Building a Stock Pile / Buying in Bulk

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I began buying items in bulk about a year ago. I never thought I’d become a stockpiler, but I have. My first exposure to a stockpile was at my mother’s house a few years ago. I didn’t realize at the time that is what she was doing, I just thought she was crazy. When Stop and Shop and Shaw’s started with their 10/$10 promotions, my mother thought you had to buy 10 items so she began stockpiling the items she could get for $1.00. I laughed at her but whenever I’d go visit, I’d go and shop in her store. Now she laughs at me and shops at my store! Funny how things happen.

My friends husband does not understand the reason to buy things you don’t need immediately, or buying in bulk. Part of their situation is they don’t have room but if they decided to buy in bulk then they could find the room, but he doesn’t want too. That’s OK, it’s not for everyone but for those who do want to try and build a stockpile, here are some ways to get it going.

But first let me explain some of the benefits of having a stockpile. You almost NEVER have to pay full price for something when you need it because you are stockpiling when things are on sale, and hopefully with a coupon. You almost always have something on hand to cook for dinner, make for lunch or to put together a quick snack. And if you happen to have bad weather, you’ll be all set for food. Stockpiling DOES save you money, if you do it slowly. Don’t try to get everything in one shopping trip. It could take months to build up a good stockpile. One thing to remember is that just about everything has an expiration date. When my mother first began her stock pile, she quickly realized she couldn’t stock pile everything because some things don’t have a long shelf life, like salad dressings. So be careful and if the shelf life isn’t long, then don’t get more than you can use in that time period. Most sales happen in cycles so you’ll be able to get more at a good price again.

How to begin your stockpile….

1. Figure out how much money you want to spend each week building up your stockpile. You can start with $20 if you’d like. With sales and coupons, $20 can go very far.
2. Make a list of the things you seem to use most often or run out of the most. Those are things you DO want to stockpile first. Remember, we aren’t’ just talking about food. You can stockpile health and beauty items too.
3. Again, don’t run out and buy everything at once. When the weekly sales flyer’s come, sit down and look to see if any of the items on your list are on sale that week.
4. Next you want to see if you have (or can get) coupons for those items. Coupons can come from many different sources…. The Sunday newspaper, Magazines, Boxes of products, the mail, printed from the Internet, from your family or friends and you can even purchase coupons on eBay or from a coupon clipping service, which I will explain more of later.
5. To begin, I suggest you ONLY buy items you have coupons for that are on sale that week. Figure out how much you can get with the amount you set aside for your stockpile.
6. Repeat this each week until you have a good stockpile going. Then just replenish as needed.

As you build your stockpile you may find items that never have coupons that you really want to stockpile. That is OK, but ONLY buy them when they are on sale. Remember the purpose to a stockpile is to help you save money. There will be weeks where you can get items for FREE with the right sale and the right coupons. If that’s the case, go crazy and get as much as you want. But try to leave some in the store for the next person. I know I hate when I go buy something and there are no more left.

Where to get coupons…

1. I mentioned above that you can buy coupons on eBay or from a coupon clipping service. First let me explain, you aren’t actually buying the coupons, but you are paying a service for them to clip, sort and send you the coupons. They don’t ever cost as much as face value, usually just a small fee is attached to each coupon. If you look on eBay, just do a search for the product you are looking for and you’ll get (possibly a big) list of what’s for sale. Most people will combine shipping so you don’t pay a lot for more than one purchase. You can also do a Google search for ‘coupon clipping services’.
2. Trade with other people through message boards. The one I use the most is Hot Coupon World. You can also do a search on Google for ‘money saving forums’ and you’ll find more. Besides trading coupons, these forums are a wealth of information for saving money and using coupons.
3. Write, email or call the manufacturer and ask to be put on a mailing list for coupons. While you are contacting them, it’s always nice to let them know how much you enjoy their products. I’m sure they get a lot of complaint and very few complements. Some will even send you a coupon for a free item. Those are always nice. Make a list of who you contact so you know who sends you something and who doesn’t. You can probably contact them again after a year for more coupons.
4. Search on Google for printable coupons. When I find good one’s I will post them on this blog so you can always check Printable Coupons to see what I have found. You can find some printable coupons on the right sidebar of my blog all the time.
5. Send for as many free samples as you can because almost always they send a coupon too. I will post here also when I find some so check Free Samples to see what I’ve found.
6. Buy more than one Sunday paper and/or ask your friends, family and co-workers for their coupons. Keep the coupon sections on hand until they all expire, even if you don’t cut them all out because there might be a good sale down the road for something you don’t normally buy or you wanted to try, or that you can get free or even make money on. You never know when you might need a coupon.
7. Look in the stores while you shop. You can often find coupons right in front of the product or display that you can use then or save for later. If you take more than one, remember to leave some for other people. You can always get more the next time you go shopping.

Saving money can and is addicting. Be sure to teach everyone you know how to do it so they don’t take everything from your stockpile, unless of course it’s your mother or daughter. That’s OK. LOL