Now that you know all about the benefits of having a stockpile I’m going to give you some tips on how to start and maintain your very own.
Stockpiling takes time, patience and dedication. If you are new to the concept, you must understand that if you don’t go slowly at it, you will wind up spending more to build your stock then you will have saved doing it the right way!
Decide What To Keep “In Stock”
What are the things your family uses every day? Write them all down on a list. These are the items you will want to keep in your stockpile. Every families stock will be a little different. Please do not try to compare your stockpile to Mrs Jones from that online forum. It’s not a competition, its a money saving strategy for your family. I’ve found that I’ve need to remind myself of that in the past.
Some suggestions for items to stockpile include:
Canned Goods
Bottled Water
Snack Bars
Cereal
Pasta
Frozen Foods
Paper products (toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towel)
Garbage Bags
Dish soap / detergent
Laundry detergent
Cleaning products
Shampoo & Conditioner
Toothpaste & Toothbrushes
Deodorant
Razors & Shave Gel
Body Wash / Soap
Medicines
Set A Stockpile Budget
One of the best ways to control your stockpile spending, and to make sure you don’t go overboard when starting out, is to set aside a monthly Stockpile Budget. What this means, is each month set aside a certain amount of money out of your budget to allocate for stockpile items. This will vary by family, anything from $20 – $100 a month will help!
Browse SaveaLoonie’s Coupon Price Match-Ups each week to find all of the deals happening. Determine which deals you want to take advantage of that week and how much out of budget you are willing / able to spend.
Change Your Shopping Habits
When you start a stockpile, you have to change how you shop. Decide how much you want to stockpile. Do you want to have enough for 1, 3, 6 or even 12 months? Consider how much of each item your family uses and how long it takes to use it. For instance, you use 2 bottles of laundry detergent per month. If you want to have a 6 month supply, you will need to have 12 bottles of detergent in your stockpile.
Now, when you are looking to purchase detergent or any other item for your stockpile, you will be looking for it to be at it’s Rock Bottom Price before you stock up.
Remember that all items have a different shelf life. You don’t want to be stockpiling so much that your family won’t use it all before they expire. You goal is to be able to shop from your stockpile weekly instead of the grocery store, not to spend money on things that will be wasted.
Where To Keep It All
How much you are able to stockpile and where you keep it will be decided by your current living arrangements. No matter how small your apartment / house is or how little room you think you may have, there is always somewhere to keep a stockpile!
Use Totes
Use tote bins of all sizes to keep your stockpile confined and hidden away. Use under the bed totes to make use of that empty space. Plastic shoe boxes also make a great option for keeping small items (toothpaste, deodorant, makeup). They are affordable, stackable and small enough to keep in a closet or under the sink.
Get Sturdy Shelving
If you have a bit more room at your disposable and are opting for the shelving method, I highly recommend spending a bit of extra money and getting quality, sturdy shelving. You might underestimate the weight of the products you place on those shelves and from experience, I know, the cheaper ones will warp and bow under the strain.
Store Like Items Together
Organization is key to keeping a stockpile. It’s no fun to have to go looking through a half dozen totes looking for that can of veggies you know is somewhere in there. Keep bathroom items together, canned items in one spot etc. Another idea is to store items where you use them. Keep extra shampoo and conditioner under the sink in the bathroom or extra pasta & sauces in the kitchen cupboards.
Live By FIFO
FIFO – First In, First Out. It is the stockpilers motto. In order to avoid products expiring, always put new items you bring in to the back/bottom of your stockpile. This way you are always taking the oldest things out of your stock first. It’s the same principle that stores rotate their stock by.
Keep An Inventory
This is especially important if your stockpile is spread throughout your home or stored in totes. Keep an inventory list of everything your take out and put back into your stockpile. That way your will know when you are running low on an item so you can watch for it’s Rock Bottom Price again. It will also help you from over-buying by reminding what you already have.
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