When is enough...Enough?

[rachellepeters]

Ok, just a question for those with the beautiful stockpiles. I've just started this fun adventure and have started getting my free stockpile built up, it's really fun and I love see all my free food etc. I don't feel bad about having lots of free glade sense and sprays, candles, deo's etc....I can sell those at a sale or something. But my question is when I look at some of these extreme stockpiles...which are awesome. I wonder. When is enough, enough?

20+ Ketchups, 20 bottles of salad dressing? 40 toothbrushes? 500 paper plates, 300 rolls of toilet paper? Some of these pantries have more items than my entire CVS...which is awesome, it's amazing to see. But for those of you who have an outrageous amount in your pantry. When do you stop passing up the deals? Do you ever look and begin to wonder how in the world you'll go thru 20 bottles of ketchup and when you get to the end do you think...is this even still good?

I'm just wondering where my mind set will be 6 months from now when I have a true stockpile built up and then keep wanting to get more. I can't wait to hear all your expert thoughts on this....you gals are really amazing!

BTW...my BF was laughing at my 10 boxes of mac and cheese, and 20 Hunts, and 6 Ragus...etc. thinking I was going overboard. Then I said HONEY...we don't have much at all, check out these gals stuff, he about crapped at the photos lol

[kval07]

I think it depends. I don't stockpile things I won't use unless I know I can donate them or they are moneymakers. We go through ketchup like crazy. Paper plates I'll stock up on forever because they don't go bad and you can always use them. And if I could stockpile every roll of TP in the universe I would. I have less than 20 4packs of TP left and I'm feeling the heat because it hasn't come around for free for me in a LONG time. The thought of having to pay with green money instead of coupons for TP makes me get a pit in my stomach. I might hurl when the point comes that I actually have to do it.

Once you have a stockpile of things, you can hold out on the so-so deals and only get things for free. Some people just do it for the thrill. Its awesome to see how much stuff you can get for pennies!

[everprincess]

This all depends on the # of people in your family and how much you use. Personally I have 20+ bottles of ketchup (DS,DH and me go through it like water and I have only seen one Heinz Ketchup q in my life!), 10 or so salad dressings (again summer time we have salad every night), toothbrushes not so much, 100 paper plates (not expiring any time soon lol), 100+ rolls of tiolet paper, 75 boxes of mac n cheese (DH could live off the stuff), 30 Ragus (0.42 a bottle I couldn't resist). The other thing is I plan my menus off what we have. So I see alot of spaghetti and homemade pizza in the future for us. My mom thinks I'm crazy (calls this hoarding) but she doesn't not coupon or stockpile. She pays full price oh the horror! I have been stockpiling for a little over a year now and the only thing I had that was going out of date was cereal. I donated to a family who needed it before it expired. So it's really up to you how extreme you want to do it.

[daisydog215]

Enough is enough when it is enough for you. While I, too, am impressed when looking at others' stockpile photos, I keep in mind that most of us with more modest/manageable stock generally do not post pictures. Also, check out the thread about the worst item everyone stockpiled in 2009. You'll see that many folks ended up needing to give away items before they expired or bought a lot and then found out they weren't fond of it.

My advice is to stockpile enough to get you to the next sales cycle while watching the expiration dates on the packages. That will take some time to learn. Also, stockpile the products that you use often. Some will criticize me for saying this, but don't buy something you can't use or donate just to get the high of getting a deal. And it definitely is a high. There isn't a prize at the end. You'll find what works for you.

You probably always will want more. We all do. Start donating at that point if not earlier.

Early on, I probably spent more on building my stockpile than I needed to. Just becasue I was anxious to get a lot at once and didn't have a firm grip on what my best price would eventually be. You'll learn to be more discriminate as time goes on.

[lovesavingmoney]

I haven't been at this as long as most of these gals-guys but I have a large stockpile of everything you can imagine. I never pass up deals if I'll use it.. I too can not have enough tp!!! I have tons but I never want to pay full price again, so I will keep getting it as long as possible.I have one room dedicated to my stockpile and I will not stop as long as that room is not full..lol I can never get enough makeup either. I keep getting it as long as it is cheap or free.. I guess I still remember the days that I was running out of things and now that I have learned to use coupons, I vow to never run out of these two things again..

[enginerd]

It is a learning process to know how much is enough - it is different for everyone. I've learned that I don't want to get more than we can use in a year or two for most things because they go bad. My limit on paper products is based on my storage space available. I have passed up many items that were totally free due to lack of need and storage. When you start stockpiling you start paying more attention to how many of each particular item you go through in a month or year.

[meems]

I buy (and store) for us, 3 at home, sometimes 2, but DD is usually home every weekend, so pretty much 3. For my DD & her DF & his 2 kids, for my paper guy, sometimes for my old paper lady & her family (if she can get inserts, she's part time now), my nephew & his DF who moved near us recently. So that is a total of 14 people, that doesn't count donations, giving to friends & my stockpile sales. I LOVE to be able to invite people in & put bags in their hands! DD's friends..OMG Starving college kids are VERY appreciative..I give away an incredible amt. of my stock..I have the room to store it, I have the time & really enjoy the thrill of the chase.

Last year in stockpile sales I made $6,000, I have regulars that I email to let them know about my upcoming sales, I did an email order only sale this winter not counted in that total, it was a new thing for me..I sent pictures & pricing on maybe 15 items that I was overstocked on that I was ready to move out, they emailed their order, I packed it up left it by the door, they left money under the mat, it was great for all!

[QponClippinQueen]

Meems I heart you! I wanna do that with my stock but I don't know enough people lol.

[faeryedark]

Toilet Paper, Papertowels, toothbrushes, paperplates, tissues (any paper products or things that won't ever go bad)...if it's free or a money maker, I have no limit.
Things that have along exp. date...pretty much the same
Shorter exp. dates, I use my best judgement, based on what we normally consume and if I know I can get it free or really cheap regularly.
I try and rotate and donate when things get within a couple of montha of exp.

[2mnyteens]

I have 3 living at home and 2 daughters on their own. They regularly shop in Mom's closets :) I also have a huge extended family and great friends who love getting surprise bags of goodies. I share my bounty as long as I have enough for us.