Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Saving Money at the Grocery Stores: Stockpiling

I have a love-hate relationship with my stockpile. I love it in that I know it has saved me a ton of money (and will continue to save me a ton of money). I hate it because it takes up space and because stockpiling can become a bit addictive.

Here are a few things to remember about stockpiling:

1. Sales come in cycles - My first big mistake in stockpiling was the initial fear that if I didn't get it during THAT sale that I'd never see it on sale again.  I was so wrong.  Sales go in cycles, anywhere from 1 to 3 months. So, don't feel like you have to complete your stockpile on your first trip.

2. Just because you have a coupon doesn't mean you have to use it - The first time I bought coupons online, I bought 30 coupons for Marie Calender's frozen meals on Ebay. I then used ALL of those coupons during one sale at Kroger.  I now have a freezer full of Marie Calender meals all because I felt like I had to use ALL of those coupons.  I've learned.  During the last Kroger Mega sale I again bought coupons (this time for the Campbell's Chunky soup). I bought about 60 coupons (because they were being sold in lots of 20+). We only used 50 of those coupons.  It didn't kill me and I ended up giving the rest of them away.

3. Stockpiles are NOT Built in a Day - When you look at my stockpile (or pictures of other people's stockpiles) the first thought is often "How did they do that?".  It takes a lot of trips over time to build a stockpile like that.  (Well, except for the Gatorade and the soup, which granted is like 1/4 of my stockpile). Start slow and grab only the best deals to add to your stockpile. Don't buy things just because you want to build a stockpile, buy them because they are a good deal AND they will add to your stockpile and save you money later.

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