Ever wonder what to stockpile?
There are some basic things to think about when creating and maintaining a stockpile:
- Will you use it? If the answer is no, you probably don’t want to stockpile it in your house (buying a few on a good deal to donate, that’s a different story).
- How much of it will you use? Be realistic. A family of 9 will use more of most things than a family of 4.
- How fast will the item go bad? Fresh items, not so long – HBA items, can be good for several years.
- Where will you put it? There’s a fine line between a stockpile and a monster that takes on a life of it’s own. Having an organization system and a plan will help you make the most of your time and money when stockpiling.
- Is it a good price? The point of having a stockpile is to save money. Get items on sale and with coupons when you can get them at rock bottom prices and avoid having to pay retail for them later or in bulk online from places like Amazon.com.
Thirty Good Items to Stockpile
::Pantry::
Peanut Butter – It usually has a good 1 1/2 years date on it and it’s a great source of protein.
Canned Fruit and Veggies – Yes, fresh is better, but canned options are better than going without.
Boxed Pasta – Lasts like what seems like forever!
Canned/Jarred Sauces – Tomato based sauces also make a good “veggie” serving.
Canned Meat – Tuna – Shelf life is long and it’s a great protein source.
Canned Soup – Great for a quick meal and they have a long shelf life
Boxed Potatoes and Rice – They make great sides in a hurry and have a great shelf life.
Cereal/Oatmeal – Cereal can often be purchased for as low as $.50 and other deals have made it free. Usually pretty good shelf dates on cereal.
Crackers
Dressing – Mayo, mustard, ranch, bbq. Pretty long shelf life on many, but keep an eye on those dates, egg and dairy based items have much shorter dates.
::Freezer::
Microwavable Meals – Sometimes, you just need fast from the freezer.
Ice Cream and Popsicles – They make for nice treats and taste better when purchased on sale with a coupon.
Pancakes and French Toast – They freeze well and reheat easily (microwave for pancakes, popped into the toaster for french toast). Make them yourself and store them or grab a great deal.
Frozen Juice Concentrate – They take up less space than the cartons from the dairy section and are WAY less expensive per ounce.
Frozen Veggies – Microwavable or the kind you boil. Either way, they are a fast and nutritious side dish in a hurry!
Frozen Potatoes – As a side or in a casserole they are a great staple to keep on hand.
Breaded Meat – Chicken Patties/Nuggets, Fish Sticks and Corn Dogs. This is the ultimate, “I Don’t Feel Like Cooking” staple. I’ve not yet found a variety of any of the above that don’t work well. 20 minutes at 350 (that works for EVERYTHING listed, no matter what the package says!) and a side of fries. Done. Better yet, since they all cook at the same temp and time, let each kid pick their combo and cook them all at once.
Cheese – Chunk or Shreds, you can freeze both. Then, when ready to use, pull out and thaw in fridge in a day or about an hour on the counter for shredded. Just know that chunk cheese will crumble after it thaws, it won’t make pretty cracker cuts.
Quality Frozen Pizza – Nnot talking $1.00 cheapies. Tossing this in the over saves a TON over ordering take out.
Prepared Meals – Make and freeze them yourself or grab family sizes on a sale.
::HBA::
Toothpaste – You should be able to stock up on free toothpaste often through the drug stores.
Shampoo/Conditioner – You can often get these for free or better.
Toothbrushes – Every time a new style comes out, it seems like you can get them for free.
Razors – Same as the toothbrushes. Why not? And refills on the expensive one? Nope. When you get the razors for free or make money on them…use them and go.
Deodorant – Another item you can often get for free. Even when not free, you can almost monthly find it for under $.50.
Body Wash/Bar Soap – Sometimes free, often under $1.00.
Toilet Paper – There are often great Amazon Toilet Paper Deals posted here, you should check them out.
Body Lotion
Face Wash
**Guys…this last one is not for you!*
Feminine Hygiene – There has been a nice war going on between major manufacturers the last couple years. One brand will go on sale, then another. It keeps those of us watching the sales well stocked for next to nothing.
Part comedian, part Dad, part athlete. He will boss around your children while they play ball.
Just as angelic as she looks, this girl could easily raise a Village by herself, and all the children would grow up to be President.
Self proclaimed, she would be a webkinz dog. Because, "they're cute, and puppies are too. And they're sweet and they always get along with other puppies."
