Stockpiling do’s and don’ts

Have you ever watched one of those tv shows that were popular for a while like “Extreme Couponing”? I was always amazed with the deals people would come across and impressed with their stock pile. However, the question is how much toothpaste do you actually go through in a year? Many of those deals were for toiletry and household items that either took lots of space or would last for a long while. These couponers also spent a lot of hours daily or weekly couponing.

The following way is the way that I stockpile and my stockpile lasts about 2 months at the most. I do not stockpile on household items but on great food deals. I have been following Money Saving Mom on Facebook and Instagram and she usually shares the great deals on food that she comes accross daily or weekly. She mostly shops at Kroger and I have a nice Kroger in town. I try to keep my weekly food budget to $120 to $140. It is more than I would like but this summer, the boys sure have been eating a lot and I have not been diligent on buying multiple of quantities when I should. As I get better at buying when there is a great sale and having a stockpile in my freezer or pantry, I should be able reduce that amount.

Do’s

• buy meat items when they are on sale. Usually Kroger has a limit of 5 on their special Friday deals so buy 5!
• buy pantry items when they are on sale especially snacks if you have children! I really like the B1G1 sale on prepackaged snacks at Publix
• buy a 2-3 of your toiletry/household items when they are marked way down like your shampoo, toilet paper or dishwasher soap.
• think ahead: you may spend more on your groceries one particular week but your overall montly budget should be lower when you buy wisely
• try paying cash: I need to do this: pull out a certain amount of 1 week or 2 (I would suggest doing it for the pay period) and stay within that budget: any extras can roll over to the next pay period and allow you to buy extras. This also will force you to stay within your budget.

Dont’s

• buy items you do not regularly use: this week Kroger has a great sale on their chicken wings: I did not buy any to add to my freezer but I do not cook chicken wings
• buy more than will fit in your freezer or pantry: we have a freezer in our garage that we share with my mother in law so I can buy extras
• buy more than you can afford: if there is no money in the budget for it do not buy it
• buy something just because it is on sale. Think about how you will use it and whether it is something that is going to be helpful

This month, I have been preparing myself for school and with the help of my mother in law, I was able to stockpile on snacks. This will make my mornings easier since all I will have to do is choose one prepackaged snack to add to each of my boys’ backpacks. I have gone through most of my great meat deals and only have a little chicken left in the freezer so I think I will start using a cash method in August for buying my groceries and will keep my eyes out for great meal deals.

A bientôt!

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