Extreme Couponing - Organizing your stockpile! Last weekend I worked on organizing my kitchen and my stockpile. It is important to stay organized, so you know what you have on hand and what you need to purchase more of.
As you can see this is my entire stockpile! I don't have 100 mustard, 100 boxes of cereal or 1000 toothpaste. I have enough to last my family through the sales cycle. A little more on items like health and beauty and household items that don't expire.
You may want to check out this Stockpiling Saturday post on How to Stockpile Without Clearing the Shelves so you can see how we are able to stockpile without taking away from others who are also using coupons.
Extreme Couponing - Organizing Your Stockpile
It is very important to keep your stockpile organized and inventoried. If you don't do both you will have wasted your time and money when it comes to what you have built. Please read my Stockpiling 101 Post - Organizing Your Stockpile and Stockpiling 101 - Inventory Your Stockpile for more helpful tips and information. I even have an awesome stockpile inventory spreadsheet that I use!
Learn How to Stockpile:
Living in the "Land" of Doubles
Ways To Save:
How to Shop at Whole Foods without Spending your Whole Paycheck
5 Ways to Increase Your Savings at Target
7 Ways to Save Money Without Couponing
How to Get the Most out of your Sam's Club Membership
Melissa is a soccer mom who has been married to her best friend for 22 years. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.
Darcy@Somewhatmuddledmusings
Just wanted to comment that it's not wrong to have a year or two supply of items - there are many who do so for emergency situations, or preparing for job losses or downturns. Having a ton of product that your family can LIVE on is not wrong. Clearing shelves consistently and cheating grocery stores with bad couponing is wrong. Don't judge those with stockpiles with more than you think is 'enough' because they may be doing it for valid reasons. (this is a generic you, not aimed at any particular person).
There is nothing wrong with stockpiling enough to last your family for up to 6 months or even 2 years for health and beauty/household. What we don't teach is to purchase 100's of items that will expire before use while clearing the shelves in the process.
Theresa
Thanks for sharing these pics. I love seeing how others organize their stockpiles!
Sabine
Thank you for sharing your pictures Melissa and letting people know that clearning shevles and taking more than you need is wrong! I hope one day my stockpile looks as great as yours, right now is it tiny but growing!
Sabine
Oh sorry..one more thing...I think you should do a little spot on what other peoples stockpiles look like and maybe do a giveaway for best use of space, best stockpile, most orginaize, most orginal, etc....just a thought. It would give people ideas on how to organize and maybe new spots that they have never thought of.
I love that idea Sabine!
Amanda C
This is almost identical to my stockpile. Is it wrong that I enjoy organizing my stockpile as much as getting the deals? Lol. Great pics!
Amanda M
Love seeing pics, it makes it more realistic! Just getting started, and it helps to see pics of how its done. Hoping this gives me an idea of how many of things I might need to buy before the next sale comes around. Thanks!
Delsie Foster
I notice in your pictures that you have fresh canned tomatoes!!! I'm a canner too!! My oldest sister and brother in law have a garden every year and are generous and share the surplus with family. How can you beat FREE tomatoes, peas, squash, muscadines, blueberries, plums, pears etc..... all it takes is the work to "preserve the harvest"!!! I LOVE IT! Summer is a pretty busy time. I am always on the hunt for a pear tree that no one is interested in picking the fruit from or someone that has blackberries on their property and will let me pick till I drop. NOW... there are pick and pay places, which i have taken advantage of when i can't find free fruit or produce... but FREE is my favorite.
Charlotte Varner
Hello I'm new to your blog. Just wanted to tell you that I think it's awesome that your a stockpiling mom but yet you show exactly how it should be done! I think it's a bunch of nonsense to have 100 ketchups and 500 boxes of toothpaste! Keep up the great job that your doing!!
Denise M
With all the changes in the store policies it is really hard to stockpile now. What can we do to protect our future supply?
robin
I do not keep all of my stock pile together, laundry detergent is in laundry room, I have plenty of room there for 30 bottles, I keep my health and beauty aids in the bathroom in cabinet space I made, we found that the smells of some things laundry detergent and some soaps and shampoos are very loud and we had a problem with them being close to some kitchen stock pile items, the kitchen items, mixes, potatoes, snacks seem to take on a different taste, anybody else have this problem? of course they are stored in a cabinet with doors, haven't gotten my shelves in the basement yet