Do you stockpile?

[cata5]

I have always bought extra on sale so that we wouldn't run out of something and have to make an extra trip to buy more. It was a combination of saving money and time, but on a small scale.

Now I'm wondering if I should make more of an effort to use more coupons with sales and really stock up on the things that we will need. I have done some reading about this and have to chuckle at the lengths some people go to to have a years supply of toilet paper, etc.

Do you stock up on lots of things? Are these things practically free and is that your motivation? How do you store these items?

[kmarr]

I always have stocked up on things. I don't buy much without coupons and when a brand I like is on sale and I have a coupon I really go to town. I probably have at least 5 bottles of shampoo and at least a six month supply of toilet paper. Maybe it is fanatic but I feel like I really save money and I never have to run to the store to pick up something I am out of.

The lucky thing for me is that I have a ton of storage space.

This system probably works for some and not for others. We are planning a move in a year or two and I can't imagine moving all my stuff.

[lauseng]

I stockpile too. I don't have a year's supply of anything though. I just buy plenty when something goes on sale to last me until it goes on sale again....or as close as I can estimate. I hate paying full-price for something.

I don't do a lot of coupons, since we buy mostly store brands, but I've found that our local store has a lot of great sales on name brands, so I really need to start.

Jackie

[kilmuir]

About a dozen years ago, DH and I started couponing and stockpiling seriously.
We only buy items that are on sale, clearance, specials. We match the items up
with mfg. coupons, store coupons. As a result, my grocery bill rarely exceeds an
average of $50.00/week for 3 adults. That includes food, cleaning supplies, pet
food, health/beauty, paper goods, etc. When I need something in the house, I
go "shopping" in my garage for it.

Stockpiling and not being brand loyal allows me to be an opportunist. It helps
that most of the major markets in my area double coupons, of course. As I
mentioned yesterday in a reply to Corganiacs post, 2 days ago at my Ralphs
market, I bought $100.66 worth of groceries for $30.63. That includes meat and
produce by the way. As an example, I got 5 pgs. of Northern 100 ct. napkins
for 19 cents each, 2 Lipton Asian side dishes for 19 cents each, 3 3-packs of
Scotch-Brite Scrub Sponges for 19 cents, 3 rolls of Reynold's Plastic Wrap for,
yup, you guessed it, 19 cents. Also 3 bottles of Hunt's Ketchup for 39 cents.

Each item gets dated with month/year so they are rotated constantly. It really
helps to have a freezer for meat and frozen foods. The markets here do deep
discounting on fresh meat when their expiration dates are almost up. Between
that and loss leader sales, I keep the freezer jam packed. So, we eat well and
want for nothing. Even junk food is free or almost free with coupons. During my
last Ralphs raid, I got 3 packages of Brach's Bridge Mix for nuthin'.

When you add the "Free After Rebate" stuff from Walgreens, Rite-Aid and Long's
Drugstores, well, there isn't too much we lack! For those of you who don't have
much storage space, do what you can. Get creative - store cans/boxes under the
bed if you have to. Barter space in someone's garage.

For those of you who can't or won't coupon and stockpile, THANKS. You're putting
money in my pocket. Obviously, if everybody did what I do, the markets would
discontinue their programs. As for me, I take all the money I save and travel or
buy toys for myself. Any questions?

[lauseng]

kilmuir,

I stockpile typically based solely on sales. I've got hog-wild on the coupon-clipping before, but then end up not using any of them because the store brand was cheaper, or I could make my own cheaper. In a pinch, I can easily feed my husband and myself on $80 a month. (Not including paper products, etc, but I think it'd be safe to say that those only add $10-20 a month to that number.)

My question for you is this: when I look up those people who get stuff for next to free using coupons, they are typically shopping somewhere that doubles coupons. I've never lived anywhere that doubled coupons. What kind of deals should I be looking out for that don't require doubled coupons? Do you get your coupons just from the Sunday paper, or do you swap with people? Any tips?

Jackie

[kilmuir]

Jackie, when I lived where there were no double coupons, I simply adapted my
buying habits. Every store sells loss leaders - merchandise sold below wholesale
to tempt you into their store. Stock up on those items whenever possible; try to
use coupons for as many as you can. In my area, the store brands are not cheap
enough to make them less than major brands with coupons. Look for sales and
clearances where using your coupon will represent a greater percentage of savings.
Don't be afraid to try new brands. Sometimes, you can find great deals at discount
places such as the 99 Cent Stores or Big Lots (Pic N Save in my area) for products
that rarely go on sale or issue coupons. Some of the big drug store chains around
here sell food products as loss leaders. They take mfg. coupons, too.

