Stockpiling 101

If you've ever watched the TV show Extreme Couponing, you probably think of a stockpile to be housed in a garage with 500 deodorants, 1000 tubes of toothpaste, and so on...  Well, this is certainly not the case in my house!  The picture above is my actual bath & body stockpile.  Yes, that is all of it.  In that tiny under-the-sink cabinet.  I didn't pay more than a buck for any given item.  Most of it was free after combining a sale with a coupon.

And that works for us.  Rarely do I have more than five or six of anything at once in there.  I find that pretty much everything goes back on sale again before I run out.  Sometimes I even skip sales because I have enough in there.

So, you ask how I do it?  Well, I changed the way I shop.  Instead of shopping based on need at the moment, I shop ahead -- for what I WILL need in the next 3-4 months.  A good way to figure out how much you need to buy is by writing down the products you and your family use, and how many of those you go through in a certain time period.  That'll give you a rough estimate of how many you'll need over the course of 3-4 months (which is usually the longest a typical item goes before it's back on sale again).  

How do I know it'll go back on sale?  This is something I learned during my first year of couponing -- sales typically run in cycles of four to twelve weeks, depending on the product.

I also went a step further, and wrote down the regular prices of those typical items that I buy at two stores that I frequently shop at.  So, when I got the ad in the Sunday paper, I'd know if it was a good sale or not.  And by a good sale, I don't mean a measly 12 cents off...  My general guideline -- a good sale to me is when I can get the product for at least 75% off using a coupon in conjunction with the sale.  

So, instead of running out and using your coupon the minute you get it, hang onto those coupons!  Most coupons don't expire for a month or longer -- therefore giving you a chance to use your coupon during a sale and maximizing your savings.

I find that being flexible on what brand you use can be another way to save.  For example, I was using Dove deodorant for a long time, but when I found a great coupon for Degree deodorant, I clipped it out of each Sunday paper coupon insert that I had (I usually get two or three each week) and hung onto it.  Two weeks later there was an amazing deal on the twin-packs, making them free with the high-value coupons I had.  Can't hurt to try a new deodorant, especially when it's free!  

There are some things that I am brand loyal to, though.  So, if that's how you are -- then watch those prices like a hawk over the next 3-4 months and soon enough, you'll know the lowest price you can get that product for. 

Oh, and stockpiling is most certainly not limited to just bath & body items.  You can stockpile anything from food to healthcare items to clothing, and YES, even those school supplies!