Master Stockpiling Tips and Tricks

Master Stockpiling Tips

Here are a couple master stockpiling tips and tricks for you to get started on a stockpile!

1. Try different brands.

In order to do really well at stockpiling you will need to purchase the brand that is on sale that matches with your coupons. This means that you may need to “try” new brands in order to get in on the good deals.Once you have been couponing for a long time and have a decent stockpile going you actually can bebrand loyal to a certain point. One example of this is the Olay Total Effects Body Wash. I love this stuff and don’t use any other kind as of right now. A few months back, I was able to get this for free at Walgreens. I have about 14 bottles stashed away which, in reality, will probably last me around 2 years. This is very expensive body wash, too, so I was super excited to get it for free.

I actually like trying new brands of products. Often times, I realize that the brand I was previously using wasn’t any better than the brand that is on sale. One example is that I always purchased Cascade dishwasher detergent. Then, this fabulous coupon for Finish dishwasher detergent came along. I decided I had nothing to lose and gave it a try. I could either spend $3.89 on Cascade minus a $0.25 coupon, or I could get the Finish for free…in the end I like Finish better, and I got it all for free.

Another example is spaghetti sauce. I had always used Prego until I was able to get Barilla pasta sauce for $0.66 per jar. Come to find out, I love the Barilla pasta sauce!

2. Buy smaller product sizes.

A big mistake that I used to make as a shopper was buying the biggest product size available. I always compared the price per unit. The reason this is a mistake is that while a product size may be less expensive per unit, the smaller item may be FREE or near free after your coupon. This is when you buy a higher quantity of the items to create your stockpile. Perfect example of this is dish soap. There was a $1/1 Gain dish soap coupon. At Walmart, the small size was under a buck making it FREE. Or, I could have bought the large bottle and paid a few bucks out of pocket even with the use of a coupon. So, what did I do? I had ten $1/1 coupons so I bought 10 of the smaller sized ones all for FREE. Now, I don’t need any dish soap for well over a year, if not longer since I have a dishwasher now.

Keep in mind that when you have a stockpile, you do need to watch expiration dates. In order to do this the best, you should organize your stockpile in a “first in, first out” fashion so that your oldest products are always at the front. And, although products have expiration dates, they are often okay for a short time after that date. Just don’t buy more than your family will need or you can donate before items expire.

Find more Couponing Tips and Tricks on Become a Coupon Queen!