With all of your coupon knowledge, you can now begin your stockpile. The longer you coupon, you know the deals always come around again. I used to think that FREE toothpaste would never come around again, but now I know that there’s always FREE toothpaste available, so I don’t stress if I can’t get to the store on that particular week.
By stockpiling items before you need them at the lowest price, you won’t have to buy at a higher price when you have to have them. This also eliminates unnecessary trips to the store, which could cause you to make impulse purchases. Another advantage of stockpiling is you already have food stocked in your pantry, thus giving you no excuse not to cook.
What to Stockpile
It is recommended you come up with a list of your 50 or so most used products (items you can have on hand to whip together a meal anytime). This will be different for every family.
To get the most out of couponing, you usually have to expand your horizons and not be brand specific. If you are brand specific, you may have to wait longer for a sale to come along. When it does, you will want to make sure you have several coupons on hand so you can buy enough to last your family until the next sale comes along.
When to Stockpile
So when do you stockpile? Some people track the lowest prices with a spreadsheet or something called a price book. Here’s a few examples:
Cereal: $1.25/box or less
Toothpaste/Toothbrushes: FREE
Hair Products: $0.25 or less
Fresh Boneless Chicken Breast: $1.87/lb or less
Pasta/Pasta Sauce: $1 or less
Dish Liquid: $0.25 or less
Cookie Mixes/Brownie Mixes/Frosting: $0.25 or less
Boxed Potatoes – $0.50 or less
10 lb bag of potatoes: $1.97 or less
Bread: $0.50 or less
Lysol Cleaning Supplies: $0.50 or less
Pizza Rolls: $0.50 or less
Frozen Pizzas: $3 or less
The professionals say the sale usually cycles through every 12 weeks. Some cycle through more often, others cycle through less. You get more of a feel for this the longer you coupon.
You will notice that usually around 4-6 weeks before a holiday or season change, the related items will start going on sale. Baking items start going on sale at the beginning of November, Halloween candy starts going on sale at the beginning of October, etc. so you will stock up on those items before you need them.
You can save money by having the items you use regularly on hand because:
- You purchased them at a low price
- It saves time, money, and impulse items when you have to stop at the store for that one item
- You’ll have ingredients on hand to make meals instead of reaching for the phone for take out.
