For those serious about living the frugal lifestyle, stockpiling can be an incredibly effective way of really cutting down on your weekly expenditure. The simple act of purchasing your families favourites when they are heavily discounted can, over the course of a year, add up to some serious savings.
Unfortunately however, stockpiling, when done incorrectly, can also easily lead to a house full of food that never gets eaten. And as you are likely aware, purchasing food that you never eat doesn’t actually save you money. Therefore if you want to start stockpiling for savings, keep in mind the following tips for doing it right.
Be Creative With Your Storage When Buying In Bulk
As well as how much cash you have in the bank, a serious limitation on just how much food you can stockpile is the amount of storage space you have in your home. You should take a look around your home and figure out where you are going to put things ahead of time. DIY shelves are always a great way of increasing storage space and don’t forget about the ample space usually found underneath beds.
Invest in a Freezer
If you plan on investing quite a bit of cash in your stockpiling efforts, you might also want to invest in a freezer. When it comes to both what you can stockpile and just how long you can stockpile it for, a freezer greatly increases the options open to you. Cabinet style freezers tend to offer the most space in terms of both their price and their dimensions. They are therefore the ideal choice for those serious about stockpiling.
Know When to Stop
When the average consumer has a weeks supply of something, they typically don’t purchase any more of it. Those who are serious about stockpiling on the other hand will happily purchase many months worth of a product provided they can get the right price. It’s important to know when to stop however. I personally won’t purchase more than a years supply of anything because you never know when your tastes might change. Also when buying in bulk there are great discounts employed by business to make you spend more money.
Factor in the Promotion Schedule
It’s important not to waste your time building stockpiles of discounted products when they are going to be on sale again the following week. Doing so is not only a waste of your time, it’s also a waste of valuable stockpiling space in your home. Therefore do your research and figure out how often your favourite products go on sale. Some seasonal items only go on sale once a year, whereas many other products typically go on sale once every three months.
Choose Your Products
Just like effective couponing, effective stockpiling requires that you watch what you purchase. And because unlike couponing, stockpiling takes up considerable amounts of space in your home, it’s important for you to be even more selective. It’s therefore well worth making a list of the products that you consider to be worth stockpiling. And when you see other products on sale, avoid purchasing them in bulk.
I used to like buying spaghetti sauce on special but I always watch the dates. You could always get them for $.99 instead of the usual $2.99. A special that was hard to resist but only if the dates were good. Now days I make my own.
Know What You Have at Home
Most consumers know what they already have in the kitchen before they head to the supermarket. For those that stockpile, such knowledge is even more important. This is something that you will certainly agree with if you’ve ever arrived home with fifty jars of spaghetti sauce only to discover that you already have a six month supply. Therefore before you head out stockpiling, always make sure that you know exactly what you already have at home. I definitely don’t need any spaghetti sauce at the moment!
Buy In Bulk Online
Once you start stockpiling on a regular basis, you are likely to notice that people tend to look at you pretty strangely when your trolley is full of a single product. Online shopping not only allows you to avoid such looks, it can actually save you quite a bit of time and effort when it comes to purchasing things in bulk. And because most supermarkets charge incredibly low delivery rates, this is one of those convenient services that even the most frugal can enjoy.
I used to shop online at Coles online where you can buy 12 of one item without anyone knowing. However now I try to not buy too much at all in the big supermarkets.
Don’t Forget About Warehouse Clubs
Many people are put off the idea of warehouse clubs due to the membership fees but provided you take advantage of the savings, such fees shouldn’t be worried about. The best thing about warehouse clubs is that unlike supermarkets, most items are heavily discounted all year rather than during the occasional promotion.
If you’ve been waiting for a certain favourite to go on promotion for some time now, joining a warehouse club could be the perfect solution. It’s important to remember however that due to the permanent nature of the low prices, it’s foolish to stockpile more than three months worth of a single product. Therefore just like stockpiling in general, it’s important to know when to stop!