Buy in bulk: Now where to store it?

[BatChic]

I like to buy toilet paper in big packages. It's reassuring to have several rolls of tp on hand. And Ivory Soap, too. You know, you can never be too clean. I often buy my tights in packages of threes or fours -- especially if I can get them for a dollar or two dollars a pack.

But some products I don't buy in bulk, because there is just no room to place the stuff in our small apartment.

Buying in bulk -- do you do it?
Do you fill up your freezer?
Keep boxes of extra supplies in the basement?
Or cases of Kraft Dinner in the spare bedroom?

Please share! <3

[twolamedogs]

When we were a large family of 5, and my kids were little I always bought in bulk. But back then I had a large house, and there was plenty of storage. Lots of kitchen cupboards, a pantry, laundry room, and a basement.
Now it is only me, I just started couponing about a month ago. If I am able to get something for a really really good price, yes I will buy 10-15 of it. In the last year there has been too many times that I was out of something, and couldn't afford to buy it.
Right now I have a spare bedroom & I have the closet in that room almost full. However I will soon be moving, and it will be to a very small place. So I will have to get extremely creative with storage!

[luvfreestuff]

If you are able to buy in bulk when products are very cheap or free you definitely should. I still live at home but have 3 different places I stockpile. I have a table set up in our laundry room where I have started stockpiling food items for my mom and I. I also have a small cleaning stockpile under my bathroom sink, and then 2 shelving units in my bedroom closet that are exploding with stuff.

That being said you shouldn't let your stockpile overrun your house. Use your space wisely and know what amounts are right for you and your family.

[GoddessDigi]

My freezer is quite often stuffed, lol.
When roasts go on sale, I stock up. And when I buy groundbeef, I get quite a bit. If cheese is on sale, I may buy a pack or 2 and toss it in the freezer. Same for yogurt tubes. Butter/margarine also.....lol.
My cabinets are pretty stocked with formula, baby cereal, a nice amount of baby food (in jars) and snacks for my toddler. Then the 'adult' shelf has Hamburger Helper, cans of kidney beans, tomato paste, different seasonings (chili and taco mostly) and a TON of Ragu, haha.

I can fit 2 24 packs and a 12 or 16 pack of TP under the washroom sink (but right now I only have 1 24 pack ). Outside the washroom, I have a little white cabinet, has a slowly depleting toiletry stockpile..
DD has 3 boxes of diapers, DS has 3 boxes of diapers. I stacked them and they go in the little niche in their room, behind the door. And I have a nice stock of wipes under the change table, along with a few packs of diapers (about a box worth for DD, and same for DS).

I have OCD, so no, I don't like to put items where they 'don't belong'. But I also don't like feeling anywhere close to running low....lol.

[iggysbabysitter]

I almost always have a full freezer. In fact, since June it's been so full that I had to get a second freezer (second hand) for when hunting starts (I've been promised some moose, rabbit, deer, geese and ducks). I didn't start couponing until March, but before that I had been stocking up on good meat from costco, so $400 every Feb, and I'd buy turkeys as they came around $1/lb.
I have 2 bathrooms, and so can easily spread out the stockpile of bathroom goods.
I keep the majority in the laundry room in the basement... I don't think I could ever let it enter any other rooms, the kids would let me know it's gone too far! lol
Thankfully I have a HUGE crawl space (about 26 feet by 20 feet and 3 feet high) that is available for just about anything that needs storing. I need shelving in a big way.

[BatChic]

Thank you, all, for your responses. Great suggestions!

I'd like to share a little story, somewhat humorous, but very, very true. My son's girlfriend bought 10 - 12 boxes of Quaker's Instant Oatmeal because she could get them for $1.00 a box. She found out, however, that it would take her quite some time to go through a dozen boxes of the stuff, so she offered them to me.

Packed neatly in a row, on the top shelf in the kitchen (requiring a step-stool or sturdy chair to reach) were these 10 boxes of instant oatmeal (my partner and I are down to three boxes, now) and it was a gift well-received, and not wasted. *omnomnom*

[Tantum]

When I just lived in a small apartment, I would try placing things like my sofa kitty corner, so I could add a lil bit of extra storage space for things in behind & no one would see... and under beds, especially if you have bed skirts to hide it.. I'm a big one on things always looking nice and neat.

[ellemnop]

I keep things hidden away, but I stockpile and buy in bulk for sure. In my front closet, I have two storage shelves... so I load those up with groceries. In the top of the closet I keep bins of all of our seasonal stuff. In my linen closet, I use two of the shelves and under the bathroom sink for bulk purchases of soaps, etc. I use on top of my shelves in the kitchen. For toilet paper/diapers/paper products, I store them on the top shelf of my kids' dresser. Basically every bit of my space is well used, lol. I am big on things not looking cluttered, so I try to mostly put them behind closed doors, though.