I want to see YOUR stockpile!!

[chantelkiss]

TY for sharing everyone. This is some great stockpile ''. LOL

hahahah

[shirl57]

Question: I was wondering what people tend to do when they buy so many of each item? I know it has got to be super convenient to not run out of things and just grab another pack of whatever I'm running low on from another room. But I'm a university student living in a house with three other girls, so I don't really stockpile. I just buy what I will need and use it. Does everyone who buys all of these items end up using them before they expire or do you end up giving them to people? I can't imagine what I would do with so much laundry detergent, deodorant or make up... and doesn't the food end up expiring? Just curious

Hi veebee, In answer to your question and your particular situation, if you cannot store too much yet want to stay on top of the sales and/or with coupons, do an inventory of whatever you use and on a piece of paper, jot down how long it takes you to go through each of those products. Meantime keep an eye on flyers with those items. Best when a sale comes up (average every 8 to 10-12 weeks), that is the time to purchase that item and if you have a coupon, that's the best time to buy.

Price Book - is a good idea to jot down your inventory of stuff you use, write the price down and the date. Then keep an eye for when it comes up for sale again, again note the price and date. Do this for approx 4-6 months (even if you don't need that product right away). By that time you will see a pattern of when your product will come on sale next; and you can gauge from how much you have left of your initial product as to when you should "restock" that item again for yourself before having to race out to buy it at last minute because you've run out of your product.

A recent example. A dish detergent GreenWorks is usually approx $3.00 (regular price). This week Canadian Tire had it on for sale for $2.00. Right now there is an internet coupon for $1.50. So this week is the time to buy that dish soap ($2.00 - $1.50 = $0.50 (plus tax). Now let's say you decide to wait until next week because you still have a bit of dish soap left. Then you'd end up paying ($3.00 - $1.50 [coupon] = $1.50 (plus tax). So you'd still save a bit with the coupon but you'd be spending $1.50 for 1 bottle next week vs only $0.50 this week (even though you still have some dish soap left). A dollar here or $0.50 there may not seem like much, but when you start adding those savings up over time, it really does add up.

The idea is to never wait until you are almost out of a product as then you're forced to buy usually at regular price to restock that item; but if you give yourself that buffer of time (example 3 weeks left of a certain shampoo), then you have time to watch for sales and/or a bonus of a coupon; but even if no coupon, you have some time to catch a sale before your initial product is all used up.

Hope some of this makes sense.

You have to do what works best for you. Some people buy more, some buy just 1 or 2 items; but the main theory is to purchase well before you are almost out of any particular product.

Now for food, that is a common sense situation. Expiry dates are just that. Some expiry dates are more for selling tactics as we all know some food will last well beyond a certain expiry date. On the other hand, some items might go bad sooner. But again, how did we all cope before we had "expiry dates". If we open the product and it tastes or looks or smells not so good, then we know to toss it out.

Price-Matching - is another way to save miles on the car or your time. Most (not all) businesses will price match the identical product. When you get your flyers every week, look them through, circle what you feel you MIGHT need, and compare with the other flyers. Is also a good idea to jot the date, place and price down in your price book for future reference. After a few months, you'll see a pattern where each business has it's cycle of sale prices for any product. Walmart is very good for matching the prices of any other flyer. That way, you can almost do one stop shopping at one store with for example 6 other business flyers in hand and always get the better deal.

I hope some or all of this helps to clear some questions.

[CouponDude]

In addition there is 8 banker boxes full of stuff thats already on the shelfs + a huge shelf of laundry detergent (30+ bottles), 2 shelves of toilet paper and kleenex tissue.

[brendacoupon]

I am drooling looking at these stockpiles. One day I too will have one, lol

[Anna Michele]

holy proglide batman!! great pics

[carlyb212]

Love the stockpiles!!! My boyfriend just bought a house and there is a storage room in the basement that is now a dedicated stockpile room!!! I am so excited haha. I only have one shelf in there now and I am working to build up my stockpile. Mostly right now it is just my 20 bottles of laundry detergent... but I want to go shop now and watch it grow!

[tobiwobi]

way to go coupondude!!!

[chantelkiss]

Awesome stockpile, Coupon Dude

[coupon girl]

nice stockpile coupon dude

[Frugal ottawa]

I'm newer to couponing and stock piling, but over the past 4 months this is what I have sorted out. I still have some empty shelves, but I just got new ones in my basement because I outgrew my main floor storage.
There is a picture of a box that I keep in the basement for donations. I do not put things I buy for donating into my stock pile. A way I won't get mixed up and use stuff I extended on donating.

[tobiwobi]

frugal ottawa - it's filling in nicely! Love seeing all the food items

[Frugal ottawa]

frugal ottawa - it's filling in nicely! Love seeing all the food items

Thank you! I have paid for most of the food items, but I pay much lower than 'full retail' for them.

[nessa23]

wow!! I was thinking of posting my 'humble' stockpile, but it would look so pathetic next to these AMAZING ones!!!

Not to mention, it's kind of all over the place. I have enough space I could probably dedicate a whole room to a stockpile, but I don't feel it's necessary (only me and DH...)

[chantelkiss]

Beautiful, frugal ottawa! That's a lot for 4 months!

Keep the pictures coming guys. . I'm going to post pictures of my new peg board setup tonight!

[chantelkiss]

wow!! I was thinking of posting my 'humble' stockpile, but it would look so pathetic next to these AMAZING ones!!!

Not to mention, it's kind of all over the place. I have enough space I could probably dedicate a whole room to a stockpile, but I don't feel it's necessary (only me and DH...)

It's only me and DH too.. lol.. Dooooooo it! Post pictures