Building a household item stockpile
Building a household item stockpile
Stockpiling can save you money and bring more convenience to your lifestyle. And it’s not hard to do. Here are tips to get started:
Organization
Before starting to build your stockpile, take a moment to determine:
- Where will you store all the stuff? How much room do you think you’ll need?
- What kinds of products are you interested in stockpiling?
- How long do you want your stockpile to last? Three months, six months, a year or more?
- What quantity of each item should you stockpile for yourself and/or your family to last the amount of time you want?
How much to stockpile
First, notice which items you/your family use daily. A lot of families and individuals eat through a lot of cereal, soup, pasta, tomato sauce, and daily use soaps (including shampoo), toothpaste, and toilet paper.
One idea: when you open a new product, write the date on the bottom or back of the product with a permanent marker. When the product is depleted, note the date and check how long it took you/your family to finish it. Example: on a box of newly opened cereal, you mark February 20. By February 25, it’s gone. You/your family took five days to consume the box of cereal. So, now you know that if you want to stockpile a three-month supply of cereal, you need to purchase 18 of those same boxes.
Expiry dates
It can be exhilarating to buy many of the same item when they’re 50% off or more. But resist the urge to get carried away. You don’t want to over-buy, meaning you accumulate more items than you can use before they expire. Over-buying is not only a waste of items that someone else could have used, it’s a waste of your money—which defeats the one of the main reasons for stockpiling!
Just like in grocery stores, be sure to put newly purchased items behind current ones on your shelves/in your stockpile containers. Using this system of organization, you’ll ensure that you’re consuming the older items before the newer ones.
Also, go through your stockpile every three months and note the expiration dates on items you have not been using often. If you have more than enough for you/your family to use before they expire, donate them to your local food bank or shelter, or give them to a friend or relative.
Determine what you can afford
Again, it can be tempting to buy ten items for a fraction of the normal price all in the name of building your stockpile. The fantasy of having a large stockpile chock full of items can also drive you to buy, buy, buy!
But resist the urge and keep your wits about you. Do some simple calculations to determine time, quantity, and to respect your current budget. Stockpiles are meant to be collections of goods acquired at VERY low prices or free. So buying multiple of the same product at only a 10% savings is not a great deal, and can end up being a costly way to build your stockpile. Be patient and know that it takes time to build it up.
Figure out how much you can afford to spend on stockpile items each week. For example, if you spend $150 each week on groceries/household items, you may want to designate $15 (just 10%) to use for stocking up. If you don’t use all of it one week, carry it over to the following week. When you see an outstanding sale on an item your family uses often and you want to stock up on it, buy as many of the item as you can use before it expires and as you can afford. Try not to use the entire $15 on just one item. If dish detergent is on sale for $1.55 (regular price is $3.75) and toothpaste is on sale for $0.99 regular $1.99, buy several of both items. Just don’t stumble into the trap of over- buying. Remember: only buy as much as you/your family can consume before the expiry date.
The benefits of stockpiling
- You’ll much less often actually run out of the essential products you use regularly.
- You’ll save money on food and other groceries.
-You may save gas money and time by eliminating any “emergency” trips to the store for only 1–2 essential items that already exist in your stockpile.
- You’ll have food items at your fingertips in the event that you’re short on cash one week and need to draw meals from the stockpile.
- You’ll also have items available if you’re invited to a party/gathering and need to bring something to contribute.
- You’ll have items available to get you by if there’s an emergency (weather, illness/physical condition, car break-down) and you can’t get out the store for a week or more.
- You’ll have useful items that you can give to help others in need. It feels great to give, and when you can do so at a lower price, you’re helping someone else while not straining your wallet: win-win!
A stockpile is a great way to save money and bring more convenience to your life. Remember: only buy what you can afford and store, and pay attention to expiration dates.
