for diabetics, but it's an example).

[Rapunzel]

Thanks so much! So, for example: I was in Winn Dixie today and saw that many of the items I have coupons for are on sale. Not fabulous sales where I'll get the item for free, but on sale nonetheless. Do I buy one each of the item? Of course they are things that we normally use.

Thanks again, I appreciate the help!

[too-old-now]

Originally Posted by Rapunzel Thanks so much! So, for example: I was in Winn Dixie today and saw that many of the items I have coupons for are on sale. Not fabulous sales where I'll get the item for free, but on sale nonetheless. Do I buy one each of the item? Of course they are things that we normally use. Thanks again, I appreciate the help!

If you are just starting out stockpiling, and can afford to buy one extra of all of the items that are on sale, go for it. It will save over what you have been regularly spending without sales and coupons.

Then, presumably next week, you won't have to spend on these same items, when something else will be on sale.

[Rapunzel]

Originally Posted by too-old-now If you are just starting out stockpiling, and can afford to buy one extra of all of the items that are on sale, go for it. It will save over what you have been regularly spending without sales and coupons. Then, presumably next week, you won't have to spend on these same items, when something else will be on sale.

That makes sense, I think I can start out that way. Thank you!

Being a total Rookie, I still don't understand the whole multiple coupon idea, all the places I've shopped at for "want" items, only allow 1 coupon at a time and they cannot be combined with any other offer, see I work at OfficeMax in a customer service call center and we won't let anyone use multiple coupons or combine coupons with even a sale item. But then again office supplies are not neccessarily needs anyway. Also how do I know when stores will double or triple your coupons? I love the idea of having a stockpile of food. It has been very depressing for me to have my kids ask for something to eat and I have only a few things if any to give them. Having a stockpile would really help my self esteem I think.