Clipper-winner of Why do you stockpile contest!

[~~Who,Me?~~]

I was motivated by this thread to start a contest on here.

Besides saving money for your family, why do you stockpile? Who benefits besides you & your family?

Tell us why you stockpile, between now and September 15, and then I'll use one of those online random number generators to pick a winner. Winner gets an envie full of coupons and other goodies. You can enter as many times as you wish. Number generator will be used to pick a random number, and I'll align that with a post number.

My answer:

So far this calendar year, I have raised almost $200 in BTFE for my son's school! So all that Warm Delights that I gave away....well worth it to receive those $5 certificates. Not to mention, I have two big diaper boxes (courtesy of amazon) that I emptied and refilled with school/office supplies to donate! And once a month I send in items from the wishlist, whether it be crackers or batteries.

Short answer: I stockpile to donate to my son's school.

[WVMAMA]

Because of two brothers who are on disability, initally. Then, my other brother was laid off from his job over a year ago. At 59, he is having much difficulty finding a new job and has children the same age as mine. So in short, I started stockpiling to help my family.

[saving-n-va]

For my dd in grad school, for my ds deployed in Iraq, for anyone I hear of that needs something that I have.

As someone has said on the other thread that this is linked to...I'm starting to look at it as a ministry. First to TEACH others how to sensibly stockpile (with or w/o coupons), and second to be able to just grab from what I have to help someone in need.

I also send a box or two to family in another state that helps residents of a county home that really don't have much of anything, Operation Christmas Child, and the local community center also get items.

I've been on the "other end" and blessed by others generosity...so its my turn to give back.

[mrsjschultz]

For my own personal sanity as well as our budget :)

I have 2u2 and another on the way to making it 3u3. We also live very rural and having to take the little ones into town and shopping, isn't always the easiest, nor the most pleasant experience.

When there are good deals to be had I try to get in on it as much as I can, that way we are stocked (case in point: Amazon diapers again =D) This also helps out in winter when, again, the last thing I want to do is brave a Northern MI white out :)

[Clipper]

I live in a house that is converted to apartments. Whenever I get a new neighbor I make up a great big welcome grocery tote bag with food, hba, paper products, and household goods. It gets the neighbor relationship off to a great start. I've moved so many times I know how expensive it is and how hard it is to find all those random things you packed.

I stockpile to be a good neighbor.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Outside of saving money and having food and other necessities on hand in case of an emergency or financial crisis (I view my stockpile as a sort of emergency fund, I like to have a years worth of money in my EF as well as in my stockpile if I can)

But I also have some charities that I try to help with when I can. The local food bank gets most of my food donations, the Animal Shelter when I can get some good deals on pet stuff and my favorite charity is the Women's Resource center which provides help to women who have an unplanned pregnancy. They try to offer them resources other than abortion such as adoption and keeping the baby and I love their program that offers classes to women who decide they want to keep their babies, they can take various classes on child care, CPR, job training etc and by attending these classes the women earn baby bucks where they can buy new baby items such as clothes, bedding, diapers, baby food, etc. So whenever I can get a great deal on baby items I donate there. They also offer counseling to women who decide to get an abortion or put up their baby for adoption and I think that is great. I am pro-choice in my personal beliefs but I don't wish for anyone to choose abortion but I like to support this center for giving alternatives and really working with the women through a very tough decision.

There are also some families we know that we have helped with from time to time. My favorite are friends of my oldest DD. They really had a rough go of it with a mother who was a meth addict and they lived in deplorable conditions (no heat and in WY you just cannot have heat) and no food. They boys are now all grown up and are doing OK but they have a special place in my heart.

Giving liberates the soul and I firmly believe that what you put out into the world you get back, both good and bad.

[cintinative]

I stockpile to save money but also so that we don't run out of critical items. We have this tendency to go at a steady pace with something like tissues, and then we all get sick, and wham-o, we go through six plus boxes in one week. I remember last year that I stockpiled something like 60 boxes of tissues. I thought maybe it would last us a couple years. Nope. Try less than one! I guess my allergies are worse than I thought. LOL. Selfishly I would also say it is nice to take one thing off the check off list every week. It is nice to not have to worry about needing more dish detergent, or fabric softener, or spaghetti. Planning meals and such is so much easier that way too. =)

I also really do like to stockpile to help families in need. We have a family in our church with 18 children (15 of them adopted special needs) and I like to send extra basics their way like cereal, pasta, etc. I also like that I can just throw some stuff together for the food bank when they are running low on something.

[vickilmp]

I am a single mom on disabilty, no child support. DS turned 17 last week. while we waited 3 years fighting for my disability, we survived on foodsamps and welfare..3 years!! barely getting by, and once we needed food before the stamps arrived, and a kind couple helped us out.DS needed tennis shoes for gym, his were so bad, he was not allowed to participate until he got new ones, again, a kind person bought him some new shoes. Now, we help OTHERS..the local animal shelter every other month..last month, over $210 in food, i paid less than $20 in tax only..also we give to food banks, and adopt a family each month we hear or are told about and supply a weeks worth of HBA/foods to get them by..EVERY month...good for my son to see we are paying back, and paying forward while we can now. I also started a local coupon group, now in 10 months time up to 25 strong, and we act like a support group...we help each other..one member had DH in hospital, no income, very serious lung prob, out of work for 2 months, we all gave from our stockpiles to get them by. and in turn, lots of our members now do as we do, they see that they can get enough with using coupons to donate to good causes, so it just multiplies the more people we get and teach, the more the community benefits..so in short,..................

I coupon because it CHANGES LIVES

[Clipper]

I tip my landlord with a bag of stockpile goodies every month when I pay the rent. He has made major improvements to the property since I've been here and had his property tax go up, but he hasn't raised my rent. So I usually give him about $10-20 worth of product and it only costs me a few bucks, if that. According to him I am "the best tenant ever."

I've also tipped service people with stockpile goodies, like the cable guy and the electricians. Now I wasn't paying the electricians but they cleaned up after themselves, vacuumed, and took my trash out.


I stockpile to show my appreciation to others.

[lamezquita0308]

I stockpile for the following reasons:

1. In Louisiana we have many hurricanes and storms that pass through here. It is the worst to have to evacuate and stay in a hotel or camp for days or weeks and not have the right soap or shampoo, or snacks for the kids. Now I can bring whatever I want and not have to keep buying.

2. To help my grandma who is living on social security. I like to save her money so she can use it for something else for herself. She does not drive so if I find a good deal I share what coupons I have with her.

3. To help my other grandma who has diabetes. She loves the meter Qs and any coupons for sugar free things.

4. I also give to the churches near my house or to anyone that I see that is in need, such as people that live near me or people my DH works with that are just trying to make ends meet.

Thanks for the great contest.