Evening #savers, it is too cool to be outside comfortably on this 24th day of July in the Midwest (IKR)..so I have brought the laptop back inside and curled up on the couch to share with you how I have built our stockpile.
Stockpiling...the process by which we accumulate a large stock of goods or materials. Our stockpile consists of not only dry food goods, but also health, cleaning, and personal supplies. I started my stockpile in 2008 with a small shelf in the corner and it now spans both shelving units you see, several large Rubbermaid storage containers in the garage, and 2 refrigerators...oh, and a deep-freeze, LOL. And the most fantastic, awesome, and really cool part of acquiring all of this...is that is was ALL next to, or absolutely FREE.
Using a combination of couponing and ad matching(both covered in previous posts)...I was able to build my stockpile little by little to what it is today. And if you couldn't tell..I am super proud of it. It is an amazing feeling to know that even if things get really bad, are basic needs are provided for out on those shelves. This I am grateful for. The knowledge and ambition to put these transactions together is not easy. In fact, it requires patience and dedication. But if you desire that special feeling only attained by staring at your stockpile, then read on..cause I'm going to show you how you can start your own stockpile!
OK. So lets break this down...coupons save us money at the checkout on the things we have in our cart...and ad matching saves us money at the checkout on the things in our cart. Both very similar and effective ways of saving money on your weekly Wal-Mart runs. But what happens if there aren't any coupons for soap that week, and your out? What happens if no one has an ad match for shampoo? You either have to stink it up and have greasy hair or...you are going to get dressed again, put on a bra and put your shoes back on, and head out to the store....AH, no thank you! This is where your stockpile comes in super
handy~
By now, you are well aware of the Sunday Paper and the power it harness in the couponing realm. Really..extreme couponing is just the ability to match up sales and coupons. The trick is to do a little shopping as often as possible, maybe even weekly. This way you can focus on the sale goods at the time, and not necessarily your instant "needs." Once you have built us your stock of the things you use the most often..you can focus on the sales of less commonly used items and maybe not have to shop quite as often. A little extra work in the beginning pays off tenfold in the end. Believe me, the next time you are getting ready for work and realize the deodorant is empty...your co-workers will thank me for the backups you had on hand! :) So lets see...
Example: Pantene is on sale this week at Walgreens: 2 bottles for $7...and, because you have done your homework, you know there are coupons for $3 off 2 bottles of Pantene in this weeks P&G insert This in itself isn't extreme dealing...paying $4 for both bottles may be a good deal for some, but not for me. So, I look a bit further, and see that Walgreens is advertising their own "coupon" on top of the sale. In the Walgreens circular, you read, "Purchase $20 worth of P&G products(which Pantene is), receive a $10 RR at checkout." CVS and Walgreens, among other stores, use these type of promotions to bring you into their store, instead of using their ad and going to Walmart to ad match. All in store specials, like this example, are listed right in your Sunday paper circulars. Each week, when you sit down to go through your coupons and ads...you will match these types of offers up, and the best ones are the ones you will shop that week.
Now...In this scenario, you would buy 6 bottles of Pantene for $21(in a single transaction)...use three of the $3 off coupons out of the paper(you may have to acquire more papers, LOL), and pay $12 OOP for the 6 bottles at the register. Just remember, with that purchase, we qualify for the $10 register rebate. With your receipt, a coupon for $10 off of any purchase of $10 or more at Walgreens will print out. You can use it for produce, soda, candy, anything you want. This means you spent just $2 +tax for all six bottles of Pantene...now that's a slickdeal!!!
Each week, different stores have different types of sales. This is why frequenting these types of deals will result in a stockpile. It is unlikely, you will go through all 6 bottles of Pantene in the next few weeks...so you can scratch shampoo off the list and add it to your "stock" of awesomeness!~ Common sales that you can find often are ones on toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and toilet paper. While less common are good deals on razors, name brand laundry detergents, and feminine hygiene products. If you take the time do a bit of homework in advance of the weeks sales by perusing different couponing forums(I will cover these and other awesome sites to bookmark for your couponing, very soon)....you can find out what is going to be on sale up to 14 days in advance. This can be super beneficial in giving you time to collect the coupons and make a game plan of what you need to stock up on ahead of time!
While I know that this is a lot to take in all at once, and I am certainly not trying to downplay the time involved, it IS doable for EVERYONE. Once you have gotten the hang of extreme couponing, it really doesn't take as much time to "plan" out keeping your stock in tact~ The same methods I used in the example above can be applied to all sorts of products, groceries especially. Grocers want your business and want you to come in to the store and NOT go to mass retailers like Wal-Mart. This is why somewhere, someone is always going to have a match up for FREE(or close to it) STUFF!
All and all, growing your stockpile will take some time, energy, and effort. But...if you are like me and saving money is not only important, its required, then building a stockpile from extreme couponing is the only way to go.
Please be sure to ask any questions you may have. I have done my best to think out loud here...but I certainly could have missed something. Extreme couponing is adrenaline pumping fun. Walking out of a store with bags of stuff that you paid very little or nothing for...really gets the blood pumping flowing. Try it, without a doubt it will change the way you feel about purchasing anything, ever again! :)
As Always,
Take Care and Be Blessed~
WHAT DOES YOUR STOCKPILE CONTAIN THE MOST OF?