I get two different Sunday papers which gives me double coupon sections. I also
get an additional section or two from family members or neighbors who are too
stoopid (sic) to use them. I'll let you in on a secret: if you find out who distributes
the newspapers in your area, you might be able to talk them into saving the
leftover coupon sections. We did it for quite a while until we had stocked the garage
better than some of the convenience store in our area! Another possible source is
your local library. They get newspaper too, and will often have someone clip the
coupons and make them available to their patrons. Some have set up coupon
exchanges; of course, you could do this with your own friends or family. Lastly,
there's always the Net. I imagine some of the DODers could recommend many good
websites. Look in magazines as well - the family mags like Women's Day, Family
Circle, Good Housekeeping, etc. usually have a few.

Be creative, Jackie, and think outside the box. If your grocery stores don't sell their
store brand baked goods that are day old for 1/2 price, suggest it to the store
manager. Look to buy produce, so expensive in the major markets, at smaller stores.
The ethnic markets around here sell great produce for less than 1/2 the price of
the big markets. Good luck, and if you have any other questions, you can always
PM me. I'll be happy to answer - heaven knows I can babble on for hours!

[cata5]

Originally posted by lauseng


My question for you is this: when I look up those people who get stuff for next to free using coupons, they are typically shopping somewhere that doubles coupons. I've never lived anywhere that doubled coupons. What kind of deals should I be looking out for that don't require doubled coupons? Do you get your coupons just from the Sunday paper, or do you swap with people? Any tips?

Jackie

Jackie,

I'll just butt in here and comment.

Around here it is very rare for stores to double...almost unheard of...until this spring when Rainbow started to have 3 day promos about once a month. I am just starting to learn how that works.

Normally I buy many store brands, too, especially when they are on sale. I always use the loss leader coupons. I don't go store to store, but many people visit each store getting the loss leaders. For me it takes too much time. I think you could coordinate it with your weekly trips out and it wouldn't seem so bad.

I have been trading coupons on a small scale here at DoD and a couple of other boards. I could trade with neighbors, but it's almost easier for me to trade here when I have the time. It is worth a stamp to trade away coupons you won't use to get some you will. I have found that many times I can trade for better coupons than we have here. For example, the Crest coupons were $1 off here, but in other areas the coupon was for $1.25 off.

Personally, I don't want to bother with listing my coupons so I have a list of products I use and when I go to trade with someone I just email my list. These can be specific brands or just categories such as "pasta". I also save some coupons for people I have traded with more than once. On DoD I may list one or two things I am looking for especially after the Sunday coupons have come out and there is one I really need. To make it worthwhile I also email the person my list so they can add a few others that they might have. I do the same for them. Many people have multiples, but I only have the one set from the paper. Try a trade and see how it works. I don't always end up using all the coupons or even wanting all of them in which case I may trade those away or if they expire I trade those to military families who can still use them.(Most of the time that is a trade for the postage)
-------------
Other things that I do (may be repeated from previous replies) is watch for the markdowns on produce. I don't see these as much anymore, but you can get some great stuff. When they are restocking bananas they take all the singles and put them in a $1 bag. The last time I got these I had to ask. I saw the singles, but none were bagged. The produce guy brought me the bag and I bagged about 10 lbs for $1. Sometimes the bananas are really ripe, but that time they were ripe to green. If they are too ripe for eating I freeze them without the peel and use them for banana bread or put them in the blender with milk and ice for a nice flavored drink. I have also found green peppers, bagged salads, etc. You have to use these things right away or freeze. Also, the meat dept has markdowns and I try to take advantage of that when I see it. You can easily save enough on that meat to buy a freezer and stock up even more!

If your area has a bread outlet you will save a bundle! I cringe if I have to spend more than $1 on a loaf of bread. Sometimes I can get white bread for 4/$1, but .50 is the norm. Everything gets put in the freezer.

One thing I haven't looked at, but have read about is the deli deal late at night. Apparently you can get the roasted chickens or other prepared foods at a great discount. I never really shop at night, but it may be worth a look.

I have a big family to feed and it is easy to buy in bulk which saves more money, too. I'm not sure how that would work for smaller families/couples.

