A stockpile is a collection of pantry staples and personal care products that one buys at rock bottom prices (or gets free with coupons). Some crazy extreme couponers have stockpiles that take up entire rooms, basements garages and more. I, however, have my stockpile contained to my pantry, an upstairs closet and one shelf in the garage. The idea of a stockpile is that you should never have to go out to the store and buy something full price when you run out and absolutely need it.
What are some items to commonly stockpile? Here are my suggestions:
Pantry
Pasta
Pasta Sauce
Cereal
Granola Bars
Crackers
Soup
Flour
Sugar
Baking products
Spices
Condiments
nuts
salad dressing
Fridge
Milk (if it's super cheap and the exp date is long enough)
Cheese (shredded and block)
Butter (or spreads like Smart Balance, I freeze it)
Yogurts (check expiration dates)
Juices
Freezer
frozen veggies
frozen fruit
smoothie mix
frozen pizzas
meat/chicken
frozen meal/family size entrees
Household Items
toilet paper
tissues
paper towels
laundry detergent
cleaning products
dish soap
dish washer soap (cascade packets are always free)
napkins
Personal Care
toothpaste (should be free or close to it)
toothbrushes (should be free or close to it)
floss (should be free)
shampoo and conditioner
body wash
razors
mouth wash
contact solution
deodorant (should be free)
These are just my personal favorites. Some people might say, "Why buy all these things when you don't need them all right now?" My response would be that if you are still spending less than you use to on groceries and household items (for me it is significantly less), why not build up a supply of things?
There are weeks when I am too busy to go to the store and our stockpile has been invaluable. It is so nice to be able to make lunch or dinner without running out to the store for things. We are able to have people over last minute and not panic about needing some snacks. Best of all, I am spending way less than I use to on these things while buying way more. And if there ever comes a time that I can't coupon or couponing policies change, at least I will have a few months worth of stuff to live off of : )
