Requesting Tips for Stockpiling and Savings! :-)

[kaella_xo]

Hi everyone, I am just curious if there is anyone out there that could help me with tips to build a stockpile. I've seen some pretty awesome ones and would like to try my hand at it. I have two kids and currently live rent free but will be moving soon and I am not sure how hard it might get and I am pretty sure I won't have money for non-essentials.

I do however avidly collect all the available coupons, I am constantly checking flyers, and walk through stores (when I have the time), but I find I can only get good deals on one or two things here and there. Definitely not food or toilet paper (essentials).

Just if you have any tips or think I am not doing something I should be, please let me know . I live in Ontario (No stacking :-() But I always see people buying things with FPC's for like 20+ at a time, and would really like to know how I can start building! Thanks so much!!

[mcon]

since you cant stack, you will want to get Checkout 51, a lot of the time they will have some good deals/products

if you dont have a smartphone, they have a internet browser version, not sure if you can still sign up for it.

also target lets you use a manufacturer coupon + a target coupon stacked

also i have noticed that people in ontario will trade coupons they find with people from over here in BC, since we can stack them. ive seen people in ontario get some good coupons that way.

not sure how people get the 20+ FPCs, unless they know a lot of people that let them use their address'

[Durham Couponer]

You can stack in Ontario, just not with two or more manufacturer coupons. RCSS, Loblaws & No Frills have Coupon Zone coupons that you can combine with regular coupons, and Target has Target Exclusive coupons that you can stack. Printables and hard copies are available for both. Metro also has printable coupons and mailouts for bonus AirMiles that you can combine with manufacturer coupons.

Keep an eye open for clearance items. They can be used with coupons, and can be combined with the above and the SDM bonus point days.

You won't build a stockpile like the ones you see in pictures in a few months. Look at how many people are members of SC, how many post brags, and imagine how many lurk. It's not a reasonable expectation. Sales come and go, stores usually have limits of 6-10 items, so if you just pick up three shampoos cheaply instead of one at full price, you've started saving money and building a stockpile right there.

Toilet paper, as you mentioned in your post, for example, is rarely free, but you need to know what a good sale price is and combine it with coupons to make it a great stock up price. Shoppers often has 12 rolls of Royale on sale $3.99 for 20x points days, so if you use the $1 or $2 coupons from GO Coupons you get it for $2.99/$1.99 and it counts $3.99 towards your point total.

Target price matches. Last week or the week before other stores had sales of Kleenex multipacks $3.99. There is a GO Coupon for $1, and a Target coupon for $1, so you pay $1.99 for the pack.

Where in Ontario are you? There's loads of Ontario couponers who can help guide you to local stores and share their tips.

Collecting coupons is great, but it's how you use them that matters. Do you collect what you need, or do you have a bunch of stuff you don't or won't use? Those can be traded, or if it's an effort to get them, forget taking what you won't use and focus on what you would use. That means what would you buy anyway, what do you NEED, and what can you afford? Start small, an extra 2 or 3 items a month, and you'll get there faster than you thought you would.

[torontogal12]

I'm sure you'll get plenty of tips on how to create a stockpile. But remember: don't overbuy.

Take into account expiry dates on everything. Don't buy 55 bottles of BBQ sauce or 100 cases of pop for yourself only. If you're sharing, that's cool, but that stuff all expires. The stuff you can stockpile with no worry is bar soap, toilet paper/paper towels/facial tissues and some cleaning products. Otherwise I generally don't buy more than 3 or 4 of anything because stuff expires.

Don't compare yourself to others. A lot of the stockpile pictures you see on SC are from people who have huge families. If you are a single person or a couple with no children, you don't need the huge stockpiles that others have on here. In my house, it's just me and DH. We have only about four shampoos at a time, one or two deodorants, five or six hand soaps, 1 dishsoap, 3 dishwasher tab boxes, two laundry soap, two fabric softener. Pretty small amounts.

For the stuff that you buy, monitor the flyers for a few weeks and see what the lowest price for that product is, generally. That's the price when you stock up. Look on the coupon zone scan to see if coupons exist for the items you want. Don't worry about missing out, somewhere else will have the same sale in a few weeks. If you can get stuff at a low price at SDM on a 20x day, that's a great time to buy

Someone will usually start a thread if there is a crazy deal that should not be missed. If you see a lot of comments on that thread, that's a good indicator that others agree.

And don't buy stuff just because you have a coupon. My friend the other day wanted to buy several jars of mustard. I suspected it was because it was on sale and she had a coupon... she had never tried the brand so didn't know if she liked it. I told her it wasn't even a good sale price, and why buy that much mustard if you only go through about 2 jars a year anyway? That money she didn't spend was truly money saved because she didn't throw the items in the garbage later. Why have a big stockpile that you'll have to throw away?

[scouponer]

another good idea is to date items when you open them..ie a shampoo note the date you opened it and see how long it lasts that will give you a good idea of how much of an item you need to purchase cheaply. Everything has a sales cycle that is 3 - 6 months so if you go through 1 bottle of shampoo a month you might want to stock up with 6 bottles when you see it on a really good sale and pair it with coupons. Also you can start a little book or spreadsheet or anyway you like to track pricing for items that you use all the time that way you will know what is a good price. Price matching is your friend for all items but especially for items that don't often have coupons. Go slowly and build over time. also some items have easily found coupons, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant bodywash etc so you can buy in smaller quantities more often unless a super fantabulous deal comes along. and one last thought...if you want to save the most money with coupons you can't be brand loyal. I have 5 or 6 different kinds of shampoo in my stockpile. that being said if you dislike a brand then don't buy it, but otherwise you need to be open about buying different brands.

good luck and happy shopping. oh and one other thing... set a budget for groceries and necessities and then add a certain amount for stockpiling so if a really awesome deal comes up on something you use all the you have some money set aside to stock up.