Monday, August 5, 2013

Stockpile Challenge

I have been looking at different ways of shopping over the last few months.  I would like to shop on the "offense" instead of the "defense".  What does this mean?  It means that I will stock up on items that I know we need when there is a great sale.  All of us have things we just automatically get at the grocery store or at the drug store.  Things like butter, milk, toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, etc.  Those things that may not even be on our shopping lists because we just know we need to pick them up.  I've been looking into ways to change my shopping to stock some of these items without breaking the bank.  Lori over at Moms by Heart has started a series this year that has really interested me.

The goal is simple~~stock up on everyday items you use when they are on sale.  By stockpiling, you will have enough to get you through until these items are on sale again.  Therefore, you will never be paying full price for any of these items again.  Lori has made this do~able on a small scale by using just $10 per week.  I'm starting out with personal care and home care items.  We have a Walgreens nearby that I can get great deals at.   Walgreens allows you to use store coupons along with manufacturer coupons.  I already take advantage of these sales {I haven't paid more than 50 cents for toothpaste for quite a while!}, so I just need to take it up a bit.

I'd like to have a 6-12 month supply of personal care items.  I'll start at 6 months and then increase it as I get there.  Thankfully we have lots of storage space in our home for these items.  Here's what I have figured out as my stockpile list.  I may change these up a bit after I pay more attention to our usage of these items.  Remember, we have 7 people in our family {four who are basically adults} so those of you with smaller families may gasp at some of these numbers! ☺


toilet paper~7 rolls per week =168 rolls
tissues~3 boxes per month =18
feminine supplies~1 box tampons and 1 box pads =6 boxes of each
toothpaste~2 tubes per month =12
Dixie cups~1 box per month =6
contact lens solution~1 bottle per month =6
deodorant~4 per month =24
toothbrushes~7 per month =42
liquid hand soap~we make ours last longer so 2 large refill bottles should last about a year.
dish soap~1 bottle per month =6
dishwasher detergent~we make our own and I try to stock up on the ingredients when they go on sale.
shampoo~3 bottles per month =18
conditioner~4 bottles per month =24  {remember I make our own fabric softner with conditioner}
bath soap~3 bars per month =18
bathroom cleaner~2 cans per month =12
laundry detergent~I usually make my own, but if there is a really good sale that I can add a coupon to, I may consider getting it.

Remember...this is for EVERY DAY ITEMS that we use EVERY DAY!  This is NOT extreme couponing where we have a pile of peanut butter and dog food filling our garage.  The intent here is not to buy things just because we can get them for a low price!  The intent is to stock up on the items we regularly use when they are at the lowest price and adding a coupon to make them even cost even less.  In this way, I will never pay full price for these items again.

I'd love to know if you shop this way and how it works for you!

Blessings,


9 comments:

  1. This is a great idea. Thanks for sharing it. I should do this myself.

    Laura
    Harvest Lane Cottage

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  2. I don't want to lose your blog! I'm your newest GFC follower!

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  3. I try to keep a small stockpile of these items. By small I mean I always have an extra 1 or maybe 2. I need to go for the 6 month stockpile though. Thanks for the encouragement.

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  4. Great post! It seems so natural to stockpile when things are a great price. I've been doing this when I can with coupons and sales. I need to focus on those everyday items like you mentioned. Who wants to run out of toilet paper? :) Not me.

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  5. I have used this stockpiling method for quick some time. I try to buy anything that isn't perishable in bulk when I find a good price and I will use coupons when I can. I only purchase reasonable amounts that I will use. If I find a really good deal on something that will last for a while and I know that I will continue to use, I buy an extra amount. I don't like paying full price for things like toiletries.

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  6. I've used a form of this stockpiling idea off and on for many years. It's exciting to see my daughter now using these ideas for her own family's needs.
    Enjoyed your post - stopping by from Walking Redeemed.

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  7. What a great idea - I've tried to do stockpiling in the past and it does work. Now that I am 3 weeks away from staying home I'm also picking up the pace.

    By the way this is Sandra formerly of Lemonade and Gingerbread. I'm now following you under my new name and new blog. Going to be finally sharing details of our adoption -- it finalizes on Monday. I remember when we thought it wasn't going to go through. How things change and how great God is.

    Looking forward to reading along with you more now.

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  8. I love what you said about shopping on the offense! I was ALWAYS shopping on the defense before! ALWAYS! I couldn't go more than 1 week without a trip to the store because I was always running out. At the beginning of this year, we decided to start shopping at Sam's Club and Winco and doing it once a month. It has been FABULOUS for us! We actually have a supply of food and I'm not having to go to the store every Saturday to make sure we've got food for Sunday dinner! I'm stopping by from the Hearts for Home blog hop and I'll be featuring this post on Thursday! :)

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