One of the absolute best ways to save money is to stockpile the items you use most. Basic stockpiling is buying an item at a rock bottom price and buying enough of it to get you through until the next sale. Sometimes you get one or two things a week to add to your stockpile, sometimes you get nothing, then sometimes there is the holy grail of sales. You know the sale I’m talking about. The one that has so many items at a great price, it makes your head spin from all the deals. Those are the sales we stockpilers wait for. Those are also the sales that can be the hardest to plan and make sure we are getting the absolute most for our money. Here are some tips to help you plan a stockpile shopping trip.
Planning a Stockpile Shopping Trip
Write down the best sales
Look through the sales flyer and write down the items that jump out at you right away. Whether it’s chicken breast for $1.69/lb or pasta for $0.50/box, write down the items and the price. This goes for an item that you know you have coupons for as well. This helps with the head spinning overwhelm as you notice so many great deals.
Check for coupons
Once you have the items you are interested in written down, check for coupons. Check your coupon stash, check online, and check couponing groups. One of the best things you can do is a join a couponing group for the store you shop. For me, that’s Shaw’s. It’s not my every day grocery store but they are the one that has awesome sales and they are the only place in my state that doubles coupons. But since I don’t shop there all the time, I rely on people who do. They often will share what items they are purchasing during the sale, what coupons they will be using, and where they found the coupons.
Figure out your cost
Other than meat since that will depend on how many pounds you buy, figure out how much you are planning to spend after coupons. This will help you at the register to make sure everything is ringing up correctly. This also helps you know if you are going to have the money to buy as many items as you are planning.
Organize your list
One of the most frustrating things about shopping, especially a stockpile trip, is when you forget something on your list and have to walk all the way back to the other side of the store. Stockpile trips involve a lot of focus to make sure you are getting the correct item at the correct price. Help make your trip easier by grouping like items together. Put dairy with dairy, group items that are in the same aisle together, etc. Even better: write them out in the order you walk through the store.
Get the most for your money by having a well planned stockpile shopping trip Click To TweetClip coupons to your list
This is something I do with every shopping trip but is even more important with a stockpile trip. You don’t want to be standing at the checkout, trying to find your coupons. It’s frustrating for you, the cashier, and anyone in line behind you. Be organized and prepared!
Prep your house
Lastly, make sure you have space in your house to put your items. Rotate the product around so that you are putting the new items in the back. This puts the soonest to expire items in the front where you will grab them first. If you have anything that has expired, get rid of it. Rearrange anything that needs to be moved to make more space. This is also a great time to wipe down shelves and clean up any spills you haven’t noticed.
Planning a stockpile shopping trip can seem daunting and overwhelming, especially when the sale is a really good one. When you break it down into these six steps, it is much easier. Remember that the point of a stockpile shopping trip is to get the most bang for your buck and save as much money as possible. This is best done when your trip is well planned and organized.
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