How to start couponing – Figuring out how much you need to stockpile & why (Week 3)

How to Start Couponing – Figuring out how much you need to stockpile and why

When you learn how to start couponing, figuring out how much you need to stockpile could seem like a big chore. In reality, it doesn’t take much to figure out how much you use and of what. If you have menu planners, or even shopping lists, you will see a pattern of what you use the most and what you need to keep stockpiled. There is a reason you will see people with their carts full of the great sale items at the stores. (granted there are people who take it from hoarding to stockpiling…) BUT in order to start saving money you have to be able to shop from your own “store”.

Stores tend to rotate their sale cycles about every 3-4 months. With that being said, you will want to  see how much you use of an item over say a month’s time, then you will times that by 3 or 4 (depends on how often you can find the sale). You will find that if you are buying enough of an item to last you 3-4 months at a time, you will hardly ever pay full price for that item again. The reason is because you stocked up on it when it was really cheap, and so you have a bunch in storage that you can pick from when you run out – preventing you from making a trip to the store to buy another one AT FULL PRICE, as well as other things you might not have needed (impulse buying).

Let’s do an example:

If you use 4 cans of soup a month, then you will want to stockpile 12-16 cans of soup when you find them for a good price. If you find them for say, $0.70 – and they are normally $1.50 each, then that is already a great deal. Add to that a probable coupon, and you have it made! Here is an example of how much you would save by stockpiling:

AT REGULAR PRICE:  16 cans at $1.50 each = $24

SALE PRICE: 16 cans at $0.70 each = $11.20

SALE PRICE WITH COUPON: 16 cans at $0.40 each = $6.40

That is a savings of 54% with just the sale price
That is a savings of 73% with the sale price AND coupon!

You really can’t save money on your groceries and household items until you start having some sort of stockpile. While you may find great deals and get them, the next time you go shopping, you will still be paying full price for that item, when you could have just grabbed one from your pantry.

Here are my tips on building your stockpile:

• Make sure you have the room to store what you get
• Rotate the food items regularly
• Only get what you will use in a 4 month period (food) or 12 month period (household, toiletry, etc)
• Always be looking for a good sale of clearance item while shopping
• Keep your coupons handy (like in your car or in a bag) while shopping, so you can use them if you find a great deal
• Use the Coupon Database to search for coupons for items you find
• Organize your stockpile so you know what you have
• Use the price point sheet while shopping to make sure you are getting a good deal
• Look for markdowns on meats and other items and then bag them and freeze them for later use

It will take 3-4 months of stockpiling items for you to build us a good supply of what you use regularly. Once that happens, you will start to see a big decrease in your grocery and household items spending because you will be able to get almost everything from your own personal “discounted store” and you don’t have to go pay full price anymore!

• How to Start Couponing Series:
  • (Week 1) – Gathering and Organizing Coupons
  • (Week 2) – Figuring out how many coupons you need and the three types of shoppers
  • (Week 3) –  Figuring out how much you need to stockpile & why
  • (Week 4) –  Preparing your Shopping List and Coupons
  • (Week 5) –  Shopping the Sales

What are your tips and tricks to building a great stockpile and figuring out how much you need to stockpile?

How to start couponing – Figuring out how much you need to stockpile & why