This mini-Martha Stewart can handle ANY craft you send her way. She isn't all bows and rainbows, she's got karate kid moves!
Not "Pick-Me-Up" like caffeine, she wants you to pick her up! AND NOW!
Anything that can be destroyed WILL be destroyed!
Practically Perfect in Every Way for now! Nicknamed "The Panda" she is rolly polly and lives by the motto, "the little one, is KING!"
The resident Labradoodle, Miller got his name because Mom won and got to name the baby! Need something chewed up? He'll take care of it. Especially if it's expensive..
Rice milk or Almond milk… These also have a great shelf life if you get the non refrigerated packaged milk. : )
I may have to try those milks. We use very little milk, but it never fails that when I am making something the one thing I run out of is milk. It would be nice to be able to pull out a carton from the pantry.
I also stock pile bottled water. We don’t like to use a lot of bottled water because of the waste but I try to have a couple hundred bottles on hand in case of an emergency. It has already been proven useful during Hurricane Sandy when we had a boil water warning for over 2 weeks!
No shame in that, just recycle it when youre done, never know when you need it
The best part about stockpiling/couponing for me has been stockpiling my name brand laundry detergent and liquid dish soap. Before couponing – this seemed to me something I always ran out of and had to waste a trip to the store to get. So I try to get it at the best price possible 60% -50% off for name brand. I haven’t had to buy any in a year! So time to stock up again!!!!
I’m sure you hear it all yhe time, but making laundry detergent is sooooo easy, cheap, and Very simple to always have on hand.. Ours costs about .70$ per gallon, and takes about 4-6 minutes to cook, plus I can keep a year or two supply of ingredients in a 4 gal tote/rubbermaid container in the basement. We Never run out and it is darn near free 🙂
Pretty much everything you said plus dog food, laundry supplies, cream cheese, garlic toast, granola bars, cleaning supplies like for the bathroom and kitchen, paper towels, diapers and baby stuff now that I’m pregnant, dishwasher detergent and drying agents. Pretty much anything I can get for free or under $1.
I try to keep stocked up on cream cheese (it freezes very well for what we do with it), so when I can get it $1 or less, I will buy atleast 30 packages. I also stock up on real stick butter (it too freezes great) and baby wipes. My youngest son is almost out of pull ups, but it seems like we will always have a use for wipes.
We bought a camper last weekend, so now I am working on stocking up on paper and disposable products so we always have it when we are ready to go camping.
I love to stockpile school supplies, toys (for gifts) and snacks. I have a 5 year old and its nice to open up the gift closet and pull something out for that weekend birthday party. Also I stock up on a lot of snacks that I can donate to my daughters class. We collect school supplies all year and then donate them to foster kids who need them. These are 3 of the items I look for all year long.
Other items to stockpile:
Ziplock bags
Parchment paper (best prices around holidays)
Dish soap and dishwasher tablets
Laundry Soap & fresheners, dryer sheets
Paper towels
Kleenex
Vinegar
Baking soda
Tea & coffee
Flour
Sugar
Dried beans
Cotton balls
QTips
Dental floss
Does shampoo ever go bad?
No I have not had it go bad.
I think everyone should have a stockpile….my kids are grown and have families of their own now but I still stockpile and share with them and anyone else who needs help.
It’s hurricane season here so I am not stocking up the freezer but have plenty of canned goods….lots of water, hba and paper products…
I also stockpile toys for the toy drive at church….got most of them at 90% off after Christmas….
And, I am CRAZY about school supplies!!!! I LOVE new pens!!!! I found a box full of supplies in my closet left over from last year…..BUT it doesn’t stop me from buying more 🙂
yes ma’am! i agree. I was able to move across country to California and live for one year off of my stockpile.
I have stockiled shampoo, conditioner, pasta, rice, pizza, razors, peanut butter, condiments. Because i mostly shop at H-E-B Plus i always go for their Combo Loco Specials, which is always, BOGO Free or more. Plus alot of the items they give for free, we use and eat alot of. Plus, if i have a coupon for what you have to buy to get the other items free, i use up those coupons and we have a nice supply of the free items.
I’ve been stock piling for years. I buy shampoo,batteries,toilet paper, kitchen products such as foil, salt and pepper, wax paper as well as plastic storage bags in all sizes and a few other things I don’t remember. Stock piling is a wonderful thing to do–. My daughter saw what I had bought and she nearly s—, but I still do it!! lol