Things we should be buying now...and why

[XUfan]

The recent HCW newsletter, "Five Grocery Items We Think You Need to Buy NOW" was very interesting, and started me thinking about my stockpile. Are there other things that I should be grabbing right now, while the price is low, and the supply is there? Let's face it...one of the reasons we stockpile is to head-off the rising price of certain items, and get them while they're still affordable.

So, with hotcouponmama's permission, I copied and pasted her newsletter here. I'm hoping that other members will share their knowledge to help us all. Maybe you read an article that should be shared...or maybe you know someone who has the inside scoop! Remember recently, when the detergent companies decided to go with a more concentrated formula, and smaller bottles. As couponers, we read the article and thought, "Clearance on the big bottles!!"

Let us know what you know...and we'll all save!! To get us started, here's the newsletter:

I haven't been shopping in awhile for my family. It's been nice to have a stockpile I can rely on and it's certainly helped us combat high grocery prices. But this week, I ran out of toothpaste, which prompted me to really look at my stockpile and get a sense of what I need to buy. I compared some critical shortage items in my pantry to what's going on in the commodities market.

This issue has five grocery items you should be stocking up on while the prices are seasonally low. Next year, these same items are predicted to be outrageously expensive.

Five Must-Stock Grocery Items for you to BUY NOW while they are at Seasonal Low Prices

Flour: If you bake or cook, there's no getting around having flour in your cupboard. World wheat shortages we experienced this year are not going to let up in 2009. The current price of a 5# bag of Gold Medal flour in my area is $4.59 a bag. It's nearly doubled in two years. This week and next, stores are selling flour as a loss leader with prices as low as $1.50 for a 5# bag of white flour. In a sealed bag, flour can last upwards of 18 months. Now would be a good time to buy what you need for the year if you can store it. Watch for additional promotions like Safeway's baking promo where you get a money off "on your next order" coupon for spending $30.

Sugar: Another commodity that's increasing in price. For the same seasonal reasons as the flour, white, brown and powered sugars are at the lowest annual retail prices.

Beef, Pork, and Poultry: USDA is still predicting that there is going to be a huge increase in the price of livestock due to the increased cost of grain feed. Tis the season to stock up on meat for next year. With the holiday's approaching, deals on turkey and beef in particular, are going to be pretty decent, although no way near 2006 lows of $2.99 a pound for whole rib roasts. However, $4.99 a pound, which is where I think it will go, is a good price given the economy for a choice cut of beef, which you can have the butcher cut into steak-size portions and save over half the price when you buy whole versus pre-cut. The same is true of whole pork loin roasts which we'll see sporadically for $1.99 per pound. Buy the whole thing and save, because the prices are going to shift high next year. Note, you can get a printable coupon for turkey here on the third page!

Paper and Paper Products: Ok, while paper itself isn't a grocery item, many of us use it to print coupons on. And as much as I'd like to be a bit "greener" in my life, with three boys, paper products are a fact of life. A little tip-off from a friend of mine who is a buyer for one of the national retail chains many of us love....the price of paper next year is going to double. She's doing the buying for six months from now, and that's what their pricing has done. So if you see deals on paper, and paper products, you might consider grabbing them while you can. This is one where I don't have a "why" behind the price increase, but I trust my buyer-friend's judgement on this one.


Pastas/Grain Sides: It's my prediction that in order to hold current prices on pastas and grain-based side dishes (think Rice-A-Roni and Hamburger Helper) that we're going to see package size cuts, particularly in the pasta aisle. Packages that are currenly 16 ounces will likely be 12-ounce packages by the end of 2009. The price of wheat is the cause for that. Pasta has a wonderfully long shelf life of 2-3 years if stored properly. And towards Christmas, we'll see some good sales for pasta. So keep your eyes open and be ready to stock up when the sales hit.

[shelleyf]

Thank you for sharing. You just reminded me to go get the sugar this week at Kroger. lol I am trying to stock up as much as possible, but am broke so it is hard to do. Thanks to all the great HCW members sharing ideas helps tremendously.

[Merczilla]

Safeway (if you have one) was cheaper on the 5lb bags of C&H sugar this past week than Kroger. In my area (and my prices are higher than yours) was 2/$6 while Safeway was/is 2/$5. So I've gotten 35lbs of white sugar this past week. I usually buy my brown sugar in 25lb bags from one of my local boys.

I had ordered a 25lb bag of Bob's Red Mill flour from Fred Meyer. I prefer that flour as it's almost organic and I prefer Bob's as I'm pretty confident of where their products come from, unlike Conagra products that may come from questionable sources. Fred's called yesterday and said it was in. I didn't get out till late in the evening and they didn't have the 25lb bag, but had a 50lb one. After we checked as much as we could that it wasn't someone else's bag, I went ahead and took it. Yeah, it's more expensive ($40 for the 50lb), but it's the brand I prefer. So I'm stocked for a little while. The last 25lb bag I bought late August I think, so I go through it faster than I thought. lol

[nmeadows0101]

I did get some sugar at the last lowes food triples it is in freezer.
I need to start on flour and cornmeal , which I may get at aldi's.
Aldi's seems to be cheaper than anywhere right now.

I am curious to see what everyone thinks we should stock up on based on the information above.
Thank you xufan for starting this thread!
I hope there is a lot of good information that gets posted.
I hate the rising of prices.

oh this reminds me , My brother went and bought shells bc we shot over 500 rounds(2 bx) for 13.00 sat.
He bought them not me. He was told at walmart there is a panic going on with the guns and amo, foods already.

[couponsmakecents]

I have seen a rise in both dried and canned beans so I am trying to buy a can or a bag each time I go. We eat a lot of beans so I am stocking up.

Pet food is also going up so I am trying to stock up on it as well. I make my own vanilla (vanilla beans and vodka) it is a little pricey to start it but it takes less than the imitation.

I also am stocking up on shelf stable tofu as it has doubled since last year.

Buying more vinegar and cutting it with water to clean windows, counter tops, etc.

Also I am a coffe fiend and coffeemate creamer (liquid) so buying when on sale a freezing.

I have also increased the # of free samples I request. These are great little treats/surprises in the mail and you think it is Christmas each day.

[lovelace]

thanks very much, have a lot of rain checks for toilet paper,and paper towels.

[djm11504]

I'm very interested to see what becomes of this thread. Hopefully we can all help each other out.

[Ginya]

I try to stock what we use and use what we stock. I buy with Qs, of course, when on sale, and get as much as I can. Also, just buy things on sale. Its not going to get better, folks. To me, food is the most important to buy, and after that TP. I really like TP.

This time of year is a good time to stock basics, and then everything else you can. Store it where ever you are able.

[luckyduckies]

Sadly ,I too see the need to grab extra.Does anyone know where I can buy those old flour tins?You know the ones grandma has in the kitchens that hold 20lbs of flour and sugar??

I am thinking they would be great for beans,flour,sugar,pasta!

[Jenn8702]

Sadly ,I too see the need to grab extra.Does anyone know where I can buy those old flour tins?You know the ones grandma has in the kitchens that hold 20lbs of flour and sugar??

I am thinking they would be great for beans,flour,sugar,pasta!

I'm thinking antique store or possibly a goodwill/salvation army/ thrift store. The ones I have seen in the stores have held maybe 5 cups of flour. They are tiny!
HTH