That's all I have to ramble about right now.

[Corganiacs]

A wise lady once told me you should always use coupons in grocery markets. No matter what the markdowns in the grocery markets, the people who own the store always make a profit so don't feel embarrassed about saving yourself some money. I am more bold now than I was several years back. There are some things I will use a coupon on, but food, I just cannot grin and bear giving the checkout folks a coupon on the purchase made in a restaurant. I'm working on this silliness of mine.

We always stockpile on paper products, but a year's worth of product is a bit much Perhaps 2 months' worth at most. Sam's Club and BJ Warehouse work really well at giving you the most with your money. As long as the products which are on sale will be utilized by your family, you might as well stock up while the prices hang low.


No guilty feelings here!! It is a worthwhile cause!

[lauseng]

Thanks for the coupon advice guys. Where we used to live, meat and produce deals were great. (I once got soon-to-expire name-brand hotdogs for 19 cents a pack with no coupons or anything...about 25 packs of them.) And I'd use the store coupons since they often have coupons for their store-brands. But, even on sale and with a coupon, it was rarely a good idea to buy name brands. So coupons almost never got any use.

But here is different. The local grocery store I use (has the lowest prices and best sales) doesn't have many meat or produce markdowns. But, they do have gobs of store coupons for both store brands and name brands and often their sales on the name-brands make them cheaper than the store brand. So I really need to start saving manufacturer coupons and get on the coupon bandwagon. Especially since (and I'm sure you guys already know this) you can use a store coupon AND a manufacturer coupon on the same item.

But I'm so new to coupons and I'm looking for the super awesome deals I keep hearing about. lol. Thanks guys.

Jackie

[Corganiacs]

That I didnt know, using two coupons on the same item. I have never done that!! GOOOD TIP! Thanks Jackie

[lauseng]

I haven't done it recently, but I used to do it all the time. I'm pretty sure it's not a store-by-store thing. Since the store covers the "cost" of a store coupon and the manufacturer reimburses the "cost" of the manufacturer coupon, you're allowed to use both. I'd ask before you did it, but if your stores are anything like ours, they don't even really pay attention to what you give them. I had a store coupon good on two salad dressings and realized in line that I'd only picked up one. I kept it in the stack just to see if the computer would pick it up. It didn't.

Jackie

[Darster]

Unless you have Brunhilda the cashier like I have....whenever I have coupons, I avoid her line, because she analyzes every coupon with a fine toothed comb! It's her purpose in life to keep you from using a coupon if she can. Like I'm the coupon mafia or something LOL

[3tbear]

I stock up on toilet paper, you can never have too much of that.
I'll buy 3 tubs of margarine sometimes, just so I don't run out. Cereal about 3-4 boxes per week, for a family of just 2. It saves me from running to the store each week to buy groceries.

[Sam917]

Think outside the box (can you tell I'm a consultant???) This isn't quite stockpiling, but to expand on Cata5's ideas for saving money...

We always buy our milk at a gas station. I know - no one can believe it when we first tell them, but it is really quite convenient - we always seem to need gas at the same time we need milk. This is Kwik Trip in Mn, but I think they are based out of Wisconsin. They sell milk in a bag for .98/half gallon (under $2.00/Gallon) and you even get a pitcher to keep it in for free! They have milk cards as well - you get one stamp for each half gallon milk that you buy. When you fill the card, you get $1 off gas.
They also have a milk club for kids that you sign up for. I think the kids get a free cookie when they come in and you purchase milk. Every few months we get coupons for a free pint of milk for each child in the club as well (white, chocolate or strawberry). The little containers of flavored milk are such a treat.
Bananas at the gas station are 29 cents/pound - max and they are ready to eat. If they are a little overripe or they have too many - 10 cents/pound.
Last, they have bread as well. The awful white loaves of bread are 3/$1 (I prefer wheat, but DH loves that white stuff).

Anyway - not to sound like a commercial, but keep your options open at other stores you go to regularly - not just the grocery stores. I can't believe how much money we saved by buying our milk at a gas station and so much more convenient.

[cata5]

Sam917-

What a great tip! The closest gas stations to me charge about $3 gallon! Unfortunately I know this because I've bought it there on rare occasion to avoid a run to the grocery store.

We usually buy our milk at Sam's Club, but how great to be able to go somewhere close and get a really good deal!!