PLEASE COMMENT BELOW~
Stockpiling...the process by which we accumulate a large stock of goods or materials. Our stockpile consists of not only dry food goods, but also health, cleaning, and personal supplies. I started my stockpile in 2008 with a small shelf in the corner and it now spans both shelving units you see, several large Rubbermaid storage containers in the garage, and 2 refrigerators...oh, and a deep-freeze, LOL. And the most fantastic, awesome, and really cool part of acquiring all of this...is that is was ALL next to, or absolutely FREE.
Using a combination of couponing and ad matching(both covered in previous posts)...I was able to build my stockpile little by little to what it is today. And if you couldn't tell..I am super proud of it. It is an amazing feeling to know that even if things get really bad, are basic needs are provided for out on those shelves. This I am grateful for. The knowledge and ambition to put these transactions together is not easy. In fact, it requires patience and dedication. But if you desire that special feeling only attained by staring at your stockpile, then read on..cause I'm going to show you how you can start your own stockpile!
OK. So lets break this down...coupons save us money at the checkout on the things we have in our cart...and ad matching saves us money at the checkout on the things in our cart. Both very similar and effective ways of saving money on your weekly Wal-Mart runs. But what happens if there aren't any coupons for soap that week, and your out? What happens if no one has an ad match for shampoo? You either have to stink it up and have greasy hair or...you are going to get dressed again, put on a bra and put your shoes back on, and head out to the store....AH, no thank you! This is where your stockpile comes in super
handy~
By now, you are well aware of the Sunday Paper and the power it harness in the couponing realm. Really..extreme couponing is just the ability to match up sales and coupons. The trick is to do a little shopping as often as possible, maybe even weekly. This way you can focus on the sale goods at the time, and not necessarily your instant "needs." Once you have built us your stock of the things you use the most often..you can focus on the sales of less commonly used items and maybe not have to shop quite as often. A little extra work in the beginning pays off tenfold in the end. Believe me, the next time you are getting ready for work and realize the deodorant is empty...your co-workers will thank me for the backups you had on hand! :) So lets see...
Example: Pantene is on sale this week at Walgreens: 2 bottles for $7...and, because you have done your homework, you know there are coupons for $3 off 2 bottles of Pantene in this weeks P&G insert This in itself isn't extreme dealing...paying $4 for both bottles may be a good deal for some, but not for me. So, I look a bit further, and see that Walgreens is advertising their own "coupon" on top of the sale. In the Walgreens circular, you read, "Purchase $20 worth of P&G products(which Pantene is), receive a $10 RR at checkout." CVS and Walgreens, among other stores, use these type of promotions to bring you into their store, instead of using their ad and going to Walmart to ad match. All in store specials, like this example, are listed right in your Sunday paper circulars. Each week, when you sit down to go through your coupons and ads...you will match these types of offers up, and the best ones are the ones you will shop that week.
Now...In this scenario, you would buy 6 bottles of Pantene for $21(in a single transaction)...use three of the $3 off coupons out of the paper(you may have to acquire more papers, LOL), and pay $12 OOP for the 6 bottles at the register. Just remember, with that purchase, we qualify for the $10 register rebate. With your receipt, a coupon for $10 off of any purchase of $10 or more at Walgreens will print out. You can use it for produce, soda, candy, anything you want. This means you spent just $2 +tax for all six bottles of Pantene...now that's a slickdeal!!!
Each week, different stores have different types of sales. This is why frequenting these types of deals will result in a stockpile. It is unlikely, you will go through all 6 bottles of Pantene in the next few weeks...so you can scratch shampoo off the list and add it to your "stock" of awesomeness!~ Common sales that you can find often are ones on toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and toilet paper. While less common are good deals on razors, name brand laundry detergents, and feminine hygiene products. If you take the time do a bit of homework in advance of the weeks sales by perusing different couponing forums(I will cover these and other awesome sites to bookmark for your couponing, very soon)....you can find out what is going to be on sale up to 14 days in advance. This can be super beneficial in giving you time to collect the coupons and make a game plan of what you need to stock up on ahead of time!
While I know that this is a lot to take in all at once, and I am certainly not trying to downplay the time involved, it IS doable for EVERYONE. Once you have gotten the hang of extreme couponing, it really doesn't take as much time to "plan" out keeping your stock in tact~ The same methods I used in the example above can be applied to all sorts of products, groceries especially. Grocers want your business and want you to come in to the store and NOT go to mass retailers like Wal-Mart. This is why somewhere, someone is always going to have a match up for FREE(or close to it) STUFF!
All and all, growing your stockpile will take some time, energy, and effort. But...if you are like me and saving money is not only important, its required, then building a stockpile from extreme couponing is the only way to go.
Please be sure to ask any questions you may have. I have done my best to think out loud here...but I certainly could have missed something. Extreme couponing is adrenaline pumping fun. Walking out of a store with bags of stuff that you paid very little or nothing for...really gets the blood pumping flowing. Try it, without a doubt it will change the way you feel about purchasing anything, ever again! :)
As Always,
Take Care and Be Blessed~
WHAT DOES YOUR STOCKPILE CONTAIN THE MOST OF?
PLEASE COMMENT BELOW~
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