Welcome back to another week of The Teacher’s Salary series.
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Click HERE to see links to some of my previous posts from this series.
Five weeks ago, I posted about 7 ways we save on groceries and I’ve decided to break down some of those concepts a little further. I talked more in-depth about menu-planning recently and posted about how to shop the grocery store sales last time.
This week is about starting your stockpile. All of these topics really go hand-in-hand and are the most effective way to save on your grocery bill, before you even clip your first coupon (that post is coming eventually).
What is a stockpile?
A stockpile doesn’t have to give you visions of TLC’s show Extreme Couponing. While the concept is the same, those folks take it to a very extreme (and in my opinion unrealistic) level, which I find to be unnecessary.
The idea behind a stockpile is to buy items ahead when they are at their lowest price so that you can use them later when you need them. As I mentioned in my post about shopping the sales, the sale cycle is anywhere from 6-12 weeks (depending on your area), so there is really no need to devote an entire garage or storage room in your house for your stockpile. If your main objective is to save money (versus preparing for a natural disaster), then you only need to purchase enough of an item to get you from one sale to the next.
If the concept of stockpiling is a bit daunting, I hope to break it down for you a bit so that you feel equipped and empowered to get started. Here are my 3 tips for starting your stockpile.
1. Pick a location
Since you are buying ahead and will not be using the items immediately, you will need a place to store the items for your stockpile. I live in a small house, so I do not have a large space to devote to my stockpile. I store mine where the items would be stored normally. This works for me since my sale cycle is fairly small (6 weeks).
I store my food stockpile in my pantry/freezer, cleaning products are under the sink, and laundry supplies go in the laundry room (although making my own laundry detergent has been a huge help!). Our toiletries go in plastic bins I purchased from the dollar store and sit in our linen closet shelves.
Some people do elect to have a very distinct place for their stockpile, which might be easier for you or necessary if you keep a larger stockpile. Whatever you decide is fine, but just make sure you know where your items are or you may end up with a cluttered mess that isn’t helpful to you. You need to be able to find the items when you need them, or you’ve defeated the purpose!
2. Select a budget
If you are just getting started, I would recommend starting with a small budget of maybe $10 per week. Since you still need to purchase food for your weekly menu-plan, you will need to pace yourself. If you can allocate more money each week towards your stockpile, that is fine, but don’t get carried away because you can’t feed your family on really cheap ketchup!
As you build your stockpile, you will gradually start to see your weekly shopping habits change and hopefully the grocery bill will slowly drop. Eventually, you will be shopping to replenish your stockpile {with the fresh produce and dairy items that can’t always be kept for long}, rather than shopping for every single ingredient on a recipe from your current weekly menu.
3. Create a short list of items
One of the reasons people think couponers or stockpilers are crazy is because they think we buy things simply because they are on sale. While I will argue there are some occasions when this is acceptable, I typically do not encourage people to buy things that they do not eat or will not use. That defeats the whole point of frugal living.
Think about the items you eat and use most often. Make a short list of ingredients you typically use in the recipes you and your family love. I like to make sure I’m stocked up on my freezer/fridge staples and my pantry staple items. Think about how much of that ingredient you would need to cover you for the length of the sale cycle in your area. Do the same for your household items/toiletries/paper products/diapers.
Maintaining your stockpile
Once you’ve started your stockpile, you should make a habit of checking it periodically. I would recommend you take a look at your stockpile each week before you look through the sales flyers and head out for any shopping trips. You don’t want it to get too low or too high.
If you notice certain items are low, write them down and keep your eyes peeled for any great deals that week or in weeks to come. At the same time, if you notice you are overloaded on certain items, feel free to skip out on that great deal this week or buy it and pass it in to a friend who could use it instead!
Having a stockpile of items on hand has been a huge money saver for our family. We typically have the items we need on hand for basic meals and typically purchased them when they are at their lowest price. It’s a win-win!
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Do you have a stockpile?
I have just started my stockpile. How many of each item do I keep in stock? I don't want to go crazy,I'm just trying to save on the weekly grocery bill to save money.
I don't really have a set number of each item that I try to keep. The theory is that you'd like to have whatever quantity you would need to get you until the next sale on the item, which in my area is six weeks, so it really depends on the item. You may need 6 jars of pasta sauce (if you use 1 jar per week) or only 3 jars of peanut butter (if 1 jar will last you for 2 weeks). You also have to keep your food budget in mind as well. It might be my goal to have a certain qty. in my stockpile, but if my weekly budget won't allow it, then I just get as many of the item that I can afford. Hope that helps – and thanks so much for your comment! 🙂