So I talked about diapers and in general about stockpiling. What are the pros and cons. I was asked by a friend, why I stockpile? And truthfully I hadn’t been shopping much for the past year being busy with school, that I’ve been using up my stockpile. It’s actually saved me a lot of money and time.
Why I stockpile? So I’m not rushing out to the store to buy things that are necessities in the middle of the night. I am back to stockpiling right now probably as a form of nesting. I am having a baby in the middle of winter and I want to make sure my DH doesn’t have midnight runs to the store. He will be tired and I worry about him driving in the snow and ice for something dumb like diapers.
What else am I stockpiling? Well I’m making sure we have enough Soda, garbage bags, tissues, paper towels, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, laundry detergent, shampoo, body wash, deodorant, vitamins, etc. These non-perishables I’ve started stockpiling, so my DH doesn’t have to think, but can just grab and use. And due to limited pantry space, I will start in Janauary stockpiling non-perishable boxes of pasta and canned goods.
Why? Because I am not sure we’ll be shopping much until warmer weather hits. It at least gives us the choice to go out for fresh food or live off our stockpile and eat frozen or canned veggies and fruits.
But how to build a stockpile? I started out by using couponmom website to tell me which deals on groceries in my area were at least 50% off. It’s a free service, very similar to the grocery game. Second, I use hotcouponworld to tell me deals on diapers, health/beauty, etcs. Between these two and getting the Sunday paper delivered I’m able to quickly match up coupons and deals.
It does cost some extra to start stockpiling, but I think it’s well worth the cost when you don’t have to worry about running out to get a necessity. But there is a fine line between stockpiling and hoarding!
3 responses so far ↓
1 JoeP // Nov 9, 2009 at 2:25 pm
We don’t really “stockpile” in the literal sense, but if something we use goes on sale, we sometimes grab a couple more than we need at the moment. For example, toothpaste, mouthwash, toilet paper, meats, sandwich bags, paper products. It is also helpful to stock up on closeout seasonal stuff when the season ends. Up north, this includes outdoor furnishings, seeds, lawn care stuff, and even clothing like shorts.
A couple things I personally stockpile: gasoline and oil and filters (try to keep 10 gallons of gas on hand for generator and power equipment), extra hardware (e.g. a couple extra washers or bolts) whenever I go to buy something to save me a trip further down the road. In general, I try to buy a little more than I need because I end up using it eventually!
2 Stacey // Nov 10, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Not pregnant yet, but we plan to stockpile diapers. Your plan of 1 pack per week sounded like a good one! The first few weeks are stressful enough, without having to worry about the cost and hassle of buying diapers.
Our friend is due in about 4 weeks, and when I pointed out that there was a great sale on diapers she said they have plenty for now – 8 packs from the baby shower. Yikes! What’s the harm in buying a few more packs? I’m sure the baby will be wearing diapers for more than a few weeks.
The sad thing is that they have plenty of storage space in the nursery and spare room.
3 LAL // Nov 13, 2009 at 12:24 pm
JoeP, good point on seasonal items. I hadn’t even considered it but I do that too.
Stacy, I think a diaper a week is decent amount of money. Typically runs $10/pack so that is $400 you are spending without coupons or deals.
And why worry about it afterwards? As long as you have the space to store it.
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