Stockpiling

The idea of stockpiling is to stock up on items that you already use when they are on sale and preferable at their rock bottom lowest prices. If you have a coupon to combine with that, that is an even sweeter deal. For example Fareway has bread on sale this week for .88 cents. I bought 10 loaves because typically I buy it at $1.38 per loaf. This is a savings of .50 per loaf or $5.00 for 10 loaves!

Managing your stock pile doesn't take alot of effort, but you will want to do this so that you don't waste any food. Here are some tips I use to manage my stockpile aka "the stash".

1. Take inventory of what you have. I have 3 sheets in a word document. They are labeled "Grocery-Freezer", Grocery-Food Items" and "Grocery-Non Food Items". On each sheet I have a list of categories. For example on my freezer inventory I have it broken down into beef, pork, chicken, frozen vegetables etc. Then under the beef category I break it down even further to 1 lb. hamburger packages, 2 lb hamburger packages, steaks, etc. I do this for each category. Next to each item I have the number that I have on hand. Every time someone takes something from the freezer they look at the sheet, cross off the number and write in the new number. Each month, or when the sheets get too difficult to read I update the Word document and reprint them. I have them taped to the top of our deep freezer with a pencil next to it.

2. Organize your stockpile. I have all my extra items in the basement. I have a huge shelving unit on one side of the wall. I have all the items in categories. One shelf is dedicated to baking supplies, one shelf to cereal, 2 shelves for canned goods, another holds all the toiletries. You get the idea. Having it organized will make it easier to find what you are looking for.

3. Watch expiration dates. This way you don't waste any food. Always put the newer food behind the older. Place items with closer expiration dates in the front. Most items are fine past their expiration date as long as they haven't been open. You can use your own judgment.

4. Revolve your meal plans around what you already have. This will save you alot of money. If you have alot of hamburger then plan your meal around hamburger. If you go out and purchase steak because it sounds good for dinner that night then you could be purchasing it at its highest price. The items that you already have on hand you know where bought at a low price. The best idea is to stock up on a variety of foods when they are at their lowest price.

If you can set aside a place for all your items, keep track of what you have on hand, watch your expiration dates and meal plan accordingly you can save yourself quite a bit of time and money. Also, if possible invest in a freezer. This has been the best thing for us. I wouldn't be able to stock up near as much food without it. If you can't invest in a new one, check Freecycle or Craigslist.